Rollie Fingers' most similar: Who deserves induction?

[Cowtipper]

Of the 10 players most statistically similar to Rollie Fingers, nine of them are not in the Hall of Fame. Those nine players are:

Gene Garber
Kent Tekulve
Mike Marshall
Jeff Reardon
John Franco
Stu Miller
Sparky Lyle
Lee Smith
Roberto Hernandez

Which of those players do you believe should be in the Hall of Fame? Here are the notable achievements, black ink, grey ink and similar Hall of Famers for each of these players:

Garber:

1972 Pitcher of the Year, International League, Charleston Charlies
NL Games Pitched Leader (1975)
30 Saves Seasons: 1 (1982)
Black ink: 1
Grey ink: 24
Similar Hall of Famers: Rollie Fingers

Tekulve:

NL All-Star (1980)
3-time NL Games Pitched Leader (1978, 1979 & 1982)
30 Saves Seasons: 2 (1978 & 1979)
Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979
Black ink: 4
Grey ink: 30

Marshall:

2-time NL All-Star (1974 & 1975)
NL Cy Young Award Winner (1974)
4-time League Games Pitched Leader (1972-1974/NL & 1979/AL)
3-time League Saves Leader (1973/NL, 1974/NL & 1979/AL)
15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1974)
200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1974)
30 Saves Seasons: 2 (1973 & 1979)
Black ink: 13
Grey ink: 39

Reardon:

4-time All-Star (1985, 1986, 1988 & 1991)
NL Rolaids Relief Award Winner (1985)
NL Saves Leader (1985)
30 Saves Seasons: 7 (1985-1989, 1991 & 1992)
40 Saves Seasons: 3 (1985, 1988 & 1991)
Won a World Series with the Minnesota Twins in 1987
Black ink: 3
Grey ink: 36
Similar Hall of Famers: Bruce Sutter

Franco:

4-time NL All-Star (1986, 1987, 1989 & 1990)
2-time NL Rolaids Relief Award Winner: (1988 & 1990)
3-time NL Saves Leader (1988, 1990 & 1994)
30 Saves Seasons: 8 (1987-1991, 1994, 1997 & 1998)
Black ink: 9
Grey ink: 43
Similar Hall of Famers: Rollie Fingers

Miller:

NL All-Star (1961)
NL ERA Leader (1958)
AL Games Pitched Leader (1963)
2-time League Saves Leader (1961/NL & 1963/AL)
Won a World Series with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 (he did not play in the World Series)
Black ink: 11
Grey ink: 41

Lyle:

3-time AL All-Star (1973, 1976 & 1977)
AL Cy Young Award Winner (1977)
AL Games Pitched Leader (1977)
2-time AL Saves Leader (1972 & 1976)
30 Saves Seasons: 1 (1972)
Won three World Series with the New York Yankees (1977 & 1978) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1980) (he did not play in the 1978 and 1980 World Series)
Black ink: 7
Grey ink: 46

Smith:

7-time All-Star (1983, 1987 & 1991-1995)
4-time League Saves Leader (1983/NL, 1991/NL, 1992/NL & 1994/AL)
3-time Rolaids Relief Award Winner (1991/NL, 1992/NL & 1994/AL)
30 Saves Seasons: 10 (1984-1987 & 1990-1995)
40 Saves Seasons: 3 (1991-1993)
Black ink: 12
Grey ink: 48
Similar Hall of Famers: Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter

Hernandez:

2-time AL All-Star (1996 & 1999)
30 Saves Seasons: 6 (1993, 1995-1997, 1999 & 2000)
40 Saves Seasons: 1 (1999)
Grey ink: 28
Similar Hall of Famers: Bruce Sutter

[Bothrops Atrox]

I would keep them all out, but would admit that Smith and Franco would be the closest. Tekulve, Lyle, and Marshall are all univerialy uderrated since they didn't produce the large career numbers, but all three still fall below the line.

[hairmetalfreek]

I once viewed Franco and Reardon as future HOFers, but no longer. Smith is the only one on the list I would vote for.

BTW, I like these threads. Good idea.

[jjpm74]

That is an impressive list of relievers, and I think the issue of who should and who shouldn't be elected as a reliever is yet to be determined as it really depends on one's philosophy when it comes to relievers. I kind of support Lee Smith. I can see cases for both Sparky Lyle and Mike Marshall. The rest from that list had distinguished careers as relievers but fall way short of the HOF.

While I do like the relievers already elected to Cooperstown, I don't want to see every reliever to get to the top ten in games, games finished or saves in their generation get into the HOF. There are only two relievers to this date I think should be there that aren't: Dan Quisenberry and Mariano Rivera. Of the best of the rest, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith are the saves leaders from their respective generations. Whether or not that qualifies them as legitimate HOFers is still up for debate.

[The Dude]

Smith, Franco, and Lyle.

However, I think Fingers is in the first tier of relievers (including Wilhelm, Rivera, and Gossage).

Fingers IMHO is the ideal closer. He was the first, and arguably the best at going 2 innings day in, day out, having a very good era, and picking up 30ish saves. Now, there's no doubt in my mind that it's possible that Rivera could go 2 innings if his manager allowed him. I think Rivera is the greatest reliever of all time. Fingers is just the one who brought everything together the best.

[Colorado Express]

I don't really see where any of them were that dominant and don't think any of them deserve to be in the HOF, but Marshall and Lyle would be next in line for me.

[mr.baseball123]

Lee Smith for sure.

[parlo]

Even if their career numbers are similar, "closers" like Franco and the other post 1985 relievers are not really the same type of pitchers. Fingers was not a one inning specialist. Therefore I think his contemporaries like Lyle are most similar.
Take a look at what Fingers and Tug McGraw did in the 1973 WS.

[parlo]

1973 World Series

...................Game 1......2......3.....4......5.......6........7
McGraw:..........2IP.......6IP.....2.....0......2. 2....1........0
Fingers:...........3.1.......2.2.....1.....0...... 2......1.1.....3.1