Will Edwin Encarnacion Make The HOF If He Hits 500 HR?

[NHL WAR]

Currently the only members of the 500 Home Run Club not in Cooperstown are PED tainted or still active.

Edwin Encarnacion is 86 big flies away. He turned 37 in January and hit 104 homers over the last 3 seasons, including 34 in only 109 games last year. The season being delayed reduces his odds, but 500 remains a realistic possibility. If he gets there, will (not should) he get elected?

I say yes. Probably not first ballot, and not without controversy, but old voting habits die hard. Plus, Harold Baines just made it. Things are trending big Hall.

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[Terry Yake]

not a chance

 

[Maestro84]

As a jays fan, no chance. He's always been overlooked but not to that extent.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

No. I don't think 500 HR is the lock it used to be anymore.

Even McGwire and Sosa are/were probably debatable cases without the PEDs.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Have to say no he won't make it to the hall.

 

[rent free]

no. how many major awards does he have?

 

[NHL WAR]

no. how many major awards does he have?

Same amount as Nolan Ryan. One less than recent inductees Jim Thome, Harold Baines and Ted Simmons ( who all won one Silver Slugger, not MVP.)

I agree with you. He has never even been the best player on his own team (although his best years overlapping with prime Bautista and then prime Donaldson made that a high bar). A lack of awards just doesnt seem to be a major stumbling block to voters. Although, the demographic of voters might have changed enough by the time he is eligible that his 35-40 WAR won't be good enough, 500 HR club or not.

 

[Unholy Diver]

The only way I can see him having a chance is if he stays productive long enough to get close to or over 600 HR, he has similar counting stats ( H, HR, RBI) to Ortiz at the same age, but is a ways behind him in other areas, as well as the fact Ortiz greatly benefits from being a 3X WS champ and folk hero

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

No. He’s not even close. He was a liability in the field (Couldnt make the throws from 3B to 1B) and couldn’t run.

Yes, he could hit the ball but not at the level of an Edgar, Ortiz, Thome, etc. That’s the level you need to be at if you’re getting into the HOF with just one skill.

I think he’ll hit 500 hr and that’s a great achievement but that on its own should t get you into the hall.

If Adam Dunn hits 40 more hr which I’m sure he could have, does that make him an HOFer?

 

[NHL WAR]

No. He’s not even close. He was a liability in the field (Couldnt make the throws from 3B to 1B) and couldn’t run.

Yes, he could hit the ball but not at the level of an Edgar, Ortiz, Thome, etc. That’s the level you need to be at if you’re getting into the HOF with just one skill.

I think he’ll hit 500 hr and that’s a great achievement but that on its own should t get you into the hall.

If Adam Dunn hits 40 more hr which I’m sure he could have, does that make him an HOFer?

You're not wrong about Edwin being a level below elected one-dimensional sluggers. And I wouldn't vote for 500 home run Adam Dunn. And I doubt/hope that 75% of the BBWAA would either.

Saying that, I strongly believe Fred McGriff would've been voted in if he had hit 7 more home runs and I'd rate EE closer to Crime Dog than Big Donkey. So I'd give him a fighting chance. At least to hang on the ballot for a few years and catch the eye of a Veterans Committee down the road.

Anything less than 500 and he's a one and done, though. As you said, he's not up to par

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

You're not wrong about Edwin being a level below elected one-dimensional sluggers. And I wouldn't vote for 500 home run Adam Dunn. And I doubt/hope that 75% of the BBWAA would either.

Saying that, I strongly believe Fred McGriff would've been voted in if he had hit 7 more home runs and I'd rate EE closer to Crime Dog than Big Donkey. So I'd give him a fighting chance. At least to hang on the ballot for a few years and catch the eye of a Veterans Committee down the road.

Anything less than 500 and he's a one and done, though. As you said, he's not up to par

Agreed on McGriff. The crime dog could be on the HOF and I do t think anyone would be upset. He certainly deserves it over a guy like Baines but there’s like a 100 players who deserve it over him.

Helton, Berkman, Delgado, Olerud, Tex, and a bunch of others have a much better case than Edwin with or without the 500 hr. Not saying all Of those guys are all that close to each other but they’re all above EE is my point.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

They might have a cage for his parrot so he can walk around and look, but that's it.

 

[Maestro84]

Same amount as Nolan Ryan. One less than recent inductees Jim Thome, Harold Baines and Ted Simmons ( who all won one Silver Slugger, not MVP.)

I agree with you. He has never even been the best player on his own team (although his best years overlapping with prime Bautista and then prime Donaldson made that a high bar). A lack of awards just doesnt seem to be a major stumbling block to voters. Although, the demographic of voters might have changed enough by the time he is eligible that his 35-40 WAR won't be good enough, 500 HR club or not.

He was the best player on the Jays in 2012 but that's because Bautista had a wrist injury or else Jose would've remained the team's best player

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

He was the best player on the Jays in 2012 but that's because Bautista had a wrist injury or else Jose would've remained the team's best player

Sure but I think they mean Edwin was never the go to guy for any period of time really. Anyone can be the best player on a team for a year. Well not anyone but you know what I mean. He’s been a very good hitter for a long time though there’s no denying that

 

[MS]

Literally zero chance. I love the guy, but he has 36 career WAR.

Edgar Martinez has trouble getting in with nearly double the WAR as a DH.

Carlos Delgado was one-ballot-and-out with 45 WAR and was a miles better player than Encarnacion.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I could be wrong, but the only players not in the hall of fame that hit 500 are players that are surrounded by drug allegations(whether it be juicing or cocaine)

 

[CTHabsfan]

Plus, Harold Baines just made it.

'This guy who doesn't belong in the Hall made it, so we should elect another guy who doesn't deserve election', is one of my two least favorite arguments for voting someone into the Hall. The other is, 'He has the most (wins/saves/hits) of anyone who is not in the Hall-of-Fame'; somebody will always be that guy, unless one win/save/hit guarantees election.

 

[NHL WAR]

I could be wrong, but the only players not in the hall of fame that hit 500 are players that are surrounded by drug allegations(whether it be juicing or cocaine)

Yep. Albert Pujols is the only "clean" 500 HR guy not in and he will be first ballot when the time comes

 

[NHL WAR]

'This guy who doesn't belong in the Hall made it, so we should elect another guy who doesn't deserve election', is one of my two least favorite arguments for voting someone into the Hall. The other is, 'He has the most (wins/saves/hits) of anyone who is not in the Hall-of-Fame'; somebody will always be that guy, unless one win/save/hit guarantees election.

I agree. I dont think Edwin should make Cooperstown even if he hits 500. The poll was supposed to more represent how much faith you have in the current electorate not to vote for him. We all know that they love round number milestones (500 HR, 3000 hits, 300 wins,etc) and that the Veterans Committee has a relatively low bar (Baines, Morris, Smith, etc.).

 

[Voight]

If he does hit 500 sometime soon, he won't have the label of compiler IMO. 12 seasons wheres hes played over 100 games and is at least within striking distance of the 500.

He'd probably have to wait a long time, think about how long Edgar had to wait and hes the best DH of all time.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

If he does hit 500 sometime soon, he won't have the label of compiler IMO. 12 seasons wheres hes played over 100 games and is at least within striking distance of the 500.

He'd probably have to wait a long time, think about how long Edgar had to wait and hes the best DH of all time.

But it's insane. You can't look at one counting stat and decide that hitting that number is an auto in to the HOF and ignore everything else. Like usually those counting stats are indicators that if the player achieved/hit that number in that category then he they were a pretty damn good baseball player and must have achieved greatness in other categories too. It's just not the case for guys like EE and Adam Dunn when you look at their power numbers or looking at Omar Vizquel and his high hits number. OK, yes, Vizquel was a very good fielder as well but the fact is that these are very flawed players that didn't achieve the level of greatness that should be required to be enshrined amongst the game's elite.

- Eddie Yost is 12th all time in walks with 1614. He was a good player. Had some very good years. He's not a HOFer just because he has over 1500 walks and only 18 players have done that.

- Jimmy Ryan is 3rd all time in outfield assists with 375, only behind Tris Speaker (449), and Ty Cobb (392). He was a really good player. .820 OPS, 124 OPS+, 419 stolen bases. Great career. He's not an HOFer because he's 3rd in a category.

There are players who will hit certain milestones that are impressive and that's great. They should be proud and cherish the fact that they were super good at a specific baseball skill that not a lot of other people could do. But it's the baseball hall of fame. Not the hall of fame of dingers. You want to call EE one of the 50 best power hitters ever. Go ahead. That's a deserving title. You want to call him one of the best baseball players ever? Ahead of guys like Jim Edmonds, Curt Schilling, Scott Rolen, Gary Sheffield, Keith Hernadez, Kenny Lofton and countless others who were vastly better players than EE and aren't in the HOF? All because he hit a number? No, that ain't right.

 

[Unholy Diver]

500 HR just doesn't mean what it used to anymore either, 14 guys reached 500 HR in the first 119 MLB seasons, 13 have done it in the last 25 years with Miggy, Edwin and maybe Nellie Cruz to get there in the next 3-4 years