Case for the HOF: Fernando Valenuela

[tangata motu'a]

Friggin Z keeps sticking on me. Can a mod spell his name right for me?

What do you think about Fernando? Should he be in? His era was 3.54 and his record was 173-153. Those are very solid numbers, if not quite the caliber of most of the other pitchers enshrined.

However, it is not the hall of stats. it is the hall of fame. and for those of us who were around in his early days, we remember he was about the biggest thing going for a few years. He was huge, especially for those in Mexico, obviously. He carried that country on his back. But in the USA too, he captured the imagination like few had before him.

so should he be in? my gut tells me the veterans committee puts him in at some point

 

[Frank23]

I don’t think Fernando ever gets in. He had a legendary career though.



https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/valenfe01.shtml

 

[HomeCheese]

Not quite and there is no shame in that, baseball hof is hard to crack.

I really enjoyed him when I was in high school, loved how he used to look over at third base and roll his eyes up in his delivery motion. That always tripped me out. At least that's how I remember it.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Friggin Z keeps sticking on me. Can a mod spell his name right for me?

What do you think about Fernando? Should he be in? His era was 3.54 and his record was 173-153. Those are very solid numbers, if not quite the caliber of most of the other pitchers enshrined.

However, it is not the hall of stats. it is the hall of fame. and for those of us who were around in his early days, we remember he was about the biggest thing going for a few years. He was huge, especially for those in Mexico, obviously. He carried that country on his back. But in the USA too, he captured the imagination like few had before him.

so should he be in? my gut tells me the veterans committee puts him in at some point

 

[iwhoopedbatman]

He had a great start to his career for about 5 or 6 years, but it wasn't overwhelmingly dominant enough to make up for the fact that the rest of his career he was average or worse and always battling injuries.

Plus dude straight ate himself out of superstardom.

 

[TeTe]

That's a no dog. A few great seasons doesn't outweight the bad.

If Fernando gets in, then Tim Lincecum gets in.

 

[Graves The Elder]

^

 

[HydraCap3]

I think at some point, everybody is getting in.

 

[tangata motu'a]

Not quite and there is no shame in that, baseball hof is hard to crack.

I really enjoyed him when I was in high school, loved how he used to look over at third base and roll his eyes up in his delivery motion. That always tripped me out. At least that's how I remember it.

He had a great start to his career for about 5 or 6 years, but it wasn't overwhelmingly dominant enough to make up for the fact that the rest of his career he was average or worse and always battling injuries.

Plus dude straight ate himself out of superstardom.

That's a no dog. A few great seasons doesn't outweight the bad.

If Fernando gets in, then Tim Lincecum gets in.

I agree on all this, and I think Fernando's case would be for the "fame" part of hall of fame. His numbers on paper are below what the threshold typically is, but like I said, for a few years his fame was absurd. As for Lincecum, not even close in the fame department.

I mean Fernando was no Mark Fydrich. He did have a really nice career.

 

[tangata motu'a]

I think at some point, everybody is getting in.

Lou Whitaker better

 

[iwhoopedbatman]

I agree on all this, and I think Fernando's case would be for the "fame" part of hall of fame. His numbers on paper are below what the threshold typically is, but like I said, for a few years his fame was absurd. As for Lincecum, not even close in the fame department.

I mean Fernando was no Mark Fydrich. He did have a really nice career.

In fairness, Lincecum had a much longer peak than Fidrych did and a better one than Valenzuela, in terms of performance if not fame. He did completely fall off a cliff though and despite his brilliance for a few years, shouldn't be in the Hall either.

 

[TidWell]

Friggin Z keeps sticking on me. Can a mod spell his name right for me?

What do you think about Fernando? Should he be in? His era was 3.54 and his record was 173-153. Those are very solid numbers, if not quite the caliber of most of the other pitchers enshrined.

However, it is not the hall of stats. it is the hall of fame. and for those of us who were around in his early days, we remember he was about the biggest thing going for a few years. He was huge, especially for those in Mexico, obviously. He carried that country on his back. But in the USA too, he captured the imagination like few had before him.

so should he be in? my gut tells me the veterans committee puts him in at some point

Man thats a name I used to hear all the time I was just a kid when Fernando Mania was rolling through California, he has one of the most interesting stories how they discovered him in some small town in Mexico. the most unassuming powerhouse pitcher.

 

[TidWell]

That's a no dog. A few great seasons doesn't outweight the bad.

If Fernando gets in, then Tim Lincecum gets in.

Man I feel bad for Tim Lincecum dude was super popular and then injuries and then he fell off. Pitchers mus have it the worst they have to really throw properly and perfectly or else they will injure themselves badly.

Fernando was popular, they also had the Hideo Nomo mania and then Gagne mania, lol Dodgers always going crazy and hyping up their pitchers.

Off the top of my dome the best Dodger pitchers are Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw, Drysdale, Sutton, Orel Hershiser and Valenzuela

 

[TeTe]

Man I feel bad for Tim Lincecum dude was super popular and then injuries and then he fell off. Pitchers mus have it the worst they have to really throw properly and perfectly or else they will injure themselves badly.

Fernando was popular, they also had the Hideo Nomo mania and then Gagne mania, lol Dodgers always going crazy and hyping up their pitchers.

Off the top of my dome the best Dodger pitchers are Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw, Drysdale, Sutton, Orel Hershiser and Valenzuela

Lincecum may be the only pitcher that's won two Cy Youngs that never gets in

 

[tangata motu'a]

In fairness, Lincecum had a much longer peak than Fidrych did and a better one than Valenzuela, in terms of performance if not fame. He did completely fall off a cliff though and despite his brilliance for a few years, shouldn't be in the Hall either.

oh, lincecum was mikes ahead of fidrych who just really had his rookie year. but as a kid in Detroit then, he was massive for that one year. he also probably had the better career than Fernando, but Fernando was just a massive star for those few years in LA. even when he was at the end of his career, people were still crazy about him, hoping for just one more good start or two.

though many pitchers have had better careers since then, I can think of only a few bigger star pitchers than him from a fame standpoint. Dwight Gooden, roger Clemens in boston, guys like those who really electrified people when they pitched. even much better pitchers like Kershaw, verlander, etc, never had that aura around them that a Fernando had. I think people that were not around to see and feel it just don't understand it.

I am really on the fence here. on the one hand I think they already let too many people in, but on the other he was about as big as it got for a few years. I say we kick out don Sutton and put Fernando in

 

[tangata motu'a]

Lincecum may be the only pitcher that's won two Cy Youngs that never gets in

not sure what corey kluber is up to these days, but he has work to do. Denny McClain wont get in more than likely. Saberhagen doubtful too.