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.
Owning the same name as a Country-Pop legend, Kenny Rogers was one of the most durable pitchers of the modern era.
Frank Viola was a star Pitcher known for his stint with the Minnesota Twins, where his work there made him a legend in the state.
Chuck Knoblauch had a very unique career in that he was equally praised as he was much as he was maligned.
The career of Jose Bautista is a fascinating one. After years of obscurity, a switch in his batting stance took him from journeyman to All-Star and someone who we deemed worthy of discussing.
Jack Powell may have posted a losing record over his career (245-255), but regardless of the era, isn’t anyone who won these many games have to be considered good?
One of the most underrated players was Brian Giles, who played for three mediocre teams (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and San Diego) and did not see as much love as he should have.
One of the most recognized Relief Pitchers of the 1970s is Sparky Lyle, who first debuted in the Majors with the Boston Red Sox in 1967. Lyle became Boston's closer in 1969, putting forth three straight 15 Save years, but he was deemed expendable, and the Red Sox traded him to the New York Yankees, who, as history would show, gave up nothing in return for him.
Lefty O'Doul had a unique career, in that he began as a struggling Pitcher, who eked out 32 Games over five years (1918-23) on the Major League level on the mound. These games were spent as either a New York Yankee or Boston Red Sox, but he was basically a minor league player through his 20s. O’Doul’s 30s would be much more different.
Does the city of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic have a formula to create infielders for Major League Baseball?
Wally Berger was one of the better sluggers of the National League in the first half of the 1930s, and the Boston Braves were lucky to have him.
Cecil Cooper is mostly known for his work with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the First Baseman had a very healthy career in the Majors beyond what he accomplished in the state of Wisconsin.
Jack Fournier was a Manager’s enigma. He could hit well, but his fielding was so bad, that in the era before the Designated Hitter that the talented batsmen would have spells where he could not make the Majors.
Al Rosen made his first appearance for the Cleveland Indians in 1947, and this would be the only Major League team he ever played for.
Ellis Burks compiled a much better career than you might be initially aware of.
If you were to look at some of the all-time marks for Relief Pitchers, you would find John Franco in the upper echelon of those lists. Unlike many of those hurlers, you would also see that Franco was not a journeyman who bounced from team to team.
Charlie Root played 27 Games for the St. Louis Brown in 1923, but it was not impressive, as he had a record of 0-4 with a 5.70 ERA. It was three seasons later before Root made the Majors again, but when he did, he made it count.
“Happy” Jack Stivetts made his big league debut back in 1889 for the American Association's St. Louis Browns. It was an exciting rookie year, as he only had a 12-7 record, but he led that league in ERA (2.25), ERA+ *186), FIP (2.93), WHIP (1.153), and SO/BB (2.10).
Del Pratt had a great rookie campaign in 1912, where the then St. Louis Brown had 172 Hits and a .302 Batting Average. The Second Baseman continued to do well, recording at least 159 Hits with 26 Stolen Bases and finishing first in Runs Batted In (103) in 1916. That was a good initial run, but all was not well in the city of St. Louis.
When you look through the pages of New York Yankee lore, you don’t see enough on Gil McDougald, who played in the infield for the Bronx Bombers throughout the 1950s. It should, as the five-time All-Star, was a large part of their success of the decade.