Hall Of Famer: Arizona
Arizona Diamondbacks
In this series, I’ll look at each MLB team’s position player and pitcher that is the most deserving of Hall of Fame consideration. They have to be a starter or significant contributor (sorry Ichiro, I still love you).
Arizona Diamondbacks
Position Player: Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
It’s tough to get into the Hall of Fame as a first basemen these days, but Paul Goldschmidt might just fit the bill. He’s got a .302 avg and 0.937 OPS to go along with 165 HR and 114 SB’s. At just 29 years old he already has 5 All Star berths, 2 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and has finished second in MVP voting twice. He’s got 34.5 WAR in 7 seasons and according to baseball-reference.com (where I got all the stats for these articles) his closest historical comparison by age is Jeff Bagwell. Not too shabby.
HOF Chance: 75%
Pitcher: Zack Greinke (SP)
How likely is a starting pitcher who has never won 20 games in a season and has led the league in losses to wind up in the HOF? In Greinke’s case the answer is: very. Sure, he’s never won 20 games in a season, but he’s got a Cy Young, a couple of ERA titles, a few Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and more WAR than Justin Verlander (54.9 to be exact). If he can stay healthy and either win 200+ games or contribute in a big way to a World Series run then he’ll become a lock.
HOF Chance: 70%
