The Hall Of Fame Cases For Don Mattingly And Keith Hernandez (With Special Guest Don Mattingly)

Another Hall of Fame class was announced by the Baseball Writers on Tuesday, with Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and Adrian Beltre all earning enshrinement. Mauer and Beltre were elected on the first ballot, while Helton made it on his sixth attempt. All their induction, but the bigger story continues to be who is left out of the Hall of Fame. In his penultimate year of consideration, Bill Wagner fell five votes short, as Mauer was three votes away from the same fate. However, the guys with ties with PEDs continue to be shut out as Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez again fell short. 

The steroid era will forever hand over the 1990s and early 2000s. There is nothing that baseball can do to erase this. Leaving players like A-Rod and Manny out only continues to pick at the scars. All players who have a Hall of Fame resume should get in. This includes Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Since we will never know everyone who has cheated, we do not know if any dirty players are already in the Hall of Fame, and players who are merely suspected are left out, such as the case with obvious Hall of Fames Gary Sheffield and Andruw Jones. There is no other logical reason for these two players to continue to be snubbed. 

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The standards of being a Hall of Famer have changed. In recent years, the Veterans' Committee has finally put players like Harold Baines, Jim Kaat, and Ted Simmons into the Hall of Fame. However, the list of players that continued to be snubbed is lengthy and can like fill a wing in Cooperstown. Two such players are Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly, who played for the two New York teams at first base in the latter half of the 80s. Each was team captain and valuable leader on and off the field, with each winning multiple Gold Gloves and providing clutch hitting.

 Todd Helton is the player to use as an example for both Hernandez and Mattingly. Helton does deserve his selection, but to continue to leave out the two New York first basemen looks even worse now. Keith Hernandez is the greatest defensive first baseman in MLB history, winning 11 Gold Gloves. Only seven players have won more Gold Gloves, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Hernandez has won the most Gold Gloves among first basemen. The other eight positions have the most decorated fielder in the Hall of Fame. Helton has won three Gold Gloves, with Mattingly winning it nine times.

Todd Helton finished his career with a .316 average with 369 home runs and 1,406 RBIs while playing his entire 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies. Don Mattingly batted .307 with 222 homers and 1,099 RBI. During a four-year stretch, he was the best offensive player in baseball before back issues derailed his power. Keith Hernandez was a steady hitter, finishing at .296 after struggling in his final two seasons to drop below .300. He had 162 home runs and 1,071 RBIs. Hernandez was also the record holder for Game WInning RBI, a stat that was eliminated after his career ended. 

The four-year stretch that Don Mattingly reigned was as good as anyone in baseball history. He won the 1984 batting title with a .343 average. He won the AL MVP in 1985 with 145 RBI. In 1986, he finished second in MVP voting and batting with a .353 average, and in 1987, he had eight consecutive games with a home run and a record-setting six grand slams. On this week's Frank the Tank Pod (Allow Me 2 Be Frank), I sat down and interviewed Mattingly about his days in New York and the Hall of Fame.