Brief but brilliant

Belle's career a borderline case for Hall of Fame

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Short & Sweet Allsport Hall of Famers elected by the BBWAA with the shortest careers: Player  Years  Roy Campanella  10  Ralph Kiner  10  Jackie Robinson  10  Dizzy Dean  12  Sandy Koufax  12  Kirby Puckett  12  Mickey Cochrane  13  Joe DiMaggio  13  Hank Greenberg  13

By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com

Albert Belle was on his way to joining the pantheon of baseball's all-time great sluggers.

Instead, he will reside in the club that includes Tony Conigliaro, Tony Oliva and Don Mattingly -- great hitters forced to retire by injuries.

Despite his shortened career, though, Belle still has an above-average chance at making the Hall of Fame because of precedents for his situation. The most relevant case is the recently elected Kirby Puckett, who played the same number of seasons as Belle -- 12 -- and compiled less home runs, RBIs and a lower slugging percentage.

Belle's final tally of 381 home runs is not overwhelming, but he was one of the game's most-feared bashers for an entire decade. Since 1991, Belle ranks first in two major categories: RBIs (1,199) and total bases (3,207). He was fourth in home runs (373) and sixth in slugging (.571).

He remains the only player in history to hit at least 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season. (Of course, Belle is also one of the most disliked players in the game, and he has made no friends with the writers who vote in Hall of Fame elections.)

Another Hall of Famer similar to Belle is Pittsburgh's Ralph Kiner, who played only 10 seasons but led the NL in home runs seven times and finished with 369 before succumbing to back pain. There is also the case of Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella, who played only 10 seasons before a tragic car accident ended his career.

Among pitchers, Sandy Koufax (12 years, 165 wins) and Dizzy Dean (12 years, 150 wins) showed enough brilliance in a short span to merit enshrinement.

Derailed
Potent sluggers whose careers were shortened by injuries:
Pos.	Player	Yrs	Avg.	HR	RBIs	Injury	Hall?
OF	Albert Belle	12	.295	381	1,239	Hip	??
C	Roy Campanella	10	.276	242	856	Paralysis	Yes, '69
OF	Tony Conigliaro	8	.264	166	516	Beanball	No
OF	Bo Jackson	8	.250	141	415	Hip	No
OF	Ralph Kiner	10	.279	369	1,015	Back	Yes, '75
1B	Don Mattingly	14	.307	222	1,099	Back	No
OF	Tony Oliva	15	.304	220	947	Knee	No
OF	Kirby Puckett	12	.318	207	1,085	Glaucoma	Yes, '01

 

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