Yankees and the Hall of Fame: Roger Maris
- James Vlietstra
- Mar 1
- 2 min read
by James Vlietstra
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Over the next many months, I am going to review the credentials of several former Yankees.
With all that being said, I am going to review the credentials of several former Yankees. Together, we can discuss if we believe that they are deserving of being included in the Hall Of Fame or not. I hope you read along and give me your opinions over the next several weeks.
Note - Some people currently in the Hall Of Fame are not specifically in for their merits as a player alone. For instance, Joe Torre didn't get in until after his success as a manager. Phil Rizzuto made it after a career as an announcer. Overall, their careers were definitely deserving. Similarly, Bill Mazeroski was generally considered a light hitting middle infielder, however, one iconic moment got him enshrined. I am including some of these too for us to discuss.
Today we are going to be discussing:
Roger Maris
He played seven of his 12 seasons with the New York Yankees. He accumulated a WAR of 38.2.
Maris won the AL MVP in 1960 with a WAR of 7.5 and then followed that up with his iconic 1961 season in which he hit 61 HR, 132 Runs scored, 141 RBIs, and 366 Total Bases. His record breaking total of 61 homers last 37 years was the most cherished of all baseball records. A movie, 61*, was made about his season. Clearly it was a once in a generation performance. Maris is one of only two back to back MVP award winners not in the Hall.
His career total of 275 home runs was 36th all time when he retired in 1968. He was on three World Series championship teams. He had a career OPS+ of 127.
Roger Maris was on the BBWAA ballot for 15 years from 1974-1988, maxing out at 43.1%.
In the first 120 years or so of baseball’s existence, there were a total of four players that hit a total of at least 100 homers over a two year span… Babe Ruth (4 times), Jimmie Foxx, Ralph Kiner, and Maris. In the last 30 years it’s happened a lot more frequently…Sammy Sosa (5 times), Ken Griffey, Jr. (3), Aaron Judge (2), Barry Bonds (2), Mark McGwire (2), A-Rod (2), Ryan Howard, and Shohei Ohtani.
And, lest we forget, he was an excellent outfielder
Great article James. Great series of articles!
I’m torn with Maris. It’s literally a 2 year stretch we are considering. But they are two of the most historically significant seasons of a generation.
The Magic of that 1961 season along with holding the most cherished record for 37 years is enough for me to say he’s deserving of a spot
I wouldn't have a problem with Maris in the Hall. I'd be leaning heavily into the "Fame". 1. When he broke Ruth's record, it was THE record in sports. He had to fight through significant opposition as opposed to guys like McGwire, Judge who had Maris' own family rooting for them. 2. There are only three players with 60+ HR in a season and no chatter about PEDS, Maris is one of them. 3. The list of players with back-to-back MVPs is pretty exclusive, with almost all being in the HOF. Clearly his lifetime stats underwhelm when comparing to others already enshrined. I think what he did in 1961 is a huge deal, maybe among the great feats in the…
The debatetable question was whether Maris breaking Babe Ruth record 61 in 1961 alone was good enough to be elected to the HOF. Plus Roger won 2 MVP's and he was an underrated as an outfielder.