If I Had A 2011 BBWAA Hall Of Fame Ballot

Roberto Alomar

Jeff Bagwell

Bert Blyleven

Barry Larkin

Mark McGwire

Tim Raines

Ted Simmons Could/Should Be In HOF In 2011

In 2011 the Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee can finally right the wrong of the BBWAA. They could elect former Cardinals/Brewers/Braves catcher Ted Simmons into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other than maybe Tim Raines, Tommy John and Bert Blyleven no player has been wrongly held out of the Hall of Fame more than Ted Simmons. It seems pretty simple to me, Ted Simmons has more RBI's than Johnny Bench, scored more runs than Gary Carter and has more hits than Yogi Berra and Carlton Fisk. Yet, he is not in the HOF and all of the players previously mentioned are. In 21 seasons in the big leagues Ted has a slash line of .285/.348/.437 with 248 HR's. He made the All-Star team eight times and has a career WAR of 50.4.

It seems to me that the proof is in the pudding. Ted Simmons straight up has the stats as a catcher similar to all other HOF catchers, so why is he not in the HOF? That is a great question that I do not have the answer to. According to Baseball Reference 5 of the 10 batters most similar in their careers to Simmons are already in Cooperstown. But now that "Simba" has been added to the Veterans Committee ballot for the 2011 class he could finally get his just due. Like the BWAA ballot, Simmons must get 75% of the vote from the Veterans Committee to get elected into Cooperstown. I understand that Simmons, if elected will go in wearing a Cardinals cap on his plaque, but the fact is he spent 5 very good years in Milwaukee which includes 81' and 82', perhaps the best two seasons in Brewers history. To me Simmons is still the best catcher that ever donned a Brewers uniform. He was my starting catcher on my All-Time Brewers roster I put together a few months back.

We'll find out on December 6th if the Veterans Committee is smart enough to elect a man to the HOF that should have been elected by the BWAA back sometime in the 90's. Simmons was first on the ballot back in 1994 and only get 3.7% of the vote, so he dropped off the ballot after only one year of being eligible. Such a crime.

UPDATE: Here is something I didn't think of yesterday when I wrote this post. The Brewers currently have four numbers retired (besides Jackie Robinson's #42). All four players (Yount, Molitor, Aaron and Fingers) are in the HOF. This makes me think that if Simmons gets in, the Brewers will retire his #23 at Miller Park. That is if they continue to stand by their way of thinking that your number gets retired if you are a HOFer. Simmons actually played more seasons in Milwaukee than Aaron and Fingers. I have always felt that Simmons and Cecil Cooper were the other two players who SHOULD have their numbers retired.

Reader Poll Results

"First Impressions of Ron Roenicke?"

I like him: 92%

I don't like him: 0%

Ask me in July: 7%

Peter Gammons, Shut Up! Braun Isn't Going Anywhere

By now you probably heard the ridiculous rumor that Peter Gammons tossed around casually on a Boston TV station that the Brewers are talking about trading Ryan Braun and that Boston is a possible fit. I love Peter Gammons, read and listened to him for years, one of my all-time favorite baseball media members, but dude, shut up! I thought about writing a long post about this but it does not deserve my time. Ryan Braun is the Brewers and he and his very team friendly contact are not going anywhere. Thank you.

YouTube Classic: All 27 Outs Of Jake Odorizzi/Adrian Rosario Combined No-Hitter

This is pretty awesome, video of all 27 outs in the Jake Odorizzi/Adrian Rosario combined no-hitter for the Timber Rattlers back in August. This video just gets me more pumped to see Odorizzi in the Brewers rotation sometime in 2012.

Keith Law Chat ESPN.com 11/4/10

It's been quite awhile since I recapped any Brewers related questions/answers from a Keith Law chat on ESPN.com but today there were some pretty good ones so I figured I should. I always look forward to lunch break at work on Thursdays to read through Law's chats.

Ray (Home of the World Series Champs)

Is there anyway the Brewers would accept a deal of Jonathan Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt and Ryan Verdugo for Prince Fielder?

Klaw

(1:06 PM)

I wanted to say no when I first saw this, just because it smells like a quantity-for-quality deal, but Belt is a legitimate prospect, an above-average 1b who could start by midyear if not sooner, and Sanchez is what the Brewers have been totally inept at developing for the last ten years. It's not really that crazy when you think about it.

Ryan (Milwaukee)

Lots of talk about Jeremey Jeffress this AFL season. Bottom line, should the Brewers try him in the rotation next year and where does his future probably lie?

Klaw

(1:17 PM)

Reliever, for a variety of reasons. But a chance to be elite.

I have to say, if the Giants offered Doug Melvin those four players for Prince Fielder I would hope he would do it in a heart beat. I would almost do that trade for Sanchez and Belt straight up, but you throw in Sandoval and another prospect and I don't know how the Brewers could turn that deal down. I know Sanchez can be a bit wild, but he has great stuff and if he can improve his walk rate he could be very good.

I like many fans would love to see Jeremy Jeffress get a chance to start because of how badly the Brewers need good, young, hard throwing starting pitching. But I can see Law's point that with Jeffress' stuff and the fact that he has had more success when pitching out of the pen that he could be an elite closer. But I would still like to see the Brewers try him as a starter first.

Reader Poll Results

"Would you give up 3 or 4 prospects for 2 years of Zack Greinke?"

Yes: 33%

No: 66%

Ron Roenicke Tabbed As 18th Manager In Brewers History

I have to admit, before today I did not know a whole hell of a lot about Ron Roenicke. And honestly, I probably still don't know that much about him. Hell, I didn't even have him tabbed in my final four post a few weeks back. Until I actually see the way Ron manages a ball game and hear him speak I can't make a judgement one way or another. But I can say the things I have learned about Ron during the past four hours or so lead me to believe he has potential to be a very good big league manager.

He has a long history in the game. He played in the big leagues eight seasons as an OF for six different teams. He managed for six seasons in the minor leagues and since 2000 he has been a part of Mike Scioscia's coaching staff for the Angels, first as a 3B coach and then bench coach. I am encouraged a great deal by the fact that Roenicke is a disciple of Mike Scioscia. The last two coaches who left Scioscia's stable to become managers have had great success, Joe Maddon with the Rays and Bud Black with the Padres. If Roenicke is able to have close to the success those two have had I would be ecstatic.

I look forward to Roenicke bringing the aggressive style of baseball played in Anaheim to Milwaukee. It's not small ball with sac bunting like some believe, but being aggressive on the base paths by stealing more bases and taking the extra base. Put pressure on the other teams defense at all times. According to many of the reports I have read, Roenicke possesses perhaps the number one skill Ken Macha did not. The ability to communicate with players. It has been well documented how Macha never connected or related well to his players during his two seasons in Milwaukee and by the time he tried to in 2010 he had lost the clubhouse. It does not sound like that will be an issue with Roenicke. Look no further then this quote from Angels OF Torii Hunter:

“I’m disappointed he’s leaving,” Hunter said. “He’s a very intelligent man. He’s the guy I go to when I’m struggling.

“I’m upset, but it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s always wanted to be a manger. Those guys are going to like him.”

In my opinion there are a lot of qualities to like and get excited about in Ron Roenicke. But like I said, I need to see the results on the field and hear the man speak before I make a true judgement. But as of today knowing what I know now about him, I think he has the makings of a really good big league manager. While Bobby Valentine had the big name, Bob Melvin had experience and Joey Cora was impressive in the interview process, Roenicke won out over them all and I think that says a lot about Roenicke's credentials. I just hope Doug Melvin can give him a good pitching staff to work with....Go Brewers!