Games played, career. Jim Rice as he hits among his peers in the hall of fame. My feeling is that, if Rice is worthy of enshrinement, he ought to look similar or superior to the players already inducted.
[more ]According to a recent packet distributed by the Red Sox, Rice was the only player from 1974-97 to hit .300 and average 30 homers over a season during any span of 10 consecutive years. Understand? Whether the timeframe was 1965-74 or 1988-97, the only player in baseball to bat .300 with at least 300 home runs was James Edward Rice, who qualified three times, from 1975-84, 1976-85 and 1977-86.
Tony Massorati, Boston Herald.
See also Part One and Part Two.
Next part of the question: as a hitter, how does Rice rate compared with his peers? That is, where does he rank as a hitter among the other players during his time. Does he deserve a reputation as the most feared hitter of his time?
[more ]Part one was filed oddly, so you may have missed it.
There's a singularly important question that should be asked when discussing a players candidancy: how big should your hall be?
[more ]I'm a Redsox fan, by breeding and by choice. Which means that every year I end up reading yet another series of arguments that Jim Rice does, or does not, belong in the Hall of Fame.
The earliest team that I recall for certain is the 1977 team, and the home run binge. When I began attending baseball card shows, I discovered that I already had some from 1977, and a very few from earlier years.
Which is to say that I first really started paying attention to baseball when Rice was at his peak. This no doubt distorts my perspective to some degree. Nevertheless, I think I can be objective in assessing Rice's credentials.
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