Jim Rice Falls Short of Hall of Fame

According to Ian Browne's article on MLB.com Jim Rice fell just 16 votes short of being elected into the Hall of Fame and next year will be his last chance. Jim Rice had an outstanding career with the Boston Red Sox and deserves to be in Baseball's Hall of Fame. Unfortunately for Jim Rice, he fell short in the milestone numbers. Jim Rice does not have 3000 hits and he doesn't have over 500 home runs. However, Jim Rice had a solid career and should be in the Hall of Fame.

Jim Rice played his entire 16 year career with the Boston Red Sox, during that time Jim Rice was named to the All-Star team 8 times. In 1978 Jim Rice was named the American League MVP. The outfielder led the American League in Home Runs three times, 1977, 1978 and 1983. The slugger led the American League with RBI's twice 1978 and 1983. Jim Rice finished his career with a .298 batting average, 2,452 hits, and 382 home runs. Jim Rice is one of 31 players to hit over 350 homers and a batting average over .290. Rice is the only player to have three straight seasons of 35 or more home runs and 200 or more hits.

Jim Rice compares favorably to some Hall of Fame Outfielders. Dave Winfield had 465 home runs but played 6 more years. Winfield had a .283 career batting average, Jim's was .298. Jim's numbers compare well with Kirby Puckett who played 12 years. Puckett hit .318 to Jim's .298 average. However, Rice had better power numbers. Andre Dawson who was just behind Jim Rice in the balloting played for 21 seasons and has a .279 average which is lower than Jim Rice's batting average. Andre Dawson hit 438 home runs and Rice 382 but Dawson played 5 more years. Rice's stats compare well to his peers.

Next year is Jim Rice's last year on the ballot. He was very close this year and should get in next year. Jim Rice was a dominate player with three home run titles and an MVP award. Rice could hit for power but also hit for average with a .298 career batting title. In the late 70's and 1980's Jim Rice was an 8 time All-Star and a feared batter in Boston's lineup. Jim Rice may have fallen short of the milestone numbers but it will be a shame if he falls short of the Hall of Fame.

Sources:
MLB.com
Baseball Almanac