The statistics say Gwynn is an average Hall of Famer more average, in fact, that any other hitter in Cooperstown.
That's because Gwynn's career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) was 68.8 and the average hitter in the Hall is 69.
He's anything but average in the era he played. The Hall roster encompasses the entire century and a half of baseball.
No, Gwynn was an aberration in his own time, as pure as a hitter could be in baseball's most impure era.
Gwynn, who used to enrage some officials in the players' association for signing inferior contracts instead of testing the free-agent waters, never wanted to leave San Diego. It was home. Sure, he could have made mountains of money playing elsewhere, and might have earned a degree of fame commensurate with his stature as a hitter.
He didn't care.
Indeed a bummer and a half. The guy was just a monster at the plate; .300 or better for 18 consecutive seasons. Holy crap that is impressive.
RIP Captain Video
What defines a pure hitter? Making contact often? Or producing metrics that translate into runs and hence wins? I understand all the love coming his way because he was a great person, very friendly, and loyal to San Diego, but his real production at the plate is not in the same league as a lot of players of his era.
To me he is similar to Tim Duncan. Arguably one of the best (and classiest) to ever play his sport. But because he wasn't flashy or out-spoken, because he didn't give soundbites or kept his private life (*gasp*) private, he was never a poster child for the league because he wasn't marketable and the press had no way to sell him.
The strike out totals (or lack-thereof) are unbelievable.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/histrkop1.shtml
4.7% of the time. That's unheard of.
Because they were all on roids
There are a lot of players that a pitcher would rather not face if given the option between them and Tony Gwynn. The only time a pitcher might not want to face him, is if he is going for a strikeout record. But overall, his offensive production (how else should you measure a hitter?) is in the top 30-50 of his era.
Wow. Baseball has been transformed into the very game people like you wanted. So I hope you have fond memories of the Sosa-McGwire duel (the HR for its own sake, by any means necessary) and are happily enjoying the latest incarnations of the game itself.
Now that Tony's dead, I have even less interest in this once-loved and cherished traditional game.
What are you talking about? I'm not saying anything about roided up players, but there are plenty of players without question marks that performed better offensively in the same era. Just look at the list in the 80s and 90s, and you'll see plenty of players not on roids that were better offensive performers than him.
Sucks - can eveyoine please stop dying.
Gwynn's most career plate appearances (107, regular season and postseason combined) came against soon-to-be Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Gwynn hit .415 and did not strike out. Not once.
Please define offense for me, because .338 lifetime hitter in nothing to balk at, and is pretty much unheard of in the modern age.
If you're strictly talking about HR's then there is far more to baseball than putting one out of the park. If you're talking about RBI's, then that is pretty foolish as you have to look at his supporting cast for that. If there's nobody on base, there's nobody for him to hit in.
Single = .29 runs
Double = ..41 runs
Triple = .70 runs
Home Run = 1.44 runs
Walk, Hit-By-Pitch (HBP) & Reached-on-an-error = .165 runs
Extra Base taken as a runner = .075 runs
Stolen Base, Wild Pitch & Balk = .100 runs
Caught Stealing & Picked-off* = -.165 runs
Ground into Double Play** = -.165 runs
I don't think anyone's discounting those facts. Yet Tony could have chose to be a power hitter, just like he chose against signing with another club for more money.
In fact, Ted Williams chided Gwynn as a "big man" for his underutilized ability to hit for way more power. In fact, when Ted named his top twenty hitters list, Tony was the only currently active player invited.
Yet Tony was more satisfied being the ultimate role/team player and the average HOF WAR accompanying it.
What some are trying to explain is how Gwynn was one of the purest hitters in the game. I personally think he's is one of the few players who transcend WAR as a measurement, by choice.
Just listen to what Ted Williams had to say about/to Tony reaching .400.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3hLiyNSISQ