Who here besides me feels that Minnie Minoso should be elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans?

Committee? Minoso, now 85 years old is from Cuba and I believe he was the first hispanic to play in the major leagues. He played with 5 teams from 1949-1980. He is one of 2 players to play in 5 different decades, however, his return to the White Sox in 1976 and 1980 were publicity stunts. The lionshare of his career was from 1951-1964, and Minoso had: 1,963 hits, 1,136 runs, 336 DB's, 83 3B's, 186 HR's, 1,023 RBI's, .298 BA, OB% of .389, Slugging % of .459, all in 6,579 At Bats and 1,835 games played. The Vet Committee should elect him in, don't you agree? He mostly was an outfielder, and won 3 Gold Gloves, 7 all-star teams, and has his number 9 retired by the White Sox. Let Minnie in, you agree? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Minoso http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/minosmi01.shtml

Public Comments

1. Agree 100%. I keep thinking he's already in; I can't imagine why he's not. He also played in the minors in 2003, for the St. Paul Saints, as a publicity stunt. He walked. I met him once. Great guy.
2. I agree but I dont know the Vet Committe would given that he didnt reach even 2000 hits or 200 hr's
3. First let me say the I have the utmost respect for Minnie and I actually saw him play. He was good player, a fun player to watch, and an asset to the game of baseball with his positive attitude and love for the game. However, he just did not put up the kind of numbers that could separate himself from a very good player to a HOF caliber player. I would be surprised if he were ever voted in the HOF.
4. I'll just plagiarize my own material -- here's most of what I blogged about Minoso almost a year ago when he was on the February 2007 VC ballot. Playing career: 17 Major League seasons; Cleveland Indians (1949, '51, '58-59), Chicago White Sox (1951-57, '60-61, '64, and gimmick appearances in 1976 and 1980), St. Louis Cardinals (1962), Washington Senators (1963); plus three seasons with the New York Cubans of the Negro Leagues (1946-48). Standout season(s): 1954 (.320/.411/.525, 19 HR, 116 RBI, 18 triples (!), 119 runs, 155 adjOPS); 1956 (.316/.425/.525, 21 HR, 88 RBI, 11 triples, 149 adjOPS). Career stat highlight: .389 OBP, which is just below the Top 100 through 2006, and if we throw out all the 19th-century guys with impossibly high OBPs he'd rank pretty well (around 70th) indeed. Major honors and statistical crowns: seven All-Star selections; three Gold Gloves for outfield (1957, '59-60), Hits once, doubles once, triples three times, stolen bases three times, total bases once. Hit-by-pitch ten times, which had to hurt but got him on base. Only man to play in five calendar decades, though the last two were PR stunts. Jersey #9 retired by the White Sox. Also a two-time All-Star in the Negro Leagues, and a member of the 1947 champion team. Primary position: outfield. Minoso carries a complex candidacy. The "five decades" stunt (which I don't hold against him, but give no credit for) is what he's best known for, unfortunately. He was a very good hitter with flashes of greatness and also a very good fielder. And while he lost some time from the majors as the color barrier slowly fell, it wasn't a great deal and probably, alone, not enough to tip any Hall scales either way. Minoso has a hard time standing out because his contemporaries in the outfield include such names as Mays, Mantle, Aaron, Clemente, Robinson, Snider – tough crowd. He remains one of the most popular players in White Sox history. Faded quite quickly after 1961. Finished fourth in the AL MVP voting three times over eight years, so he sustained his peak very well. His three seasons in the Negro Leagues, although a small sample size, were pretty good (two seasons) to amazing (batted .392 in 1948). While I strongly am against Hall consideration including any sort of "what might have been" when discussing players who lost time to injuries, there is, I think, a difference between that sort of situation and the men who ran up against the color barrier. Those men were in a "were not allowed to be" scenario, in which case I have no problem whatsoever looking at the Negro League stats and imagining what might have been had they been in the National or American League. Minoso's actual age reportedly is five years greater than his official age; give him back three years with the Cubans and five more as well and, heck, Willie Mays might be looking upwards at Minoso in some respects. This doesn't make him a stronger candidate, but just think what he could have done... ah, baseball, you are a harsh mistress, we cannot help but think of you in so many ways. Minoso was darn good and, merely by dint of his skin, was denied at least three years, possibly as many as eight or nine, in which he could have shown his stuff, maybe even better than the best recorded. My vote: yes (because, sometimes, the stats don't tell it all). I wrote that then, and I'll stand by it now. I don't ever expect to see Minoso gain a plaque, but he would be a worthy (not overwhelming) candidate, and a better selection than past VC elections have produced.
5. Minoso should be in the hall of fame. He is not the first Hispanic to play in the major leagues. He was one of the first black Latinos to play in the majors after playing in the Negro leagues. Latinos have been playing in the major leagues since 1910
6. I agree. They let Monte Irvin in with pretty much the same qualifications: Major league All-Star with not enough seasons to qualify, but also Negro League star, who wasn't let into the majors in time to really have a "prime." Add that Minoso was also the first black Latino in the majors, and you've got pioneer status. There's no good reason not to let him in.
7. Absolutely not. Minnie Minoso = good player Hall of Fame = great players .