Most known for being the heart of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup for over a decade, Carlos Delgado has created a resume that wouldn’t look out of place in Cooperstown. He’s not on the ballot anymore, and the way the system is, for the time being he never will. But should he? Huston Street got a Hall of Fame vote this year, and we can’t reopen Hall of Fame cases from the past? We might not be able to put him in Cooperstown ourselves, but we can certainly make it known that Carlos Delgado was one of the best hitters of all time.
473 Career HRs. Lifetime .280 Batting Average. 1512 Career RBIs. .929 Career OPS. .546 Career SLG. 2038 Career Hits.
Carlos played 17 years between Toronto, Florida and New York, and unlike most players in their later years his performance didn’t dip. In fact, maintaining an All-Star level at the plate well into his 30s. Not only that, but a plethora of stats he produced helped made him stand out among the rest.
A shortlist of further evidence that stands out to prove Carlos Delgado’s Cooperstown case are as follows:
- Delgado’s notable career 162 game AVG’s: 162 hits, 38 HRs, 120 RBIs, 99 Runs, 88 BBs, and 317 Total Bases
- 4 straight seasons with 100+ BBs (2000-’03)
- 5 straight seasons of 100+ Runs (1999-’03)
- 10 straight seasons of 30+ HRs (1997-’06)
- 10 seasons with an OPS above .900 (9 of them consecutive from 1998-’06)
- 4 consecutive seasons of an OBP of .400+
- 12 seasons in which Delgado slugged over .500 (10 of them consecutive from 1998-’06)
- 9 seasons of 100+ RBIs (6 of them consecutive from 1998-’03)
Apologies for the repetition there, it was needed though to emphasize Delgado’s greatest characteristic, consistency. How many other power hitters especially during Delgado’s time were also as good a contact hitter, and a constant on-base threat, for as long as he did? Frank Thomas? Pujols? Miggy? Manny? Chipper? Pretty decent company.
Delgado played for Toronto for the bulk of his career. Therefore, facing the AL East’s opposing pitching more often than not at the time. Clemens. Pedro. Schilling. Mussina. Pettitte. Facing them nearly night after night and still produced as well as he did.
From Delgado’s first full year as a Blue Jay until his last with the club (1994-2004), he was an absolute menace. 336 HRs and 1,058 RBIs in a decade’s worth of work is phenomenal. With a fat cherry on top in the form of 826 walks and an OPS of .949 in that span as well.
What sets Delgado apart from most however were the years after his tenure in Toronto. For most big leaguers, once you hit around 33 years of age, you tend to see regressions in performance even in the slightest. Delgado had different ideas though.
When Toronto let Delgado go in winter 2004/05, he would sign with the Florida Marlins and made sure they would not regret signing him. Delgado would end up finishing 6th in MVP voting in 2005, hitting .301 with a fantastic .399/.582/.981 slash line. 33 bombs, 115 RBIs, 72 BBs and 303 Total Bases capped off a monster year and his only one in Florida. He would depart for Flushing, Queens in the following offseason, but Carlo’s time in Florida shows it wasn’t just the system and/or lineup that was the source for his success, he raked all on his own.
Delgado would end his career in New York for his final four years, and these years really set him apart from most. From 2006 to 2009 Carlos posted an ever steady 468 hits in 468 games. 103 big flys, 339 RBIs and an .857 OPS in that span. His first year with the club in 2006 was a monster one. Crushing 38 homers and 114 RBIs, 89 runs and 72 walks to boot, finishing 12 in MVP voting at age 34.
At age 36 he would defy that number yet again. matching his homer total in 2006, with one more RBI than that year’s total as well. Most guys at 36 either have their worst year or decline in productivity sharply, but Carlos was out there finishing 9th in MVP voting in 2008. One of the handful of reasons why Cooperstown need to rethink their system and get Delgado back on the ballot.
The talent, the numbers, the consistency, the longevity. the value to every team he was with. All of it warrants him a plaque in the Hall of Fame. 473 homers combined with a .280 lifetime AVG showcases the balance he had at the plate. A truckload of walks on top of it encapsulates a complete hitter. Cooperstown’s system of who gets in and who doesn’t needs to be reviewed and perhaps changed if deserving guys like Carlos get left out. In the age that Delgado played in amongst the Steroid Era, and not being on any lists himself, and still absolutely dominated his time. Let’s put some respect on Carlos Delgado’s name and make it known that he’s good enough for Cooperstown immortality.
