JAWS and the 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot: Torii Hunter and Jimmy Rollins

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing have a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the instrument above; an introduction to JAWS might be discovered here. For a tentative schedule and an opportunity to fill out a Corridor of Fame poll for our crowdsourcing venture, see here. All WAR figures confer with the Baseball-Reference model except in any other case indicated.

Earlier than Joe Mauer started starring for the Twins, there was Torii Hunter, and earlier than Chase Utley started starring for the Phillies, there was Jimmy Rollins. Hunter, a rangy, acrobatic heart fielder who finally received 9 Gold Gloves and made 5 All-Star groups, debuted with Minnesota in 1997 and emerged as a star in 2001, the identical yr the Twins selected Mauer with the primary choose of the draft. The pair would play collectively from 2004 to ’07, making the playoffs twice earlier than Hunter departed by way of free company. Rollins, a compact shortstop who carried himself with a swagger, debuted in 2001 and made two All-Star groups by the point he and Utley started an 11-year run (2004–14) because the Phillies’ common double play mixture. The pair helped Philadelphia to 5 NL East titles, two pennants, and a championship, with Rollins successful NL MVP honors in 2007 and taking house 4 Gold Gloves.

Hunter and Rollins each loved prolonged and spectacular careers, racking up over 2,400 hits apiece with substantial house run and stolen base totals. From a Corridor of Fame perspective, each have credentials that enchantment extra to traditionally-minded voters than to statheads. However of their time on the poll, they’ve gotten little traction, with Hunter topping out at 9.5% in his 2021 debut and Rollins solely breaking into double digits in ’23. Not a lot has modified relating to their electoral outlooks this time round; each are more likely to be far outdistanced by their former teammates, whose superior statistics are a lot stronger regardless of comparatively quick careers. Nonetheless, these two could persist on the poll, with sufficient help for us to maintain reliving their careers and discussing their deserves on an annual foundation. There are far worse fates for Corridor of Fame candidates.

Torii Hunter (6.9% in 2023)

From the 2023 profile intro:

Torii Hunter might go get it. Fluid and swish whereas patrolling heart discipline, he was famend for his leaping, acrobatic catches and his willingness to sacrifice his physique. He made a powerful sufficient impression upon those that watched him that he received 9 Gold Gloves throughout his 19-year profession, greater than all however three heart fielders, particularly Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Andruw Jones. Hunter earned the nickname “Spider-Man” for his skill to climb outfield partitions to steal house runs — one thing he did extra than simply about anyone else throughout his profession — although one try to take action at Fenway Park left him with a damaged ankle, and one other a concussion.

“I’ll do something to get that little white ball. I’ll put my life on the road,” Hunter told Sports activities Illustrated’s Albert Chen in 2005, sounding very very similar to the soccer participant he was throughout his highschool days in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Hunter rose from troublesome circumstances in Pine Bluff, together with a father who was hooked on crack cocaine and mates who fell into the dead-end life of medicine, weapons, and gangs. His athleticism helped him escape, although when he entered skilled baseball as a first-round choose of the Twins in 1993, his expertise was extra uncooked than most.

The event of Hunter’s bat lagged behind his glove early in his profession, however finally, he improved to grew to become an above-average hitter with a number of dimensions to his recreation. From 2001-13, he averaged 23 homers and 13 steals per yr whereas hitting for a 115 OPS+, delighting followers together with his penchant for the spectacular play, and gaining a repute inside the recreation for being a vocal clubhouse chief. In that span, he made 5 All-Star groups and helped the Twins, Angels, and Tigers to the playoffs eight instances, although he by no means received additional than the American League Championship Sequence with any of them.

Extra here.

Jimmy Rollins (12.9% in 2023)

From the 2023 profile intro:

Few gamers have ever been extra central to the Phillies than Jimmy Rollins. The truth is, aside from Mike Schmidt, no participant spent extra time in a Phillies’ uniform than Rollins, and even counting the Corridor of Fame third baseman, none collected extra hits or stole extra bases. The pint-sized shortstop — 5-foot-7, 175 kilos in response to Baseball Reference — spent 15 of his 17 main league seasons with Philadelphia, the place he was on the heart of the workforce’s return to competition following a slide into irrelevance on the outset of the Wild Card period.

Rollins was the beginning shortstop on the Phillies’ 5 straight NL East champions from 2007-11, together with their ’08 World Sequence successful squad — simply the second in franchise historical past — and ’09 pennant winner. A slick fielder who supplied velocity and pop from each side of the plate atop the lineup, he garnered the nickname “J-Roll” from legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. J-Roll projected a confidence that bordered on cockiness, and carried himself with a swagger. “We’re the workforce to beat,” he said on the outset of the 2007 season, all however thumbing his nostril on the reigning NL East champion Mets, who had outdistanced the Phillies by 12 video games.

After dropping their first three video games and 10 of their first 13 to start out the 2007 season — together with two out of three at Shea Stadium, the place he was booed lustily by New York followers — the Phillies didn’t spend a day in first place till September 27, once they tied the Mets with three video games remaining. Whereas they took two out of three from the Nationals, the Mets dropped two of three from the Marlins. Not solely was Philadelphia again within the playoffs after a 14-year absence, setting off a run throughout which the workforce grew to become simply the fifth to win 5 straight division titles, however Rollins took house NL MVP (Most Worthwhile Prognosticator) honors. A yr later, he added a World Sequence ring to a set that additionally grew to incorporate 4 Gold Gloves.

Extra here.