Tony La Russa Jim Edmonds belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fa

Cooperstown Chancesexamines the Baseball Hall of Fame case of one candidate each week. This week: Jim Edmonds.Who he is: Jim Edmonds received just 2.5 percent of the Hall of Fame vote from the Baseball Writers' A sociation of America this year, which means he cant be considered by the writers in future elections and wont be eligible again for Cooperstown until 2026 when the Expansion Era Committee can take up his case.The former Angels and Cardinals centerfielder never won an MVP and finished with 393 home runs, a .284 batting average, and 60.3 WAR, all stats that might have painted him as good but not legendary and doomed him with the notoriously fickle BBWAA. Edmonds is far more impre sive upon closer inspection, which isthe case with many overlooked candidates from Dwight Evans to Ted Simmons to Bobby Grich.MORE: To his manager on the Cardinals Tony Fernando Rodney Jersey La Ru sa,Edmonds belongs in Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame manager, inducted in 2014, didnt hold back in his Walt Weiss Jersey praise for Edmonds when contacted by Sporting News.I think no matter how you measure him, whether its through analytical data or just scouts who observed him or his career record, especially what he did in clutch moments, yes, I definitely think hes an outstanding candidate, La Ru sa said.Edmonds won eight Gold Glove awards during his career. Just seven outfielders in baseball history have won more than that. Managers and coaches vote on the award, and while they can't vote for their own players, one gets the impre sion La Ru sa would have if he could have while Edmonds played for him.He just took great pride in his defense, La Ru sa said. Nobody plays defense like he did with that concentration, a lot of of anticipation. He would work before the game to see what our game plan was so he knew what the pitch was. He was always kind of leaning in that direction Glenn Hubbard Jersey . Thats why he made so many impo sible catches, because he got great jumps.In an era of big hitting, Edmonds was never a Barry Bonds or teammate Albert Pujols. While Edmonds topped 40 home runs twice, he averaged 23 homers, 71 RBIs, and a .284 batting average lifetime. While there are outfielders in the Hall of Fame with worse averages for these three stats than this, such as Tony Perez, its difficult to get someone in Cooperstown by saying theyre better than a handful of the worst selections.But to La Ru sa, Edmonds was a Hall of Fame hitter.Yeah, I think he was because his stats are definitely, they qualify, La Ru sa said. The important thing was, in the clutch moments, big-time games, you could count on him to get the big-time hit.The Hall of Fame is about more than just stats, of course. While a player has never been inducted without some kind of justification for their on-field play and generally their statistics, voters are instructed to consider character as well. Edmonds meets the Hall of Fame standard for this, in La Ru sas eyes.Asked about his presence in the clubhouse, La Ru sa called Edmonds, Outstanding. One of our leaders. Great personality. Cared a lot about his teammates.Edmonds was an easy selection for , whose creator Adam Yusmeiro Petit Jersey Darowski rates him as the 12th-best centerfielder in baseball history. But Edmonds faces long odds of ever going in the Hall of Fame.Cooperstown chances: 20 percentWhy: The best thing Edmonds has going for his Hall of Fame case is that La Ru sa might be on the Expansion Era Committee when he becomes eligible in 2026. While cronyism isnt what it was in the 1970s, when Veterans Committee members like Frankie Frisch helped get a number of former teammates inducted, the potential for it still exists. Hall of Fame committees still consist of relatively small groups, 16 former players, executives, writers, and historians vested with sweeping power and the ability to meet confidentially.Its still po sible for one eloquent, persuasive speaker on a Hall of Fame committee to exert influence and win over the other 15 Chris Bassitt Jersey members of the committee and get a player they like enshrined. Enter La Ru sa, who went to law school and might rank as the greatest living manager with 2,728 wins, six pennants, and three World Series titles. He could have a mangerial job tomorrow if he wanted it. At this point in his life, hes baseball royalty.Its going to be interesting to see what the 71-year-old La Ru sa does if he becomes involved with a Hall of Fame committee over the next 10 or 20 years. La Ru sa might be able to help Edmonds or another underrated teammate very likely to fall short with the BBWAA, third baseman Scott Rolen, though Rolens name didnt come up in La Ru sas brief discu sion with Sporting News. (It shouldnt take cronyism for either Edmonds or Rolen to be celebrated, by the way, though thereve been worse snubs. A fairly decent Hall of Fame could be put together just based on .)La Ru sa mentioned just one other player during his interview. This player is much more controversial than Edmonds and, while its a topic for another time, he might have a better chance at enshrinement. Asked if there was another player hed like to see in the Hall of Fame, La Ru Marco Estrada Jersey sa had two words: Mark McGwire. Cooperstown Chances examines the Baseball Hall of Fame case of one candidate each week. Series author andSporting News contributor Graham Womack writes regularly about the Hall of Fame and other topics related to baseball history at his website,. 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