Baseball HOF must stop slighting Cleveland Indians slugger Rocky Colavito

If there was any thing to learn from the Baseball HOF inducting its newest members, it’s that Cleveland Indians slugger Rocky Colavito continues to be slighted by the Baseball HOF.

First, the baseball writers overlooked The Rock, and now, the Golden Era committee has wronged the slugger–failing to even nominate him to the ballot. Can’t even get nominated. It’s egregious.

And, as more and more players get in that you can make cases for and against induction, one thing has become crystal clear: –It’s long past due to put Colavito into Cooperstown’s Hallowed Halls.

The spotlight shone on Colavito’s slight was illuminated with the induction of Dodgers great Gil Hodges, who was voted in by the 16-member Golden Era Committee, which evaluates players who played from 1950-1969. It’s made up former players, baseball executives and veteran media members.

I’m not looking to argue why Hodges shouldn’t be in, rather, let this be a reminder as to why Colavito should be.

Baseball HOF numbers stack up

Here’s how Colavito stacked up against the Dodgers first baseman. Note that there were some years when there were two All-Star games, particularly from the late 1950s to the early 1960s.

Hodges (1943, 1947-1963): .273/.359/.487, 370 HR, 1,274 RBI, 43.9 WAR, 129 OPS+ (8-time All-Star)

And Colavito–the numbers are very, very close.

Colavito: .266/.359/.489, 374 HR, 1,179 RBIs, 44.8 WAR, 132 OPS+ (9x All-Star)

Then, there’s one I still don’t understand from a few years back:

Harold Baines: .289/.356/.465, 384 HR, 1,638 RBIs, 38.7 WAR, 121 OPS+

Hodges had the benefit of playing for one of the most iconic teams in baseball, while also being a part of the group that brought a second team back to New York City when he joined the Mets in 1962.

When Colavito was eligible for the BBWAA vote, he garnered just 0.5 percent of support in 1974, while just 0.3 in 1975. That was his last year on the ballot.

Again, this isn’t meant to slight Hodges, who was a great player in his own right. Rather, the lesson here is that there is a spot in Cooperstown for Colavito, a great who may have been overlooked by playing for some bad, bad midwestern Indians and Tigers teams.

Colavito got some long overdue recognition last summer, when a statue of the slugger was unveiled in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood.

The Golden Era committee won’t look at new candidates until 2023 for the 2024 class.