Year 4 of Hall of Fame voting, and we'll have five players on the ballot, who retired in 1878. After this and the next Hall of Fame election we'll feature players that only meet the minimum of 10 years.
Jason McDonald - SP, Pittsburgh Rebels (1871-1878)
Jason McDonald was selected in the ninth round of the inaugural draft by the Rebels, and was selected to attend the first All-Star game. McDonald never was a consistent member of the starting rotation, but made 59 career starts for the Rebels and was 38-25 for his career with a 1.83 ERA.
Chris Cashen - C, Syracuse Stars (1871-1878)
The fifth round pick of the inaugural draft was selected by the Syracuse Stars, who made the 32 year old their starting catcher, a position he held for the next eight seasons. His first year was his best year, hitting .346 in 243 at bats. For his career Cashen hit .294 with 468 career hits, and 215 RBI.
Cashen was named Player of the Week once during his career, and was selected to the 1875 All-Star game.
Dave Clark - P, Philadelphia Keystone (1871-1878)
Clark was always a long shot as a professional athlete, being selected in the late, late rounds of the inaugural draft after a tryout in Baltimore. After the Keystones selected him, Clark quit his job and moved a couple hours north to the city of brotherly love to pitch for the Keystones with no guarantees of a starting job.
When injury struck, Clark got an opportunity to make four starts, losing them all despite a 1.38 ERA. Over the next four years Clark would get a chance to make 22 starts, winning 16 games and losing 6. When the Keystones made it to the World Series, they gave Clark an opportunity to start four games, and he won 3 of those starts with a 1.03 ERA and became a fan favorite in Philadelphia when they won the World Series.
From 1876-1878 Clark would make 20 starts per year for the Keystones, and pitch a few games in relief. Over his career Clark won 40 games and lost 47. His career ERA was 1.99. His improbable story led him to Philadelphia, where he got to live his dream for eight year.
Tim Massey - SP, Pittsburgh Rebels (1871-1872), Washington Capitals (1872-1876), Detroit Wolverines (1877-1878)
Massey was an eighth round pick by the Pittsburgh Rebels in the inaugural draft, and started 34 games as a 30 year old in Pittsburgh going 15-12 with a 2.74 ERA. After just 6 starts in 1872, the Rebels had seen enough and traded him to the Washington Capitals, where he bounced between the bullpen and rotation for the next four years before being traded to the Wolverines where he finished his career.
For his career Massey was 51-45 with a 2.03 ERA in 110 starts, and 133 games. Massey retired at age 37 following a shoulder injury.
Joe Dunbar - SP, Kansas City Blues (1871-1878)
Dunbar won two World Series titles with the Blues during his career, and had a 64-58 career record, and a postseason record of 3-1. His best season came in 1877, when he was selected to the All-Star game and went 17-6 with a 1.53 ERA, and won the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year award.
He decided to hang it up after 1878 when he made just 12 starts, and had trouble finding the plate, walking more batters in less than half the innings. The Blues brought Dunbar back as a coach, and following the Blue's World Series title, he told the team he had enough of the big city, and moved back home to La Vergne, Tennessee.
Hall of Fame Voting Results
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Joe Dunbar 4.8%
Jason McDonald 4.8%
Tim Massey 4.2%
Chris Cashen 0.8%
Dave Clark 0.8%
No players receive enough votes to move forward.