The complicated career of former Phillie Dick Allen is again in the spotlight as the slugger is on the ballot for consideration by the Veteran’s Committee. The announcement will be made on Dec. 8 during the Winter Meetings.

Allen did 2 tours of duty with the Phillies – first, from 1963 to 1969, and then again at the end of his career in 1975 – 76. The first go ’round was eventful to say the least. For those of us who weren’t even alive during this time, by all accounts it rivals anything we’ve seen over the last 25 years, including Owens vs. McNabb, Allen Iverson, Mike Schmidt’s well chronicled relationship with Philly fans, and the Lindros/Clarke fiasco of the late 90′s.

The Cons

Detractors contend that Allen was a clubhouse cancer, creating factions of enemies and friends that were pitted against one another. They continue that Allen created enough distractions that teams he played on were worse off for having him. Perhaps no one more succinctly explains this theory than sabermetric guru and Red Sox adviser Bill James. James writes in his book, The Politics of Glory (1994):

The stuff that is gradually being forgotten and revised and rewritten out of existence is that Allen never did anything to help his teams win, and in fact spent his entire career doing everything he possibly could to keep his teams from winning.

and then concludes with this:

Did he have value? Did he help his teams win?

He did more to keep his teams from winning than anybody else who ever played major league baseball. And if that’s a Hall of Famer, I’m a lug nut.

I’d love to hear what James thinks of Manny Ramirez, who, despite a Hall of Fame career, dogged it shamelessly in Boston in 2008 to force a trade to the Dodgers. James trashes Allen for “forcing a trade” as a result of a fight he got into with Phillies slugger Frank Thomas in 1965.

So, the bottom line for those who oppose Dick Allen’s election to the Hall is that his stats are borderline when compared to Hall of Fame standards (we’ll dig into that in a moment), he was a clubhouse nightmare, and undermined authority whenever he had the opportunity.

I strongly recommend anyone nerdy enough to love history AND baseball to read the Bill James excerpt above, and then read an article by Craig R. Wright that was published in SABR magazine in 1995 to provide a strong counterpoint to the Dick Allen haters. The Wright article, is unbelievably in-depth, and is a credible piece given that Wright is a very well respected sabermetrician and baseball mind.

The Pros

Wright contends that, after extensive interviews with those who Allen played for or played with, the notion that Allen was a negative force who prevented his teams from winning is a complete misnomer that has taken on a life of its own. Consider that Wright spent time tracking down Pat Corrales, Danny Ozark, Chuck Tanner and Gene Mauch among others, whereas James’ offers little in the way of anything other than his opinion of Allen based on what seems to be second hand information.

Ozark (who was a coach in LA when Allen spent a year there, and then managed Allen in Philly in the mid ’70s):

He wasn’t any problem for me, ever, not in LA or Philly. He was super. He did everything I asked him to.

Mauch (who managed Allen in the mid ’60s):

“I’ve never been in contact with a greater talent. He was held in absolute awe by every player in the league. He had tremendous power. He had a great feel for the game, and he was one of the finest base runners — which is different from base stealing — that I ever saw. If I was managing California today and Allen was in his prime, I’d take him in a minute.”

Tanner (who coached Allen during his time in Chicago with the White Sox):

“(Bill James is) full of shit, and you be sure to tell him that.”

Wright’s article also shed more light on Allen’s much-ballyhooed fight with Frank Thomas in 1965, which is reported to have been rooted in Thomas’ penchant for referring to black players like Johnny Briggs as “boy”. Allen was no pushover, and he didn’t allow Thomas to get away with it, according to Wright.

Callison was quoted in Allen’s biography, Crash, this way:

“Thomas rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Mauch wanted him gone — and here was his excuse. … Thomas got himself fired when he swung that bat at Richie. In baseball you don’t swing a bat at another player — ever.”

There are many other examples of Allen’s perceived attitude and penchant for being difficult: his 1969 season – when suspensions and lateness forced the Phillies to trade him, injuries in Chicago that were questioned, his return to Philly which included threatening to not play in the 1976 playoffs if another teammate wasn’t added to the postseason roster. However, when you consider the time in which Allen played and the city in which he played most of his career without the benefit of free agency, it is easy to understand how his career could be viewed in diametrically opposed ways.

Statistics

Opponents of Allen’s induction into the Hall point to stats that are borderline for a worthy Hall member, as well as crappy defense for too much of his career. Wright goes into more detail regarding Allen’s defense, but to paraphrase, his defense was not as awful as it has been characterized, but he was also not Brooks Robinson at third base, either.

In terms of his offense, Allen was outstanding. Consider that he only averaged 450 at bats in his 14 full major league seasons, he is one of only 5 players in major league history to post a .290 BA, 350 HRs, 75 triples and 125 SBs. The other 4? You may know these guys – Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Al Kaline, and Barry Bonds.

Allen hit for tremendous power (19th all-time in career OPS+ with a 156 mark) and still swiped a considerable number of bases while being a triples threat for the better part of his career. He was not huge (5’11″ 190 lbs.) but swung a tree trunk for a bat, and turned Shibe Park into his own pinball machine, at least according to my Dad, who will go on and on about Allen if you let him.

Many folks continue to lobby hard for Ron Santo’s induction into Cooperstown. Chuck Johnson over at Dugout Central argues that Allen is more deserving than Santo of induction:

Like Santo, Allen played just 15 major league seasons. Unlike Santo, who played 150 or more games in 11 of his 15 years, Allen reached that plateau only four times. Yet despite having played 494 fewer games, Allen’s career numbers are as good or better than Santo’s. And while no one will can make the claim Allen was underrated defensively, I’m of the impression Santo was overrated with the glove, as his 11 seasons of 20 or more errors will attest.

Conclusion

A less controversial player who was more visible in the game after his career was over would be in the Hall of Fame already when you consider that Allen achieved his stats over 6300+ at bats, compared to many HOFers who had 10,000 or more. Allen’s park adjusted OPS is greater than Hank Aaron, Joe Dimaggio and Frank Robinson, and equal to Willie Mays. While his defense was suspect, Allen was still a complete player and his numbers cannot be disputed, even if his character often is. Dick Allen deserves election to the Hall of Fame. The question is whether or not 75% of the voting Veterans agree with me. One thing is for sure – if Allen is inducted, I’ll be in Cooperstown that weekend with my Dad to see it.

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Research Credits
Dick Allen’s Career Stats
Dick Allen More Deserving of Hall Consideration Than Ron Santo
The Hall of Fame
Dick Allen For The Hall of Fame
The Complete Baseball Encyclopedia
Career Leaders – Adjusted OPS