Vaughn joins Rice on Hall ballot
Mo Vaughn, the charismatic and sometimes controversial former Red Sox slugger who won the 1995 American League Most Valuable Player award, is among 10 new names on this year's Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Vaughn, a native of Norwalk, Conn., hit .293 with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBIs for the Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Mets in 10 full major league seasons and parts of two others.
In his eight seasons with the Sox (1991-98), he hit 230 homers, good for sixth in franchise history. Vaughn and Jim Rice -- who is on the ballot for the 15th and final year -- are the only players in club history to have multiple seasons with over 200 hits and 40 homers.
Vaughn's breakthrough season came in 1993, when the 25-year-old first baseman batted .297 with 29 homers, 101 RBIs, and a .915 OPS. Two years later, he won his only MVP award, putting up a .300-39-126 line with a .963 OPS as the Red Sox won the American League East. But his season ended on a down note --the Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians in the AL Division Series, with Vaughn going hitless in 14 at-bats.
He returned in '96 to post perhaps his finest statistical season (.326-44-143, with a 1.003 OPS), good for fifth in the MVP voting.
In '98, his final season with the Red Sox, Vaughn batted a career-best .337 with 40 homers and 115 RBIs, and he redeemed himself for his previous postseason failure, batting .412 with two homers and seven RBIs. But the Sox again fell to the Indians, this time in four games.
Vaughn, a clubhouse lightning rod whose outspokeness and occasional off-the-field issues caused tension with then-general manager Dan Duquette, departed as a free agent following the '98 season, signing a six-year, $80 million deal with the Angels. While he had some productive seasons after leaving Boston -- he hit 69 homers in two seasons with the Angels -- he was plagued by injuries and retired as a Met following the '03 season.
Vaughn isn't the lone candidate on the ballot with deep connections to the Red Sox. Rice -- the last great Red Sox slugger before Vaughn's arrival -- is the top returning vote-getter. The 1978 AL MVP received 392 votes last year (72.2 percent), 16 short of election. A candidate needs 75 percent to make the Hall.
The most noteworthy newcomer is Rickey Henderson, who played 25 seasons in the majors (1979-2003) with nine teams, including the Red Sox in '02. Henderson, who never formally announced his retirement, is the all-time leader in runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406), and as the most accomplished leadoff hitter of all time, should be a lock in his first year on the ballot.
There are just 23 players are on the ballot, the smallest group ever. Andre Dawson, who spent two seasons with the Red Sox in the early '90s and received 65.9 percent of the vote last year, is joined by the following holdovers: Mark McGwire, Tim Raines, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Alan Trammell, and Lee Smith.
The newcomers besides Vaughn are David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Greg Vaughn, Jay Bell, and Matt Williams.
Reporters who have been in the BBWAA for 10 or more consecutive years are eligible to vote. Totals will be announced Jan. 12.
C'mon reporters! Get Jimmy Rice in that Hall where he belongs. Especially now in light of what he did compared to the Roid'ers like "Big Mac". Give Rice his long overdue, due, and also keep Big Mac on the outside looking in...
No go for Mo. Setting aside his implications in the Mitchell Report, his numbers still don't merit his consideration. Sorry, #42, I loved watching you play, but you're not a HOFer.
I'd vote Rickey, Raines and Blyleven. I'm an awesome baseball fan, but a pretty crappy Red Sox fan.
No way on earth is Mo Vaughn worthy of the Hall of Fame. He was a very good player for a handful of years but nothing HOF worthy. Jim Rice on the other hand should be in the HOF by this point. He was a special player.
Wow the class of '09 is not going to generate much interest aside from Mo. Why did they leave McGwire on the ballot, anyway? There is no way he should be in the hall.
OK Globe BBWAA members, will ya vote for Rice this time? He deserves it already, his days of fighting with you are long over!
Jim Ed should be elected this year.
Mo - give me a break. The only noteworthy thing he ever did was break the record for # of trips to the Foxy Lady.
Jim Rice was a great ballplayer and is deserving of being in the Hall of Fame. Rice was an 8-time all-star and was MVP of the American League in 1978. He compiled a .298 career batting average and hit 382 career homers. This is Rice's last year of eligibility for traditional Hall of Fame election. Last year, Rice was named on 392 ballots (72.2 percent), just 16 votes short of election.
Last year he missed by just 16 votes. Hopefully this will be his year.
"Wow the class of '09 is not going to generate much interest aside from Mo. Why did they leave McGwire on the ballot, anyway? There is no way he should be in the hall."
Ummm...Rickey Henderson? Perhaps you've heard of him?
Jim Ed would already be in the HOF if he had hit 3 more homers in his career. In 1977, 1979, and 1983, he hit 39 homers. If each year were 40 dingers, he would have had four 40 homer years and, I believe, would have been a shooin for the Hall on maybe his first ballet. A power hitter who had four 200-plus hit seasons also should have put him in a long time ago. he should not have been punished for his crappy last 3 years which pushed his average under .300. He should be rewarded for his unbelievable 12 years prior to that decline. This is the year for Rice; I have a really good feeling.
Hey Homer - I thought it was Number of times rolling over in his SUV coming home from the Foxy Lady
I would vote for James Edward Rice! He's a marginal case, but he should be in the HOF.
As for Mo, I think there's consensus: A valued member of the Red Sox, but not HOF caliber.
George Bell being "met" by Mo Vaughn......hard hit ever in a base brawl event !
Who decides who will be a candidate for the hall of fame? Half of this years list should not even be on the ballot! The process needs an overhall. Where is the commissioner on this issue? Are we choosing candidates by pulling names out of a hat now?
If Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez made it, Jim Rice has to be there to. True Perez was on the big red machine of the 70`s, but his numbers pale to Rice. Jim Rice had better #`s versus both period. Look them up. Rice had a better lifetime average, more RBI`s per annual average and more home runs per 10 at bats. If the Hall of Fame is going to put the Cepeda`s, Perez`s and yes Mazersoki`s in, RICE should be there as well.
Seriously, if the people in charge of the vote process continue to ignore Jim Rice and many others (is Andre Dawson in?), players like Mo Vaughn should not even make it to ballot list
Jim Rice and Ricky Henderson should go this year. Dawson and Raines also have a shot. All of them deserve to be there.
JIM ED RICE, THE BEST. FROM THE HEART OF THE BAJA. BUENA SUERTA! MIKE FROM HINGHAM.
A big fat no to Jim Rice!! He was for himself and himself only....in his head he was bigger than anyone on the Red Sox including The Yaz...I remember him saying once that he should not be "riding the pines"...Yaz should be benched.. whatta frickin jerk...no to Rice and his big head.....A loyal Red Sox fan from a loyal Red Sox family since 1942 and beyond....kiss off ricego find you someone else to can pull the wool over their eyes....not this Red Sox Nation fan...
...and slow and hit into too many double plays and worst of all unclutch hitter. while i did like him as a player,if he belongs in the Hall,so does Dwight Evans.
Rice only had one 40 home run season.
Mo might be able to get into the FoxyLady Hall of Fame. Now that's a better shot for him!
Go Jim Ed!!!!!
retired players qualify if they have 10 years of service and have been out of the game for 5 seasons.......
Ricky is not retired....he just hasn't played in the majors in 5 years.
The comissioner hasn't that much to do with it other than he should UN BAN Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
I'd vote for Rickey (no-brainer), Blyleven (who should've made it in 10 years ago and probably would have if he'd won 11 more games in his career to get to 300 - a better pitcher than Nolan Ryan, forget about number of no-hitters and look at the overall numbers and postseason performance), and yes, after much deliberation, Rice. Short career, less than 400 HR, but flamed out quickly - for 12 years (1975-86) he was one of the dominant hitters in the game. Koufax is in the HOF with a shorter stretch of excellence (1960-65?). So is Wade Boggs come to think of it (1983-91).
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