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Draw a line in the sand, pick a side, let's debate. Torii Hunter has a case for the Hall of Fame, and his candidacy has been grossly ignored by the baseball writers. Image courtesy of Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports Torii Hunter was a phenomenal player, and no one will give you any pushback on that take. What the baseball writers overlook, and what is a huge topic for debate, is his claim to a spot in Cooperstown. On the last vote, Torii Hunter received 21 votes. He was selected on just over five percent of ballots, barely keeping him in on this year's ballot. The distorted curve of how we grade center field play and offensive production has plagued his candidacy. Other premium defensive positions like shortstop and catcher get more love for their defensive prowess. The way the game has evolved, the value of great defensive center field play has started to creep up on the value of a great defensive shortstop. We can put the glove before the bat when we evaluate a premium defensive position and their rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. Ozzie Smith has been enshrined in Cooperstown (no one should argue against that). We need to pause and look at Torii Hunter’s body of work and the transcendent defense he brought to center field for as long as anybody to play the position. Ozzie Smith is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, but his offensive numbers do not warrant a trip to Cooperstown. His career slash line is .262/.337/.328 for a career OPS of .666 and an 87 OPS+ (OPS+ takes into account eras of play and stadiums played in. 100 being an average OPS+). Pair that with 2,460 hits, 28 career homers, and 580 stolen bases. Most impressively, The Wizard only struck out 589 times in his 10,778 career plate appearances (roughly 5.5% K-rate). There’s no denying that in his prime, Smith willed his way to be a productive hitter by stealing bases and putting the ball in play even though he only hit over .300 once in his 19-year career. The accolades for The Wizard of Oz kick off with the Gold Gloves; he brought in 13 of them at the shortstop position. From ‘80-’92, Smith was the standard of great defense and racked up his 13 consecutive gold gloves. He was also a 15-time All-Star in an era where the soft-hitting shortstop was acceptable, and his final three selections were a hair charitable in his age 39-41 seasons. Lastly, he brought home his one silver slugger when he slashed .303/.392/.383 for a .775 OPS, no doubt his best season. I’m a firm believer in the OPS and OPS+ statistics. It is the easiest way to judge someone’s prowess at the plate. My benchmark for a solid hitter is a .750 OPS, and the average for OPS+ is 100 on the nose. Smith surpassed .750 once in his career and approached it with a .747 OPS in only one other season. Based on OPS+, he surpassed that number four times, with his best season being a 112 OPS+. Otherwise, he was well off that mark in all his other seasons. The Wizard was swinging a wet newspaper, and the ball stuck to his bat. He was not a pure hitter. So why was he a sure-fire Hall of Famer? DEFENSE MATTERS. If we agree and baseball writers agree, then there is a case for Torii Hunter to be enshrined. Offensively, Hunter holds up better than Smith. The career slash line on T-Nuts is .277/.331/.461 for a career .793 OPS (110 OPS+), a very respectable career line, 10% above league average for his era. You pair that with 353 homers, 2,452 hits, and 195 stolen bases. Hunter struck out more than Smith, but Hunter brought WAY more juice with his bat. He posted a .762 OPS or higher for 13 seasons in a row (also 13 seasons with an OPS+ of over 100) to go with two Silver Sluggers and his nine consecutive Gold Gloves in center field. The only center fielders with more Gold Gloves are three of the freakiest athletes ever to play the game: Willie Mays (12), Andrew Jones (10), and Ken Griffey Jr. (10). Hunter’s problem is that the steroid era moved the needle for offensive production. We have become callous to consistency, 20-homer seasons, speed, and good defense. We saw this play out so ridiculously with Fred McGriff. Anyone that watched and knew baseball said McGriff is a Hall of Famer. It took his candidacy to reach a jury of his peers, and he was elected IMMEDIATELY and UNANIMOUSLY. Hunter’s prime was in the heart of the steroid era, saving runs and providing almost immeasurable value as guys were elevating the baseball more frequently. On the flip side, his offensive numbers, unfortunately, lost value as players’ hat sizes fluctuated more than bitcoin prices. Hunter’s hat stayed the same size. Hunter was an iconic center fielder. He also evolved into a true pro at the plate when his speed, age, and the speed demon Peter Bourjos (not Mike Trout) required a move to right field. Longevity in center field is impossible. You can’t stick in center field for 15 years plus, and we need to adjust the measuring stick for excellence in center field accordingly because players like Torii are essential to the history of baseball. I do not think Torii Hunter is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he has a better case than is being shown by current voting numbers. In his prime, he was arguably the best defensive center fielder we’ve ever seen. Then he proved to be a genuinely productive bat for 13 of his 17 seasons. If defense matters, and in a previous era, we acknowledged defense matters when we rightfully inducted Ozzie Smith. We must either declare defense doesn’t matter, OR Torii Hunter is a Hall of Fame center fielder. View full article