I vividly remember it from a hotel in Dallas during the 2011 Winter Meetings. Little did we know at the time that Albert Pujols would sign with the Angels later that week. What we had just heard, however, was Ron Santo had been selected as a Hall of Famer by the Veteran’s Committee.
He had passed away just a year earlier at the age of 70.
I never had the chance to watch him play, but he was (and still is) my dad’s all-time favorite player. I felt a mix of excitement and anger that only sports can provide. It’s great that he’s rightfully in, but why couldn’t it have happened while he was still alive?
In Santo’s case, advanced metrics provided a better Hall of Fame case than some traditional metrics did, but there’s also the emotional pull once a player passes away. It can push a player over the top.
It isn’t just an emotional response, either. When a player dies, we reflect on his career, shining a greater light on his accomplishments on the field and his impact as a player. Fernando Valenzuela and Dick Allen are two players that come to mind right now, which is why I’m writing about this topic this year.
With only the three players mentioned above, I didn’t really advocate for Allen until after his passing. It’s a common thing – we’re only human, after all.
I plan to monitor Allen’s vote count this December, along with Tiant, and then assess if there’s any progress towards Fernando next December. It’s definitely a possibility.