This week, we discussed one of the best second basemen of the 1980s...it's Lou Whitaker! Adam Darowski of Baseball Reference and the “Building the Ballot” podcast joins us to make the Hall of Fame case for Sweet Lou! In December 2019, the Modern Baseball Era Committee met. Whitaker received 6 votes, he needed 12 for induction. He may get another chance in 2026. Lou's career traditional stats rank favorably with other 2B in the Hall. As for advanced stats, Whitaker’s career WAR (75.1) is the eighth-highest of any position player outside the Hall. He played 19 seasons, all with the Tigers, was 1978 ROY, won a World Series, was a 5x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove winner and 3x Silver Slugger winner.
Other topics include the Era Committees, Magnum PI, and a trip to the RBI Baseball corner!
Listen:
Links:
- Card 770 on Beckett
- SABR Bio by John Milner
- "How Lou's Forgetfulness Landed Him in the Smithsonian"
- Building the Ballot: The Baseball Hall of Fame's Era Committee
- Lou's 1984 World Series highlights:
- Lou and Tram on Magnum, P.I.
- Trammell talks about Lou
