Why Isn't Minnie Minoso In The Hall Of Fame?

 
Minnie Minoso 

A short bio from The History Makers:

Baseball legend Minnie Minoso was born Saturnino Orestes Arrieta Armas Minoso in Havana, Cuba, on November 29, 1922. The outfielder and third baseman played seventeen seasons on four different Major League teams.

Known as the "Cuban Comet," Minoso was the first Chicago White Sox player to break the color barrier in 1951. In his first at bat in his White Sox debut May 1, 1951, Minoso hit a home run in a game against the New York Yankees. He finished his rookie year as the American League leader in stolen bases and triples and led the American League in stolen bases each year from 1951 to 1953.

While with Chicago, Minoso ushered in the era of the "Go-Go Sox." Although he was not present for the Sox's 1959 pennant win, they gave him an honorary championship ring.

Following stints with the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators, Minoso batted .302 in 1958 and 1959 before the Sox reacquired him in 1960, when he led the American League in hits. While he retired from baseball in 1964, the Sox brought him out of retirement in 1976. He coached for the Sox from 1976 to 1978. The club's president named him "Mr. White Sox" before his uniform number was retired in 1983.

Minoso was a seven-time American League All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove outfielder. He was elected to the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the World Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. Since his retirement from the game, he has served as an ambassador for baseball and a Sox community relations representative. In 2002, he was inducted into the Shrine of the Eternals

Former Madison, Wisconsin mayor Paul Soglin has a web page devoted to Minoso. Here he knocks down the arguments keeping Minnie out of the HOF:

Minnie wasn't good enough. No, I think his credentials are well established. He was the best left fielder in both leagues during the 1950's after Stan Musial and Ted Williams, and the 9th or 10th best of all time.

He was not a true Negro Leaguer: Maybe.  There is no question that his split tenure between the Negro Leagues and MLB hurts his case.  As a 'tweener' he does not have the career statistics in either league.  More important there are no decent records of his two significant seasons with the New York Cubans.  Hopefully, one day, someone will do the research and produce those stats.

Minoso, a Cuban, had no ethnic or racial base. Perhaps some truth here. While Chicago blacks fully embraced Minnie, as a Cuban, he never received the depth of support nationally as did Jackie Robinson.  It took Roberto Clemente to make North Americans understand what it was like to be Black and Hispanic and play major league baseball. (See Dave Maraniss' new book, Clemente : The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero ).

Minoso also had no national base. Minoso was hurt by the poor relations between the U.S. and his native Cuba.  There was no way of building support in his homeland.  As Fidel Castro said, "While Minnie Minoso is not a friend of the revolution, he will always be welcome in Cuba. He will always be a hero to the Cuban people."  Such sentiments never reached the United States.

Minoso pinch hit in 1976 and 1980.  Over 50 years of age, as part of a typical Bill Veeck stunt, Minoso was activated to pinch hit in two additional decades the 1970's and the 1980's. I never paid much attention to that until now.  Last month I read a post from a fan who never saw Minnie play.  His recollection of Minnie was those publicity stunts; the fan had no knowledge of Minnie's skills. I have to wonder when it was all said and done, if too many members of the committee felt that Minoso had sullied his career. Funny thing is, the Hall of Fame finally admitted Veeck - after his death.

When I was a kid your favorite player was Ernie Banks if you were a Cub fan, and Minnie Minoso if you were a Sox fan. Ernie's in the Hall of Fame. Minnie should be too.

 

Comments

[Jib]

Minoso was a good to very good baseball player, but with a few exceptions, good to very good is not enough to make it into the baseball HoF, unlike other sports. Minoso was still in his early 20's when he broke into the majors, yet in his 17 seasons he never approached any of the magic numbers that trigger HoF consideration, especially for an outfielder, where big offensive numbers are the expectation.

[Mitch]

I've wondered about this one myself. To me, the HOF isn't always just about numbers, and Minnie Minoso made his own impact on the game over enough years to be considered.

[Paul Soglin]

If Minoso was born in 1922, then in 1951, his rookie year with the White Sox, he turned 29. That is not the early 20's.

Minoso's numbers in the 1950's were only exceeded by AL leftfielder the Splendid Splinter