This year the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was filled with a cast of stars. Not surprising, I know, since it is called the “All-Star Game.” But as I watched the game, I wondered how many future Hall of Fame players were out there. The bar for the HOF is much higher than the ASG so the list thinned out. I came up with:
These are the players whose chances I like best to make the HOF, without doing a deep dive into the numbers. I didn’t consider players who were voted to the ASG but didn’t play due to injury except Trout because he’s a no doubt HOFer. I just went on gut feeling from years of watching the game. I don’t know the exact number of players who went – this is just a “round it off” activity – but it’s about 10%, based on how many players typically go to the game.
Of that 10%, only one player – Shohei Ohtani – will clearly have a lasting impact on the game. An All-Star as both batter and pitcher, he’s only in the “Likely” category because of how few years he’s played. Assuming good health, the whole Likely category will make it I believe.
So, what about you? I’m sure you’re an All-Star. Are you in the 10% I’m eyeing for the Hall of Fame? How about the 1% (Shohei!) who revolutionizes the game?
You may not care about being in the 1%, and that’s totally fine. Your zone may be having a lasting impact for one company, someplace that’s going to appreciate you and be much better off for your years of employment. Right now, that’s…Aaron Judge. MVP caliber player on the best team in baseball (sorry Dodgers fans, it’s true!), he’s not going to change the game, but he’s certainly putting his mark on the franchise and shaping its future. Even if he leaves as a free agent after the season for a mountain of gold (unlikely), he’s imprinted his leadership, work ethic, hustle, and dedication onto his teammates. Something that was passed down to him from the Derek Jeter era players…?
Perhaps you’re ready for the Hall right now and simply need that last crowning achievement, what the kids call the “ship.” Well, if you’re like Mike Trout, a certain Hall of Famer who just needs to win a World Series before he retires, your Next Great Next seems to be leaving where you are and going to a winning team that’s looking for a key player like you to make all the difference and put them over the top. It’d be a bold move after all your success where you are, one you don’t need to make, but an organizational shift is what you need to put the jewels in your crown.
Just like the baseball players, you’ve got to always be ready. You never know if you’re going to get a fastball, changeup, or curveball. The perfect opportunity could be hanging over the plate, ready for you to hit a homerun. But if you aren’t prepared to talk about your unique value and how you can be an All-Star – or better yet, a Hall of Famer – that opportunity will pass you by and you’ll strikeout.
No matter if you’d like to remake your industry, position yourself for a huge payday somewhere else by being the one everybody wants, or be the difference-maker where you are now, there are different paths to the Hall of Fame – in baseball and in everyday life. What they have in common is how important it is to always be ready, something ExecuNet Strategists do a wonderful job teaching those with Premium Access whom they work with.
You’ve just got to always be ready!
