SubscribeMayo on dearth of Jewish candidates for Baseball Hall
I always look forward to Jonathan Mayo’s sports items in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, such as this column on the paucity of consideration-worthy MOTs for the HoF.
FYI, Shawn Green will be on the ballot for the first time in 2012. Great, another Jew finally gets elected and the world comes to an end.
But seriously: Green belongs in the Hall of Very Good, but there’s no way he’s Cooperstown-worthy, to be honest.
FYI, part deux: Mayo, author of Facing Clemens: Hitters on Hitting Against Baseball’s Most Intimidating Pitchers (which was released just before the steroids allegations came to light), is the go-to guy for minor league prospect news. You can follow him here.
I asked him in an email if there are any promising Jewish prospects to keep an eye on. His reply: “Ike Davis, the Mets’ first-round pick from 2008. {Former Yankees pitcher] Ron’s kid (mom is Jewish). He told me he’s not religious at all, but that’s ok. He’s not running from it, either.”
Yeah, despite me wishing it weren’t the case, I would say Shawn Green has no shot at the HOF. Projecting into the future, Kevin Youkilis may have a slight chance, but he also may have become an everyday ballplayer at too late an age to have the career numbers required. The best shot would seem to be Ryan Braun. If he puts up 10 more years identical to his first threee, he would be a lock. Of course that is asking a lot. You have to be able to avoid injuries and the general wear and tear of getting older. So it’s still no sure deal, but one can hope. As for Ike Davis, I’m looking forward to seeing him in a Met uniform in the near future, hopefully as soon as sometime this coming season.
I agree that Green has no shot. He needed 3 or 4 more really good years.
Youk would have had a better chance had he remained at 3B. But given his late start, I would say he has no chance. When he hangs ‘em up, his counting stats won’t be there.
Braun is a good bet if he remains healthy and consistent. That’s a big if, but he’s a special talent.
Ian Kinsler may be a dark horse, but I think he also has a shot. He puts up very good numbers for a 2B, and his glove has come around. His biggest issue has been durability. Last year, he was a little pull crazy. Probably tried to do too much in Josh Hamilton’s absence. I would expect a better approach at the plate this year.
Ike Davis should definitely be on your radar. I think there are a lot of promising Jewish prospects. Jason Kipnis, Brett Lorin, Jason Knapp, Ryan Lavarnway, Charlie Cutler, Richard Bleier, Eric Berger, Ari Ronick, Aaron Poreda, Jeff Kaplan, B.J. Rosenberg, Michael Schwimer, Nate Freiman, Ben Guez, Casey Haerther, Josh Satin, Mike Brownstein, Josh Zeid, and Danny Rosenbaum could all be impact players. I would also include my brother, who is still in college.
By 2012 or 2013, we could be looking at an unprecedented amount of JMLs.
Unless Kinsler turns into Kent, I don’t think he can put up the kind of stats necessary for consideration. Thanks for the list of “JMiL”s. Something to look forward to.
It’s nice to see another Jewish ballplayer in New York. A good start last night for Ike. Hopefully he continues and at least can bring the Mets some respectibility