Fred McGriff, Edgar Martinez, and Roberto Alomar snubbed.
The question of whether or not Andre Dawson would make the Hall of Fame for baseball has now been answered: he's in. After almost a decade of failing to get in, Dawson has finally made Cooperstown and his fans are no doubt delighted.
Dawson was a stellar offensive player who enjoyed his best years with the Montreal Expos although the team never experienced any success - with or without him.
At the plate Dawson was exceptional during his prime and was even producing well above average offense until his late 30s.
Dawson's career offensive numbers are marred abit by a couple of lackluster seasons in his late 20s and by the fact that he played until his was 41. His offensive production sharply declined in the 1993 season and it stayed low for 3 years after that season until he retired, a dropoff which had a negative effect on his career averages.
Those two factors, the two average mid-career seasons at the plate and his longevity, may have contributed to how long it took for Dawson to get into the Hall.
Dawson was also a playoff non-factor in his limited post-season experience and some people over-emphasize playoff production. In 63 post-season plate appearances, Dawson never hit a homerun and he only had 2 extra base hits while producing a career post-season OPS of .475 (Mark Lemke did better than that).
But what should have made Dawson a cinch for the Hall of Fame a while ago is the fact that he won 8 Gold Gloves as an outfielder and he played a position that was very important defensively: centerfield.
Dawson wasn't a defensive liability like Edgar Martinez, who got snubbed this year despite superior offensive production. Dawson didn't have to get stuck at first base like Fred McGriff did, a player who also missed the Hall this year despite trumping Dawson in terms of offensive prowess.
Dawson, a career National Leaguer except for meaningless time in Boston, wasn't one of those chubby sluggers that has to play in the American League because of the DH position. He was well-rounded, athletic, and excelled both offensively and defensively.
Despite all that you make Andre Dawson wait for yet another ballot before you make Roberto Alomar wait for a second.
Alomar and Dawson were different players at the plate: Dawson had more power than Alomar but Alomar hit for a higher average.
But pros and cons at the plate factored in, they were both pretty similar in terms of production.
What makes Alomar a marginally better pick for the Hall over Dawson is the fact that he, Alomar, had 10 Gold Gloves and he played a much more difficult and more important defensive position at second base.
The BBWAA really dropped the ball this year, something neither Alomar nor Dawson did much of during their careers.
Go to Players Only to bet on Major League Baseball futures.
