ESPN’s SweetSpot force majeure David Schoenfield was making the case that Bernie is worthy of HOF consideration. While I agree he’s worth considering, Schoenfield really created the case why Bernie should not be in the HOF:

At his peak, Williams was a terrific offensive force, even though he reached 30 home runs just once in his career. From 1995 through 2002, he averaged .321/.406/.531 with 105 runs and 102 RBIs per season. He won four Gold Gloves, despite his weak throwing arm; the defensive metrics never matched his reputation and Baseball-Reference.com grades out Williams as a below-average center fielder over his career. He sure seemed smooth and effective out there, however. It’s an extremely strong peak, punctuated by starring on four World Series champions, arguably the most valuable player on those teams. (From 1996 through 2002, Derek Jeter had 35.1 WAR according to B-R, Williams 34.6, Andy Pettitte 27.3 and Mariano Rivera 24.3.)

Williams had seven seasons with an OPS+ of 130 or higher — OK, that’s a lot fewer than the all-time great center fielders like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle — but it’s the same total as Hall of Fame center fielders Duke Snider and Earl Averill, the same number as Andre Dawson (who had seven such seasons, but three as a right fielder), and more than Larry Doby and Kirby PucketT. Williams had nine seasons with 3+ WAR as a center fielder — the same number as Snider and Richie Ashburn, more than Hall of Famers Max Carey, Edd Roush, Dawson (eight in his career, seven as a center fielder) or Puckett.

It’s true that with most very good (or better) players, like Bernie, you can find ample comps to players already enshrined. Matching Bernie up with the players listed above paints a reasonable picture where he sits on the mountain of retired players. Yet, as much as I respected the way Bernie played the game, on and off the field, he’s still not a Hall of Famer.

Heck, just for kicks, have a read of Sam Miller’s takedown of the Juan Gonzalez HOF glossy (h/t HBT) if you want to read about another guy on the fringe of the HOF and you’ll come to what might be Miller’s most accurate line of the whole article:

Or else creating lists like these, and having them stand in for a comprehensive evaluation of a player’s overall performance, is a terrible and misleading way of comparing players.

That’s spot on and while I know Schoenfield wasn’t putting the list together to find an excuse to put Bernie into the Hall, it’s worth remembering Miller’s point about simply cherry-picking from lists of given stats.

Looking back at Bernie’s career, it’s fairly obvious that ownership really didn’t want Bernie all that much, until Boston wanted him after his 1998 season, that is. Early in Bernie’s career, his doe-eyed demeanor and quiet personality earned him the harsh nickname of “Bambi”, bestowed upon him by world class good-guy Mel Hall. In the early/mid-1990′s, as the Internet was beginning to unfold for those of you too damn young to remember, Bernie wasn’t one of Buck Showalter or George Steinbrenner’s favorites. He didn’t hit for power or steal bases, despite having the kind of speed in the outfield they call “easy”. You’ll hear and read about his weak arm and his poor defensive metrics; this was true. However, for those who watched him daily, his ability to cover ground almost effortlessly was worth watching. Bernie had a quiet elegance about him and for a guy playing centerfield for the NY Yankees, this was a beautiful time.

Adept at both sides of the plate, Bernie emerged in the mid/late-1990′s as the Yanks’ dynasty took off. His 1996 post-season was magnificent, winning the ALCS MVP and helping the team win their 1996 title. Bernie’s apex came just in line with the Yankees apex, in 1998, when he lead the league in hitting with a .339 AVG and hoisted a fancy .339/.422/.575 triple-slash line (OPS+ 160) helping the Yanks win 114 games and their second World Series in three years. Bernie was never about showboating, boasting, hysterics or useless gesticulation. Much like long time teammates Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, Bernie performed the way you’d likely instruct young kids to play the game. [I will not get all Bob Costas-y, I promise.] This professionalism is an enduring and endearing characteristic of Bernie Williams.

By 2003, Bernie was done as an upper eschelon player, though he remained a fairly productive player for the team for the next few years as age began to take its toll. He was brought back for a farewell lap in 2006 and was done after that. The end wasn’t pretty, but the end rarely is. Bernie wanted to play more but like generations of players before him, his body betrayed him long before his mind would admit.

Bernie Williams had a very good career, one most players would only dream of. World Series champion multiple times, core player, respected, rewarded. He may never get elected to the Hall of Fame, but for us die-hards, we will always appreciate what Bernie brought to the teams for which he played.

Thank you, Bernie.