From the Dominican Republic, Pedro Guerrero was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an Amateur Free Agent in 1973 but was traded to the Dodgers well before he ever made the Majors. 

Guerrero first made it to the main roster in 1978, though it was not until 1981 that he was a regular, going to his first of four All-Star Games with Los Angeles.  Realistically, Guerrero's 1982 campaign was his real breakout, belting 32 Home Runs with 100 RBIs and batting .304.  Guerrero was third in MVP voting and was fourth the year after, showing similar statistics (32 HR, 103 RBI, .298).  Slipping a bit in 1984, Guerrero roared back with another top-five MVP performance in '85, batting .320 with 33 Home Runs while topping the NL in OBP (.422) and Slugging (.577).

While Guerrero was still providing good offense, the Dodgers opted to retool, trading him to the Cardinals for John Tudor in the summer of 1988.  Guerrero had 1,113 hits with Los Angeles, with 171 Home Runs and batting .309.

Dixie Walker was a bit of a late bloomer, having at one time been considered Babe Ruth’s heir with the Yankees in Leftfield to becoming a true baseball star in his late 20s, but nevertheless, he did become one.

Walker was plucked off of waivers from Detroit during the 1939 campaign, and while he showed flashes of greatness with his second team, the White Sox, he was still relying more on potential than accomplishment.  Batting .308 with 171 Hits in his first full year as a Dodger, Walker again batted over .300 the year after, with both seasons earning him a top-ten finish in MVP votes.

With World War II taking many of Baseball's stars away, Walker was one of the few remaining, and he won his first and only Batting Title in 1944 (.357) and an RBI Title in 1945 (145).  Walker continued to bat over 300, and as Baseball players returned from service, he was still a potent player, finishing second in MVP voting in 1946.

After one more good season, he was traded to Pittsburgh, but by that time, age had caught up to Walker, and he did not offer much to the Pirates.

As a Dodger, Walker batted .311 with 1,295 Hits.

A member of the Dodgers throughout his entire Major League Baseball career, Jim Gilliam is one of the few players who won a World Series ring in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Gilliam made an instant splash as the National League Rookie of the Year in 1953, where he led the NL in Triples (17) and had a career-high 125 Runs.  Gilliam would have at least 100 Runs in the next three years and was twice an All-Star (1956 in Brooklyn and 1959 in L.A.).  Gilliam performed his role as the Dodgers leadoff hitter, leading the NL in Walks in 1959 and having four 20 Stolen Base years.  A member of four World Series Championship Teams, Gilliam was also an above-average defensive player at Second Base, and he led the NL in Total Zone Runs in 1956.  Gilliam also had two top-ten finishes for the NL MVP.

While Gilliam might not be considered Hall of Fame worthy, he should have at least been on the ballot when he was eligible in 1972.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NBA Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the third year that we have done this, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic won the first two.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 100 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 150 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, 152 Points:  38 Games, 30.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 27.1 PER, 6.4 WS.  (#2 on last ranking)

The Nets are on fire, and whether are winning or losing, Durant always shines.  Currently, he leads the league in Free Throw Percentage (.935).

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, 151 Points:  38 Games, 34.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 31.7 PER, 7.2 WS.  (#1 on last ranking)

Doncic dropped to number two, behind KD, but for our money is still he front runner for the MVP.  The European star is currently leading the NBA in Points per Game (34.0) and VORP (4.4).

3 (Tie). Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, 137 Points:  33 Games, 30.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 24.9 PER, 5.4 WS.  (#3 on last ranking)

Tatum continues to get better which should scare the hell out of anybody cheering against the Celtics.  He has never finished a season averaging over 30 Points per Game, and Tatum is over that now.

3 (Tie). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, 137 Points:  30 Games, 32.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 27.9 PER, 4.3 WS. (#4 on last ranking)

Giannis moves up another spot and the two-time MVP’s Bucks look ready to win it all.  He is in the top five in Rebounds and Points per Game.

5. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, 135 Points:  36 Games, 25.3 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 32.0 PER, 7.8 WS.  (#6 on last ranking)

The “Joker” is on fire lately, and we know someone wants to get that third Cup!  He is currently leading the NBA in PER 32.0, Box Plus/Minus (12.3) and Win Shares (7.8).

6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, 134 Points:  35 Games, 30.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 26.6 PER, 5.3 WS. (#5 on last ranking)

Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be an All-Star this year, and is shattering last year’s averages, which were already good.  How great will this Canadian be?

7. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies, 129 Points:  33 Games, 27.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 24.9 PER, 3.7 WS. (#8 on last ranking)

Morant is the face of the Grizzles, and he is posting similar numbers from last year, when he took Memphis to the next level.

8. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics, 126 Points:  37 Games, 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 20.4 PER, 3.1 WS. (#7 on last ranking)

Brown’s appearance here gives Boston the only team to have two players in the top ten, and he currently has the highest traditional numbers of his career.  

9. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, 122 Points:  28 Games, 33.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 30.7 PER, 5.0 WS.  (#8 on last ranking)

Embiid is currently second in Points per Game (behind Doncic), but is currently dealing with a foot injury.

10. Julius Randle, New York Knicks, 117 Points:  40 Games, 24.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 20.9 PER, 4.9 WS. (Not on last ranking)

Randle makes his first appearance this year in the top ten, and is currently boasting a higher PPG (24.4), than his All-Stat year two years ago (24.1).

DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bull fell off the top ten, just after making it on.

Our next update will happen after the first player breaches 160 Cup Points.