Houston Astros: Examining former players Hall of Fame cases

Curt Schilling

This may be the most controversial case right now. Curt Schilling was only briefly with the Astros, pitching out of the bullpen in 1991 before being traded to the Phillies, where he would break out. He is, in my humble opinion, a bona fide Hall of Fame pitcher when you look at his numbers. But of course the numbers aren’t the only thing people take into consideration.

Schilling’s 3,116 strikeouts are 15th all-time, and that 3,000 strikeout plateau is a traditional barometer for the Hall of Fame. His 216 career wins aren’t overly impressive, but that statistic doesn’t matter quite as much as it used to. His career 3.46 ERA is solid, and he is eighth all-time in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and in fact led the league in that statistic five times.

He was a six-time All Star, and though he never won a Cy Young award, he was a runner-up in the voting on three different occasions. His postseason resume is incredible, with a career 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA, and his bloody sock game in the 2004 ALCS is the stuff of legend. He was the rare power pitcher with pinpoint command, and he was at his best when the stakes were highest.

Schilling has not been linked to PED use, but many voters still won’t vote for him for character reasons. Since his retirement, he’s been outspoken about his right-wing politics, which in and of itself should not be disqualifying. But he has stepped over the line with some of his comments and social media posts, most notably involving a tweet about a t-shirt that advocated for the lynching of journalists.

That one incident alone is enough for many writers to withhold their vote, or at least think twice about it. Still, after appearing on only 29.2 percent of ballots in 2014, Schilling was up to 70 percent in 2020. So far this year, he’s been named on 71.3 percent of public ballots, and he’s on his ninth year of eligibility, so it’s going to be close.

Personally I don’t think his post-career comments should matter, especially when you consider some of the unsavory characters that are already in the Hall of Fame. His career is worthy, and I don’t think there’s a legitimate case to be made otherwise. But time will tell.