If you look at the career of Harry Stovey, accumulatively, the offensive statistics seem very good, but not Hall of Fame good.  1,775 Hits, 122 Home Runs, and a .288 Batting Average don't stand out, but another look shows that is not the case at all.

Stovey played from 1880 to 1893, an era not known for offensive greatness.  Beginning his career with three decent seasons with the Worcester Ruby Legs of the National League, he would join the first incarnation of the Philadelphia Athletics, an inaugural team of the American Association.  With Philadelphia, Stovey had four seasons in which he led the AA in Runs Scored, and his lowest total was 110.  He won three Home Run Titles, two Triples Titles, and was a base-stealing machine.  Four of his seasons saw Stovey bat over .300, and he also won two Slugging Titles.  

He would finish his career with stops in Boston during the brief Players’ League and with three more teams in the NL (Boston, Baltimore, and Brooklyn).  While hitting 100 Home Runs doesn't seem like much, he was the first to do so as a pro, and that means something.

Batter up! For 2016, the Pre-Integration Era Committee is at the plate for Baseball Hall of Fame evaluations and inductions not being done by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The Pre-Integration Era covers the period from 1876, when the National League was formed, to 1946, the last year before Major League Baseball became integrated with the introduction of African-American players Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby into, respectively, the National League and American League.