Hall of Fame Cases for Joey Votto and Giancarlo Stanton?

Today turned out to have some unexpected baseball talk at work. Now, we talk sports alot so the topic of baseball is not unexpected. However, in the middle of a light schedule today, a couple of things happened over the last 24 hours that sparked some lively discussions. What happened? Longtime Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto announced his retirement and Giancarlo Stanton belted his 21st home run of the year. The topic? Does either player belong in the Hall of Fame?

Joey Votto

We like to think of first basemen as bruising power hitters that can hit the ball a mile. Not so with Votto. He hit “only” 356 home runs over 17 years, eclipsing 30 just three times. What Votto does posses is an obscene on base percentage. He finished with a career .409 mark, including seasons such as an absurd .474 mark in 2012 and .454 in 2017. All told, he led the National League in that category seven times. He has four seasons of over 1.000 OPS with a lifetime mark of .920. He owns an MVP. And if we need some genuinely good and funny people in the HOF, he checks that box. See the time he homered and made the day of a young cancer patient.

The Verdict: 100% yes

Giancarlo Stanton

The New York Yankees’ designated hitter is an elite power hitter. The issue with Stanton is health. He’s appeared in 120 games or more over the course of a season only four times in 15 years. For a fearsome power hitter, he has never walked 100 times in a season, hence the career on-base percentage of .346. There are some things that work in Stanton’s favor. He currently is the active leader in home runs with 423. He has an MVP to his name, winning the award in 2017 with the Miami Marlins. He has led the National League in slugging three times, twice exceeding .600. Big G has slugged at least 30 home runs in a campaign eight times. However, his OBP has not gotten above .300 since 2021 and for all of the home runs hit, he has gotten to 100 RBI’s only three times. I will say this for Stanton. He has one of the most beautiful, yet violent swings I’ve ever seen. Not many people change the channel during his at bats.

The Verdict: No for now, but if he gets to 500 home runs, then it’s a yes.