Yes, they all should go to the Hall of Fame, but I just don’t think of them in the same way I think of Pujols or Bonds, who are guys that you see and think “Man, he could be one of the ten best to ever play.”

Perhaps the guys I listed at 9 are more like 9.5’s.

First, they give a player a grade from one to ten for their max potential: ten being a generational talent (like Bonds or Pujols) and a one being someone who’s one step away from playing church league softball.

Then, they give a player a grade from A to F. This grade is for how likely they are to acheive that talent. An A is a mortal lock to fill their potential, an F has a major uphill battle.

I don’t know if this is something you’d like to tinker with, but I thought this might be a good jumping off point for the numbered grades (you can also give out half numbers like 7.5 if so needed.)

10: Generational Talent–maybe see a handful in your lifetime (think Bonds, Pujols, Pedro, etc.)

9: Elite Talent–Perhaps HOF caliber, at the very least a perennial all-star (think Manny Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera, etc.)

8: Star Position Player/Staff Ace/Ace Closer: They’ll probably make some All-Star games, but aren’t really hall of fame quality or guys you think of when thinking of the handful of best players. (think Scott Rolen, Jermaine Dye, Chris Carpenter, Francisco Rodriguez, etc.)

7: Everyday Player/#2-3 starter/Setup Man or late inning bullpen. Guys who certainly contribute but won’t ever be at the top of the league (think Juan Encarnacion, Orlando Cabrera, Jon Garland, Scott Linebrink, etc.)

6: Platoon/Bench Player/#4-5 starter/mop-up men. The guys who you don’t really expect much of other than to spell some guys or play just adequately (think So Taguchi, Jason Marquis, Todd Wellemeyer, etc.)

5: AAAA player/AAA All-Star. Think John Gall.

4: Career AAA everyday player.

3: Career AAA platoon/bench player.

2: Career AA player.

1: Career A or lower player.