Baseball
Established in 1936, and currently based in Cooperstown, New York, the Baseball Hall of Fame may be the most prestigious of any Sports Hall of Fame. Although Baseball may have taken a backseat to Football in recent years, there is no doubt that Baseball’s version of the Hall of Fame is by far the most relevant and the most difficult to get enshrined in. At present, a player has to receive seventy five percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, which has proven to be no easy task. Failing that, a player could be inducted by the Veterans committee, though few have been inducted this way. Our list will focus on the players only, and although we could easily do a tally focusing on mangers, broadcasters or other vital personnel, as always it is far more enjoyable to discuss the merits of those on the field as oppose to those off of it.Until Then, Let’s get some peanuts and cracker jacks and cast some votes of our own!
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
Mickey Vernon arrived in the Majors in 1939 with the Washington Senators, and he was entrenched as their starting First Baseman in 1941. Vernon would do well in the early 40s, where he had three straight 145 plus Hit seasons before World War II came, and he would miss 1944 and 1945. When he returned, he would take his place in the upper tier of First Basemen.
One of the most underappreciated members of New York Yankees folklore, Charlie "King Kong" Keller was known for his incredible strength and corresponding Home Runs, but he probably should be more known for his plate discipline. Keller would twice lead the American League in Walks and had an On Base Percentage over .400 seven times, six of which were enough to put him in the top ten that year. He would also lead the AL in OPS in 1943.
There were two Pitchers in baseball who were named Dutch Leonard. The first was Hubert “Dutch” Leonard, who was a lefthander who had a 139-113 record with two World Series Championships with the Boston Red Sox. The second was Emil John “Dutch” Leonard, a righthander who may not have had a World Series Ring, but had a much longer tenure and was one of the better knuckleballers in baseball history.
Darryl Strawberry was at one time the most feared hitter in the National League, and a case could be made that he was also the most recognized.
Jimmy Sheckard spent most of his career with either Brooklyn or the Chicago Cubs, and while they were both high-profile teams, Sheckard is one of the most undervalued players in history.
Lon Warneke played his entire career in the National League, splitting his run with rivals Chicago and St. Louis.
From 1895 to 1899, Harry Davis was either a budding journeyman or a future star. He played for four different teams in the National League and had a 28 Triple year in 1897 while batting .305. Davis was in the minors for all of 1900, and Connie Mack, the owner/manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, saw him as a building block for his brand new American League franchise, and he was one of their first signees.
In 1931, Paul Derringer had a very good rookie year where he went 18-8 and helped his St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series. He had a poor 1932 season, and he was traded early in ’33 to the Cincinnati Reds, and his year ended with an abysmal 7-27 record. It would slowly turn around for Derringer after that.
Brett Butler was only an All-Star once, but don’t let that fact misguide you to what was one hell of a baseball player.
While the career of Jose Canseco was beset with controversy regarding his steroid use, the players he would later accuse of taking PEDS, and his off-field shenanigans, there should be no doubt that during his prime, he was pegged as a future Hall of Famer.
Prior to winning the World Series MVP in 1972, you could argue that Gene Tenace was one of its most unlikely recipients. The Catcher made his first appearance in the Majors in 1969 for Oakland, but he was mostly a backup. Late in the ’72 season, Tenace was promoted to a starter, and he belted four Home Runs in World Series.
Frank McCormick debuted for the Cincinnati Reds in 1934, and this was the team that he had his greatest success by far.
Gavvy Cravath did not make the Majors until he was 27, where he spent 94 Games in 1908. He did not make the best impression, and he bounced around the following year from the minors and had stints with the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators, and then it was back to the minors. It would have been easy to think that this would be it for the slow-footed Rightfielder, but he found a home in Philadelphia in 1912.
Historically speaking, we don’t think that we are going out on a limb by stating that Willie Wilson was one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.
Kevin Appier was arguably one of the most underrated Pitchers of the 1990s, and perhaps we can shed some light on a career that feels unknown outside of Kansas City.
Frank “Noodles” Hahn may not have completed the necessary ten years in the Majors to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but that does not stop us from ranking him.
The Montreal Expos had earned a reputation for scouting and signing Latin American talent, and one of the best examples of that was Venezuelan First Baseman, Andres Galarraga.