We've been watching Salvador Perez for years, and it seems that as he gets older, he's pulling the ball more and more. When he elevates the ball it means a decent chance of a home run, but when the launch angle isn't good and there's a runner on first, it's a great time for a GIDP. Salvy has 165 GIDP in his career. That's 244th all time for MLB baseball players. He's currently tied with Barry Bonds on the list.

When I saw that a player as famous as Barry Bonds was tied with Salvy in GIDP, I had an epiphany. What if the secret to getting into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame isn't Home Runs, WAR, Gold Gloves, or Stolen Bases? What if the secret to getting into the HoF is actually hitting into double plays? So I looked it up, and yes, a vast majority of the top GIDP hitters are either in the HoF or soon will be.

Albert Pujols has 426 GIDP's. Miguel Cabrera is 2nd with 364. Both will probably make it into the HoF. Third is Cal Ripken Jr., fourth is Ivan Rodriguea, and fifth is Henry (Hank) Aaron. Nine of the top ten highest career GIDP players are in the HoF. Tenth is Julio Franco, and for some unknown reason, he's not in the Hall. I'm sure the veteran's committee will right this wrong eventually.

As you continue down this list, you see a who's-who of baseball greats. Brooks Robinson, Derek Jeter, Yadier Molina, Joe Torre, and Adrian Beltre are all in the top 20 of the GIDP list. All are either in the HoF or will be. One of our favorite MLB players of all time, Al Kaline is 25th on the GIDP list with 271 in his career.

For Royals, Salvy is currently behind both Eric Hosmer and George Brett in GIDP. Hosmer is at 167 for 232nd place all time and is retired, so his chances of getting into the HoF look pretty slim. George Brett is in 53rd place with 235 GIDP's. Brett was a sure thing going into the HoF, so Salvy will need to get a lot more GIDP's in the next few seasons if he wants to get in. With injuries and days off, he'll still need to average at least 23 GIDP's over the next three seasons to get into Brett's territory.

All this plays into where to put Salvy in the lineup in order to maximize his GIDP chances when he gets to the plate. It does no good for him to ground out to the shortstop with no one on first, so you need to make a lineup that makes sure someone can get on base ahead of him. You also need that player on first to be fairly slow so the other team can turn the double play. You cant have Witt, Jr. there because he'll just steal second an ruin the chances for Salvy to get another GIDP.

That's why you need Renfroe and Vinnie P. to both bat directly ahead of Salvy in the lineup. Both are slower runners that will increase Salvy's chances of another GIDP. Both need to increase their pitch recognition to get more walks in 2024 as well. It does no good for them to hit dingers and leave the bases empty when Salvy gets to the plate. So in this scenario, Quatraro will need Renfroe to bat fourth, Vinnie fifth, and Salvy sixth in the lineup to maximize GIDP's for Salvy.

This seems the most sure fire way to get Salvy into the Hall of Fame. It's foolproof!