Cooperstown Chronicles – Gil Hodges
Photo courtesy of TSN Archives/Icon SMI
Gil Hodges had more Home Runs and RBI in the 1950s than anyone not named Duke Snider. His power numbers are low in comparison to the steroid era sluggers that leapfrogged many of the greats from the past. However, his 370 home runs was once good enough for a spot in the top ten. He was also the National League leader by a righthander. His numbers would have been eve greater, but he fought in World War II just after making his pro debut. Odds are he would have reached 400 Home Runs, which likely would have cemented a spot in Cooperstown. Regardless, I think he deserves a spot.
The Numbers
2071 Games
7030 At Bats
.273 At Bats
1105 Runs
1921 Hits
295 Doubles
48 Triples
370 Home Runs (62nd All-time)
1274 RBI
World Series Numbers
7 Series, 39 Games
131 At Bats
.267 Batting Average
15 Runs
35 Hits
2 Doubles
1 Triple
5 Home Runs
21 RBI
17 Walks
The Awards
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
8 All-Star Games
3 Gold Gloves
MVP votes in 9 seasons
Top Ten Finishes
Batting Average – Once
On-Base % – Three times
Slugging % – Six Times
OPS – Six Times
Games – Seven Times
At Bats – Once
Runs – Four times
Hits – Once
Doubles – Once
Triples – Once
Home Runs – Ten Times
RBI – Seven Times
Total Bases – Once
Walks – Five Times
Stolen Bases – Once
Managerial Record
660-753 (.467)
1 World Series Win (Miracle Mets)
Not only did he put up solid numbers, but he was a winner. He played in seven World Series, losing five times to the Yankees, while winning two (’55 vs. Yankees and ’59 vs. White Sox). He also won a World Series title as the Mets manager of the miraculous ’69 Mets squad. He was also a solid defensive player winning the first three Gold Gloves for First Basemen. I see no reason why he’s not in the Hall of Fame.
References
Baseball-Reference
Wikipedia
Past Chronicles
Bert Byleven
Andre Dawson
Dale Murphy
Mark McGwire
Bobby Matthews
Tommy John
Buck O’Neill & Minnie Minoso
Jim Rice
Ted Simmons
Lee Smith
Jack Morris
Al Oliver
Steve Garvey
Jim Kaat
Pete Ro$e
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Dave Concepcion
Lou Whitaker
Alan Trammell
Ron Santo
Ron Guidry
Larry Novak
March 1st, 2008 at 7:25 pm #
I agree he should be in as a player. It is a shame he passed away so young as he could have built a Hall Of Fame Managing resume.
I have a Autographed picture of Gil Hodges hanging on my Sports Wall that my brother Barry got from Gil when Hodges opened a Bowling Alley in Brooklyn around 1955.
Useless info. My Sports Wall has pictures of mostly Yankees, Mantle, Maris, Berra. Also A Munson picture, One with Mantle posing with Hank aaron, Roberto Clemente, Cal Ripkin from 2131 game, Derek Jeter coming out of the stands that night in July of 2004, and finally a picture of Ted Williams with Tony Conigliaro, ( I was a big Tony C fan as a kid, before I knew i was supposed to hate the Red Sox) Ha Ha
Cooperstown Chronicles - Stan Coveleski :: Elites TV
May 13th, 2009 at 12:57 pm #
[...] Chick Hafey* Jesse Haines* Billy Herman* Keith Hernandez Orel Hershiser Whitey Herzog (Manager) Gil Hodges Ralph Houk (Manager) Shoeless Joe Jackson Travis Jackson* Tommy John Bob Johnson Addie Joss* Jim [...]
Cooperstown Chronicles - Waite Hoyt | Fantasy Sports Blog
May 20th, 2009 at 2:02 pm #
[...] Chick Hafey* Jesse Haines* Billy Herman* Keith Hernandez Orel Hershiser Whitey Herzog (Manager) Gil Hodges Ralph Houk (Manager) Shoeless Joe Jackson Travis Jackson* Tommy John Bob Johnson Addie Joss* Jim [...]