Is Marty Marion A Hall of Famer?

Is Marty Marion A Hall of Famer?

By Paul Semendinger

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This article is a follow-up to a Hall of Fame article I wrote for the IBWAA previously. It is the second article out of three in a short series.

This article was written and published by the IBWAA.

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Two weeks ago, I wrote an article that showed that between 1960 and 1985 that most players who finished in the top ten of vote getters for the Hall of Fame eventually earned enshrinement into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.  The most notable exception to that rule was Marty Marion who finished among the top ten vote getters no fewer than eight times but never received enough votes to gain entry into the Hall of Fame.  No player in that period finished so high in the Hall of Fame voting so often and failed to gain entry.  I began to wonder if Marty Marion belongs in the Hall of Fame...

In this day and age, most Hall of Fame arguments begin with WAR.  Many of the arguments also end with WAR.  If a player's WAR isn't high enough, to many, he wasn't a Hall of Famer.  For many fans, WAR makes a cut and dry case.  For many in the WAR camp, a score of 60 or better signifies that a player is Hall of Fame worthy.  And none of this bodes well for Marty Marion.  

Marty Marion was a standout defensive shortstop who was not much of a hitter.  Marion's lifetime batting average was an unimpressive .263.  Marion never hit .300 in any season.  He also never hit .290.  Marion's best batting average for any season was .280.  Marion also didn't hit for power.  He hit just 36 homers in his career.  And he didn't drive in runs totaling just 624 runs batted in.  All of these low numbers drag down Marion's lifetime WAR to an unimpressive 31.8.  Among all-time shortstops, Marion ranks #69 all-time.  

Marion's skill, though, was with his glove.  In his day, he was considered the game's best fielding shortstop.  Some said that he was possibly the greatest fielding shortstop of all-time.  In his era, his defense and leadership were instrumental in helping his team, the St. Louis Cardinals reach four World Series (winning three of them) between 1942 and 1946.  Marion's leadership and defense were so impressive that he was selected the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1944.  In his career, Marion earned MVP votes in seven different season including for six consecutive seasons from 1941 through 1946.  Obviously there was something about Marion that made him a standout player.  

Also hurting Marion's Hall of Fame case is the fact that his playing career wasn't very long.  He played 13 seasons in the big leagues, but only 11 as a starter.  For players with shorter careers, there usually needs to be a standout feature to their play to help propel them into the Hall of Fame.  For Marion, that standout feature is his defense.  Unfortunately, defense is still very difficult to quantify.  It can be said that Marty Marion was a great fielder, but was he truly elite?  In his career, he never led the league in chances, putouts, assists, or double plays.

It seems, then, that Marion's Hall of Fame case rests on his leadership and the perception of his defense.  Other glove-first shortstops from his relative era who were also on frequent pennant winners, such as Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto are in the Hall of Fame.  With this, though, we come back to WAR.  Reese, not much of a hitter, had a WAR of 68.4 (14th all-time among shortstops).  Rizzuto compiled 42.2 WAR (41st all-time among shortstops).  Rizzuto's case (based just on WAR) is weak, at best, but still his performance was miles ahead of Marion's.  Another glove-first shortstop, who was also a St. Louis Cardinal, was Ozzie Smith who had a WAR of 76.9.  Smith ranks 8th all-time among shortstops.  

As I considered Marion's case, I decided to go in a different direction - All-Star games. In his 11 full seasons, Marion was selected to 8 All-Star contests.  That, alone, sounds impressive, but I wondered if it really is.  I made a list of the eligible players who have not reached the Hall of Fame who have the most All-Star appearances.  Heading that list are players excluded from the Hall of Fame for well-documented reasons - Pete Rose (17), Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez (14), Mark McGwire and Manny Ramirez (12), and Roger Clemens (11).  Next, though came some border-line players:  Bill Freehan (11), Steve Garvey (10), Elston Howard, Dave Concepcion, Fred Lynn, Frank McCormick, and Gary Sheffield (9).  There is a host of players with 8 All-Star games who are not in the Hall of Fame.  This standard also does not help Marty Marion.  

One name on the All-Star list that stands out is Dave Concepcion.  On the surface, he seems like a good match for Marty Marion.  Both of these players were glove-first all-star shortstops on teams that were multiple champions.  I thought also of Mark Belanger, but he had only one All-Star appearance.  The last name that fits this category is Bert Campaneris.  Campy was in 7 All-Star games.  Again, unfortunately, for Marion, when comparing him to Concepcion and Campaneris, two similar-type players. he comes up wanting.  While WAR isn't the be-all and end-all, it does serve as a guide.  Both Concepcion and Campaneris are miles ahead of Marion.  Concepcion's lifetime WAR of 40.1 ranks 45th all-time.  Campaneris was much more impressive (even with one less All-Star appearance) with a WAR of 53.0, good for 22nd all-time.  (Campaneris has an interesting Hall of Fame case himself.)

Of the ten most similar players to Marty Marion, only one, Leo Durocher, is in the Hall of Fame.  Of course, Durocher is in as a manager, not a player.  The most similar player to Marion is Rafael Ramirez who also isn't getting called to Cooperstown any time soon.

It seems that Marty Marion was an outstanding defensive shortstop who had an impressive career.  

It also seems clear that while he was an excellent player, he wasn't a Hall of Famer.