I'm all for Hall of Fame benchmarks when it comes to baseball. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown isn't always so, but the Golden Players Club in Japan is. What's the Golden Players Club, you ask? Let me tell you about it!
Created by Japanese Hall of Fame pitcher Masaichi Kaneda in 1978, along with several others, the Meikyukai (or the Golden Players Club, which is how I will refer to it) is not the same as the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. While the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inducts players for a multitude of reasons, much like the National Baseball Hall of Fame does, the Golden Players Club has a couple of restrictions for its inductees. Each club member has to have been born during the reign of Emperor Hirohito, which was from 1926-1988. Additionally, they have to achieve one of these three career statistics: 2,000 hits, 200 wins, or 250 saves.
The Golden Players Club is exactly that: a club. Members of this club participate in offseason events, like charity golf tournaments and volunteering for the Red Cross. However, some former Japanese players have declined membership, like Hiromitsu Ochiai, who didn't want to be part of the organization because Kaneda and other founders criticized him throughout his career. That being said, it is still an honor to become a member, much like it is to be a member of the MLB's 500 home runs or 300 wins clubs.
Should the MLB have something like this? If so, what would be your benchmarks? Would guys with the initials BB, SS, MM, or RC be welcomed into your club with open arms? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Congrats to all of the 2019 Hall of Fame inductees, by the way, and check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
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