I believe a handful of baseball players deserve more consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. One of them is Steve Garvey, a ten-time All-Star who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-1982) and the San Diego Padres (1983-1987).
Steve Garvey was a solid two-way player with the Dodgers from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. His breakout season was in 1974 when he won the NL MVP and helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series. Garvey hit 21 home runs, drove in 111 runs, and collected 200 hits. He also won his first Gold Glove Award at first base. Garvey took his game to another level in the 1974 postseason, hitting .385 in 9 games. He would become one of the best first basemen in baseball for almost a decade.
Garvey had six seasons with at least 200 hits, and he played in over 1,000 consecutive games. One can argue his best season was in 1977 when he hit 33 homeruns with 115 runs batted in. He was a part of the first team in Major League Baseball to have four players hit at least 30 homeruns. Garvey led the NL in hits twice (1978, 1980) and games played six times (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985).
Here’s another thing: Garvey was often at his best in October. Get this: in October, he had a .338 career postseason average in 55 games with 11 home runs and 31 runs batted in. No wonder that Garvey won two NLCS MVPs (1978 and 1984).
As time has passed, I am more convinced than ever that there should be a spot for Steve Garvey in Cooperstown. He was durable, reliable, and everything you would want from a ballplayer. I hope his day will come, and that Steve Garvey will be enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Watching him play, I certainly thought he was on his way to the HOF with his career.
Indeed, Steve Garvey should be in the HOF. The man holds the record for most consecutive games played in National League history with 1207. Steve Garvey also holds the record for most Allstar game appearances as a first baseman in MLB history with 10, starting in 9 of them. 6 seasons of 200 hits or more, 7 seasons batting over .300, and has a .338 lifetime batting average in the post season. 4 times he won a golden glove at first base. He was the NL MVP in 1974, the NLCS MVP in 1974 and 1984. His 11 homeruns in 55 post season games are 1 homer every 5 games. That is better than Hall of Famer Derek Jeter 7.9 and is tied with Hall of Famer Davie Ortiz. Rating Garvey against the 10 first basemen inducted into the HOF since he retired, he ranks 3rd in total hits, 11th in walks, 8th in total Hits & BB, 9th in extra base hits, 2nd in singles, 9th in RBI’s, and 5th in Average. During his career 1969 to 1987 it appears that he also has more hits than any other first baseman during that time. What I think gets missed is what role was an individual player in any sport asked or expected to play on his team? A good player follows the coach or managers game plan your role may not be one that produces stats but contributes to team success. Garvey was an important part of 5 World Series teams that had many good players that had roles that made those teams great. You cannot ignore that from 1974 to 1986 Steve Garvey was one of the best first basemen in all of baseball appearing in 10 all-star games and 5 world series. Can any other HOF first baseman since his first year 1969 say that? The point is are there are other players in MLB history with better stats? Of course, there always is, but Steve Garvey was the most productive first baseman of his era. More hits, and RBI’s than any other first baseman from 1969 to 1987. How can you be one of the best in baseball during your time and not be in the Hall of Fame.