THE GREAT BASEBALL DEBATE

Follow us as each week as our best writers from around the Bloguin Network take aim at each other and square off on anything and everything baseball from "who was better, Mays or Mantle" to "Should MLB have a salary cap?"

Pick a side and agree or disagree. Take part in the debate by posting a comment giving your own opinion. There are no holds barred and nothing is held back in the "The Great Baseball Debate."

Today's Topic is: Should Albert Belle be in the MLB Hall of Fame?

Albert Belle SHOULD Be in the MLB Hall of Fame

By Gene Zarnick, Favre Dollar Footlongs: The Annoyances of Players, Fans, the Media, and of Course Brett Favre

The criteria to become eligible for the MLB Hall of Famer is simple; play ten seasons and be retired for five. Other than that it's all a subjective based vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America. It's a long road for some, a long tedious process that eventually gives the players who deserve to be there their rightful spot. For Albert Belle, it was a process that ended much quicker than what is deserving for one the most dominating baseball players of his time.

Albert was on the 2006 ballot and he received 7.7% of the vote. Not nearly close to the 75% needed to get in, but still enough to keep his name on the ballot. The following year he only received 3.5% and therefore was removed from future ballots. Not having his name on current ballots is an injustice in itself.

Okay so by now I've basically told you nothing; except you learned that his chances are slim to none to make it, but let's examine why the writers got it wrong and why I'm right in proclaiming that Albert "Don't call me Joey" Belle should be in Cooperstown.

First, let's look at Albert's career stats and compare him to other Hall of Fame Left Fielders.

As you can see from Albert's career numbers, he is easily amongst one of the best left fielders. His slugging percentage is second best, only below Ted Williams. His home runs are in the upper half of the players inducted. Batting average and RBI's are in line with other Hall of Famers. Actually, most of all his stats are in line with other Hall of Famers. We can clearly see that Albert's numbers make him Hall worthy, but what really makes him that special type of player that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame?

Here are some facts. Albert Belle led the American League in home runs in 1995 with 50 home runs. Yes, 1995 when there was a strike. Albert was elected to five all star game appearances, won three RBI titles, and made it to one World Series. He was the first player to ever have 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season. He led the Major Leagues, yes, the entire major leagues in RBI's with 1,099 during the 90's. He was dominant, he was feared, but most importantly to the Hall of Fame debate, he was hated.

Roto-Rx

If your question was not answered this time, you can go directly to the source @ https://www.roto-rx.com/ where Dr. Roto will answer all your Fantasy Baseball and Football questions.

The Doctor is in...

Question #1: I am in an AL only league.  Is there anyone that came over from the NL that I should have my eye on? - Stephen, Merrick, NY

Stephen: The obvious answer is Cliff Lee who is a potential CY Young candidate now pitching for the Seattle Mariners. But Dr. Roto will give you two number #2 hitters to look at. The first is Nick Johnson (Yankees). Nick should bat second in a tremendous offensive lineup. If he can stay healthy, look for him to match his career highs in HR and RBI. Next, take a close look at Orlando Hudson (Twins). Hitting second in front of Mauer and Morneau will mean tons of fastballs and career high numbers for the O-Dog.

Question #2: Carlos Zambrano has reportedly dropped a lot of weight this winter, do you feel this will translate into a quality fantasy 2010 stats? - Harold, Naval War College

Harold: Zambrano may have dropped weight, but he hasn't dropped any innings off that pitching arm. He is a 28 year old with the arm of a 35 year old. If that doesn't scare you off, then you need to call my office for an emergency appointment.

Question #3: Jake Peavy is being thrown back into my draft this year. Do you expect a bounce-back vintage Peavy type season? - Christopher, Oakland, CA

Christopher: Dr. Roto thinks Peavy will actually struggle a bit in the AL. That is not to say he will be an average pitcher (he is well above average), but that his numbers will be down. I would not be surprised to see him with an ERA in the mid to high 3's and a WHIP around 1.2. These are decent numbers but not the stud numbers that we have come to expect from Peavy.

He never really got a shot with the Mets. Escobar played 18 games for the Mets in September call-ups in 2001 but in December of 2001 he was traded in at the time what was thought to be a blockbuster deal.

The New York Mets sent Escobar, Matt Lawton and three minor leaguers to Cleveland for Roberto Alomar and two other players.

Baseball America ranked Escobar as the Mets' No. 1 prospect in 2001. At the time, the magazine's scouting report said:

"When Escobar has been healthy, he has been awesome. He's capable of playing any of the three outfield positions, is projected as a 20-30 stolen base threat in the big leagues, can hit for average and power and has an above-average arm."

Alomar had finished fourth in the American League MVP balloting in 2001, but general manager Mark Shapiro had to move him as part of a mandate to cut payroll. Escobar, talented yet enigmatic at 23, was the high-upside piece from Cleveland.

Eric Wedge, then managing in Cleveland's minor league system, believed Escobar and Milton Bradley, newly arrived from Montreal, could be high-impact contributors for the Tribe.

"What you have here is two extremely talented young players," Wedge had told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We can't lose either way."

In hindsight, of course, the Tribe lost both ways. Bradley played his way out of Cleveland with his bad behavior, and Escobar became a walking medical disaster. His inventory of career injuries includes a stress fracture in his back, a torn ACL in his left knee, a broken foot, a torn labrum, and an assortment of hamstring and ankle issues.

Escobar also was a strikeout machine, with 112 whiffs in 388 major league at-bats. He batted .257/.318/.387 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 230 at-bats for Triple-A Columbus (Nationals) in 2008 but Washington released him at the end of the year.

Today the Colorado Rockies signed the 31 year old Escobar to a minor league contract. Somehow I don't think the hype is the same this time around.

As reported on all the news outlets, the Twins signed second baseman Orlando Hudson to a one year $5 million contract on Thursday.

My first thought was that it is a wonderful singing for the Twins. Frankly, I don't understand how the guy was out there that long?

My second thought was, has there ever been a MLB player in the modern era that has been more consistent, more reliable both at the plate and in the field that couldn't get more than a one year contract than Orlando Hudson?

Hudson is a two-time All-Star, a three time 2nd Base Gold Glove winner, and he's even acquired the status of having a one word nickname where when you say it, everyone knows who you are talking about; "O-Dog."

It seems that virtually every year this guy is a free agent with multiple teams interested in him and yet every year he ends up with a one year deal.

Does he not want to sign a multi-year deal? I know that the market is not what it once was but gee-wiz!

Luis Castillo was able to fleece the Mets for a 4-year $25 million deal in 2008. Hudson was widely expected to get a better deal than that, but he returned to the Diamondback for one year?

Let's take a look at the last one year contract he signed with the Dodgers.

Taking a look at his past contracts, maybe he and his agent are smarter than we gave them credit for. Hudson's agent Greg Genske who has had the unpleasant job of finding a place for his client in this troublesome economy has done a fantastic job. Take a look at this.

• In 2006 with the Diamondbacks O-Dog made $3.9 million
• In 2007 with the Diamondbacks O-Dog made $6.25 million
• In 2008 with the Dodgers, O-Dog's contract looked like this....

· $380,000 signing bonus, deferred without interest to a time not designated
· $3 million base salary for 2009
· $150,000 each for 150 and 175 plate appearances
· $200,000 each for 200, 225, 250, 275 and 300 plate appearances
· $250,000 each for 325, 350, 375, 400, 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, 550, 575 PAs
· $10,000 for EVERY plate appearance from PA #576 through PA #632. That's 57 PAs for total of $570,000.
· Also, BEGINNING WITH 550 PAs, every one of these incentives, including that $570k, is deferred without interest to a time not designated. And the contract requires Hudson to donate $25,000 to the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

What would a starting rotation have looked like with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee all in it?

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had this to say to reporters during the annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet this past Monday night:

"I'm not a dummy. I know what Cliff Lee would have meant to our rotation in addition to Halladay and Hamels. It's a no-brainer.

Our goal is to be a contender every year -- not just to be a competitor, but to be a contender every year. That's really my job. As an executive of the club, it's my job to do what I can to try to maintain that level of talent on the club and that hope from the fans."

Lee, is a free agent after the 2010 season, and he'll demand top dollar in the open market. But since the Phillies are nearing a club-record payroll of $140 million this season and have more than $130 million already committed to 15 players for '11, Lee seemingly would've had just one more year in Philly and Amaro preferred more stability thereafter.

With Lee now gone, the key for the Phillies this year will be Cole Hamels. The most pressing issue for them is what they'll get out of him. If he's the guy he was two years ago, they have two legitimate aces, and you have to like their chances to battle for the World Series and maybe even host another parade. If not, if Hamels is the scatterbrain whose mental toughness was repeatedly questioned last season - the guy who couldn't hit his spots on the mound or with the media - it's hard to envision the Phillies getting past the AL's best even if they're lucky to make it that far.

Trading Cliff Lee might have been about money or restocking the farm system, but ultimately it was about Hamels. Should he perform well, Amaro will look like a genius, if he fails, well, the season could get messy.

When 2009 went bad for him - a not entirely unpredictable result of the big jump in innings he experienced in 2008, when he ruled the postseason - the fixation became on his personality.

When last we saw Cole Hamels, the bright lights were less than flattering to him. After Game 3 of the World Series, Hamels said he couldn't "wait for [the season] to end. It's been mentally draining." Then he added he was eager for a "fresh start." That prompted his dopey teammate Brett Myers to walk past him in the clubhouse and quip something on the order of, "What are you doing here? I thought you quit." Myers later said he was joking, but we all know there was something to it.

Roto-Rx

If your question was not answered this time, you can go directly to the source @ https://www.roto-rx.com/ where Dr. Roto will answer all your Fantasy Baseball and Football questions.

The Doctor is in...

Question #1: What are your thoughts on Francisco Liriano? Is he far enough removed from surgery to be dominant this year? - Evan, Clemson University

Evan: Not sure if you saw last week down in the Caribbean, but Liriano threw 5 innings of zero run, 10 strikeout ball. Not sure if that translates to the same dominance in MLB, but it means that he seems to be on his way to returning to form. Invest if the opportunity is there in your league.

Question #2: I keep waiting for a monster year from B.J. Upton but he's either not healthy or it's not happening for some other reason. Am I wasting my time with him again this year? - Gary, Linden, NJ

Gary: Very few people love BJ Upton like Dr. Roto. The good Doctor has always been a fan and thinks that he hasn't scratched the surface of his unlimited potential. Last year, Upton was not healthy for the first month of the season, and then when he came back he put undo pressure on himself when the Rays put him at leadoff. If Upton bats lower in the order this year (a virtual certainty), watch him get comfortable this year. if that happens, the more power/speed you will see.

Question #3: What was your take on the Homer Bailey piece on this site? Is he a bust or should I try to buy on the cheap and stash for 2011. (Or do you think he can actually provide some value this year?) - Sneed, Ohio St. University

Although we seem to write about it every day, the biggest news in baseball at the moment isn't Johnny Damon and where he'll end up, its Tim Lincecum.

While teams like the Minnesota Twins are looking to lock up the face of their franchise, Joe Mauer, the San Francisco Giants aren't in any rush to do anything of the sort with "The Freak."

Three weeks ago we were talking about "Will Lincecum Break the Bank?" with his new arbitration contract. If you haven't heard by now, negotiations between Lincecum and the Giants aren't going well.

The Giants control Lincecum's rights for a three more years and can simply go to arbitration each year or they can try to sign him to a long term deal similar to what the Rays did with Evan Longoria. Apparently though, the Giants aren't convinced is worth the risk.

So what would make the Giants so hesitant to sign the reigning two time NL CY Young winner for the long term? Was it because Lincecum was nailed like Jesus on the cross for smoking marijuana? No, the truth is that they are concerned that little Timmy isn't durable enough to make that kind of commitment.

While Lincecum has never been hurt, it's his size and violent delivery that gives the Giants pause. What's ironic is that this is the very thing that enabled the Giants to get Lincecum in the first place as the Seattle Mariners (right in Lincecum's back yard) and 8 other teams passed on him in the 2006 MLB Draft because they were concerned that he would break down.

For those of you that were around when Pedro Martinez came up for good in 1993 with the LA Dodgers, the issue of size is what determined his fate as well. Lincecum is the exact height and weight that Pedro was then. The Dodgers weren't concerned about Pedro's violent delivery, but they were very concerned about his 5' 11" 160 lbs frame holding up. The Dodgers refused to let him start and made him a reliever. In '93 he Pedro threw 107 innings giving up only striking out 119 batters and pitched to a 2.61 ERA. The following year he was shipped to the Expos for Delino DeShields and the rest is history. To say that didn't work out to well for the Dodgers is an understatement.

Martinez went on to an 18 year career (maybe 19) and for seven years from 1997 through 2003 put up numbers that we haven't seen in MLB since Sandy Koufax. Those numbers were perhaps more impressive given the fact that 6 of the 7 years were put up while pitching in the AL East.

When will Matt Kemp get some respect?

If you were with us last year you probably remember the now infamous comment by reader Chuck Savnil of Ft. Lauderdale Florida regarding Matt Kemp and his fantasy frustrations with Joe Torre pinning Matt Kemp so far down in the batting order.

"Even though he's been stuck in the 6/7/8 position all year, now that interleague play has begun, Joe Torre's dream has finally come true. He batted Matt Kemp ninth today. Clearly Kemp viciously sodomized Torre's daughter, or Torre, or something."

So where will Matt Kemp bat this year?

When Torre was asked about his projected every day batting order, while he was somewhat non-committal and declared that he would make up his mind in spring training, he said that at this point he didn't see many changes from last year. I almost fell out of my chair.....

1. Furcal
2. Belliard
3. Ethier
4. Ramirez
5. Loney
6. Blake
7. Kemp
8. Martin
9. P

Despite Joe Torre burying him in the line-up, Matt Kemp was one of the most productive offensive players in all of baseball last year. His line of .297 / 26 HR's / 101 RBI / 34 SB / 97 RS / SLG .490 was a fantasy players dream.

This might be the biggest misuse of an impact player that we've seen in our lifetime. Can you think of another player that could hit for average, power and run like Kemp can that batted so consistently so far down in the order?

Tore said yesterday that he planned to rest Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez more during the season. I'm guessing that Kemp will be moved up on those days (but who knows.)

Belliard and Kemp need to be switched. I don't see how you can look at it any other way. If someone can provide some sound logic on why Kemp should be hitting so low, I would sure like to hear it.

With all this talk about Joe Mauer signing a long term deal with the Twins, it got me to thinking....

First of all, it will be a great day for baseball when the Minnesota Twins, a small market team, is able to re-sign a player of such status. I know he's from the Minnesota area but still, it's a great job by Mauer showing the loyalty to stay (I'm 100% certain that he could get more on the open market as a free agent) and a great job by the Twins of opening up their wallet to the extent that they can to keep him there.

Here is where I have a problem; Joe Mauer can no longer be the Twins catcher. It has nothing to do with his defense; his defense wearing the tools of ignorance is fine. You simply can't have a player on your roster that is so crucial to the offensive production of the team and will be such a large percentage of the team's payroll that by default, because of his defensive position, is at the greatest risk of injury of any position on the field and even when not injured, misses 25-30 games a year because of fatigue.

Compare Joe Mauer the 2009 AL MVP to Albert Pujols the 2009 NL MVP. Pujols played in 160 games and had 700 plate appearances last year. Joe Mauer only played in 85% of the games (138) accumulating 606 plate appearances. Both played full seasons yet Joe Mauer, contributed in 22 less games having 94 less plate appearances. The Twins played 24 games (that's 15% of their games) where the best player on their team had no effect on the outcome!

At the pace Mauer produced last year, an extra 94 plate appearances would have provided Mauer and the Twins with 32 more hits, 13 more walks, 16 more runs scored, 5 more HR's, and 16 more RBI.

That's 32 runs produced! How many more wins would the Twins have had if they scored 32 more runs last year? 10? 12? Certainly there would have been no play-in game against the Tigers.

Joe Mauer will be 27 years old this April and in the prime of his career. He's already played five (plus) full seasons behind the plate. When a hitter is this dynamic he can't remain behind the plate, it just doesn't maximize the player's potential or the teams.

Think of what kind of career Mike Piazza would have ended up with if when he came to the Mets they moved him to first or third right then, right in his prime. He'd probably still be playing... literally! Sure when they tried to move him to first base towards the very end he wasn't any good at the position, but a few years of experience including spring training would have changed that; he would have been serviceable.

Is Homer Bailey still a top prospect?

Considering the hype that has surrounded Bailey since he was drafted in the first round back in 2004, to many he has been a major disappointment.

While Homer Bailey does have 37 career starts under his belt, it's important to remember that Homer is still quite young and will only turn 24 years old one month into the 2010 season.

The first thing that strikes me when I think of Bailey is that HE NEEDS TO CHANGE HIS NAME! How the heck can you get out on a MLB mound and pitch with the name of Homer? You are set for failure before you ever throw a pitch? My suggestion is that he changes his name to "Strikeout" or "DP" (short for double play). ‘DP Bailey'.... I like that.

To date, in his young career Bailey has fallen victim to the same problem that bites many young talented pitchers, walks. 97 Walks in 195 innings is just way to many freebies. The fact that for a power pitcher he's given up 217 hits in 195 innings is not really a reflection on the quality of his stuff; he does in fact have quality stuff.

The alarming number of hits per innings pitched is mostly a reflection of the fact that he's been either behind in the count or felt compelled to throw a strike because he's walked previous hitters. I don't care who you are, if a major league hitter knows for certain that you are going to throw a fast ball and knows you are looking to throw it for a strike, the majority of the time they are going to hit the ball hard somewhere. If it happens to end up in someone's glove it's just good luck for the pitcher and bad luck for the hitter.

Homer Bailey has struggled through his first few years of major league service, but the 23-year-old may have turned a corner late last season, as he finished with a 6-1 record and 1.70 ERA in his final nine starts.

Providing he is healthy Dusty Baker is going to run Homer Bailey out there for 30 or so starts this year. Bailey has been around long enough now to learn from his mistakes and definitely has the tools to be successful.