JoltinJoe wrote:The other thing about Piazza is that he was, almost assuredly, using PEDs. So he's in the Hall, while other guys have been kept out for PED use.
A reporter friend who covered the Mets told me that Piazza had notoriously bad acne on his back, as bad as that kid with the greasy hair in your high school gym class. He said he had never seen anything like this on any other grown man.
Well, it landed him in the hall and married to a Playboy bunny....so, there’s that.
Gil Dobie wrote:
It's good that you are comparing him to Hall of Famers. Mauer didn't play first base until his 8th season, at 28 years old. He played more than half his games, that he was healthy enough to play, at catcher in 10 seasons.
And his health is a knock against his HOF case as well. It's a shame, but if you're not able to play we can't just assume that you would've had great numbers. Those extra 4 years you're giving him for playing catcher are a fraction of what healthy players were playing. Injuries suck but it's a reality that has to be dealt with.
Mauer has the best all-time average while playing catcher. His severe concussion is why he was moved to 1st base. It was that or retire. He was a shell of himself after at the plate after his concussion. Right now, he is trending at 82%, 75% needed for election. 95 confirmed voters counted, 7 unverified. Gold gloves combined with silver sluggers and 3 batting titles will get him in, if not this year, probably in the next few years.
Gil Dobie wrote:
Only Piazza had a higher batting average, .308 to .306. None of them had a higher On Base Percentage. Most of Mauer's good numbers came when he was a catcher. After the concussions and permanent position change, his numbers went down.
Piazza had a higher BA. And about 300 more home runs. over 400 more RBI. OPS 100 points higher.
And played 1629 games at Catcher, just 70 at 1B, and 122 as a DH. 12 Silver Sluggers to 5 for Mauer...14 All Star games to 6 for Mauer...
Honestly, it's not even close. Mauer is not a hall of famer...
Joe Mauer first car was 10 years old with a rebuilt motor, and he shared it with 2 brothers. The entire family lived in Grandpa Jakes house, with his grandpa.
Mauer is the 4th Hall of Famer from St Paul, MN, others being Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield. Minnesotas first Hall of Famer Chief Bender was from Crow Wing County, MN.