History might look back on the 2018 Boston Red Sox as having one of the most talented rosters of its generation.
No, we’re not kidding.
ESPN’s Dave Schoenfield on Tuesday published a piece in which he predicted the 40 current Major League Baseball players bound for enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y. And if Schoenfield eventually is proven correct, then Red Sox fans might have to plan for some future trips to central New York.
Three current Sox made Schoenfield’s list: starting pitcher Chris Sale, closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Mookie Betts. Players appearing on the list weren’t simply lumped together, however. Schoenfield used categories such as “already fully qualified” to separate players and their respective qualifications.
So, where do Sale, Kimbrel and Betts fit in?
Sale falls under the “on the right track” group, which also includes Max Scherzer, Giancarlo Stanton, Madison Bumgarner, Jose Altuve and Nolan Arenado.
“Basically, these guys just have to keep doing what they’ve been doing,” Schoenfield wrote. ” …Â Sale is on the short list of best pitchers never to win a Cy Young Award with six straight seasons in the top six of the voting.”
Kimbrel, meanwhile, joins Kenley Jansen as the only relievers to make the list. Schoenfield doesn’t sound particularly confident in either players’ chances of making the Hall of Fame, though.
“I have zero idea how current relievers will be viewed down the road, with their light workload but astronomical strikeout rates,” Schoenfield wrote. “These two are both 30 and not even halfway to Trevor Hoffman’s 601 saves, let alone Mariano Rivera’s 652.
“Both have been better pitchers than Hoffman, however, so if they can keep racking up saves for another decade, you never know.”
Finally, Betts joins seven other players — Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger — in the “26-and-younger crowd” category. Schoenfield doesn’t really address any of the players specifically, though, instead opting to view the group as a whole.
“Bryant is the oldest of these eight position players, having turned 26 in January,” he wrote. “All seven clearly have displayed Hall of Fame abilities and production at a young age and the best indicator for a Hall of Famer is elite production at a young age, especially since Hall voters historically reward longevity over a short-but-dominant peak.
“Obviously, a lot can go wrong for any of these guys. David Wright and Troy Tulowitzki looked like Hall of Famers in their 20s, for example.”
Personally, we believe there’s enough time for someone like David Price to prove he’s worthy of Cooperstown. The same could be said for Dustin Pedroia, so long as he stays healthy and has a few more productive seasons.
Let the debating begin.
