A Rare Day, To Say The Least

So Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are officially members of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. An estimated 70,000 fans made the trip to Cooperstown today- the most ever for an induction ceremony. Both of their careers speak for themselves, so I'm not going to waste any time re-telling you statistics you already know. But what I find most interesting about this day and this induction class, dubbed by some as the "class act" class, is that both men spent their entire careers with one organization- something we will likely never see again at an induction ceremony where at least two players get in. And here's your proof.

First, let's talk about guys who are already eligible for the Hall, but didn't get in this year. They are: Rich Gossage, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Mark McGwire, Tommy John, Dave Conception, Alan Trammell, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and Harold Baines. Of that group, only Rice, Conception, Trammell, and Mattingly played for one team. And given that Rice is the only player who got more than 14% of the vote this year (75% is needed for induction) the other guys are major long-shots.

Tim Raines is really the only player eligible for the first time in 2008 who warrants mentioning and he played for 6 teams.

The '09 class features guys like David Cone, Rickey Henderson, and Mo Vaughn, all of whom played for multiple teams.

2010 has Roberto Alomar, Andreas Gallaraga, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, and Fred McGriff. Larkin and Martinez are the only two who wouldn't have to decide which hat to wear in their Hall plaque, and Larkin should get in. He was a 12-time All-Star, won 3 Gold Gloves, 9 Silver Sluggers, a World Series, an MVP, had 2,340 hits, 379 stolen bases, and hit .295. But Martinez has an uphill battle because he didn't play the field. There's no way he gets in on the first ballot.

The next year, 2011, has notables Jeff Bagwell, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Larry Walker. Bagwell is the only "one-teamer" on this list, and could have a tough time getting in just because his resume (Rookie of the Year, 1 MVP, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1 Gold Glove, 4 All-Star selections, 449 homeruns, 2314 hits, 202 steals, .297 batting average, .408 on-base percentage) may be classified as "great, but not exceptional" for a player in the 90's and 00's, where contraction, smaller parks, and the s-word inflated everybody's numbers. I think he'll get in eventually, but I don't see him getting 75% on his first try.

That brings us to active players. Craig Biggio immediately comes to mind as a first-ballot HOF'er who played for one team. John Smoltz may be a "one-team, first-ballot" guy. And if any two relievers from the current era deserve to get in, it's Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, both of whom are one-teamers as well (although Mo's a free agent at the end of the year).

After those guys, one-team-players nearing the end of Hall-worthy careers are few and far between. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, and Randy Johnson have all played for at least two teams and they are, without a doubt, some of the best players of the 90's and early 00's (and in some cases, even the 80's). Fringe guys like Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield, Jim Thome, Carlos Delgado, Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling are also out. So are Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, and David Ortiz, even though they're nowhere near retirement.

Other guys who have a lot of career left, but are on the path to being one-team Hall-of-Famers include Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, and Derek Jeter, with guys like Johan Santana, Roy Oswalt, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, and Chipper Jones as outside possibilities. But because they have so much career left, it's hard to say how many of them will actually stay with their current teams, or continue on a Hall of Fame pace.

Long story short, Gwynn and Ripken are the last of a dying breed in many ways, and it's a real shame for the game of baseball.