64/60 Sports Special Report: Pete Rose And His Place In Baseball History

If you were a baseball fan growing up in the 80's in Eastern Kentucky you rooted for the Reds and Charlie Hustle was baseball. In the Coleman household it was tough growing up a sports fan. It wasn't like Hop was kicked back every evening listening to Marty on the Radio. So my baseball past and present was the back of baseball cards in GRC3's room. I knew that Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan we're good players because those cards were separated and placed in a better container. I also knew that this Pete Rose guy must be something really special. I knew this because their was a Charlie Hustle Pennant along with a RC Can and various other Big Red Machine Memorabilia spread throughout the room. I also had one of the classic Sports Illustrated player posters in my room and who else could it be other than Pete Rose. It wasn't just GRC3 who educated me on the Hit King. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a group of kids that even though I was several years younger, allowed me to participate in the daily wiffle ball games played in every yard in the neighborhood. My love of sports is directly thanks to them and I give thanks to them everyday. They to loved Pete. He was the spark plug for the big Red Machine. One of the kids had a freakin mural dedicated to Rose on their bedroom wall. My mind was made up PETE ROSE was a baseball god.

I meet Pete Rose before my teen years. He was signing baseball cards and various other items in a shopping mall in the Cincinnati area. I was in town preparing to see the Reds against my favorite team at the time the New York Mets (I was young and very impressionable, besides Doc Gooden was pretty cool). Pete busted my chops for wearing a Mets cap. I had him sign a 1984 Fleer card with him as a Phillie that I had purchased. He thanked me and I was on my way. I had meet the God himself, I had come face to face with the greatest baseball player of all time. Not only that but Pete didn't just go through the motions with me he actually joked about my hat. It was one of those few moments in life were everything is good in the world.

As the years have passed and my baseball passion has become my own, my appreciation for Pete and his place in baseball history has faded. I was saddened when he was banned for life and I was one of the last holdouts of the Pete only bet on his team to win crowd. My love for the statistics have lead me to believe that Pete not only isn't the Golden God of Baseball but that he shouldn't be considered among the Top 50 players of All Time or perhaps lower. I know that this will be a highly debated or criticized statement to many who follow this site but please take a look at some of the numbers before you fill the comment section.

First the good. Pete Rose without a doubt belongs in the baseball Hall Of Fame. Had the events of the past not have occurred Pete would have been a first ballot guy as he should have been. Pete finished as the all time leader in Hits 4256, Games Played 3562, Plate Appearances 15861, and AB 14053. Yes some of these numbers are due to longevity but being able to year after year remain healthy over the course of 24 season is something that should be celebrated. To put it in perspective the Average Hall Of Fame Hitter played in 2131 Games in his Career and had 8982 career PA. Not only did Rose play nearly everyday over those 24 Seasons but he also played wherever needed. Over his career Rose played all three OF positions along with 3B, 2B and 1B. Pete Rose was a career .303 hitter and averaged 98 Runs over the course of 162 games throughout his career. Rose lead the league in Runs 4 times, Hits 7 times, AVG 3 Times and OBP 2 times. He owns One MVP as well as the Rookie of The Year. Rose was a 17 time All Star which is tied for the 12th most of all time.

Now for the strikes against Rose. Pete Rose wasn't much of a threat as a hitter. Yes Rose was a good hitter but he had little power and no speed. His 162 Game Average for his career was a .303 AVG with 7HR 98Runs 60RBI and 9 SB. Other than the .303 mark (which actually is the Average AVG for Hall Of Fame hitters) and the 98 Runs everything else is below average production. Throw the RBI out because Rose hit near the top of the lineup but even in the 60's and 70's 20+ HR seasons were the normal. And typically players who are considered the table setters usually have a threat of speed, certainly not Pete. If your a fan of the more indicator statistics as I am Pete even falls farther from the elite. Pete's slash line is .303AVG/.375OBP/.409SLG/.784OPS the average HOF Hitter slash line is .303/.377/.462/.839. Pete is at the target with AVG and just below AVG in OBP but trails considerably in Slugging and OPS. In fact Pete would Rank 78th in Average amongst all HOF, 77th in OBP, 118th in SLG% and 113th in OPS. Yes Pete won an MVP but during his other 23 seasons he only finished among the Top 5 vote getter's only 4 times. Perhaps his biggest contribution, versatility, could also be questioned as Pete wasn't a pre-Jose Oquendo who played several positions well. Pete won only two Gold Gloves and both were as a OF. Perhaps the best example of Pete Rose's place in baseball history can be found with his WAR standing. For those of you who aren't familiar with WAR, WAR stand for Wins Above Replacement. Bill James a famous sabermatrician created a formula to determine how many wins a player provided their team in comparison to a player who performed at the league average during that season. James went back throughout the history of baseball and rated every player. Rose created 75.3 wins for his teams during his career which is good for 67th on the all time list.

I realize this is going to be a tough sale to everyone. It's not just locally I would venture to say that 80% of casual baseball fans if asked to name the 10 best hitters of all time would name Rose. Still to this day I am a huge Pete Rose fan. Every highlight I have seen shows me a player who played with an all out style like no other. The image of Charlie Hustle running around the bases with the hair flopping has become the legend not the numbers. The numbers say that Rose was a good player who played a really long time and performed well above your average player. The numbers say that Rose had 4256 career hits but 76% resulted in Rose being on first. Baseball Reference has player comparisons for every major league player. Each players career is compared to 10 other players. Pete Rose career resembles in order Paul Molitor, Tris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Robin Yount, Paul Waner, George Brett, Cap Anson, Lou Brock, Rickey Henderson, Craig Biggio. All of them are HofF or of that caliber but only Cobb and perhaps Henderson would be considered as a ALL Time great.
Pete Rose was the most recognized player from one of the most recognized teams in the history of baseball. This should certainly earn him a plaque in Cooperstown but not a seat amongst the greatest the game has ever seen.