The back: This is an error card: Baines hit the two home runs in an away game at Oklahoma City.
The player: Harold Baines was a model of consistency. Between 1980 and 2000 he hit between 9 and 29 home runs each year, and despite never hitting better than .313 in a season, his average dipped below .270 only three times in that span. Overall in 22 seasons he hit .289 with 1,299 runs scored, 2,866 hits, 384 HR and 1,628 RBI. His Hall of Fame election shocked many, as he was always good but rarely one of the best in the majors. He never had a season with 100 runs scored, 200 hits or 30 home runs. He has become the poster boy of the dilution in caliber of Hall of Famers in recent years, as it seems that each year there is one guy whose cards would be considered "commons" is suddenly a Hall of Famer.
The man: Baines was considered a model sportsman on and off the field, which surely helped his Hall of Fame candidacy. Though he played for five teams he was most closely associated with the White Sox, and he was a coach for the team that finally won the World Series in 2005. He is now retired, and since a heart and kidney transplant in 2021 he has been active in spreading awareness about organ donation.
My collection: I have 176 of his cards, from 1981 to 2001. I would be interested in trading for 1986 Drake's #24.
I wasn't aware about the heart and kidney transplants. It's sad that he gets so much hate because he got elected to the Hall. Whether one thinks he was worthy or not, we should just appreciate the positive contributions he made in the game. He was a class act.
ReplyDeleteHe was a good player, but he clearly got in due to his totals not his per season averages.
ReplyDeleteI never would have considered him for the hall, but he did tend to have good games against the Twins.
ReplyDeleteHis numbers remind me of a number of the guys that got in during the HOF's first couple of decades.
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