Hall of Fame Hats

Miguel Cabrera hit his 500th home run this afternoon, and his 3,000th hit will likely come early next season.  We've known for a while that Miggy is a future Hall of Famer, and he's been with the Tigers so long that most people forget he actually started his career with the Marlins (and was on their 2003 World Series championship team).  So, it should be an obvious choice when it comes to which team's hat will be on his plaque in Cooperstown.

Over the past few years, that's become quite the topic of debate every time the Hall of Fame discussion comes around.  Greg Maddux couldn't decide between the Cubs and Braves, so he went without a logo on his hat (even though it should've been the Braves), and suddenly that became the "in" thing.  Roy Halladay also went in logoless, although I can understand why the Hall of Fame might've been reluctant to make that decision on their own when he didn't stipulate Blue Jays or Phillies before he did.

Nowadays, players move around so frequently that the "easy" ones like Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones are becoming fewer and fewer.  Sure, there are still a few players who'll end up playing either their entire career or the majority of their career with the same team, but the Yadi Molinas, Joey Vottos and Clayton Kershaws of the world are becoming less and less.

But, a decision will definitely have to be made when the likes of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (among others) get their Cooperstown call.  Some are more obvious than others.  Assuming that all of these players are eventually voted into the Hall of Fame, though, this is the hat they should don...

Albert Pujols: Cardinals-Whether he retires after this season or not is irrelevant.  The Cardinals vs. Angels decision is one that'll have to be made soon regardless.  Although, frankly, I don't think it's much of a discussion.  In St. Louis, he was one of the best players in baseball, a Rookie of the Year, a three-time MVP and a two-time World Series winner.  In Anaheim, he was a shell of his former self and got cut.  Like I said, no choice at all.

Madison Bumgarner: Giants-Just like with Albert, MadBum's Hall of Fame team selection isn't actually hard.  In fact, I shouldn't even really have him on here (and not because he isn't a Hall of Famer...because he definitely is).  He spent 11 years in San Francisco and won three World Series with the Giants (including one almost single-handedly).  No matter how long he ends up spending in Arizona (or anywhere else), nothing else he does in his career will match that.

Max Scherzer: Nationals-This one's still a little up in the air since we don't know where Max is gonna end up next season.  Based on his career so far, though, I don't think there's a question he'll be the first player with a Washington Nationals hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.  Two Cy Youngs (as well as a second and a third), an All-Star every season, and, of course, a World Series champion during six years in DC.

Justin Verlander: Tigers-What he's done since joining the Astros is nothing short of amazing.  Verlander's only played two full seasons in Houston, though.  He played 13 in Detroit, where, let's not forget, he won an MVP!  He also started Game 1 of the World Series as a rookie for the Tigers.  (Fun fact: Verlander has a ring but is 0-6 in seven career World Series starts, so shut up about Kershaw!)

Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks-Greinke's an interesting one.  Because he's more a "body of work" guy than an obvious you know it by watching him Hall of Famer.  That and the fact he's been on so many teams!  He spent the most time in Kansas City (seven seasons) and his best years were probably his three with the Dodgers.  Greinke followed that up with three and a half solid seasons as Arizona's ace.  He never had a losing season as a Diamondback.

Bryce Harper: Phillies-Bryce Harper's Hall of Fame case is definitely an interesting one.  This is his 10th season, so he only just now became Hall of Fame eligible.  And he probably isn't there yet.  But, seeing as he's only 28 and has plenty of prime years left in him, I think he probably gets there.  And, seeing as he's only three years into a 35-year contract with the Phillies, whatever milestones he hits, he'll hit them in a Phillies uniform.  When all is said and done, he'll also end up spending a lot longer in Philadelphia than he did in Washington.

Manny Machado: Padres-Same thing with Harper's 2018-19 free agent buddy Manny Machado.  He's in his 10th Major League season now.  But, if he keeps up his current pace over the second half of his career, a Hall of Fame plaque seems likely.  He was great in Baltimore.  But, like Harper, by the end of his career, he'll have been in San Diego so long that everybody only thinks of him as a Padre.

Aroldis Chapman: Yankees-Love him or hate him, there will definitely be a Hall of Fame case to be made for Aroldis Chapman when he retires.  He had three 50-save seasons in Cincinnati and won a World Series during his half-season rental with the Cubs.  While his career with the Yankees has been rocky, some of that might have to do with the fact that he's being compared to Mariano Rivera, which isn't exactly fair to anybody.  He career save totals are just about even for each team, though, and his next will be the 300th of his career.  With plenty of years still to go.

CC Sabathia: Yankees-Who said I was only doing active players?  CC is eligible in 2025 and, while he probably won't get inducted alongside Ichiro in his first year, I do think he eventually gets in.  And the hat decision will really come down to Yankees or Indians.  He won his only Cy Young in Cleveland.  However, it was with the Yankees that he won his only World Series ring.  CC also spent more years in New York (11-8) and won more games as a Yankee (134-106).

Adrian Beltre: Rangers-Beltre is so identified with the Rangers that this one should really be more in the "obvious" category.  I included him to illustrate my point about players moving around, though.  While we think of him as a Ranger first and foremost (for a number of reasons), he only spent eight seasons in Texas.  That's just one season more than Beltre played for the Dodgers, and he was also a Mariner for five.