Examining the Credentials of the Current and Future Candidates for the Hall of Fame
CC Sabathia, the 6’6″, 300-pound left-hander for the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees, was a throwback. In an era in which starting pitchers have consistently been asked to do less, Sabathia was a workhorse who threw more innings than any other pitcher in the 21st century. In an era in which 200 wins […]
Chase Utley, who had a distinguished 16-year Major League Baseball career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles, is currently on the Hall of Fame ballot for the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) for the second time. Utley made six All-Star teams during his years on the diamond and won a World Series ring […]
Last night in Philadelphia, Justin Verlander got a big proverbial monkey off his back when he finally was the winning pitcher in a World Series game. With five innings of one-run ball, Verlander earned the win when the Houston Astros completed a 3-2 victory over the Phillies to take a 3-to-2 series lead in the […]
Tonight, in the first World Series game to be played in Philadelphia since 2009, two-time Most Valuable Player Bryce Harper hit the first pitch he saw deep to right field for a two-run home run, one which propelled the Phillies to an easy win and 2-to-1 series lead over the favored Houston Astros. The 30-year-old […]
Yadier Molina, the long-time catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, is now officially retired. Molina, who wore a Cardinals uniform since 2004, just completed the final year of his illustrious 19-year career, one that’s highlighted by two World Series championships (in 2006 and 2011). Molina and the Cardinals appeared in the postseason 13 times in […]
On Saturday night in St. Louis, Albert Pujols played in the final game of his 22-year career in Major League Baseball. In his final at bat for the St. Louis Cardinals, in the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 2 of the N.L. Wild Card series, Pujols singled sharply down the left field line. […]
Last night in Milwaukee, New York Mets starter Max Scherzer earned his 200th win in Major League Baseball. In typical Scherzer fashion, he was brilliant in this milestone game, the 428th regular season outing in his 15-year career. The 38-year-old right-hander tossed six perfect innings (with nine strikeouts) before getting pulled by manager Buck Showalter […]
Today, one of the game’s prominent future Hall of Famers, the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, achieved a second statistical benchmark that has traditionally ensured a plaque in Cooperstown. Cabrera, now a 20-year MLB veteran, has 502 Home Runs and 3,000 Hits, putting him into the ultra-exclusive club of players with 500 taters and 3,000 knocks. […]
Mike Trout, the supremely talented center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, turned 30 years old today. Trout, on the injured list since May 18th, has missed the last 70 team games due to a right calf injury. It’s only the 3rd time Trout has been on the injured list in his 11-year career in […]
Last night in Arlington, Texas, about 20 miles from his hometown, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw finally won a World Series championship. Kershaw, now a 13-year Major League Baseball veteran, has been one of the best regular-season pitchers in the history of baseball but had always had the blemish of not being able to […]
When he was 21 years old in June 2010, Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was arguably the most ballyhooed rookie in baseball history. He was supposed to be a perennial All-Star and the headline act for the Nats for the next decade and more. He was viewed as a future Hall of Famer before throwing […]
The 2019 World Series, featuring the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, is the culminating series in a postseason in which, so far, the role of the starting pitcher has clawed its way back to relevance. This Series in particular will feature some of the game’s best starters, with at least two, probably three and possibly […]
Last night in Houston, Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve continued to build on his over-sized legend by hitting a two-run, walk-off home run in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, a blast which will send the Astros to the World Series for the second time in three years. Facing the New York […]
The comparisons to Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax came early in Clayton Kershaw’s career. Like Koufax (6’2″), Kershaw is a tall (6’4″) left-handed starter. In his youth, he had a blazing fastball and a killer curve. He posted ERAs under 3.00 while piling up big strikeout totals. He called Dodger Stadium his home. And, like […]
Craig Kimbrel, in 2018, became the youngest pitcher ever to accumulate 300 career saves. He made his 7th All-Star team in his 8th full MLB season. Despite several shaky performances, he saved 6 games in the postseason, helping the Boston Red Sox to their 4th World Series title of the young century. And yet, despite […]
This morning, free agent shortstop Manny Machado signed a 10-year contract with the San Diego Padres, reportedly for $300 million. It’s the biggest free agent contract in the history of sports. Although he may start the season at shortstop, it’s most likely that Machado will play third base for San Diego, with top prospect Fernando […]
Postseason baseball is made for heroes and it’s also made for goats. David Price burst onto the scene in 2008 as a 23-year old rookie with the Tampa Bay Rays and became a hero out of the bullpen, helping his team to the pennant. In the years since, Price has been one of baseball’s biggest […]
Yesterday, Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis was voted by the fans to be in the starting lineup for the National League All-Star team. It will be the first appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic for the 34-year-old right fielder. Markakis, the veteran leader of the young Braves squad, has been a significant contributor to the […]
Over the past few weeks, Cooperstown Cred has profiled dozens of players who are either sure bets or long shot candidates for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Today, we’ll take a look at the stars of the N.L. East. In a division with three teams rebuilding and another that features a couple of […]
In the A.L. East, a division that’s featured some of the most famous players in baseball’s last 25 years, it’s unusual that the rosters of the 2018 editions do not contain a single player that is a certainty for the Hall of Fame. The same was true in 2017. From 1995-2016, A.L. East rosters featured […]
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto headlines the list of players in the National League West who are on track to have a chance to make it into baseball’s Hall of Fame. As it was with the A.L. Central, the presence of multiple teams in full rebuild limits the number of potential future Cooperstown inductees. […]
With three teams in a full rebuilding mode, the American League Central has the fewest easily discernible future Hall of Famers of any of baseball’s six divisions. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers is the only player from the A.L. Central who is a virtual lock for a future plaque in Cooperstown. This is the […]
Clayton Kershaw headlines our list of active future Hall of Fame candidates who are plying their trades in the National League West. This is the second part of a six-part series highlighting the players who are on the way to Cooperstown as well as some who have a chance but have a lot of serious […]
In just a little over four weeks, the early-starting Major League Baseball season gets under way. All teams debut on Thursday, March 29th. In the next 32 days, we’ll take a look at the active future Hall of Fame candidates on each of the 30 MLB clubs. First, some ground rules. In order to be […]
On Wednesday, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer won his second consecutive Cy Young Award and his third overall. It put him into an exclusive club; he is one of only ten pitchers in baseball history to be named the Cy Young Award winner three different times. Of these ten illustrious hurlers, all are first-ballot Hall […]