Explore every episode of the podcast The Case For: A Baseball Hall of Fame Podcast

Pitcher Darren O'Day spent 15 years in Major League Baseball, mostly in a bullpen role. As such Darren doesn't have the necessary Wins and/or Saves totals that most Hall of Fame candidates possess. Nevertheless, Darren put together a very impressive career! In 609 innings Darren struck out 637 batters, allowed 458 hits and only 175 runs for a 2.59 ERA and a 167 ERA+. 

Although a small sample size, (Baseball Reference does not "count" pitchers with less than 1000 innings pitched on all-time leaderboards for various stats) Darren's career ERA of 2.59 is still better than many Hall of Famers including Cy Young himself. If Darren's adjusted ERA+ of 167 were to remain through 1000 innings it would the second best all-time behind Mariano Rivera. 

Is this enough to warrant induction into Cooperstown?

Russell reflects on the life and legacy of Dave "The Cobra" Parker  (June 9, 1951 – June 28, 2025). 

A member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Dave is 1 of only 5 players in MLB history with 2700+ hits, 300+ home runs, 150+ stolen bases, 75+ triples, and a career BA of .290 or higher. During his career 7 time All-Star Parker won the 1978 NL MVP, the 1979 All-Star Game MVP, the 1979 and 1989 World Series, 3 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 2 batting titles. 

Graig Kreindler is "The Painter of the National Pastime" whose baseball paintings have been featured in numerous museums and news outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Fox News, and the New York Times. 

Rap icon Chuck D (himself an accomplished painter) says that Graig is "a time machine" who "puts you right there with the Cracker Jack and Beer". 

Graig's paintings bring to life bygone eras of baseball including the 19th century, the deadball era, the Negro Leagues and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. 

Graig and Russell discuss his paintings, baseball history, and much more!

For more information or to commission a painting go to www.graigkreindler.com. 

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and "baseball’s troubadour poet laureate” Chuck Brodsky joins Russell to talk about his baseball songs. Larry Groce of NPR called Chuck “one of the finest singer-songwriters in America” and the New York Times said that Chuck’s music “will appeal to everyone who likes their music with a side of thought”. Chuck is himself an inductee into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and 18 of his songs have been enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s sound recording library. 

Chuck and Russell discuss many of Chuck's songs including "Letters in the Dirt" about 2025 HOF inductee Dick Allen. For more info on Chuck Brodsky visit www.chuckbrodsky.com 

Jesse Orosco pitched 24 years in Major League Baseball and is the all-time career leader in games played for a pitcher with 1252. A hero of the 1986 Jesse earned 3 wins in 4 games during the 1986 NLCS and 2 saves in the 1986 World Series, including the iconic final out for the World Champion New York Mets. 

Jesse and Omar Vizquel (SS) are the only two players to hold the career games played mark for their positions who are NOT in the HOF. Jesse also has some (but not other) career stats that compare favorably with the greatest reliever of all-time Mariano Rivera. 

Are Jesse's career stats, hardware, and fame fame factor enough to warrant induction in Cooperstown? Listen to Russell as he makes the case!

John Franco recorded 424 saves in his 21 year MLB career, the most of any left-handed relief pitcher. He is currently 7th all-time in career saves and 3rd in games played for a pitcher, but at the time of his retirement he was 2nd in both categories. 

Is this enough to earn John Franco a ticket to Cooperstown?

In the Season 2 Finale Russell breaks down the 2025 BBWAA Ballot vote and previews the 2026 BBWAA ballot including who he thinks will be elected and who has a chance of surviving the dreaded "one and done" 5% vote requirement. 

Russell breaks down the entire 2025 BBWAA ballot in advance of the Jan 21st announcement and makes the case for who he thinks will and won't get elected. If you're looking for a crash-course on the 2025 BBWAA ballot look no further! Featuring the exclusive Dan Bern song "That's The List" written for the occasion! 

Episode 21 features a very special interview with critically acclaimed singer- songwriter, novelist, painter, and fellow baseball fan extraordinaire Dan Bern. 

Bern's music has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello. A prolific composer, Bern estimates to have written over one thousand songs. His music has been featured in Amazon Prime’s award-winning kids program “The Stinky & Dirty Show” as well as films “Jimmy Carter Man From Plains”, “Get Him to the Greek”, “The Bubble”, “Zero Effect”, and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story". Dan is also an inductee of the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. 

An avid baseball fan, Dan has penned numerous songs about baseball many of which have been featured on "The Tony Kornheiser Show". He has also released two albums of baseball songs - "Doubleheader" (2012) and "Rivalry" (2020). 

Dan joins "The Case For" for a very special interview where him and Russell discuss a variety of topics including baseball lore, the Steroid Era, The BBWAA and Veteran's Committee Ballots, pitch-clocks, Steve Goodman, John McEnroe, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose and everything in-between including Dan's baseball songs. Dan even wrote a song specifically for the episode entitled "That's the List" which plays in its entirety at the conclusion of the episode!!  

Listen as Russell breaks down the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot voting and congratulates new Hall of Famers Dick Allen and Dave Parker! He'll also break down his prediction for next year's era committee ballot. (spoiler alert - it's Dale Murphy's year!)

The Classic Baseball Era Ballot vote is Sunday, December 8, 2024. The 8 players on the ballot are Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Tommy John, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant.

Who will get in? Who would Russ vote for? Listen to find out!

Famed Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant is up for consideration on this year's Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot. 

The son of famed Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant Sr., Luis pitched 19 seasons in MLB and is one of only 11 pitchers in MLB history to retire with 225+ wins, 2400+ strikeouts, 49+ shutouts and a career ERA under 3.30. The other 10 are all in the HOF. 

Tiant's 49 career shutouts tie him with HOFers Don Drysdale, Fergie Jenkins, and Early Wynn for 21st best in MLB history. Every pitcher with more career shutouts than Tiant is in the HOF. 

A legendary character and beloved teammate, Tiant was a hero in the 1975 post-season for the Boston Red Sox. Are his career numbers, hardware, and fame factor good enough to merit induction into Cooperstown? 

Left-handed pitcher Tommy John earned 288 Wins over a 26 year career, the second longest in MLB history. Most notably, 164 of John's wins came AFTER he underwent the groundbreaking surgery which now bears his name. A 3-time 20 game winner, John twice led the league in Win-Loss % and led all of MLB in shutouts 3 times (1966, 1967, 1980). A 4 time All-Star, john received MVP votes in 2 seasons (1977 and 1979) and CY Young votes in 4 seasons (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980) including two #2 Cy Young finishes (1977 and 1979). An outstanding post-season pitcher, John posted a 6-3 record and a 2.65 ERA in the post-season, including a .69 ERA in the 1981 World Series. 

Only 22 pitchers in MLB history have recorded 285+ wins and 2,000+ strikeouts, and the only two of those pitchers not in the Hall of Fame are Roger Clemens and Tommy John. Beyond the field Tommy John's impact upon the game of baseball is incalculable as his pioneering surgery has saved countless careers including those of two Hall of Famers (Paul Molitor and John Smoltz) and future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Shohei Ohtani. Tommy John is on the 2025 Classic Baseball Era Committee Ballot, does he deserve enshrinement in Cooperstown? 

A 7 time All-Star, Dick Allen won the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1972 AL MVP Awards. He is one of only 28 players to have won both a ROY and an MVP Award. 

Allen is one of only 10 players in baseball history to retire with 350+ home runs, 1000+ RBI, 1000+ runs, 100+ stolen bases, and 75+ triples. 

He is also one of only five players in MLB history to retire with 350+ home runs,  a .290+ BA, a .375+ OBP, a career OPS+ of 155 or higher, 75+ triples; and 100+ stolen bases. The other four are Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Lou Gehrig. 

Hall of Famer Goose Goosage once called Allen "the greatest player I've ever seen play in my life" and the Wall Street Journal dubbed Allen “the best player eligible for the Hall of Fame”. Despite his statistics and accolades HOF induction eluded Allen, who passed away in 2020. 

Allen is up election on the 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot. Will he finally get into Cooperstown this year? 

Felix Hernandez pitched his entire 15 year career with the Seattle Mariners. A 6 time All-Star and the 2010 AL Cy Young Award Winner, Felix finished his career with 169 wins, 2524 strikeouts, and a 3.42 ERA. He also pitched the 23rd Perfect Game in MLB history on August 15, 2012.

Despite a very strong 7 year peak between 2009 and 2015, does "King Felix" have the career stats and hardware to land him in the HOF? Will his "fame factor" give him the edge"? 

Dave "The Cobra" Parker played 19 year and amassed  2,712 hits, 526 doubles, 75 triples, 339 home runs, 1493 RBI, 154 stolen bases, 4405 Total Bases and a career .290 BA. 

Parker was a 2 time batting champion, 2 time World Series Champion, the 1979 All-Star Game MVP and the 1978 NL MVP. A longtime fan favorite, his counting stats, hardware, and championships bode well for his Hall of Fame case as does the sentimental tug of time. But modern advanced statistics aren't as kind to Parker's case, and his HOF discussion truly requires a complex analysis of his stats, hardware, and fame factor. 

In Episode 13, the last Episode of Season 1, Russell breaks down the 2024 BBWAA ballot including the players elected to the Hall, who fell off the ballot, who is still on for next year and what newcomers to watch for in 2025. 

In this episode Russell breaks down the ENTIRE 2024 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot and discusses the HOF cases for every player not already assigned their own individual episode. The results of the 2024 BBWAA Ballot will be announced on January  23, 2024, if you're curious what might happen or you're a BBWAA voter who is still undecided then take a listen!

Bobby Abreu is 1 of 7 players with 900+ extra-base hits 400+ stolen bases in his career. The others are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker,  Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, and Paul Molitor. Will this be enough to get Abreu in the Hall of Fame? 

Born and raised in Venezuela, Abreu first drew the attention of MLB scouts when he was 14 and signed with the Houston Astros organization when he was 16. He would eventually play 18 years in MLB retiring with a career  .291 BA,  2,470 hits,  288 home runs, 1,363 RBI, 400 stolen bases, 1454 runs, 1476 walks, 4026 Total Bases and a career WAR of 60.2. 

Carlos Beltran played 20 years in MLB with a reputation retiring with  very impressive career stats of a 70.1 WAR, 2725 hits, 565 doubles, 435 home runs, 1587 RBI, and 312 stolen bases. He is one of  only 4 players in MLB history along with A-Rod, Bonds, and Mays to accumulate 2,500+ hits, 400+ homers, 300+ stolen bases and 1,000+ walks.

Arguably one of the greatest post-season batters of all time, "Señor Octubre" hit .307 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI in 65 post-season games. Only Beltran and Bonds have hit 8 home runs in a single post-season, and only Beltran and Jose Altuve have scored 21 runs in a single-postseason. 

A 9 time All-Star, 3 time Gold Glove winner and 2 time Silver Slugger, Beltran won the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award for his work founding the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in his native Puerto Rico. Beltran also played for team Puerto Rico 4 times in the World Baseball Classic. 

More recently Beltran has come under fire for his role in the now infamous 2017 Houston Astros sign stealing scandal. Will this impact his HOF chances? Will his career stats land him in Cooperstown? Listen while Russell makes the case!

Over a 6 year peak 2005-2010 Chase Utley's season average was .298 BA, 27 HR, and 95 RBI. During that period he won 4 Silver Sluggers and received MVP votes in 5 seasons including 3 top-10 finishes. Utley was also in the top 3 NL leaders in WAR for 4 seasons. Utley excelled in the post-season, helping his Phillies win the 2008 World Series and in the 2009 World Series tied Reggie Jackson's World Series record with 5 home runs including 2 games with 2 home runs. He also set the postseason record for consecutive games reaching base.  Utley and Babe Ruth are the only left-handed batters to hit 2 home runs in a World Series game against a left-handed pitcher. A sharp decline after 2010 resulted in Utley's career counting stats falling short of traditional HOF benchmarks, however his respectable career WAR of 64.5 places him higher than several HOF'ers. Will his post-season accolades and advanced statistics compensate for his counting stats? Listen to find out Russell's opinion!

Andruw Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves with the Atlanta Braves and in 2005 set a franchise record (since broken) with 51 home runs in a season.  Defensively he's 2nd all time in MLB history in all players, all positions, in Total Zone Runs (Brooks Robinson is #1). Andruw is also 1 of 5 center fielders to record at least 400 putouts in a season 6 times; the other 4 are in the Hall of Fame. He’s also 1 of only 4 players to have won 10 Gold Gloves with 400 career home runs the others are Hall of Famers  Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Schmidt.

A perennial post-season star with the mighty Braves teams of the late 90's/early 2000's, he is the youngest player in MLB history to hit a home run in the World Series. His tenure with the Braves left most fans thinking he was a sure bet for the Hall of Fame, but a steep decline between 2008-2012 cast some doubt on his Hall of Fame case. Will the combination of his offense, defense, and post-season success be enough to get him elected to Cooperstown? Listen and decide for yourself!

Joe Mauer played 15 years in Major League baseball, all of them with the Minnesota Twins. A hometown hereo, he grew up in Minnesota and was a standout athlete in baseball, basketball and football at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul. 

Joe was drafted in the 1st round of the 2001 MLB draft and played his entire 15 year career with the Minnesota Twins where he won 3 batting titles, 6 All-Star selections, 5 Silver Sluggers, 3 Golden Gloves, and the 2009 AL MVP Award. Joe retired with the highest career and single season batting averages for a catcher and a career .306 batting average. Joe was also the face of the Twins franchise for two decades and a fan favorite. Does all of this add up to a Hall of Fame resume? Bill Madlock has 4 batting titles and is not in the HOF, and many other players have more All-Stars, Silver Sluggers, Golden Globes and higher career counting stats. The key to examining Mauer's Hall of Fame case is reviewing his career in its totality, to include his stats, hardware and his fame factor. 

Gary Sheffield was a feared slugger who tallied 509 home runs,  1636 runs, 2689 hits,  1676 RBI and a career .292 career batting average over 22 MLB seasons. He is 1 of only 4 players in MLB history with 500+ home runs and 250+ stolen bases. Of the 28 members of the "500 home run club" only Mel Ott and Ted Williams have less career strikeouts. A 9 time All-Star and 5 time Silver Slugger, Gary received MVP votes in 7 different seasons including 6 top 10 finishes and 3 top 3 finishes. Gary was an instrumental part of the 1997 World Series Champion Florida Marlins batting .292 with 7 hits and 5 RBI in the 1997 World Series. Despite all this success there are many who think that Gary does not meet the HOF criteria bases on his stats, hardware, and "fame" factor. I disagree, however, PED allegations have plagued his Hall chances to the point where he has one more chance on the BBWAA ballot this year. Will Gary get elected? What are the facts behind the PED allegations? Find out more in this episode!

Episode 5 explores the Hall of Fame Case for relief pitcher Billy Wagner. Billy pitched in 853 games over 16 seasons, all of them in relief. He retired with 422 saves which is 6th best all time. A 7 time All-Star, his advanced stats compare favorably with Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman however Wagner struggled in his post-season appearances posting a career post-season ERA of 10.03.  Will that impact his Hall of Fame chances? 

In episode 4 we examine the voting process and the difference between the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) ballot and the Veterans Committee ballot, and breakdown the cases for all the candidates on the 2024 Contemporary Baseball Committee:

Ed Montague      (Umpire)
Joe West               (Umpire)
Hank Peters        (Executive)
Bill White              (Executive)
Cito Gaston        (Manager)
Davey Johnson  (Manager)
Jim Leyland         (Manager)
Lou Piniella          (Manager)

Episode 3 addresses the Hall of Fame case for Todd Helton who played his entire 17 year with the Colorado Rockies, retiring in 2013 holding Rockies career records for games played, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI's, and walks. Todd batted .300 or better in 12 seasons and retired with a career .316 batting average. His 592 doubles are the 20th most ever in MLB history. Last year he received 72.2% of the BBWAA vote, is this the year he gets the 75% he needs for induction? Will Todd wear a Rockies cap on a Cooperstown plaque in 2024? 

In this episode we discuss the Hall of Fame Case for Detroit Tigers legend Lou Whitaker.  Lou and shortstop teammate Alan Trammell are the longest-running double play combination in major-league history,  turning  1,527 double plays over 19 seasons. The 1978 AL Rookie of the Year, Lou won 3 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, was a 5 x All-Star selection and a key member of the 1984 Detroit Tigers World Championship team. He retired with a career WAR of 75.1 along with 2369 hits, 1386 runs, 244 home runs, 1084 RBI, 143 stolen bases, and a career slash line of .276/.363/.426. Lou is 4th all time for games played at second base. His teammate Alan Trammell is already in the HOF, however Lou is not in the HOF despite finishing his career with more games, plate appearances, at bats, runs, his, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, walks, and total bases than Trammell along with a higher career batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and WAR. 

Alan is in the HOF, why isn't Lou? 

The inaugural episode of The Case For: A Baseball Hall of Fame Podcast is dedicated to former Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy. Attorney and baseball fan extraordinaire Russell Christian makes the case for the induction of 2-time NL MVP Dale Murphy into Cooperstown.