Puckett's Pond » Veterans Committee

Former Twins Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat are Passed Over by Hall Voters Again

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:07:51 +0000

The late Ron Santo, winner of Fansided’s shadow Hall of Fame vote last week, has earned a slightly higher honor today. The Veterans Committee has selected him as their only inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Twins Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva were equally deserving of HOF honors, but their luck did not hold. Hopefully the Twins will take this opportunity to announce the retirement of Kaat’s jersey number.

Of the 16 Veterans Committee members, 15 voted for Santo. Kaat came very close to the 12 needed for election, receiving 10 votes, the second highest total. Oliva received eight. Hall of Fame member Mike Schmidt wrote a pretty convincing article in favor of Kaat where he pointed out that from 1962 through 1974 only Bob Gibson won more games than Kaat. Oliva also had plenty of high-profile support, including a website devoted to his candidacy. Whether the Veterans Committee voters paid attention to either campaign is not known.

Oliva won three batting titles (1964, 1965, and 1971), which makes him the only retired player to win three AL titles and not be elected to the Hall of Fame. Kaat pitched for a quarter century and won 283 games. He was an important bullpen contributor to the 1982 Cardinals team that won the World Series. Both have been active in baseball since retirement, Oliva as a coach and Kaat as a broadcaster. (more…)

Hall of Fame Edition: Veterans Committee, Twins Hall, and… Brad Radke?

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:08:37 +0000

If you’re a Twins fan and a Hall of Fame fan, this is a huge week for you. There’s something going on with every facet of the Hall, and the Twins are involved in all of them. The Veterans Committee vote, the Twins team Hall of Fame, and the regular 2012 election are all in the news right now. Let’s get ready to mark our ballots for Jim Kaat, Corey Koskie, and Brad Radke!

First, as I’ve mentioned once or twice, Kaat and Tony Oliva are up for election by the Veterans Committee. The Committee will meet December 5th, the first day of the Winter Meetings, to give one more chance to Kaat, Oliva, and eight other previously-snubbed greats of the game. Ron Santo won our mock Veterans Committee vote, and I’d wager even money that he will be elected by the real veterans as well. Santo died last year at the age of 70, and for millions of fans that sad event served as an exclamation point on the injustice of his exclusion. Judging by their stats and careers, Kaat and Oliva would appear to be as deserving or more so than the other candidates on the ballot, but that certainly does not guarantee that anyone will vote for them. Kaat, at least, consoles himself by being the founding member of the Hall of Enjoyment. His positive attitude and admirable modesty further prove that the Twins need to retire his jersey number. (more…)

Ron Santo wins Fansided Hall of Fame vote

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:23:21 +0000

Former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo waited his whole life to get into the Hall of Fame. Sadly, he died last year without ever getting that chance.

But the writers of the Fansided MLB network have done our part to give Santo his due. We conducted a shadow Veterans Committee vote in anticipation of the real vote next week. You can read the full results at Call to the Pen.

Twins players Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva didn’t get enough love. Of the 22 ballots submitted, each Minnesota player received 7 votes, well short of the 17 needed to win. Luis Tiant, who spent a year with the Twins but played mostly for the Red Sox, garnered 8 votes. Hopefully they’ll do a little better next Monday, when the 16 members of the real Veterans Committee make their choices.

Read more about Kaat’s Hall of Fame case here, and Oliva’s accomplishments here. If you want to do more than read, there’s still time to write a letter to the members of the Veterans Committee. Find instructions at VoteTonyO.com (that site supports Oliva, but you can certainly use the same methods to help support Kaat).