Former MLB Manager Jim Leyland Is Going To Cooperstown While Lou Piniella Falls One Vote Short

Yesterday, the Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee elected former MLB manager Jim Leyland to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In his first appearance on the ballot, Leyland earned 15 of 16 votes. 

Lou Piniella, a managerial contemporary of Leyland, fell one vote shy of being inducted on his third attempt.

Fellow managers Davey Johnson and Cito Gaston received fewer than five votes as did former umpires Joe West and Ed Montague as well as executives Bill White and Hank Peters.

It is interesting that the Committee inducted Leyland while passing over Piniella. They managed for roughly the same period with Leyland managing 22 seasons between 1986 and 2013 (with a hiatus between 2000 and 2005) and Piniella managing 23 seasons between 1986 and 2010. The only seasons during this period that Piniella wasn't managing was in 1989 and in 2006.

Piniella has the better overall record at 1836-1713 while Leyland narrowly finished above .500 at 1769-1728. Leyland's teams reached the post-season 8 times while Piniella's teams played October baseball 7 times. Each manager has a World Series ring. Piniella won his World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. Indeed, Piniella's Reds bested Leyland's Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1990 NLCS. However, Leyland won the Fall Classic with the Florida Marlins in 1997.

What might have put Leyland over the edge was that he won two more AL pennants with the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and 2012. 

The other factor working in Leyland's favor is that he is very low-key while Piniella is known for his hot temper. 

In recent years, Piniella has been battling cancer. I would hate to think that he'll only get the call to the Hall after his death a la Ron Santo or Buck O'Neill. 

Nevertheless, congratulations are in order to Jim Leyland.