During 18 years in the majors—16 with the White Sox—Konerko was a six-time All-Star, clubbed 30 or more homers seven times, completed nine seasons with 90 or more RBIs—including six with 100-plus, and he finished with career totals of 2,340 hits, 410 doubles, 439 homers, 1,162 runs, and 439 homers with a slash line of .279/.354/.486. His most-comparable hitters on his baseball-reference page are Tino Martinez , Gil Hodges and Derrek Lee . I…. I have been a baseball writer/editor since 1987, career leaders in hits, homers, and RBIs (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images), EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change. He was the best position player on a … He’s a former Gold Glove recipient, who was a two-time All-Star and finished his career with 2,470 hits, 574 doubles, 288 home runs, 1,453 runs, 1,363 RBIs, 1,476 walks, 400 stolen bases, a .291 BA, .395 OBP, and .475 slugging for a career .870 OPS reading. Personal life. Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the White Sox easily on your device. Would that make him a Hall of Famer? Paul Konerko is on the Hall of Fame ballot. . Emmet McClain - Jan 24, 2017. Konerko doesn't really fit the classic "Hall of Fame" profile, based on the above. He thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and loved to come up to hit in situations that warranted production. That ranks 556th in baseball history, just below Kevin Seitzer, and no one's pushing Seitzer for Hall induction. He twice topped the 40-homer mark. This season is the Paul Konerko Farewell Tour. Paul Konerko will go down as one of the all-time Chicago White Sox greats. By. . For a long stretch, he was one of the top run producers in the game, but it went virtually unnoticed due to the fact that he was not the superstar player . Baines had lots of counting stats, but nothing special to distinguish any of them and a career WAR of 37.0, 329th all-time. He was a quiet leader on the field and in the clubhouse and was one of the most respected players in the game. The 2020 ballot includes the White Sox legend for the first time, Konerko landing among baseball’s greats five years after his retirement following the 2014 season. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The start of Western Illinois’ NCAA tournament run in Year 24, continued. Paul Konerko is retiring after this season. Konerko married Jennifer Wells in 2004. His name appears all over the franchise leaderboards, and he was one of the key cogs in the team’s World Series championship in 2005. The Venezuela-born left-handed hitter played most of his career as a right fielder and his production was consistent — he produced eight seasons with 100 or more runs scored, eight years with 100-plus RBIs, and eight campaigns with at least 100 walks. On Wednesday, the White Sox' Paul Konerko hit his 400th career home run, becoming the 48th player in baseball history to reach that milestone. In postseason play, he hit .313 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games—he was the ALCS Most Valuable Player in 2005 when he helped lead the White Sox to a World Series title over the Houston Astros. He did more than work hard at becoming an all-round player on defense and offense, he was the most feared hitter in the White Sox lineup and he frequently came through in high leverage hitting situations. Fans and voters should remember, that both players were unsung heroes on their clubs and had stellar careers that deserve recognition. Get the latest sports news and analysis of valuations, signings and hirings, once a week in your inbox, from the Forbes SportsMoney Playbook newsletter. He's also posted seven 30+ home-run years, and could be on target for an eighth. Obviously, if Konerko has three more good offensive seasons, he could add nine or 10 WAR to that total. But would that be enough to put Konerko in the Hall of Fame? During an 11-year span, Abreu’s consistency was beyond exceptional—from 1999 through 2009, he averaged 107 runs, 40 doubles, 21 homers, 99 RBIs, 104 walks, with a slash line of .300/.406/.497. I have been a member of the BBWAA for 25 years and a Hall of Fame voter since 2004. Why Paul Konerko To The Hall Of Fame Isn’t As Crazy As You Think. “He worked hard to be as good a hitter as he could be and he came through with so many big hits. It came just a little over three years after his 300th home run in April 2009. The Leathernecks start their run in the NCAA tournament looking for back-to-back national titles. Konerko is unlikely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, though his Hall-of-Fame candidacy in general warrants a close look. He spent 16 years out of an 18-year career on the South Side, and was the best player on the best team in baseball in 2005. And yet, it's not the Hall of WAR we're discussing here. I have served as an associate editor, managing editor and editor for Baseball Digest magazine from July 1, 1987 through June 4, 2018, covering the MLB game as a writer. There are many reasons why Konerko, the captain of the White Sox, should make the Hall of Fame, and here are six of those reasons: 1. often being overshadowed by such teammates as Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in Philadelphia or Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez with the Yankees or Vladimir Guerrero or Torii Hunter with the Angels. His 439 homers rank 44th on the all-time major league home run list. Konerko didn’t have great range around first base, but he had good hands and exceptional instincts as a fielder who consistently made the routine play and was excellent at scooping low throws out of the dirt. The 2020 ballot includes the White Sox legend for the first time, Konerko landing among baseball’s greats five years after his retirement following the 2014 season. Fine hitters all, but none of them will ever make the Hall. Undoubtedly, Konerko is one of the greatest players in White Sox history, and he’s immortalized on the South Side with a retired number and a statue on the outfield concourse at Guaranteed Rate Field. Hall of Fame eligibility. Also on this year's ballot are Bobby Abreu, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Barry Bonds, Eric Chavez, Roger Clemens, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Raul Ibanez, Derek Jeter, Jeff Kent, Cliff Lee, Carlos Pena, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner and Larry Walker. . All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. . Without getting into a discussion here about certain individuals who hit home runs in a certain recent era, pretty much every other hitter who has reached 500 home runs and is eligible for Hall induction has, in fact, gotten in. The White Sox slugger reached a significant career milestone with his 400th home run on Wednesday. Konerko epitomized the heart and soul of the White Sox during his time with the club and he produced on a consistent basis and fielded his position admirably. Konerko is one of 19 players to hit a grand slam in a Fall Classic contest, and the last American League player to accomplish the feat when he hit a two-out, bases loaded homer off Astros reliever Chad Qualls in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, giving Chicago a 6-4 lead in an eventual 7-6 victory. Could he make a case for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Konerko finished his career tied with Barry Larkin in hits, but is short of the Hall of Fame average of 2,402 which really isn’t that big of a deal. Both Abreu and Konerko will get some support on the Hall of Fame ballot, but it’s likely they will fall short of election. When reviewing the annual list of players eligible to be elected to the Hall of Fame, there are always those players who many believe were great performers but just miss the mark at joining the elite men who grace the walls of Cooperstown. Sign up here. He's off to a good start this year -- hitting .357/.423/.614 with four home runs and 13 RBI through 78 plate appearances, and if he has a year similar to his last two, he'll be sitting somewhere between 425 and 430 career home runs entering next season. He's got a legitimate shot at 500. I am the author of two trivia books — The Baseball Entertainer and The Baseball Entertainer #2— and Baseball’s Top 10: Ranking the Best Major League Players by Position. He's likely to move up about 40 places on that list this season, if he repeats the 100+ RBI year he had the last two seasons; he has six such years overall (and two near-misses, with 99 and 97). It’s a game of inches — and dollars. That really isn't going to help. an underrated player,” said former White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. You may opt-out by. Arch Manning is the 15-year-old QB poised to be football’s next big thing. He has 1274 career RBI, which ranks 116th on the all-time list. Konerko’s career WAR of 27.7 may form negative thoughts from voters, but his lifetime .841 OPS and 118 OPS+ and solid. You'd think the White Sox would re-up a 38-year-old franchise icon for at least one more year in 2014, just to try to put some people in the seats to see a possible 500th career home run. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! The high school sophomore quarterback has the game to live up to his famous name. He hit at least 20 homers in 13 different seasons and hit at least 30 homers in seven different seasons. They have two sons and a daughter: Nicholas, Owen and Amelia. That would put him at 70 to 75 home runs short of 500, for a man who has averaged 33 over the last three seasons.