Morning Mound Visit: sabermetrics news - 1/22/20

The Ringer | Michael Baumann: Derek Jeter and Larry Walker, despite taking very different paths to get there, are both now Hall of Famers. Jeter was the last great contact hitter pre-sabermetrics, and led a Yankees dynasty through the late-90s in spectacular fashion, to the point where he was both severely overrated, and underrated, at the same time. Walker was under-the-radar due to playing for the Rockies, but he had periods where he was the best player on the planet, just for a shorter amount of time. At the end of the day, they get the same plaque.

Baseball Prospectus | Patrick Dubuque ($): There are plenty of ball players who play a lifetime without playing in a playoff game, and it’s likely a Mariner. Felix Hernandez has never, though he may get a shot with the Braves. Neither did Kyle Seager, for basically the same reason. Jean Segura got a change of scenery and could get a chance in Philadelphia, and maybe the White Sox pull out a surprise and José Abreu gets his chance; we can all dream.

FanGraphs | Craig Edwards: Scott Rolen made some Hall of Fame ballot progress, but he’s still underappreciated. He trailed just Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez for WAR from 1998 to 2004, and his seven-year peak looked something like Mike Piazza, Rod Carew, or Miguel Cabrera’s. Hopefully he gets more serious consideration as the years roll on.