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Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

170. Gavy Cravath

Gavy 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 the following year he bounced around the minors, with stints with the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators, before returning 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.

The Phillies had an unlikely star in Cravath, who became one of the best power hitters of the dead-ball era.  Philadelphia played its home games in the Baker Bowl, a hitter-friendly park whose small dimensions were taken advantage of by Cravath.  He would win the National League Home Run Title six times, and while his numbers seem pedestrian today, they were an incredible accomplishment for their time.  Cravath also showed good plate discipline, twice leading the league in On Base Percentage, and he also led the NL in Slugging Percentage twice, OPS three times, and RBIs twice.  He also helped the Phillies win the National League Pennant in 1915. 

Cravath’s play fell off in 1920, but he was 39 at the time.  He retired shortly after.  He left the game with 119 Home Runs, a record for the century until it was destroyed by a player named Babe Ruth. 

251. Chet Lemon

Chet Lemon split his career with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, and over his career, the Centerfielder's main calling card was a dependable defense with underrated offensive skill.

184. Dixie Walker

Fred "Dixie" Walker was in the New York Yankees organization for a few years, but he struggled to stay in their lineup.  The Yanks waived him, and the White Sox picked him up during the 1936 Season, and the year after, he had his breakthrough campaign in the Majors.

With the ChiSox, Walker led the AL in Triples (16) in 1937, and he batted .302.  Walker was then traded to the Detroit Tigers and later the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he became a star.

The Outfielder went to five consecutive All-Star Games (1943-47), with the middle three years earning Walker top-ten MVP finishes.  His best season was in 1944, winning the Batting Title with a .357 average, and in 1945, he was atop the National League leaderboard in Runs Batted In (124). 

Walker’s legacy is tarnished by his staunch opposition to Jackie Robinson's joining the team and to baseball's integration.  He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1947 season (the year of integration), and he finished his career two seasons later with 2,064 Hits and a career Batting Average of .306.

91. Torii Hunter

Torii Hunter had an excellent career, and the man they dubbed "Spider-Man" was a SportsCenter highlight reel with his acrobatic catches.  Hunter would win 9 Gold Gloves and was also decent with his bat, earning a pair of Silver Sluggers.

Hunter, a five-time All-Star, had very good offensive numbers with 2,452 Hits and 353 Home Runs in a career mostly with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels.