no one has ever been more agonizingly close, so often to the Hall of Fame without getting in than Hodges. Consider:
• No player ever received more votes from the writers without getting in.
• He is the only person ever to get more than 60 percent of the Hall vote without eventually getting in.
• At various times during his 15 years on the ballot he finished ahead of 21 different future Hall of Famers -- including easily beating out former teammate Pee Wee Reese all eight times they were on the same ballot.
• The revamped Veterans Committee essentially named him Best Player Not in the Hall, giving Hodges the most support in each of its two elections; he missed getting in by 11 votes and then by eight votes.
How good was Hodges? Think of him as a better version of Hall of Famer Tony Perez -- better plate discipline, better power and a better glove. He outslugged Perez (.487, .463), reached base more often (.359, .341), made more All-Star teams (eight, seven), won more Gold Gloves (three, zero) and had just as many 100-RBI seasons (seven). At the time of his retirement Hodges was the all-time NL leader in home runs among right-handed hitters. He was the premier defensive first baseman of his era and -- as part of his overall contribution to the game, which must be considered -- he was a highly respected manager who crafted one of the most unlikely world championships in history (the 1969 Mets) and he was the idol of many baseball fans for his integrity and character.