For me, the really interesting thing about writing this blog so far has been putting my assumptions to the test while I research a player’s resume. I supported Lee Smith for the Hall of Fame for years, but while writing my first post I became convinced otherwise. As for Jack Morris, I’ve never thought of him as a Hall of Famer. I was shocked to see that he is the leading vote-getter among returning eligible players. He was on 66.7% of the ballots last year and needs only 75% to make it. So, surely I’m missing something if so many voters disagree with me. Now that I’ve looked into it further I am even more convinced that he is not a Hall of Famer.

Morris was a very good starting pitcher and a model of consistency for a long time. He won 254 games in his 18 years in the majors and he was a workhorse, completing 175 games. However, he gave up nearly four runs a game with his 3.90 career ERA..  His most memorable moment – and I suspect the reason he is in this conversation – was his 1991 World Series performance. In particular, his Game 7 10-inning complete game shutout that clinched it. He made three starts in that series, winning two of them along with the series Most Valuable Player Award. His career post-season numbers are impressive. He went 7-4 with a 3.80 record in 13 post-season starts. In the World Series alone he was 4-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 7 starts. Post-season heroics is – and should be – part of the debate, but unless you’re ready to put Scott Brosius and Livan Hernandez in the Hall, let’s take a step back. Not that they were bad players, but the Hall isn’t for guys that were just not bad.

In Morris’s defense, he pitched in some hitters’ parks in Detroit and Minnesota. He pitched his entire career in the AL facing the DH three to five times a night while NL hurlers have the luxury of facing their light hitting counterpart every time through the order. Scoring was up in his era with the onset of the steroid era, but even then, 3.90 is not what you want out of your ace. I’m done making excuses for his career numbers.

Since stats can be misleading when comparing players of different eras, I always look at how a player compares to those who played at the same time. If everyone else was giving up five runs a game, a guy that gives up four may be fantastic.  So, how did Jack Morris measure up to other starting pitchers of his era?  H led the American League in wins twice.  He had 14 in the strike shortened 1981 season and 21 in 1992. He led the league in innings in 1983 en route to a 20-13 record with a 3.34 ERA. He led in strike outs once. Five All-Star games is pretty good. Other than, the high ERA, the fact that he never finished higher than third in the Cy Young voting is the biggest mark against him. To me, it’s hard to put a pitcher in the Hall of Fame who is never – not one year – considered the best in his league and Morris was never even considered the second best according to the Cy Young ballots.  He was in the top ten six times, so he was often good, but rarely was he great.  He should have shut it down two years earlier than he did.  Those last two seasons he was a combined 17-18 with ERAs ballooning to 6.19 and 5.60.  Here’s some surprising trivia.  There is one active pitcher with more career wins that Jack Morris.  Can you name him?  It’s no one I would have ever guessed.

I had to look up Don Sutton and Bert Blyleven to compare them to Morris.  They are the two Hall of Famers that come to mind when I think of him.  Both had long, solid careers with some good seasons.  I thought that they might have set a precedent that Morris would ride into Cooperstown, but Sutton won about 70 more games and an ERA half a run lower.  Blyleven also won more games and gave up a half a run less per game than Morris.  Those guys might not have had the signature World Series moment that Morris did, but they were also good post-season pitchers.  Therefore, I can’t even give Morris the benefit of precedence.  He does not belong in Cooperstown.  However, he is the leader in the clubhouse and unless Jeff Bagwell or some of the first-year eligibles like Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds jump the line this may be his year.

The stats below are from www.baseball-reference.com.  They provide four quantitative measures of a player’s Hall of Fame credentials.  Morris deserves to be in the Hall according to two of them.