Washington Nationals: Evaluating who gets into Cooperstown
By Brian Foley
Has a chance: Anthony Rendon
Right now, Rendon is not close to earning a Cooperstown bust. The All-Star process has left him out in the cold thus far, and while those may have been misguided misses, All-Star nominations are still a general Hall of Fame barometer. All-Star games and other individual honors are simple check marks to show whom the top players were in a given season.
But there is still hope. Rendon has already grabbed two top-six MVP finishes, and at 27, just led the National League in WAR. He is an extremely valuable two-way player, and certainly has the talent to put together a five-year run as one of the best players in the game.
Rendon reminds me of Scott Rolen, who is currently a borderline candidate in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot. Rolen was a slick-fielding third baseman and posted a 128 OPS+ in his first five full seasons, a tick higher than Rendon’s 116 OPS+ through five years. But Rendon’s numbers are suppressed by his injury-plagued 2015 campaign – 2017 showed what he can do at full strength.
As Rolen entered his prime, he garnered more attention, and racked up All-Star nods and MVP votes. If Rendon can maintain or build on his 2017 season, and capture national attention going forward, he just might be able to pile up enough offensive and defensive accolades to merit consideration.
As is the case for all of these guys, an MVP or World Series trophy would be a real feather in Rendon’s cap. It also helps that third base is currently an underrepresented position in the Hall.