Dom Dimaggio

To appreciate baseball you have to be a student of the game and learn it's stories and characters.  We've all heard of the great centerfielders but Dom is one that has been lost in the shuffle.  At first glance you see a guy that had a famous brother and a relatively short career that spanned 11 years.  When you look closer at Dom's numbers and his abbreiveted career and the fact that he missed 3 seasons due to fact that he was off fighting WWII, one hopes that the Hall of Fame Veterns committee takes at look at Dom and what he did in that short time. 

    Dom Dimaggio was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1939, in 1940 his rookie season he hit .301 and scored 81 runs in 108 games, answering many critics who said he was signed because of his famous last name.  In 1941 Dimaggio earned a regular spot as the centerfielder, he hit lead-off and scored 117 runs and made his first of 7 all-star teams.  He went onto to hit .286 in 1942 with 14 home-runs and 110 runs scored.  After the 42 season, Dom left the Sox to enlist in US Navy where he fought for 3 years during WWII.  It can be argued that those 3 years during Dom's prime would have been no less successful than the 11 he played.  Dimaggio returned to the Sox in 1946 and helped them win the AL Pennant.  He hit .316 that year with 73 RBI's and helped lead them into the Fall Classic that year against the St. Louis Cardinals.  Dom retired in 1953 leaving careers numbers that would make many a big league hitter jealous, finishing with a lifetime batting avg. of .298 with over 1600 hits.  Dom is one of 3 players to average over a 100 runs scored per season for their career, and he still holds the Al record for putouts in a single season at 503.  With everything that has gone on in baseball the last 10 years, and with everthing now HOF voters will have to take into account, it is now time for the Veteran's Committee to take into not only Dom's numbers that were cut short because of WWII, but all worthy candidates.