Yankees and the Hall of Fame: Thurman Munson
- James Vlietstra
- Apr 15
- 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 type players too for us to discuss.
Today we are going to be discussing:
Thurman Munson
He was a Rookie Of The Year
He was Most Valuable Player
Seven time All-Star
Two time World Series champion.
He played his entire 11 year career with the Yankees.
He had a 5.0 WAR in four seasons on his way to 46.0 in his career, good for 255th all time.
Tragically, he passed away at the age of 32 when the plane he was piloting crashed.
He was included on the ballot just two years later, when he received 15.5% of the ballot. He remained on the ballot for 15 years, but never received as many votes again.
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Our editor-in-Chief, Paul Semendinger has written extensively in favor of Munson's Hall of Fame case. You can see some of those articles by following the links below:
Count me as yes on Munson!
He was certainly on track. If only he was granted a couple of more years. RIP
He's right on the bubble. Just above him, there are HoF'ers like Mickey Cochrane and Ted Simmons. But all around him are non-HoF'ers like Wally Schang, Buster Posey, Bill Freehan, and Jorge Posada. To hold the line on them (and they should not be in), you have to hold the line on Munson.
I also don't buy the argument that "if he hadn't died, he'd have gotten >50 WAR. Same thing for Don Mattingly and his back injury, or Mel Stottlemyer and his rotator cuff. I think it was Bill James who pointed out that Munson's death was a kind of injury, and other than Addie Joss (who was a mistake), you don't get into the Hall based on "…
Yes. 100%
The HOF is a museum for baseball and given his career with the Yankees.....he should be in but the Hall being swayed by bias and social injustice he has been passed over... unfortunate!