The Chicago White Sox hopefully get to add another one of their legends to the Hall of Fame on December 8th.
That is when the results of the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot will be announced. A ballot that Allen is on and if he gets enough votes, he will be inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame posthumously.
Introducing the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot for consideration in the Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) November 4, 2024
Results will be announced at 7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 8: https://t.co/F6noThgQnT pic.twitter.com/yfI6neqfoY
Allen's arrival in Chicago saved baseball on the Southside.
The White Sox nearly moved to Milwaukee in the late 1960s after Bud Selig offered to buy the team from then-owner Arthur Allyn Jr.
Instead, John Allyn bought the team from his brother, and the Sox stayed in Chicago. Those were some dark days for the White Sox as they lost a then-franchise record 106 games in 1970.
Needing a draw and Allen tending to wear out his welcome, the White Sox brought Dick Allen to the Southside in a deal with Los Angeles Dodgers.
His arrival brought fans and winning back to Old Comiskey Park. Think about it: the Sox did not need a new stadium to stay in town as what the current owner wants. The team just needed Allen to do amazing things at the plate.
Allen won the MVP in 1972 with a .308 average, 1.023 OPS, and 37 home runs. The Sox finished in second in the AL West that year, two seasons after finishing dead last. The team also drew over a million fans after six seasons of barely drawing anyone to the park.
A broken leg in 1973 did not make for a great encore season even though he did hit .316 with a 1.006 OPS and 16 home runs in 72 games.
His final season on the Southside came in 1974 when he hit .301 with 32 dingers and a .938 OPS. He made the AL All-Star team during all three seasons playing on 35th St.
Making three All-Star teams and winning an MVP are not the reasons he should be in the Hall of Fame alone. Although, he did post a 15.4 bWAR during those three seasons on the Southside.
The reason he should be in the Hall of Fame is his overall career is worthy of induction.
A big reason he never got into Cooperstown in the first place was his terrible relationship with the media. He never received over 20% of the writers vote. Although his numbers did not exactly scream first-ballot Hall of Famer. Time passing is also needed to appreciate his career.
He finished as a 58.7 bWAR player over 15 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers, Sox, and Athletics.
Allen also crushed 351 career dingers, drove in 1119 runs, and collected 1848 hits. Allen also posted a career .378 on-base percentage and a career .912 OPS.
He made seven All-Star teams and won the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award. He led baseball in home runs during those memorable 1972 and 1974 seasons.
His similar batters comp include Larry Doby and likely future Hall of Famers Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.
His most similar seasons by age include Willie Mays' at 25 and Chipper Jones' at 29. His career OPS+ from 1964-1974 is better than Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson. Seeing all that production at the plate based on the numbers that should be valued, you can see why he should be in the Hall of Fame.
Allen fell a vote shy of getting into the Hall of Fame the last time he was up for consideration. Hopefully, he clears the threshold this time around.