Labeled a singles hitter, Boggs never won an MVP award; in fact, he never earned a first-place vote. The first is that Raines’ “second career” was actually a bit more productive than Biggio’s. Two of Raines’ teammates (Andre Dawson and Gary Carter) overcame the Canada factor but they also benefited by producing Hall of Fame caliber seasons later in their careers in the big media markets of Chicago and New York. But Raines got to first base via the walk almost twice as often; in his career he reached base more than Brock did, with 418 less hits. Although this game at Shea Stadium represented the only time in Raines’ 2,502 career games that he managed 4 hits and 4 RBI, this performance, pound for pound, was not the best of his career. If you know who Joseph Haydn was, you get it. Former Montreal Expos star Tim Raines has been voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2017. It’s not really true that nobody cared but playing in Canada didn’t help him. East. He started at 24.3 per cent in 2008 and jumped from 55 per cent in 2015 to 69.8 per cent last year. "Last night probably the worst night I've had out of the 10 years," he said. He pressed on, and that summer had high hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team. Raines is the only player in baseball history with consecutive seasons with at least 30 doubles and 70 stolen bases. Raines admitted to spending $40,000 a year on cocaine during his testimony during the … He stole just one base during his last two years in the majors. Nobody cares. We’ll examine how his hitting and base-running ability made him arguably the most valuable position player in the game for a seven-year period of time. At long last, former Montreal Expo Tim Raines has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with the support of a sizable cheer squad. He was one of the best players from 1980-1988 and has a legitimate Cooperstown case. Last Chance Gone for Luis Tiant to make the Hall of Fame? Therefore, Biggio was able to cross the 3,000-hit milestone while Raines fell nearly 400 hits shy. He should, finally, get the call in January. Pete Rose, the career hits leader who has never appeared on a ballot because of a lifetime ban that followed an investigation of his gambling, received one write-in vote. Examining the Credentials of the Current and Future Candidates for the Hall of Fame. Does Thurman Munson Deserve Another Hall of Fame Chance? 414, stealing 7 bases (without being caught) while scoring 8 runs. Tim Raines played parts of 23 seasons in the Big Leagues, and as you might expect from someone who ended up earning election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year, he did a whole lot well. Rodriguez, a 14-time all-star who hit .296 with 311 homers and 1,332 RBIs, was never disciplined for PEDs but former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged in a 2005 book that he injected the catcher with steroids. What this does is go through each individual offensive play from the perspective of both the hitter and the pitcher. He hit .330 with a 149 OPS+, a league-leading 123 runs scored, along with 50 stolen bases (out of 55 attempts). On that count, Raines is a Hall of Fame guy. Several notable players will join them in the competition for votes in upcoming years: Chipper Jones and Jim Thome in 2018, Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay in 2019, and Derek Jeter in 2020. His mission was to get on base by any means, and do the necessary things to help his team win. Comments are welcome while open. Manny Machado to San Diego; did the Padres sign a Future Hall of Famer? Raines didn’t necessarily look at it that way. Bonds was indicted on charges he lied to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied using PEDs, but a jury failed to reach a verdict on three counts he made false statements and convicted him on one obstruction of justice count, finding he gave an evasive answer. A dream that came true today! Now, in case you’re curious why Henderson’s WAR was 9 more than Raines’ during these years (despite nearly identical OBP and SLG numbers), it’s because the defensive metrics had Rickey as one of the top 5 defensive players from 1981-87. Former Montreal Expos star Tim Raines has been voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2017. “My son (Tim Jr.) and I started side-by-side in the outfield for the Orioles (Montreal had traded him to Baltimore the day before so he could have the opportunity). The Expos were in New York, taking on the defending World Series champion Mets in a nationally televised “Game of the Week” on NBC, with Vin Scully at the microphone. "Johnny Bench was my favourite player growing up.". Andy Pettitte’s Complicated Hall of Fame Case. If it’s a demonstrable fact that Tim Raines was, at the very least, the 2nd greatest stolen base artist in the last 65 years (more on this below), why did it take Raines so long to get the affirmative nod of 75% of the BBWAA’s voters? Players needed 75 per cent, which came to 332 votes this year. They both were excellent hitters: they hit with extra base power and were masterful at earning the free pass. Should Donnie Baseball Be in the Hall of Fame? Raines, at the plate with the bases loaded, now batting right-handed, proceeded to launch the ball into the left-field bullpen for a grand slam. Rodriguez displaced Pedro Martinez as the youngest of the record 74 living Hall members. He tied his own record in 1986, and he still holds it today. So I think it kind of made them look a lot at me a lot closer and they looked a lot deeper, and I think the more they looked, I think the better it turned out for me. He was proud of coming back, but the real highlight that season was the once-in-a-lifetime moment that occurred Oct. 4. He stole bases and hit for average at a time when on-base percentage was in its infancy. Raines finally was able to make his 1987 season debut on May 2nd. Three players in history have hit at least 10 home runs and stolen at least 90 bases in a season: Harry Stovey (1890), Henderson (1982) and Raines (1983). Twelve players have been elected by the BBWAA in the past four years, the most over a span of that length since the first four ballots from 1936-39. This is an important point: for many Hall of Fame players, “hanging around” at the end of their career as a part-time or average player can accrue significant benefits: you can hit your 500th home run, get your 3,000th hit, or win your 300th game. "I've been having trouble sleeping for three days," the popular Pudge said. However, what hurt Murphy was that his “second act” was really poor. — Sixteen of the first 18 players to accumulate at least 2,600 hits and 1,300 walks were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gary Sheffield Remains Far Outside the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Doors: Closed to Billy Wagner, Todd Helton: Another Coors Field Hall of Fame Debate. WPA tracks any offensive play in which the batter makes an out or reaches base but also any play in which a base-runner advances without the batter ending his turn at bat. Lou Brock had a career .293 batting average. Derek Jeter averaged 4.23 WAR per 162 games played. Indeed, he was very good at what he did. He also mentioned Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy as players who had a similar approach and who he believes belong in Cooperstown. Moreover, Brock did not have a single season in which he stole bases as efficiently as Raines did. Raines leads Brock in batting average, OBP, slugging, OPS, OPS+, wOBA, times on base, home runs, stolen base percentage, wRC+ and WAR. Asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball's 2003 survey, Rodriguez said in 2009: "Only God knows.". Clean Slate: Steve Garvey Still Hoping for Hall of Fame Call. I have no words, best call ever! It was a truly historic moment; Raines and his son, along with the Griffeys, are only the father-son tandems to play in a major league game together. Should Sweet Lou Piniella be in the Hall of Fame? Let me give you an example: Kirk Gibson’s home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 9th inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series had a WPA of 0.87. He reached base safely 3,977 times and tallied 69.1 WAR, averaging 4.55 WAR per 162 games played. True Crime: Fred McGriff’s Last Year on the Hall of Fame Ballot. Raines was joined by … Still, there are 45 Hall of Fame position players who debuted in ’51 or later and not one of them owns a stolen base success rate equal to Raines’. It was Raines' 10th and last year of eligibility for the shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y. Former Expo Tim Raines elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. He was just 30th in WAR and was no longer the explosive base-stealing threat that he was in his 20’s (was 8th in SB’s during these years, racking up 266 steals while the still-explosive Henderson swiped 448). It was the 21st game of the season for the Montreal Expos but for Raines, a six-time All-Star, it was his season debut. Without the benefit of spring training, Raines was expected to be rusty but instead he was in peak form. This was the 1980’s. If you took Lou Brock away from the Cardinals in the 1960’s, you would have had at least one less World Series title. Hall of Famers "Sliding" Billy Hamilton (six) and Henderson (seven) are the only players with more. Can a Hall of Fame Case be Framed for Brian McCann? Rickey Henderson had a career .422 slugging percentage. “I was never concerned about my legacy,” he said. Former Montreal Expo Tim Raines may finally make Hall of Fame. Ernie Banks had a career 122 OPS+. In fact, even after seeing his name on the ballot, it was still an afterthought. I just wanted to stay alive at that point,” he said. He swiped a mere 31 bases in the last 7 years of his career, after 777 in the years prior. If one game represents the signature for a Hall of Famer, this was the one for Tim Raines. Hoffman was five votes shy and Guerrero 15 short. That means that his action increased the Dodgers’ chances of winning from 13% to 100%. Raines hit .294 with a .385 on-base percentage, playing during a time when Rickey Henderson was the sport's dominant speedster. If he had made an out, his WPA would have been -0.13, since, because there were two outs, the odds of the Dodgers’ winning would have gone from 13% to zero. Cobra: Will Dave Parker have Another Chance to Strike at Cooperstown? JAWS and the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot: Tim Raines A peerless base stealer and one of baseball's most patient hitters, Tim Raines's Hall of Fame election is long overdue. Plus, he was also an integral part of three pennants and two World Series Championships with the St. Louis Cardinals. And he beat that pitcher with a grand slam. “Rickey was proud of his numbers and totals — and he should be, he is the greatest leadoff man of all time — but I only saw things like stolen bases as a tool to win games. “I never thought about stats, my goal was to be a champion,” he said. Henderson and Raines had sneaky power, and Henderson is hailed for his record 81 career leadoff home runs. Brock was a great player in his own right and did exactly what was expected of a leadoff hitter during the time in which he played. So, for the last eight years of his career, his 44 steals didn’t move him up the list at all. But if you had to choose one attribute above all others by which to remember him, you'd hardly be alone if you focused on his speed. Raines was also one of the greatest base runners ever but he almost ran out of time to make it to the Hall of Fame. Now he's in his 10th and final year of eligibility on the writers' ballot, though enshrinement should've come long before now. Does Dave Stieb Deserve Another Chance at the Hall of Fame? There was no MLB Extra Innings; there were no games on ESPN yet.