Cooperstown Choices: Ruben Sierra

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Ruben Sierra

Ruben Sierra
Twenty years spread over nine teams, Sierra’s career started in 1986 as a member of the Texas Rangers. It would come to a close in 2006 in Minnesota. This is Sierra’s first time on the ballot.

Why He Should Get In
Sierra was a journeyman that made four All Star appearances and won a silver slugger award. As much as fellow hopeful Edgar Martinez represents Designated Hitters, Sierra can join him in that argument having spent a considerable amount of time as one himself. He has 306 home runs, 1322 runs batted in and 2,152 hits.

Why He Should Not Get In
His counting numbers are low and if the writers are going to be willing to put someone known as a designated hitter into the Hall, he needs to have numbers that knock your socks off. He had some impressive years and some solid production, but it was not sustained long enough to make a difference.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
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