Fielding is rarely a statistic that comes into consideration regarding baseball's hall of fame. The only player I can think of that was inducted largely on the defensive aspect of the game was Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith.
What made Andre such a great all-around player was his ability to save as many runs with his outstanding glove as he created with his bat. He won 8 Gold Gloves in his 21-year career, six in which were in consecutive years (1980-1985, two additional Gold Gloves in 1987 and 1988).
I believe Andre would have won additional gold gloves later in his career had he began his career playing on natural grass rather than hard artificial turf during his time as a Montreal Expo. Despite that, only two outfielders in Major League Baseball history have won more Gold Gloves than Andre, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, both are in the hall of fame*.
Andre's fielding percentage for his career was .983 (1.000 is the highest possible %).*
*www.wiki.answers.com
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Agree with your thoughts on Andre and his prowess in the field. Like Willie Mays, he relied on raw physical ability to run down balls and throw runners out in his early days and then mastered the art of preparation later on, when his knees slowed him down. There is no telling what might've been had he played his whole career in a bigger media market, (like Chicago)and on natural grass.
ReplyDeleteI sure wish MLB (or someone) would release some footage of Dawson in his early playing days..
I know, it would be awesome to see old footage. Even when he was past his prime in Chicago he still dove for the ball. You should see his 1993 Score Select baseball card for a great shot of him tumbling head over heels for a catch.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myspace.com/hof_dawson
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt in my mind that The Hawk and Ron Santo both deserve to get in! Check out my Cubs blog!:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.everythingcubs.blogspot.com/