Maybe the Veterans Committee will eventually right the wrong
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The unveiling of a statue of Mark Buehrle Saturday should just be a preview of when they unveil his plaque in Cooperstown, which given the Veterans Committee rules unfortunately won’t be until at least 2031.
Not that he’s shoo-in by the numbers. Mark’s 59.0 bWAR is slightly below the Hall’s average for pitchers (66.0), but well better than many already enshrined, even some who didn’t get the automatic Yankee free pass. That includes two close comparables, fellow defensive wizards Jim Kaat (45) and Jack Morris (44).
Speaking of defense, a Sabermetrics writer did incredibly thorough research into pitcher defense and ranked Buehrle 51st all-time.
(We won’t delve into the .072 lifetime batting average, but will mention he somehow hit a homer in 2009.)
Buehrle’s 3,283 innings pitched over 16 years, including four strong seasons after Jerry Reinsdorf just let him go for some Reinsdorfy reason, should give him a personal wing in Cooperstown these days, as should the fact he only took about an hour-and-a-half to throw all 3,283.
ENOUGH OF NUMBERS, ALREADY
You’re not here to bury Buehrle in numbers, but to praise him for something not even Bill James has figured out how to measure — spirit. Mark Buehrle loved baseball, loved playing baseball, and wasn’t afraid to show it. That’s a rare faculty these days. Walk-off wins lead to team celebrations, as they should, but showing enjoyment during the game is apparently a no-no that indicates you’re not taking things seriously enough. Even bat flips tend just to be choreographed rather than simultaneous demonstrations of joy.
True, it’s hard to show enjoyment when you’re concentrating on a rock coming at you at nearly 100 mph, or when you’re aiming said rock at a small target 60 feet away. Thus it’s defensive aces who get to erupt in pleasure, none more so than the brilliant Billy Hamilton. Alexei Ramírez was a very good defender who could set off ripples of pleasure in himself with a surprisingly terrific play. Melky Cabrera was a very bad defender who could amaze himself when he recovered in time to make a diving or leaping catch.
Nowadays, it’s all dour, and not just among those of us stuck being fans of a terrible team. A player getting a lucky hit goes through bizarre choreographed hand gestures like a Masonic ritual instead of just enjoying the moment. Same for a pitcher making perfect pitch in a crucial moment. Sure, there’s lots of money at stake and all that, but come on — you were all kids once, playing for fun and enjoying every minute of it. Show it.
That’s the biggest reason Buehrle should be in the Hall of Fame, and the biggest reason he was adored by fans. Buehrle was always just a big kid, one who worked very hard at his craft but remembered it’s a game — a game to be enjoyed by those who play it, which makes everything more enjoyable for those who watch it.
We all owe you, Mark. And we miss the spirit your brought to the game we all love.