Houston Astros: Lance Berkman’s case for the Hall of Fame

Berkman’s resume speaks for itself but, unfortunately, he likely won’t be elected into the Hall in 2019. The field is simply too stacked with other legends who’s numbers outshine Berkman’s a little bit. There are also holdovers Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens who are finally on the edge of enshrinement.

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In a lesser year, Berkman could’ve had a decent shot at being a first ballot Hall of Famer. Not many switch hitters did it or do it like Big Puma did. He hit for some incredible power but, he also was just a phenomenal pure hitter. His average speaks to that as does his 422 career doubles.

Berkman will likely get a decent amount of votes this go-round due to his stats and personality but, he won’t make it. He’ll see his odds increase a ton in 2020 when the field is way less crowded with only Derek Jeter being the only sure-fire first ballot guy.

Berkman will end up in the Hall one day, there is no doubt about that. Sure, there are many questions one could ask about his career. What if he played first his whole career, could he have played longer then? Will not getting to 400 homers hurt his chances? It might but, it shouldn’t keep him out forever.

Lance Berkman is one of the best players to don a Houston Astros uniform. His grand slam in the 2005 NLDS was one of the most clutch hits in history. He earned his spot in Cooperstown and while 2019 may not be his year, 2020 presents better chances.

Berkman had a great career that deserves to be celebrated. So, my fellow Houston Astros fans, let’s get out there and start helping his campaign to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.