Shane Victorino signed minor league deal with the Cubs. A great signing, even though the Cubs are full of outfielders already. He’s the type of player that I really enjoy.
- He doesn’t strike out much
- Can steal bases
- Is good defensively
Those three pieces of criteria is what I use to determine who is in MY Hall of Fame. You have to be good with a baseball bat (and that doesn’t mean pure power, it means being able to put the bat on the ball consistently), be a good runner on the basepaths, and be good in the field. All three basic elements of being a baseball player.
To make it into my Hall of Fame, you have to be in the top 10 at least once for AB/SO, SB, and Def Zone Runs. Shane Victorino has done accomplished all three categories:
Twice for AB/SO
- 2009 NL 8.7 (7th)
- 2011 NL 8.2 (10th)
Five times for SB
- 2007 NL 37 (6th)
- 2008 NL 36 (6th)
- 2009 NL 25 (9th)
- 2010 NL 34 (3rd)
- 2012 NL 39 (4th)
Once for Zone Runs
- 2013 AL 18 (4th)
He’s been in the top 10 for those three categories a total of 8 times. That places him as #15 in my Hall of Fame. Just above Al Kaline and Hank Aaron.