When the 2000 World Series ended, George Steinbrenner told the press that his manager, Joe Torre, should be in the Hall of Fame.
As much as I hate to agree with George Steinbrenner on anything at all, I have to second that motion.
However, I don't see why Torre has to wait until he retires as a manager to enter the Hall. Torre was good enough to go to the Hall of Fame as a player, and I've always wondered why he didn't get more support for the Hall in the past based on his playing record.
Joe Torre joined the Milwaukee Braves in late 1960, and became one of the best-hitting catchers in the game. He also played excellent defense, and that combination made him the best in the National League all through the 1960s. In 1969, when he was traded to the Cardinals, Torre began spending more time in the infield, and he bounced from first base to third and back again for the rest of his career.
In 1971 Torre had one of the great seasons of the 20th century. He hit .363 with 230 hits and 137 RBI, leading the league in all three categories and winning the Most Valuable Player award by a wide margin. During his career, he drove in 100 or more runs in a season five times and hit .300 or better five times. When he retired as a player in 1977, he left behind a .297 average with over 2,300 hits and 252 home runs, excellent stats for someone who spent most of his years as a catcher.
Perhaps Torre didn't gain more attention from the writers because he bounced around from position to position in the last decade of his career. He was a catcher almost exclusively from 1960 to 1968, then moved to first in 1969 and split time between third and catcher in 1970. He played third in 1971 and 1972, first in 1973 and 1974, went back to third in 1975, and played the rest of his career at first base. It's hard to compare Torre to the great players at any one position because he moved around so much.
Torre's failure to appear in the World Series also harmed his chances for the Hall of Fame. He just missed playing for several Series teams. Torre joined the Braves two years after their 1957-58 pennant winners, then joined the Cardinals the year after their 1967-68 winners. In 1975 he was traded to the Mets, two years after their 1973 flag. Torre's teams never even appeared in the playoffs. Tony Perez, who played in four World Series in the 1970s, was elected to the Hall last year, but I think that Torre was a better player. The Series exposure gave Perez the edge he needed to gain election.
There are many guys in the Hall of Fame who weren't anywhere near as good as Joe Torre, such as Chick Hafey, Rick Ferrell, Fred Lindstrom, Hack Wilson, George Kell, Phil Rizzuto, Harry Hooper, and several others I could name. I even left out some of the underqualified pitchers like Jesse Haines and Rube Marquard. Torre's level of play was far above any of these guys. If he were in the Hall as a player, he'd be in about the middle of the pack of Hall members.
However, Steinbrenner is correct when he says that Torre deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame as a manager. Torre owns a much better record than most Hall of Fame managers.
Leo Durocher managed in the major leagues for 24 seasons, during which he won three pennants and one World Series. Earl Weaver managed the Orioles for all or part of 17 seasons, winning four pennants and one World Series. Tommy Lasorda managed the Dodgers for twenty seasons, winning four pennants and two World Series. All three of these guys are in the Hall, and so is Al Lopez, who won two pennants and never won a World Series.
Joe Torre, in only five seasons with the Yankees, has won four pennants and four World Series.
In fact, only three other managers in baseball history have won more World Series than Joe Torre.
Casey Stengel, Yankees 7 Joe McCarthy, Yankees 7 Connie Mack, Athletics 5 Joe Torre, Yankees 4 Walter Alston, Dodgers 4 John McGraw, Giants 3 Miller Huggins, Yankees 3 Sparky Anderson, Reds-Tigers 3If Joe Torre already has more World Series championships than John McGraw and Sparky Anderson, I'd say he's more than qualified for the Hall of Fame.