Ivan Rodriguez, a 14-time all-star, 13-time gold glove winner, and 7-time silver slugger winner has hit over .300 ten times in his career and ranks #1 all-time by catchers in runs, hits, doubles and total bases. He ranks 7th in home runs, 6th in runs batted in 6th in stolen bases. In the 2003 playoffs Rodriguez hit .313/.390/.522 with 21 hits, five doubles, three home runs, ten runs and 17 runs batted in in 17 games.

He is the only catcher in the history of baseball to have 35 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season. In fact, no other catcher has a 20/20 season on his resume. He and Mike Piazza are the only two catchers who have hit 20 or more home runs with a .300 batting average or better in 5 five or more seasons.

Arguably the best defensive catcher in major league baseball history, Ivan Rodriguez has a Hall of Fame Monitor score of 224, while a likely hall of famer has a 100 and a Hall of Fame Standards score of 56 while the average hall of famer averages a 50. The list of 10 most comparable players include 5 current hall of fame players, 4 that are not yet eligible and Ted Simmons who when comparing to current hall of fame catchers ranks 1st in hits and doubles, 2nd in runs batted in, 4th in home runs, 5th in runs scored, and 6th in batting average.

Jose Canseco has made verbal public and written claims that he has supplied steroids and human growth hormone to Ivan Rodriguez. Will he and should he get into the baseball hall of fame?

In terms of worthiness into baseball hall of fame I will start and end the debate with the fact that there are only five players in the history of baseball that have finished with 400 home runs and a career bating average above .315; Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and Stan Musial. Guerrero has already reached the 400 home run mark and has a lifetime batting average of .322.

The former MVP winner has twice been in the 30/30 club falling just one home run shy of joining the 40/40 club. In terms of being a feared hitter from opposing pitcher you need not look any further than his 247 career intentional base on balls, which puts him atop the list of active players and 4th all-time behind Bonds, Aaron and McCovey. He was just voted this past week to his 8th all-star appearance and is on pace for his 8th silver slugger award. Moreover, Guerrero has finished in the top 10 in most valuable player awards 6 times, batting average 7 times, and slugging percentage 9 times.

Vlad may not be a first ballot hall of famer but when looking at his Hall of Fame Statistics he is a virtual shoe-in in 3 of the 4 standards, the only exception being his Black Ink score, which only takes into consideration the times you have led the league in a major offensive category.

Black Ink- 6 (Avg HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink- 173 (Avg HOFer ≈ 144)
Hall of Fame Monitor- 188 (Avg HOFer ≈ 100)
Hall of Fame Standards- 56 (Avg HOFer ≈ 50)

Unfortunately, Vlad played in the Steroid Era which had a negative affect on his Black Ink score finishing behind Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Sammy Sosa on multiple instances in home runs, slugging percentage and total bases. I will also add that he finished behind Todd Helton in 2000 (who hit .391 at home) and Larry Walker in 2002 (who hit .362 at home) in batting average and on-base percentage.

With that said he currently sits 14th all time in career slugging percentage and 21st all time in career on base + slugging percentage. According to the Keltner List, which is an extremely subjective guide to answering whether or not a player is good enough for the hall of fame, in the case of Vladimir Guerrero the answer is a firm yes.

This brings me to Johnny Damon, who at the age of 36 has 2,450 career hits. If he accumulates 150 more hits this year he will need only 400 in 4 seasons to reach 3,000 for his career. This of course brings up the question, will he make it into the Hall if he does so?

Damon, who ranks 37^th all-time in career power-speed, is one of only 4 players who have reached 2,450 hits, 1,500 runs, 375 stolen bases, 200 home runs, 1,000 runs batted in, 450 doubles, and 375 stolen bases. The other three are current Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, and possible future Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Barry Bonds.

While he has only two all-star appearances he has played well in the playoffs. In two World Series wins with the Yanks and the Sox, Damon batted .326/.370/.535. In 10 games he had 14 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run and 3 stolen bases. In 55 career playoff games he had 20 multi hit games What do you think, Hall Bound or not?

According to Black Ink, Gray Ink and Hall of Fame Monitor, Schilling easily is a Hall of Famer. The reason Schilling’s Hall of Fame Standards score is low at 46 while the average Hall of Famer scores a 50 is that it depends heavily on career wins and career win/loss percentage. Unfortunately, in his first 8 seasons with the Phillies starting in 1992 the team was 77 games below 500 while Schilling was 23 games above 500. The Phills had a .469 win percentage while he had a .569 win percentage

Period of Dominance

Hall of Fame voters will often judge a player on a “period of dominance” during his career. The reason being they do not want to induct an above average player that has a good line at the end of his career. They want someone that was dominant for an extended period of time.

In the case of Curt Schilling one can look at the ten seasons beginning in 1997 and ending in 2006. Schilling tallied a 3.41 earned run average and a .643 win percentage with 155 wins and only 86 losses. In each season he averaged 222 strikeouts, 40 walks, 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 5.58 strikeout to walk ratio. He had 55 complete games, 11 shutouts, threw at least 200 innings in 8 seasons, won 20 games three times, and finished 2^nd in three Cy Young Awards. Oh yea, and 3 World Series rings.

You want more dominance? In the 4 seasons between 2001 and 2004, Schilling ranked 1^st in wins with 74, 4^th in win percentage with .725, 2^nd in strikeouts with 1,006, and 4^th in complete games with 17.

Overall Numbers

For his career, Curt Schilling has the 2^nd best strikeout to walk ratio with 7 seasons in the all-time top 100. Opponents hit just .244/.286/.389 during his 20 seasons while the Major League Average was .264/.333/.413.

• 18^th in adjusted pitching wins
• 43^rd in adjusted earned run average
• 15^th in strikeouts per 9 innings
• 14^th on career strikeout list

Postseason Numbers
In 12 post season series, Schilling tallied an 11-2 record and a 2.23 earned run average. He would stop the Yankees period of dominance in 2001 starting three games in the World Series striking out 26 batters in 21.1 innings. He would win the World Series MVP. In 2004 we saw the bloody sock game in which trainers performed open surgery to repair a tendon in his ankle. He went on to win the game and his second of three World Series Rings.

He has the lowest post season era (2.23) of all time with a minimum of 15 starts and the best win percentage (.846) of all time with a minimum of 10 starts. For his career he threw 4 complete games, 2 shutouts, and has a WHIP of .99.

What is even scarier is that his win-loss record could have been better in the post season. In the 1993 championship series he twice threw 8 innings giving up just 3 earned runs total and striking out 19. He received a no decision in both games. In the 2001 World Series he threw 14 innings in two starts giving up three earned runs and striking out 18. He again received a no decision in both games. In the 2002 division series he pitched another 7 inning gem giving up one earned run and striking out 7. And again, he received a no decision. In these 5 starts he threw a combined 37.1 innings giving up 7 earned runs and striking out 44 batters. His 1.70 earned run average in these 5 games added up to a 0-0 record.

Albert Pujols this past season joins only Lou Gehrig as the only two players to have hit 40 doubles and 40 home runs in three different seasons. He also joined Albert Belle as the only two players to hit 45 doubles and 40 home runs in two different seasons. But the one feat he will accomplish this season has not happened in the National League since Joe Medwick did so 73 years ago, the Triple Crown.

Pujols has led the league in batting average twice, finished 2^nd twice, and finished 3^rd twice. He has led the league in home runs once, finished 2^nd once and finished 3^rd once. He has finished 2^nd three times and 3^rd twice in runs batted in. But what makes this season different? It is not new hitting coach Mark McGuire. It is not Dr. James Andrews who successfully removed 5 bone spurs from his right elbow this past off-season. The difference comes in the first legitimate cleanup hitter he has protecting him in Matt Holliday.

Over the past 4 full seasons Albert Pujols has averaged one walk per every 8.18 at-bats. With runners on base the number dips to one walk per every 3.76 at-bats. With runners in scoring position the average dips ever lower to one walk per every 2.55 at-bats.

It has been a lot easier for opposing pitchers to pitch around Albert Pujols in years past. But for the first time in his career the St Louis Cardinals have a legitimate cleanup hitter in Matt Holiday, who through the first 7 games of the season has hit .379 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles and 6 runs batted in.

Pujols is currently leading the National League in home runs (5) and runs batted in (14) both career highs to start a season. His .407 batting average is good for 7^th in the league. Most important, his walk rate per at-bat has decreased substantially. With runners on base he has 3 walks in 13 at-bats (4.33). And with runners in scoring position Pujols has only 2 walks in 9 at-bats (4.50), or roughly 2.5 less walks per at bat over his 4 year average. What does this mean, more pitches, more home runs, more runs batted in, and the first triple crown in the National League in 73 years.

As a die hard Phillies fan of course I was impressed to see Placido Polanco start the season with a grand slam and 6 runs batted in. As a student of baseball I was impressed by his situational hitting and his ability to put the ball into play in all 6 plate appearances.

In his first at bat he would come to the plate with Rollins on first base and a huge gap between 1st baseman Adam Dunn and 2^nd baseman Adam Kennedy. He would take an outside pitch to the right side missing it slightly ending up as a fly out to right field. After grounding into a fielders choice in his next at bat he would come to the plate with the bases loaded in the 4^th inning. With only a 3 run lead he hit a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Shane Victorino.

Two innings later, after Rollins tripled to deep right center, Polanco pulled a fast ball between a drawn-in infield of Ryan Zimmerman at 3rd and Ian Desmond at Short Stop for his second RBI of the day. His next plate appearance produced a 2 out grand slam in the top of the 7^th inning increasing the Phillies lead to 10 runs. Then, once again in the 9^th inning he would come up to bat with Ruiz on first base and another gap between first baseman Adam Dunn and 2^nd baseman Adam Kennedy. He would rectify his first inning blunder and hit a grounder in the gap for his third hit of the game.

To summarize just how well of a two-hole hitter Placido Polanco is he took two balls to right with men on first base, hit a sacrifice fly with a man on third and a small lead, hit a grand slam with two outs, and pulled a ball with a drawn-in infield to score Jimmy Rollins from 3^rd base.

Placido Polanco is the epitome of a ball player, a guy who will do virtually anything for his team whether it is stepping in to a pitch, sacrifice bunting, or advancing a player. This past season he finished 12th in the American League in hit-by-pitches, 16^th in Sacrifice Hits, and 32^nd in Sacrifice Fly Outs.

While he will not steal too many bases he is a great base runner with a career 70% stolen base percentage, a figure that is due to improve with Davey Lopes as the Phillies first base coach.

Over past two seasons, the Phillies have been witness to 4 players reach 100 or more strikeouts. So, a small ball type of player is just what the strikeout prone Phills need in the lineup. For $18 million over the next three years, the Phillies brought back a fan favorite that has led the league in at-bats per strikeout three times and finished in the top 7 on 8 occasions.

Pedro Feliz vs Placido Polanco

We all thought we knew what we were getting when we picked up Pedro Feliz two seasons ago, a great fielder with some pop in his bat. However he would hit a combined 26 home runs after 4 consecutive seasons of 20+ home runs with the San Francisco Giants. And after a good 2008 season in which he made only 8 errors in the field, he would make 15 this past season.

Placido Polanco has a career batting average that is 49 points higher and an on base percentage that is 55 points higher than Pedro Feliz. But what does this exactly mean for the Phillies? For this we turn to Project VORP, or Value Over Replacement Player.

VORP is the number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement level player at the same position would contribute given the same percentage of team plate appearances. Projected VORP for Placido Polanco is 26.7 and only 3.0 for Pedro Feliz, which equals to a difference of 23.7. This formula projects that with Polanco in the lineup the Phillies will score roughly 24 additional runs and win an additional 6 games.

Andy Tracy

A name you may never have heard is Andy Tracy, another well traveled minor league player who has never gotten a real chance to play at the Major League level. In 1380 games played at the Minor League level, which is roughly 9 full seasons, Tracy has accumulated 296 doubles and 257 home runs. He has hit 20 or more home runs in 8 seasons and 20 or more doubles in 7 seasons. He has had two seasons with 120+ runs batted in. So how does a guy who is rated by scout.com to have an 88 in power and an 88 in patience and has dominated at virtually every Minor League level never get a chance in the Major League’s? It all comes down to dumb luck.

When Adam Tracy was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1996 David Segui was playing first base and playing it well. Between 1996 and 1997 he would hit .297/.378/.475. Realistically, Tracy did not have a shot until 1999 when he would accumulate arguably his best year in his early career hitting 25 doubles, 37 home runs, and knocking in 128 runs for double-A Harrisburg in only 134 games. Unfortunately, Brad Fulmer was on the Expos in 1998 and 1999 accumulating a .276 batting average and finishing top 5 in rookie of the year voting.

Following his career year in 1999, Andy Tracy was shipped to the New York Mets, who shortly thereafter picked up Mo Vaughn, who at the time was one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. Vaughn was coming off a year that saw 36 home runs and 117 runs batted in. After just one season in the Mets organization he was sent to the Colorado organization for the following three years. He would follow up his first season of 24 doubles and 25 home runs with 42 doubles. 33 home runs and 120 runs batted the following year. Unfortunately the Rockies had Todd Helton, who averaged 47 doubles, 28 home runs, 97 runs batted in, a .343 batting average and a .457 onn base percentage those same three seasons.

The following two seasons, in 2006 and 2007, Andy Tracy would split time between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. So for the second time in his career Tracy sat behind Kevin Millar on the Orioles who accumulated 26 doubles, 15 home runs and a .374 on base percentage in 2006. When he was shipped back to the Mets organization for the 2007 season, he was behind Carlos Delgado, who was coming off his 10^th consecutive season of 30 or more home runs.

His most recent two seasons have been spent in the Phillies minor league system. In 2008 he would hit .288 with 34 doubles and 22 runs batted in. In 2009 he would add another 23 doubles and 25 home runs. Spending his entire season with Lehigh Valley, he led the league in walks, finished second in home runs and runs batted in, and finish fourth in runs scored. In nine games with the Phillies he went 4-8. But dumb luck yet again finds Andy Tracy hitting behind former MVP Ryan Howard.

Barring an injury or two, Andy Tracy will remain a career minor league player. This past week he was one of seven players invited to the Phillies Spring Training camp for the upcoming season. But unless the Phillies are looking for another left handed bat off the bench the only time he will see is a call-up in August or September.

A leadoff batter should be able to do four things:

1. get on base
2. steal bases
3. see pitches
4. score runs

With that said just because a player can perform these four facets of the game does not mean he should automatically bat at the leadoff spot, see Hanley Ramirez. A player like Ramirez who can hit for power will waste his talent at the leadoff spot. Jimmy Rollins is better than average when it comes to stealing bases and scoring runs but lags behind most leadoff hitters in terms of getting on base and pitches per plate appearance.

While the Phills will most likely not land Chone Figgins this off-season it is nice to wonder what our lineup would look like this upcoming season if we did. Honestly, you could make an argument that every position player could be an all-star with the exception of Carlos Ruiz. People put too much emphasis on a player’s numbers when you should be looking at the makeup of a team. In terms of the composition of the lineup I would rather have Rollins over Figgins in every spot in the batting order other than the leadoff spot.

And looking at the four characteristics that every leadoff batter should have will explain why. Figgins gets on base more, sees more pitches per plate appearance, and steals more bases than Rollins. Not to take anything away from Rollins but runs scored is determined by the batters that hit behind you. Heck, it was only two seasons ago that Prince Fielder reached base 7 times in one game against the Florida Marlins and scored no runs. In fact in 3 singles, 3 walks and 1 double he only managed to reach third base once.

Get on Base
The most important feature of a leadoff hitter is the ability to get on base. Over the past three seasons Figgins has averaged an on base percentage 57 points higher than Rollins. What this correlates to is more stolen bases and more runs scored.

Stealing Bases
Over the past five seasons Chone Figgins has average 46 stolen bases per year while Rollins has averaged roughly 39.

What makes me most interested in picking up Figgins this off-season is how much his base stealing abilities will improve under Davey Lopes. In his three years as the first base coach the Phillies have lead the major league’s in stolen base percentage with 88% in 2007, 84% in 2008 and 81% in 2009. The 88% was the best in MLB history. And this past season the Phillies had 4 players in the 20-steal club; Rollins, Victorino, Werth, and Utley.

See Pitches
Chone Figgins finished fourth in the American League seeing 4.22 pitches per plate appearance this past season. He saw 4.07 P/PA in 2008 and 4.02 P/PA in 2007. Joining the Phillies lineup would prove disastrous to opposing pitchers as the Phillies had 4 players finish in the top 16 in the National League this past season. With the addition of Figgins the Phillies would surely have 5.

Phillies P/PA 2009
4.50 Jayson Werth (1)
4.12 Chase Utley (12)
4.08 Ryan Howard (15)
4.08 Raul Ibanez (16)

Score Runs
This past season, the Phillies were 61-19 (.763) when Rollins scored a run and 28-47 (.373) when he did not. For his career the Phillies are 482-221 (.686) when Rollins scores a run and 268-435 (.381) when he does not. In other words if our leadoff man gets on base and scores a run, we are going to win the game 70% of the time.

To put it into perspective, Rollins and Figgins score a run roughly every 2.15 times they reach base. Figgins reached 284 times this past season while Rollins reached 212 times. Those 72 additional times on base would mean an additional 33 runs being scored by our leadoff man.

We all know that Rollins is the team leader. We all know that he is not the prototypical leadoff man. So why not get the best of both worlds and pick up Figgins, bat Rollins in the 2 holes and see just how much the Phillies improve. And Ruben, I will pick up a Figgins jersey if it helps pay his $10 million contract.

So coaches like Tonly LaRussa cannot vote for Yadier Molina who is hands down the best defensive catcher in the game. And coaches who have a personal vendetta against certain players or teams in general end up voting inaccurately. Or how about this scenario… the N.L. shortstop is a virtual coin flip between the Phillies Jimmy Rollins and the Rockies Troy Tulowitzki and both sides know this. Do you think Charlie Manual is going to vote for Tulowitzki or Jim Tracy is going to vote for Rollins? Doubtful.

The current system has more flaws than College Football’s BCS and causes injustice to players every year. Just ask Jason Giambi or Tino Martinez who in 1999 had fielding percentages of .995 but lost to Rafael Palmeiro who did post a .996 fielding percentage but played in only 28 games that year. The cause, Palmeiro won the previous two years.

I could also mention Roberto Alomar who won six consecutive gold gloves from 1991 to 1996 and then four consecutive from 1998 to 2001, 1997 being the only year he did not win. I wonder if this had something to do with spitting on an umpire in late September of 1996. Coaches penalized him the following season because they had already voted the current season. His .988 fielding percentage was better than his % in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, and 2000 and his 6 errors tied or was better than 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. Knoblach that year made 11 errors that year some of which landed in the front row because of errant throws.

And please do not let me forget players like Greg Maddux who won 18 consecutive awards. Surely there must have been at least one season in which one pitcher fielded better than Maddux. The Gold Glove is not an ESPY award voted by fans. When Hall of Fame voters look back at a players portfolio they do not look at ESPY awards or Web Gems, they look at offensive stats and Gold Gloves. Maybe coaching staffs should start taking this more seriously.

So without further ado, the 2009 winners are:

1B  Adrian Gonzalez
2B Orlando Hudson
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Jimmy Rollins
OF Matt Kemp
OF Michael Bourn
OF Shane Victorino
C    Yodier Molina
P    Adam Wainwright

1B Adrian Gonzalez
Albert Pujols led the league in range factor, double plays, and assists. He had nearly 200 more chances and 100 more putouts than any other 1^st baseman in the league. If you are not going to vote for the best all around defensive first baseman then at least vote for the one that made the least errors or had the highest fielding percentage, both of which went to Adam LaRoche. Just because Gonzalez won it last year doesn’t mean he deserved it this year. Gonzalez finished 6^th in total chances, 7^th in putouts, 7^th in errors, 5^th in double plays, 7^th in fielding percentage, 10^th in range factor, and 4^th in zone rating. (0 for 1)

2B Orlando Hudson
While Orlando Hudson did deserve to win the award in 2006 and 2007 and probably 2008 if he were not injured for a large portion of the season, the past is the past. Hudson did not finish in the top 4 in range factor or zone rating and lost his spot late in the season to Ronnie Belliard. Again, if you are not going to give the award to the best all around fielder, which in this case is Chase Utley, then give it to the player with the highest fielding percentage or the least number of errors, both of which went to David Eckstein. While my opinion may be somewhat biased, Rob Neyer wrote about Utley, “He still doesn’t have a Gold Glove despite being arguably the league’s top defensive second baseman for five seasons running. And not over the last five seasons; I mean in each of the last five seasons.” (0 for 2)

3B Ryan Zimmerman
While Ryan Zimmerman made a few errors more than the average 3^rd baseman, he also had the most total chances, most assists and most diving, bare-handed, “from the knees” plays in baseball. This award doesn’t always go to the player with the least errors or best fielding percentage. There are intangibles involved. Zimmerman has these intangibles. With that said I also would not have been mad if the award went to Kevin Kouzmanoff who made only 2 errors in 139 games. (1 for 3)

SS Jimmy Rollins
Jimmy Rollins made the least errors (6) and had the highest fielding percentage (.990) than any of his National League counterparts. And, while one could argue that Tulowitzki should have won in 2007 when he had a better fielding percentage(.987 to .985), more total chances (834 to 717), more double-plays (114 to 110) more put-outs (262 to 227), more assists (561 to 479) and an equal number of errors (11), you cant argue that this year. Sorry Troy, you are young and bound to win a few… just as soon as Rollins loses a step. (2 for 4)

P Adam Wainwright
I have no idea how one chooses who is the best fielding pitcher in his league. Apparenly, it is the pitcher with the best fielding percentage because he posted the league’s best. But, if you look at range Factor Wainwright ranks 9^th. If you look at zone rating he ranks 34^th, six behind teammate Chris Carpenter. Wainwright had 0 double plays behind teammates Ryan Franklin, Michell Boggs, Jason Motte, Trevor Miller, Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro, Chris Carpenter, Brad Thompson, and Kyle McClelan. His 19 assist were behind teammates Joel Pineiro (31) and Adam Wainwright (29). And, his 27 putouts were tied with teammate Joel Pineiro. So it looks like Wainwright was not only not the best in his league, he was not even the best on his team. (2 for 5)

C Yadier Molina
Molina is hands down the best catcher in major league baseball. He ranked 5^th in Range Factor, 2^nd in Zone Rating, 2^nd in past balls, 2^nd in Catchers Earned Run Average, and 2^nd in Assists. His 8 pickoffs were five more than the second place finisher and his Stolen Bases Allowed was twice as good as the second place finisher. (3 for 6)

OF Matt Kemp, Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino
Where to start. I guess I am perfectly fine with these three players winning gold gloves. With that said, I would have been perfectly fine if Mike Cameron, Nyger Morgan and Jayson Werth had won. Since Steve Finley and Jim Edmonds announced retirement and Andrew Jones put on what seems like 40 pounds there is not one truly great defensive outfielder in the National League with the exception of Carlos Beltran, but he was injured for most of the season.

I know I am going to hear some backlash for what I am about to write but I think Bourn is the most deserving player of the three. Victorino did lead the NL center fielders with a .997 fielding percentage and was a close second in zone rating but misplayed a few balls throughout the season, one being a Derek Jeter fly ball in the World Series. Kemp ranked 3^rd in fielding percentage, 6^th in range factor, 6^th in zone rating and led the league in assists and double plays.

Michael Bourn ranked 2^nd in putouts, 2^nd in total chances, 2^nd in assists, and 2^nd in range factor
but was 6^th in fielding percentage and 9^th in zone rating. I would have like to have seen Mike Cameron win the award as he had the best range factor, most total chances, most putouts and a few diving plays and home run snags. (3 for 6 and N/A)

As I have said before, the Gold Glove is not a meaningless award given by a little league coach at an awards ceremony. It is by far the most important part of a players defensive portfolio when getting looked at by potential Hall of Fame voters. Maybe since the Baseball Writers Association of America and the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee vote on who gets into the Hall of Fame, they too should vote who wins the Gold Glove. I am sure they would be more than happy to oblige.