The Bizarro Hall of Fame: Introducing the Class of 2002

In the coming weeks, One More Dying Quail will be profiling the 182 current members of the Bizarro Hall of Fame, an organization that currently exists only in my mind. It was created in the wake of Major League Baseball’s infamous Steroid Era as a way of honoring those players whose careers were perfectly mediocre: the only requirement is that a candidate be listed on the official Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and receive zero votes.

Class of 2002

Mike Henneman – When I was a kid and the Detroit Tigers were American League East Division rivals of my Boston Red Sox, Henneman’s name always seemed to crop up into any conversation of top relievers in the league. (I also remember those conversations as including Stan Belinda, so take this memory for what it’s worth.) It’s easy to forget because he flamed out so quickly (he had a career high 31 saves in 1996, but grouped that with an 0-7 record and 5.79 ERA), but for seven seasons from 1987-93 he was a key member of a very good Tigers bullpen, recording twenty or more saves five times.

Jeff Russell – Like his contemporary Rick Aguilera, Russell began his major league career as a starting pitcher before moving into the bullpen and flourishing. After becoming a full-time closer in 1989, he saved thirty or more games four times in five seasons, twice recording an ERA below 2.00. The Rangers dealt him to Oakland at the 1992 trading deadline in exchange for Jose Canseco, Ruben Sierra, and fellow Bizarro Hall of Famer Bobby Witt.

Scott Sanderson – The words “Scott Sanderson” and “Hall of Fame” don’t even begin to go together, but the truth is that Sanderson had himself a nice little major league career, winning 163 games in nineteen seasons. Though his only All-Star appearance came as a member of the New York Yankees in 1991, the year before was probably his best season – he finished third on the Oakland A’s staff with seventeen wins and made the only World Series appearance of his career.

Robby Thompson – Thompson played eleven seasons for the San Francisco Giants, enjoying his best season (.312, 19, 65) during the great pennant race of 1993. It was also his last good season; he failed to play in more than 95 games in any of his final three seasons and never got his batting average above .223. A fun fact: his homerun against the Pirates on July 17, 1987 was the 10,000th in Giants history.

Coming soon: the Bizarro Hall of Fame Class of 2001.