Spare Parts: Mark Buehrle enters third year on Hall of Fame ballot

Mark Buehrle of the White Sox after completing a perfect game
(Photo by Warren Wimmer/Icon Sportswire)

The Hall of Fame announced its 2023 ballot on Monday, and it’s indeed favorable for Mark Buehrle maintaining his spot on the 2024 ballot, at least presuming that voters will continue to maintain the same level of interest in his candidacy.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling all saw their eligibility lapse while Carlos Beltran is the only new face with a comparable case … and he has his own baggage as the only player who suffered consequences in the Houston Astros scandal.

With those three off the ballot — and Schilling the only one who could call himself a superior pitcher — Buehrle rises to the top of that particular position with only Andy Pettitte as a peer (again, there’s baggage there).

Buehrle’s support fell from 11 percent to 5.8 percent over his first two years on the ballot, so this is a big year for bolstering his standing. The 2024 ballot features a no-doubter (Adrian Beltre) and two other guys who should garner some support (Chase Utley, Joe Mauer), and then CC Sabathia arrives in 2025 to unseat Buehrle as the ballot’s best pitcher.

In the meantime, here are a few posts I’ve written about Buehrle’s candidacy in the past:

And that last post had a corresponding video.

Here’s a reminder to subscribe to the Sox Machine channel on YouTube.

Spare Parts

The White Sox set up a conference call between Salvador Perez and the White Sox beat writers as they continue to market Pedro Grifol as the right man for the job.

Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin are reviewing the unprotected players at the Rule 5 deadline for every team, and one name they liked jumped out as a surprise:

On the pitching side, we were surprised that Lane Ramsey, who was sitting 95 with a plus upper-80s slider by the end of the Fall League, was not added. Neither was Kade McClure, who amid a shift into a multi-inning relief role maintained good command over his four-pitch arsenal, including his above-average slider.

The Twins seem like they’re so close to an all-time great set of uniforms, but there’s always something off about them. Prior to the update, it was that weird gold streak that never fit in. This latest update doesn’t get them any closer. The “M” caps make them look like the Minnesota Marlins, and the block letter font for on the home jerseys is reminiscent of the Cubs’ City Connect uniforms.

Besides updates on Offseason Plan Project favorites Cody Bellinger and Brandon Nimmo, Ken Rosenthal also says the Tigers could challenge the White Sox as a team with multiple high-leverage relievers to offer in trades.

One reason I wouldn’t jump to conclusions about Grifol’s staff is because the Tigers are up to three hitting coaches. Perhaps the White Sox should just beat everybody to the punch and run it up to five.

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jorgefabregas

Every team should have 3 hitting coaches–one for lefties, one for righties, and one for switch hitters.

Or maybe one for power hitters and one for hitters who hit to all fields.

jorgefabregas

This was a joke by the way! You can tell it was a good one because no one laughed.

steelydan52

I didn’t laugh because I thought it was a good idea.

soxfan

If Mark Buehrle’s not a hall of famer, then it’s going to be pretty slim pickins for HOF pitchers in the next decade.

The only active guys with more career WAR are Verlander, Greinke, Kershaw, and Scherzer, and the recently retired guys like Petitte, Sabathia, and Lester don’t really distinguish themselves from Buehrle unless you consider post season heroics.

So unless 8 pitchers in the next decade are enough to round out a HOF class and fill Cooperstown hotels, the voters are going to need to reevaluate the historical standards of 300 wins/3000 strikeouts when evaluating modern pitchers’ candidacies.

Right Size Wrong Shape

Buehrle had postseason heroics.

Ben

Pettitte had more years that were arguably Cy Young caliber, but couldn’t string them together. I expected him to have a higher 7-year WAR than Buehrle, but he doesn’t.

calcetinesblancos

The Mark Buehrle thing isn’t very complicated. Are consistency, durability, and pitching deep into games valued in the hall, especially in an era where few if any could do what he did? Are they aware that if Mark had been yanked sooner in most of his starts, his stats in terms of runs surrendered would be better, if not way better? He absolutely belongs there.

shaggy65

Apparently I’m in the minority, but I honestly loved that good streak on the Twins uni’s. I thought they looked classy as hell.

To Err is Herrmann

Yes, I think the gold streak works. Uni Watch is a highly niche website specializing in granular analysis of sports uniforms throughout history. If you are looking for a new way to waste time enjoyably, check out their current feature “A Look Back at the CFL’s 1970s Throwback Jerseys of 2010.”

asinwreck

Uni Watch is great. If you want intense attention to detail laced with good humor as you consider decades-old uniform mysteries, or (and this is for Jim), curling ashtrays, this is the site for you.

Before he started Uni Watch, Paul Lukas produced the great Beer Frame, a zine dedicated to similar analysis of random consumer products. He’s preserved some of the articles online, and this evaluation of toasting bread gives a good sense of his approach to reviewing the oddities of mass consumption.

Last edited 1 year ago by asinwreck
calcetinesblancos

I definitely thought it was interesting, and unique. Their new ones are definitely run of the mill by comparison.

OldMMJ87

Honestly, it seemed like the new ones are trying to get rid of some old Marlins gear that New Era had lying around. I didn’t hate their old uniforms, but I feel like they’re a team that has never really had a classic look.

GrinnellSteve

Their home whites remind me of the Angels city connect unis. All in all, I don’t mind the new threads. The M hats are ugly, though.

Greg Nix

Only five?? Let’s turn the hitting coaches up to 11…