Sandy Alderson Hall of Fame case?

[Cowtipper]

This might be worth separating from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot thread, as I think it is worthy of its own discussion. Alderson is on the ballot, and a few of our members voted for him for election in the poll on the other thread (see here). So, let's discuss his Hall of Fame argument. What qualifications does he have? Why should he be in? Why shouldn't he? What are his strengths, what are his weaknesses? 

I, personally, don't support him, but am historically a big Hall sort of person, so I could be swayed. But, right now at first blush, to me he would belong in the "Hall of Very Good" for executives.

In doing some more research, I don't think his induction would hurt the Hall, but it's one of those cases where there's plenty of deserving guys ahead of him, so perhaps he should wait. 

[smg58]

He doesn't have a World Championship on his resumé, which has to hurt his chances.  But he was the best Mets GM since Minaya's first two seasons, by a very wide margin, so I'm rooting for him.

Realistically, I think the "Hall of Very Good" description is apt.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I voted for Sandy just because I like him. I don't pay much attention to the Hall of Fame anymore. I think it's bloated and the honor has been diluted.

[Gwreck]

15 minutes ago, smg58 said:

He doesn't have a World Championship on his resumé, which has to hurt his chances.  But he was the best Mets GM since Minaya's first two seasons, by a very wide margin, so I'm rooting for him.

Realistically, I think the "Hall of Very Good" description is apt.

He has the 1989 championship with Oakland (the second of three consecutive pennants for that team).  But I agree he doesn’t quite seem like a hall of fame executive.

[Gwreck]

9 minutes ago, Benjamin Grimm said:

I voted for Sandy just because I like him. I don't pay much attention to the Hall of Fame anymore. I think it's bloated and the honor has been diluted.

Obviously I know you don’t have a vote that counts officially (nor do I) but I did want to observe that voting for a guy “just because I like him” is precisely how the Hall of Fame got bloated in the first place.

I also believe the excesses and bloat are mostly things that happened decades ago when the “Veterans Committee” was far too liberal about who they let in.  The selections have been much more discerning over the past 15-20 years.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I agree. If I had an actual vote I'd be more discerning. I think the Hall should be elite and yes, the Veterans Committee is a big reason for the dilution.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

He was a baseball outsider whose openness to new ideas allowed for guys like Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta to challenge conventional team building strategies; which became important at a time when disparity between rich and poor teams was widening.

He was a also a doer who straightened out a scandal over Dominican players and agents.

Took over a Mets team decimated by financial scandal and took it to the World Series . Not just take over -- he was basically installed by MLB as one of the only capable of saving the franchise after the Wilpons fucked it up so bad. Nobody ever appreciated that.

[Edgy MD]

He'd have made a fascinating commissioner — and yeah, he certainly did have a championship as part of his long résumé.

One thing against him is that more than a few of his star players in Oakland were juiced to the teeth and it was right out there in the open for all to see.  It was largely the nature of the sea he swam in, but it wasn't nothing.

[ashie62]

I'd like to see Sandy go in with Charlie O Finley, oh wait ...

[whippoorwill]

No.