Chicago White Sox: Jim Kaat is headed to the Hall of Fame

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 9, 1975: Pitcher Jim Kaat #36 of the Chicago White Sox throws a pitch during a game on May 9, 1975 against the Cleveland Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 9, 1975: Pitcher Jim Kaat #36 of the Chicago White Sox throws a pitch during a game on May 9, 1975 against the Cleveland Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

It has been an interesting couple of days dissecting the 2021 Golden Era Committee’s selections for the Hall of Fame. They finally got it right and put Chicago White Sox legend, Minnie Minoso, into the Hall. Not only was he an elite baseball player, but he also broke a lot of barriers for future generations.

As awesome as that move was, it is terrible that they left out Dick Allen by one vote. It is disgraceful that a player that good during those times fell just one vote short again. During his time with the White Sox especially, Allen was amazing.

One person that was not a snub, however, is Jim Kaat. He was one of the six players that the committee put in and it is well deserved. He was an outstanding pitcher during his 25-year big league career. He appeared in 898 games as a pitcher in four different decades.

Most of Kaat’s career was spent with the Minnesota Twins. He also spent time with the White Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals. His time with the White Sox was special because of how good he was on the south side.

Jim Kaat was an outstanding baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and others.

In Kaat’s career, he was a World Series Champion, a three-time All-Star (one with the White Sox), and a 16 time Gold Glove Award winner. The only thing he was missing was a Cy Young Award but he came closest with the White Sox in 1975 when he came in 4th. Somehow, that is the only time his name has appeared on the final ballot. He received more MVP votes in his career than Cy Young votes.

With the Sox, he had a record of 45-28. He accumulated an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.238. The sample size is much smaller than his Twins career but these are the best numbers that he had with any of the five teams that he played for. He also added in 300 strikeouts in a White Sox uniform as a part of his 2461 career total.

Kaat isn’t one of those legendary White Sox players like he might be considered in Minnesota but the White Sox were certainly lucky to have him for three of his best seasons. He is well-deserving of this honor and it is nice to see that he is still with us to celebrate which isn’t as common with Golden Era selections. The White Sox were well represented this week.

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