Editing Jim Rice (section)

==Hall of Fame==
[[Image:Jim Rice Jersey Sign.JPG|right|thumb|The sign at [[McCoy Stadium]] inviting fans to sign the jersey]]

While Rice was generally regarded as one of the better hitters of his era based upon statistics traditionally used by the BBWAA to evaluate players' Hall of Fame qualifications, he was not elected until his 15th and final year of eligibility, netting 76.4% of the votes, in 2009. Over the years he was on the BBWAA ballot, he received 3,974 total votes, the most collected by any player voted on for baseball's highest honor. In [[2006 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2006]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof_voting/year/2006.htm |title=National Baseball Hall of Fame – History of BBWAA Voting |access-date=March 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302132210/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof_voting/year/2006.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2007 }}</ref> and [[2007 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2007]],<ref>[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2007/election/results.htm#2007%20BBWAA%20Hall%20of%20Fame%20Voting%20Results Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Elected to the Hall of Fame on First Ballot]
 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112151941/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2007/election/results.htm |date=January 12, 2007 }}</ref> he received over 63% of votes cast. Rice just missed being elected in 2008 when the count found him on 72.2% of the ballots, only 2.8% short of the required 75%. Rice became the ninth enshrinee inducted into the Hall of Fame on his last chance on the BBWWAA ballot, and it was the first since [[Ralph Kiner]] (1975). [[Larry Walker]], [[Edgar Martinez]], and [[Tim Raines]] were since enshrined after they had appeared on the ballot for their final time.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Rice's delay in election to the Hall of Fame stemmed in part from more current statistical analysis of player performance which suggested that his HOF credentials might have been more questionable than they were considered during his career.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BASEBALL: Hall of Fame, Dale Murphy, Jim Rice, and Kirby Puckett|url=http://www.baseballcrank.com/archives2/2000/12/baseball_hall_o_3.php|last=Crank|first=Baseball|website=www.baseballcrank.com|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2020|archive-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413004308/http://baseballcrank.com/archives2/2000/12/baseball_hall_o_3.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The delay may also have been related to his often difficult relationship with the media during his playing career, many of whom are still voting members of the BBWAA, and his career fading relatively early – he last played in the major leagues at age 36.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/01/11/verdict_is_in_rice_still_a_tough_out/ | work=The Boston Globe | title=Verdict is in: Rice still a tough out | date=January 11, 2006 | first1=Dan | last1=Shaughnessy}}</ref> Some writers, such as the ''Boston Herald'''s [[Sean McAdam (journalist)|Sean McAdam]], said that Rice's chances improved<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 22, 2005|title=McAdam: Reappraising Rice|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2268868|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=ESPN|language=en}}</ref> with the exposure of the "[[Banned substances in baseball|Steroids Era]]" in baseball. In the same article, McAdam expanded this subject by adding: "In an era when power numbers are properly viewed with a healthy dose of suspicion, Rice's production over the course of his 16 years gains additional stature." As such, he received increasingly more votes each year since the 2003 ballot, improving his vote totals by 133 over the last five years on the ballot.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/playerVoting.do?playerId=121140 |title=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Hall of Fame Votes by Player |access-date=December 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122051707/http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/playerVoting.do?playerId=121140 |archive-date=January 22, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, from several sabermetric standpoints it can be argued that Rice falls short of his peers in the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaffe |first=Jay |date=December 20, 2007 |title=The Class of 2008: The Hitters, Part Two |url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/7007/the-class-of-2008-the-hitters-part-two/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Baseball Prospectus}}</ref> Nevertheless, several commentators note that the continued criticism of Rice's statistics not meeting sabermetric standards is unfair since several other Hall of Fame players, notably [[Andre Dawson]] and [[Tony Pérez]], fare even worse against such standards.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

During the 2007 season, the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]] started a campaign to get Rice inducted which included having fans sign "the World's Largest Jim Rice Jersey.”{{cn|date=April 2025}}