The Hall of Fame Case: Mike Hampton

Sure, there will be plenty who vote for the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell on their National Baseball Hall of Fame player ballots, but there are players on the ballot that require a little more voter-cajoling. Players that may not have the on-field resume, but deserve an impassioned Hall of Fame case nonetheless. Players like ...

Michael William Hampton, but you probably know him as Mike. The back of his baseball card may have read "starting pitcher," but during his 16-year run with the Mariners, Astros, Mets, Rockies and Braves, he was a master of many trades: All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, Cy Young runner-up, facial hair sculptor, poet, scholar. If baseball were the Renaissance, Hampton would be its Da Vinci -- and that guy would be in the Civilization Hall of Fame, if only it were a real thing. But, if by some miracle you need a little more convincing, we've compiled some similarly irrefutable reasons below.

Y2Ace

Tortured Millennial pseudo-puns aside, Hampton was a legitimate No. 1 starter in his prime. After a few solid seasons in Houston, he first broke out in 1998, posting a 3.36 ERA for the Astros. But he really blew up the next year: 239 innings, 177 strikeouts, 2.90 ERA, a 22-4 record and second place in the NL Cy Young vote. That'll do, pig. 

Oh, and he basically never stopped hitting dingers

In 2015, many pitchers earned the honor of #PitchersWhoRake. And yet, they paled in comparison to the pitcher who rakes -- the man who once won five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards. The man who responded to the friendly confines of Coors Field by smashing 10 homers and hitting .315 over two seasons. The man with the swing as smooth as silk:

His goatee game was immaculate

Many men have attempted the goatee, but only a brave few have mastered it with the proper shape, growth and craftsmanship. Mike Hampton was one such man:

He moonlighted as a dugout prop comedian

Despite all of that on-field success, Hampton also made sure he diversified his skill set to prepare for life beyond baseball. Like, for example, his budding NFL career:

Or the time he got really, really into "Bob the Builder":

Or scouting the competition in preparation for a potential front office gig:

He always came through in the clutch

No matter how many dingers you hit or how much miscellaneous sports equipment you collect, the bottom line is wins and losses. And if you were a baseball team in need of a big win, Hampton was your man. When the 1997 Astros needed a win over the Cubs to lock up the NL Central, he delivered with a complete game four-hit gem:

But Hampton's real shining moment would come with the Mets in 2000. Up 3-1 on the Cardinals in the NLCS, just a win away from the World Series, he faced the biggest start of his career. His response? Oh, just a three-hit shutout: