Check out the numbers. They are amazing for a shortstop. Any reason that his name is not even mentioned?
2007-04-12 14:43:22 · 6 answers · asked by ddlentz2000 1 in Sports ➔ Baseball
It's a good question.
Vern Stephens was one of the great offensive shortstops of his time. He was elected to eight All-Star teams, finished top-ten in the MVP ballot six times, and is one of the few shortstops to lead his league in homers (once) and RBI's (three times). He has an incredible K/BB rate and an amaxing OBP to balance his slugging. All things considered, he's a very strong candidate.
I think there are a few reasons why he hasn't gotten the respect he deserves:
1 - He had a lot of great shortstops as contemporaries: Lou Boudreau, Phil Rizzuto, and Pee Wee Reese all made the HOF.
2 - He had a lot of great teammates: Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio.
3 - He didn't fit the mold of a shortstop - most shortstops were speedy slap-hitters who fielder their positions well. Stephens was a mediocre fielder who hit like A-Rod.
4 - His career was basically over at the age of 30, so his career numbers don't seem as impressive as they are.
That said, Vern Stephens deserves some serious consideration for the HOF.
2007-04-12 14:57:37 · answer #1 · answered by David F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Career longevity is probably his biggest problem. His early years were slightly tainted by the fact that World War II was on and the competition wasn't so good. He had an incredible year in 1949 at the age of 28 -- 39 HR, 159 RBIs, .290 BA -- but he never played more than 110 games in a season after he turned 30. He only had 1859 career hits, which is a little low.
So, Stephens looks like one of those guys that has a high value at his peak, but his peak wasn't overly long. If he could have stayed at the top of his game for a few more years, he probably would be a much better candidate. The guy who comes to mind like that, despite much different skills, is Roger Maris, who obviously was brilliant in 1960 and 1961 but didn't come close to that level before or after.
2007-04-12 22:27:54 · answer #2 · answered by wdx2bb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm with you. I suggest you contact the Committee on Baseball Veterans c/o the Baseball Hall of Fame and pose the same question to them.
Old-Timers are voted on by a "Blue Ribbon" panel of ex-players, not the Sportswriters as is in the case of recently retired players.
2007-04-12 23:04:32 · answer #3 · answered by robtkoch 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vern Stephens was a fine player but not an all-time great. Hasn't the Hall of Fame been watered down enough with good-but-not-great players? The writers and veterans commitee players of his era didn't consider him worthy. Let's go with their judgment.
2007-04-12 22:27:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unless you and I are talking about different Vern Stephens's, the numbers aren't there. And yes, I'm talking about his numbers as compared to other players of the same period.
2007-04-13 01:15:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great question... i have no answer............
2007-04-12 22:44:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋