Hall Of Fame Debate: Luis Aparicio VS Pee Wee Reese VS Dave Concepcion
I am without a doubt a Miami Marlins fan.
But when it comes to the history of the game, the Marlins barely scratch the surface of what has occured in the history of this fine sport.
And when it comes to baseball history, my favorite dynasty is ‘The Big Red Machine’. The offense that this team was able to deliver was superb and without a chink in their armor – from power to finese to speed and to luck, they had it all.
That team was front-loaded with mega-talent – Hall Of Famers at C, 1B, 2B, and 3B. But, they also featured some extremely talented players around them – Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, and Dave Concepcion. These three guys all played major roles in the success of the Reds during the mid-1970’s; and it is possible that without them, the team would not have succeeded as they did.
For this week’s ‘Hall Of Fame Debate’, I would like to take a closer look at the career of the shortstop from this squad, Dave Concepion.
And I will compare him to a few Hall of Fame shortstops so we can see how he stacks up…
Sound good? Great. On to the numbers!!!
| |
Concepcion |
Aparicio |
Reese |
| Seasons |
19 |
18 |
16 |
| Games |
2,488 |
2,599 |
2,166 |
| Batting Average |
0.267 |
0.262 |
0.269 |
| On-Base |
0.322 |
0.311 |
0.366 |
| Hits |
2,326 |
2,677 |
2,170 |
| 200-Hit Seasons |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 150-199 Hit Seasons |
7 |
9 |
5 |
| Doubles |
389 |
394 |
330 |
| Triples |
48 |
92 |
80 |
| Home Runs |
101 |
83 |
126 |
| Runs Scored |
993 |
1,335 |
1,338 |
| RBI |
950 |
791 |
885 |
| Stolen Bases |
321 |
506 |
232 |
| All-Star |
9 |
10 |
10 |
| ROY |
– |
1 |
– |
| MVP |
– |
– |
– |
| Gold Glove |
5 |
8 |
n/a |
| Silver Slugger |
2 |
n/a |
n/a |
| Postseasons |
5 |
2 |
7 |
| WS Titles |
2 |
1 |
1 |
*
First, let me state that I know that these three players starred during different eras. And yes, I also know that Reese missed out on a few seasons while serving in the army.
But, what I am trying to do with this post is shed some light on the career of Dave Concepcion and how he played a significant role for the Reds. His numbers, or at least many of his numbers, are on par with other Hall Of Fame shortstops.
For me, the fact that Concepcion was able to amass these kinds of numbers while being the 5th or 6th best offensive player on the time is unheard of. Reese was not a comlementary piece, he was a captain. And the same goes for Aparicio – he was one of the top two talents on his famous Orioles and White Sox teams.
So, my question for this week’s ‘Hall Of Fame Debates’ is this – Does Dave Concepcion deserve to be mentioned in the same conversation as Luis Aparicio and Pee Wee Reese and if Dave Concepcion was the #1 or #2 guy on the same teams that these two players starred on, do you think that he would be enshrined in Cooperstown.
And since I like to take part in the ‘HOF Debate’, I will cast my vote.
It goes like this:
*Dave Concepcion absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as these two players. He was not as dominant as Aparicio when it comes to how Luis was tagged as ‘the best bas stealer’ for a full decade, but when looking at their careers for both individual and team accomplishments, I think that the arguement is strong that he in on par.
* Yes, I feel that if Concepcion had been putting up these numbers on a team that did not boast 4 Hall Of Fame talents, his light would have shined brighter and he would have his bust in bronze at Cooperstown.
Now, it is your turn. Give me your thoughts, and ‘Thanks’ for reading!!
