Baseball Hall Of Fame Members

With warmer weather making its way across the county, one can't help but think of “the boys of summer” and it's only human nature to compare those currently active to those Baseball Hall of Fame members that came before them.

1. When talking of Baseball Hall of Fame members, the first ones that garner mention are sluggers. Most notably Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth are the first names to come up. Ruth hit the last three of his 714 career home runs on May 25, 1935, and his record stood until 1974 when he was overtaken by Aaron. Aaron has the most home runs of any of the Baseball Hall of Fame members.

2. But Babe Ruth was a great pitcher as well, and when it comes to pitchers, even among Baseball Hall of Fame members, Cy Young is in class all his own. His record of 511 games won put him at least 100 games ahead of the nearest competitor. But beyond his win totals are his seasonal accomplishments. Five times he had seasons of 30 wins, and twenty wins in fifteen times. These are records that even other Baseball Hall of Fame members can't touch.

3. Shortstop Ozzie Smith ruled his position while active, and does so even among Baseball Hall of Fame members. With thirteen Gold Glove awards in his trophy case, along with 580 stolen bases and #20 on the all time hit list, Smith defined the position of shortstop.

4. Catchers, like all time great sluggers, are hard to nail down, even among Baseball Hall of Fame members. Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra have to be considered the top two in the Hall, with Bench claiming the Golden Glove award ten times and league MVP twice. His being named All-Star fourteen times out of a seventeen-year career isn't bad either. Berra was famous for his quotes, such as “it's deja vu all over again,” but his streak of being an All Star from 1948 to 1962 is a feat that may never be equaled.

5. Center field has a lot of ground to cover to be an All Star, and Willie Mays was an All Star with a bullet. Playing in a record 24 All Star games, his on the run catch of a deep fly off Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series is still the stuff of legend, even among the Baseball Hall of Fame members.

All of these men would make for All Star of All Star teams, and would stand out even among their fellow All Stars at the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's not to take away from any other HOF member, but these are the best among the best.