Tom Seaver                         Elected 1992

Starting Pitcher
Brooklyn Superbas (MAN, BOS, HAV, TOR)
1968-1987

Tom Seaver absolutely positively belongs in the Hall of Fame…the

nickname Hall of Fame. Seriously. “Tom Terrific” is a great tag and one of the truly bad-ass nicknames I’ve ever heard. He also absolutely positively belongs in the Hall of Infamy. Why is that you ask? Is this some “Three Amigos” reference that will be lost on half on the league? No! Instead it’s a reference to the fact that Tom Seaver was the player traded for a young Craig Robinson by some dude I don’t even remember named Brendan Harris. A day that will live in infamy indeed! But as to the question, does Seaver belong in Beachville? You make the call!

Tom Terrific was selected with the fourth pick of the 1967 rookie draft. He spent the entire year in AAA, where he would win the Bob Moncrief (AAA MVP) award, suggesting he might well have been ready, willing and able to contribute to the big league team that year. But don’t doubt then-Manhattan GM Jeff Gurganus’ stratagems, as the Gray Sox won the World Series the following year, Seaver’s rookie season. Unfortunately, he suffered a 12-month injury mid-year, wrecking the better part of two campaigns. He did get a later shot at the World Series with 1976 Brooklyn against—you guessed it—Craig Robinson and the Grey Sux. Seaver got bombed in both starts, however, as the Pale Hoes began their run of four-straight titles. Nevertheless, Seaver was the pitching anchor of those late ‘70s/early ‘80s Tim Widholm perennial Superba teams that made the playoffs four times between 1976 and 1982 and was the league's best pitching team in 1980.

So let’s look at peak value and career totals. The peak of his career was undoubtedly the period in Brooklyn from 1975 to 1983. In those eight seasons he put up 3.6 WAR or greater six times. Even the two years he failed to do so he pitched roughly 200 league-average innings in each and notched 12 and 14 wins. In that period he was top 10 in wins five times, win percentage three times, IP and CGs and quality starts four times, strikeouts and K/9 six times, and ERA and WHIP three times. I mean this dude was a horse! Should he be in the Hall? Yeah or neigh?

In terms of his overall career, Seaver played a remarkable 20 UL seasons, and populates numerous top-20 all-time tote boards. For example, do you know how many guys have 3,000 UL strikeouts? As of this writing there are just 13. Tommy T is one of them. Indeed, he’s fifth all time in starts and eighth in innings pitched. All the players around him on both lists are residents of Beachville except the still-active Larry Dierker. He’s 15th all-time in wins and tenth in strikeouts. Of course, any pitcher that’s been in the league that long is going to top some less desirable lists as well. To wit, Seaver is number one all time in dongs allowed, number eight in hits allowed and 11 in walks. You have to take the crunchy with the smooth, I suppose. Even at the end of his career pitching for expansion Havana and Toronto across three full seasons, he was a remarkable innings eater, throwing more than 220 innings every year, including his age-40 season! Oh, I forgot he also threw a no-hitter. No, wait, it was against Cleveland. Forget I mentioned it.

So this dude is beastly, that’s obvious. Beastly enough to take his place alongside UL luminaries and indeed the man he was once traded for? His peak and career values certainly make a fellow sit up and take notice. (Glen Reed)