f Mariano Rivera Pat Valaika Jersey , we now know for certain that % of hall votes received is not correlated with greatness."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsMariano Rivera Mercifully Makes Bickering Over % a Thing of the PastNew,14commentsWith the unanimous induction of Mariano Rivera, we now know for certain that % of hall votes received is not correlated with greatness. CSTShareTweetShareShareMariano Rivera Mercifully Makes Bickering Over % a Thing of the PastGregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY SportsI have memories from my childhood of combing through my Baseball Encyclopedia and Baseball Reference and happening upon the list of top Hall of Fame vote-getters. Two things immediately stood out to me, as I’m sure they did to many- the first was the lack of 100s at the top of the list. How could somebody vote against a true all-time great? But perhaps even more shocking was the name at the top of the list- a man who held the highest mark for decades- Tom Seaver. At this point my knowledge of the history of the game was still forming. I knew the name Tom Seaver, having been raised by former Mets fans, but even they could not make a case for Tom Terrific as the greatest baseball player of all time, or even really in the discussion. My dad’s explanation for why Seaver had received 98.8% of the vote, more than Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth before him, was that Seaver was iconic- a stalwart for a beloved Mets team and a central cog in their 1969 championship. He was universally beloved. I didn’t really care for this explanation- if anything should be a true meritocracy, it should be the Hall of Fame. The very best players should receive the most votes, and in the pantheon of all-time pitchers, Seaver probably tops out in tier 2- unquestionably one of the greats, but not in the discussion for the best ever. How did he end up with the fewest no-votes?Over time I came to realize there were a few reasons for this- racism for much of the hall’s history, a reluctance to vote for any player on the first ballot, and so on. The lack of a unanimous inductee early in the hall’s history created an impossible standard for a unanimous inductee in the minds of many. If Babe, Williams and Mays were not worthy of every vote, it would take a truly once-in-a-lifetime player, a new level of greatness, to sway every single BBWAA voter. Many thought Ken Griffey, Jr. could be the first, and somehow three people were able to concoct a reason to vote against him. Maybe the great Rickey Henderson, who Bill James once said would be two hall of famers if you could split him into two players? Perhaps Mike Trout could do it years from now, if he maintained his early-career trajectory and posted career numbers that rivaled PED-aided 90s stars? Enter Mariano Rivera. The greatest closer of all time- a title he looks likely to hold for years to come- and Daniel Castro Jersey , like Tom Seaver, a hurler who is inextricably linked with the city of New York. When I first read that Rivera had received 100% of the votes, I was first a bit surprised, then a bit perturbed. Rivera is a hall of famer- about that there is no doubt- but there’s simply no way to earnestly make the case that he is among the most valuable players of all time, no single-inning reliever possibly could be. Scores of greater players were denied a unanimous induction in the past. I’ve said that after reviewing the 2018 ballot, I would not have voted for Rivera- not because he’s not deserving, but because I think there are at least 10 men on the list who are either more deserving or in greater need of votes at present (we’ll get you in, Larry). It shook my faith in the BBWAA more than it already had been, which was a tall order. However, I’ve come to realize that I’ve misattributed my frustration. Mariano should not have been the first unanimous inductee- on that I’ve not budged- but that is because many men should’ve had that honor before him, not because the impossible standard should have continued. It is my hope that Rivera has opened the door, and that the next time a Griffey-type candidate joins the ballot, he can feel the same joy that Mo did knowing his resume had been formally recognized as bulletproof, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. The Hall process cannot be perfected- writers’ standards differ wildly, and some like Dan Shaughnessy completely disregard the responsibility that comes with the privilege of casting a ballot out of spite. Getting roughly 500 baseball writers on the same page is an impossible task, even moreso with the less-than-ideal pool of hall of fame voters. That observers see players’ value so differently is unavoidable, even as analytics continue to make value easier and easier to quantify, and there are myriad legitimate viewpoints on how to cast a hall ballot with regard to valuing longevity vs. peak and strategic voting. Perhaps Mariano is the start of a trend, an ice-breaker of sorts, and perhaps for years to come the only unanimous hall selection will be a relief pitcher with roughly half the career WAR total of the game’s greatest players. What is certain is that he has made it abundantly clear that a player’s proportion HOF votes received is not indicative of their greatness relative to their peers, but of where a player’s profile fits in the variety of standards applied to hall of fame voting. His unanimous induction represents progress- gone are the days of voters reflexively voting no on first-ballot candidates, and the idea that relievers don’t belong in the hall. Those that roll their eyes at WAR and those that treat it as gospel alike agree- the greatest player of all time in a given role is a hall of famer, and Mo is unquestionably that. GLENDALE http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Corey Seager played shortstop in a game for the first time since April 29, three innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a minor league exhibition.The 2016 NL Rookie of the Year had surgery May 4 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and arthroscopic surgery on Aug, 7 to repair his left hip.He struck out twice and fielded one ball Thursday, an infield single. Although the runner was going to be safe, Seager completed the throw.“It was good, didn’t hesitate, didn’t think about it, just kind of did it,” he said. “I wanted to finish it, kind of check that off the list.”Seager had three plate appearances in a minor league game Monday but did not play the field.“It was nice to move around,” he said. “It has been a long time. It is weird. You try to find your timing. For the most part it was a lot smoother than I expected.”Los Angeles has not projected whether he will be available for the opener against Arizona on March 28.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESRED SOX 4, TIGERS 4World Series MVP Steve Pearce went home and ended an 0-for-12 spring straining start with two homers. A product of Lakeland High School, Pearce was given a Lakeland Dreadnaughts jersey with his number 5 on it by a fan prior to the game in his hometown. Eduardo Rodriguez struck out eight over five innings for the Red Sox, who snapped their seven-game losing streak. Heath Hembree struck out the side in his inning of relief.PIRATES 11, PHILLIES (SS) 2Starling Marte, Adam Frazier, Corey Dickerson, Kevin Newman and Colin Moran each homered for Pittsburgh. Newman had three hits and Marte also doubled. Trevor Williams allowed just an unearned run over five innings of three-hit ball. Francisco Liriano pitched a scoreless inning in relief.Jake Arrieta gave up five runs, two homers, six hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. Cesar Hernandez was 1 for 3 in his spring debut. Odubel Herrera is expected to be the designated hitter Saturday in his first game of the spring.PHILLIES (SS) 4, RAYS 3Drew Anderson pitched four scoreless innings of two-hit ball, and Gift Ngoepe hit a two-run homer to lift Philadelphia. Dylan Cozens also went deep.Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Emilio Pagan pitched two scoreless innings. Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts but is batting .345 this spring.TWINS (SS) 7, ORIOLES 6Minnesota’s Ronald Torreyes hit his first homer in any game — spring training Kyle Freeland Jersey , regular season or minor league — since July 30, 2017 while with the Yankees, ending a stretch of 159 games without one. The 5-foot-8 infielder has four homers in 229 career regular season games. Michael Reed had three hits and Willians Astudillo had two.Dylan Bundy allowed four runs in five innings for Baltimore, lifting his spring ERA to 10.80. Jace Peterson and Cedric Mullins each solo home runs.MARLINS 12, ASTROS 6Astros starter Collin McHugh was hit hard in his third spring start, allowing six runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings, raising his ERA to 15.88. Alex Bregman and Robinson Chirinos each hit their second homers of the spring.Dan Straily gave up four runs and eight hits over 3 2/3 innings for Miami, and Sergio Romo gave up two more runs in 1 1/3 innings. Chad Wallach, son of Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach, homered.METS 1, CARDINALS 1Zack Wheeler continued an impressive spring for the Mets with 5 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball. Jeurys Familia added a scoreless inning, and left-hander Justin Wilson gave up a run on two hits in his inning of work. Jeff McNeil had three hits.Michael Wacha threw five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks. Harrison Bader had two hits and three stolen bases, Jose Martinez had a triple and Yairo Munoz doubled and drove in a run.NATIONALS 10, TWINS (SS) 4Juan Soto and Victor Robles each homered to back Erick Fedde in his bid for a rotation spot. Fedde allowed a run and two hits over three innings, dropping his ERA to 7.84 as he competes with Jeremy Hellickson for the Nationals‘ fifth-starter job.Martin Perez allowed five runs, six hits and two walks. Eddie Rosario hit a solo home run, his third of the spring, and 2018 first-round pick Trevor Larnach hit his first Grapefruit League homer.YANKEES 1, BLUE JAYS 1Luis Cessa dropped his ERA to 0.69 with four scoreless innings for the Yankees. He struck out three and allowed two hits and a walk. Troy Tulowitzki went 1 for 2 with a walk.Matt Shoemaker pitched one-run ball over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out three. Bo Bichette, Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales each doubled.CUBS 2, RANGERS (SS) 1Yu Darvish struck out five in four innings of one-run ball for Chicago. Coming off an injury-ruined 2018, Darvish has a 2.45 ERA in three spring starts. Kyle Schwarber singled and drove in a run.Logan Forsythe and Hunter Pence had RBIs http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , and Adrian Sampson impressed with 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.INDIANS 9, ROCKIES 3Shane Bieber threw five hitless innings with eight strikeouts for Cleveland, dropping his ERA to 0.64. Oliver Perez followed with another hitless inning before Ryan McMahon ended the no-hit bid with a two-out double in the seventh. Outfield prospect Daniel Johnson hit a grand slam, and Roberto Perez had a two-run homer.Jeff Hoffman allowed five runs, six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. McMahon had two doubles.REDS 3, DODGERS (SS) 3Sonny Gray pitched three perfect innings for Cincinnati in his second appearance after a delayed spring start due to elbow stiffness. Former Dodger Yasiel Puig was cheered at his old spring home and went 1 for 3. Phillip Ervin hit his fourth homer.Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed two runs and five hits over four innings. Former Reds prospect Jeter Downs, acquired in the offseason deal for Puig, had two hits.ANGELS 7, BREWERS 7Christian Yelich homered and had two hits, and Mike Moustakas and Jesus Aguilar also went deep for the Brewers. Freddy Peralta got nine of his 10 outs via strikeout, but also allowed five runs, four hits and three walks.David Fletcher had three hits and Justin Bour went deep for Los Angeles. Jaime Barria allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, including two homers.RANGERS (SS) 5, ROYALS 4Danny Santana hit a two-run homer and Rougned Odor doubled twice for the Rangers. Edinson Volquez gave up two runs and four hits over his four-inning start.Alex Gordon and Adalberto Mondesi each doubled and Jorge Bonifacio had a triple. Jakob Junis allowed five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.DIAMONDBACKS 3, GIANTS 0Luke Weaver pitched five scoreless innings and lowered his ERA to 1.59 in his first spring since being acquired for star slugger Paul Goldschmidt. Weaver struck out four and allowed three hits. Christian Walker, Goldschmidt’s possible replacement at first base, doubled and tripled to raise his average to .355.Dereck Rodriguez allowed a run and two hits over 4 2/3 innings. Mark Melancon allowed two runs.DODGERS (SS) 12, PADRES 0Kenta Maeda struck out six over four scoreless innings for Los Angeles, and prospect Dustin May followed with three innings of one-hit ball. Austin Barnes and Brad Miller homered, and A.J. Pollock, David Freese and Chris Taylor had two hits each. Barnes also doubled and had two walks.Robbie Erlin allowed eight runs in three innings for San Diego, which had only three hits.