Hall of Fame Poll: Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay’s name is on the ballot for the first time this year. I which he was around to see it.

You know his story. 203-105 record and 3.38 ERA in 16 MLB seasons. And a 64.3 bWAR (almost double that of Harold Baines (I know, I’ve got to stop obsessing about the stupidity of him getting into the Hall).

He had 2 Cy Youngs (should have been 3). Finished 2nd in votes twice. And got votes 3 other times. He made 8 All-Star teams. I think he was the best AL pitcher of the ‘aughts’ (much like Dave Stieb was best AL pitcher of the 1980s).

He pitched over 200 innings 8 times and led the league in innings 4 times. Had 20 wins 3 times. You can see his numbers here (not that you need it).

Unfortunately, there were no World Series rings, but that wasn’t his fault. My mind changes daily on whether he or Stieb was the best pitcher in franchise history, not that it matters. They both were great. And they were the most driven, the guys who wanted to win the most, of any pitchers I’ve ever seen.

I’m sure I don’t have to sell you on his worthiness of the Hall, so I’m not going to try. You watched him, you know he should be in the Hall.

I’m still sad about his death.

Most similar careers: Hal Newhouser (elected by Veteran’s Committee), Bret Saberhagen, Sandy Koufax (elected by BBWAA), Whitey Ford (BBWAA). There aren’t too many who had a similar combination of quality and innings to Doc. He’ll likely be at the edge of a new frontier the way the game has changed. Among active players, Felix Hernandez was on a similar trajectory until he tailed off the last few years.