With the Baseball Writers Association of America announcing its 2017 Hall of Fame class Wednesday, let’s take a look at some current Baltimore Orioles that could be making their way to Cooperstown in the distant future.
Manny Machado likely comes to mind right away. However there are plenty of other Orioles that could be up for debate in the coming years.
Manny Machado
The case for: Machado’s production in his first five years has been out of this world. He has been named an all star in each of the three seasons that he played at least 100 games, and he has finished in the top five of the American League Most Valuable Player voting each of the last two seasons. His current 162-game averages of a .284 batting average, 28 home runs and 84 runs batted in will likely only increase as he enters his prime.
The case against: Machado certainly has time to improve upon those career numbers. But at 24 years-old, there’s plenty of time for him to regress. While Orioles fans wouldn’t like to entertain that idea, it is a small possibility. Right now the sample size is just too small to even attempt debating Machado’s future.
Zach Britton
The case for: Britton has been one of the best closers in baseball over the past three seasons. He has recorded 120 saves in the last three seasons combined, and he set records with his performance last season. At 29, there is plenty of time for Britton to build upon those numbers as well.
The case against: Much like Machado, there isn’t much of a sample size for Britton’s case. He has only been a reliever for the past three seasons, so it wouldn’t be fair to make a call at this point. But also like Machado, if Britton keeps up this pace he will likely be getting a call from Cooperstown sometime in the next two decades.
Adam Jones
The case for: While unlikely, a decent case could be made for Jones’ hall hopes. According to baseballreference.com, his numbers through age 30 compare favorably to current hall of famers Andre Dawson and Dave Winfield. While Jones has one extra season under his belt, his career .277 average, 225 home runs and 742 RBI’s are strikingly similar to Dawson’s .279 average, 205 home runs and 760 RBI’s.
The case against: Following age 30, Dawson went on to hit another 233 home runs, including 49 in his 1987 MVP season with the Chicago Cubs. Jones has hit over 30 homers just twice, and has driven in 100-plus runs just once in his career. Barring some unforeseen stroke of power in the next five-to-seven years, it’s unlikely that Jones will fit the Hall’s criteria.
Chris Davis
The case for: Much like Jones, there is little likelihood that Davis will be a hall of famer. The slugger has, however, averaged 39 home runs per season since 2012. His 241 career homers are encouraging at age 30, giving him a outside shot at hitting the 500 mark if he can play another seven-plus years.
The case against: Even if Davis does hit the 500 mark, that number simply doesn’t hold as much weight as it used to. Being that hitting home runs is the thing Davis does best, that puts a big damper on his Hall of Fame hopes.
Troy Mauriello is a Staff Writer at Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @TroyMauriello and contact him by email at troy.mauriello@yahoo.com.
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