Alan Trammell
2365 hits
185 HR
1003 RBI
285/352/415
4 gold gloves, 6 All-Star games, 1987 AL MVP runner-up

He’s got better numbers than Phil Rizzuto, but Rizzuto shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. According to similarity scores, none of his closest comps are in the Hall. Subtract defense, add some offense to concepcion and you have Trammell. He was the heart of the 1984 team, and part of perhaps the greatest longtime double play combination ever. Still, Trammell is hurt by the Ripken generation of shortstops, who will put up power numbers never before imagined by middle infielders. And his defense wasn’t so good you feel the need to enshrine him for that. No support here.

Gary Carter
2092 hits
324 HR
1225 RBI
262/335/439
3 Gold Gloves, 11 All-Star games, 1980 NL MVP runner-up

It’s criminal that Carter isn’t in Cooperstown already. He couldn’t hit like Johnny Bench, but if we use that as a standard, we’re never going to put another catcher in. According to more sophisticated fielding measures, Carter might be the greatest defensive catcher in baseball history. And he could still hit like a position player. Carter has more career homers than George Brett. If you only could vote for one candidate this year, he’d be the one. This should be the year he finally gets in. YES