does defense out weigh offense? hall of fame!?

Question

wow. ozzie made the tough plays in the field. but does any one remember chris sabo 21 hr a season average and .262 batting average? of course but the hal doesn't. ozzie's career batting average is also .262 but with only a 2 hr per season average. so does ozzie's defense out weigh sabo's homers?

kent hrbek 27 hr .282 career per season average
omar vizquel 5 hr .275 career per seaon average
jim thome 41 hr .282 career per season average
fred mcgriff 32 hr .284 career per season average
albert belle 41 hr .295 career per season average
matt williams 33 hr .262 career per season average
jim edmonds 33 hr .288 cereer per season average

who do you think makes the hal of fame and who doesn't?

now of course they played different amount of years and played different positions and there's a lot more stats to consider case to case. so take that into consideration. you'll remember who played(s) stellar defense as well. who do you think will make the hall? any?

Answer 1

Well, I think Ozzie is very much the exception to the rule. His offensive numbers weren't much better than average (his .337 OBP isn't terrible), but his fielding was great to the point that he almost transcended the game. Sabo may have hit 20 homers a season, but check out the walk totals - he was a serious free swinger. Ozzie also played for 19 seasons, more than twice that of Sabo.

From the list you've given, I'd say that Thome is the only lock. He'll finish with well over 500 homers, and his career OPS is in the top 20 of all time. I'd rate Vizquel and Edmonds as possibilities, too. Vizquel has over 2,500 hits and might be the best-fielding shortstop not named Ozzie. Edmonds will finish with 400 homers, and his OBP and power numbers are solid.

Nobody else on that list has a chance.

Answer 2

Yes, and vice versa.