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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-12-2023, 12:44 PM

Three first ballot selections were made for Major League Baseball’s 1972 Hall of Fame Class. The star was first baseman Martin Medina at 98.4%, followed by pitchers John Delaney and E.J. Perron at 82.6% and 78.8%, respectively. Two returners were above 60%, but short of the required 66% with RF Estefan Salinas at 62.0% on his eighth attempt and 1B Tiger Novak at 61.7% on his ninth. Three others were above 50% with closer Vicente Guerrero (57.6%, 4^th), catcher Gray Caraway (55.8%, 2^nd), and SP Abraham Reiner (55.1%, 5^th).

Three players fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts. Closer Hunter Walsh peaked at 50.4% on his second attempt and ended at 39.3%. In 19 years with nine teams, he had 339 saves and 400 shutdowns, 2.70 ERA, 970 strikeouts, and 33.5 WAR. Solid, but no major accolades or dominance. 2B

Matthew Verdey was dropped at a low of 21.2% after hovering generally in the 40-50% range. In 18 years with Hartford, Nashville, and Houston, the 2B had 2629 hits, 1593 runs, 468 doubles, 126 triples, 189 home runs, 974 RBI, 1005 walks, a .784 OPS, and 79.0 WAR. He had four Silver Sluggers, but also lacked the big accolades or the power numbers the voters like.

Catcher Eric Barker peaked at 43.3%, but was down at 11.5% by the end. He had three Silver Sluggers and a 19-year career with four teams, posting 2088 hits, 1016 runs, 295 home runs, 1132 RBI, a .767 OPS, and 54.5 WAR. The general anti-catcher bias in the voting meant he never had a real chance without more awards. Also worth noting was SP Eduardo Muniz, who dropped below 5% on his eighth attempt. He had a 258-199 record, 3.63 ERA, 4232 innings, 2515 strikeouts, 224 complete games, and 63.0 WAR. Well tenured, but viewed as a compiler with little dominance and no accolades as well.

Martin Medina – First Baseman – Tampa Thunderbirds – 98.4% First Ballot

Martin Medina was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Panama City. He is the third Panamanian MLB Hall of Famer and has the very unique dual-nationality with Tokelau, a tiny obscure Pacific island nation of around only 1,500 people. With the bat, Medina was considered good to great at all phases of the game. He was an excellent contact hitter with very strong power, he was very solid at drawing walks and great at avoiding strikeouts. Medina’s one offensive flaw was a lack of baserunning speed, although he was still a smart enough player to make the most of what he had. Medina was a career first baseman and generally viewed as an average to slightly below average defender. He was incredibly durable and viewed as an ironman, playing 140+ games in all 18 years of his pro career.

Medina left Panama as a teenager and came to America, playing college baseball at Clemson. As a foreign born player, he wasn’t eligible until the fourth round of the MLB Draft due to regional restrictions, but teams took notice of his potential. In the 1947 Draft, he was picked 11^th in the fourth round, 162^nd overall, by Buffalo. Medina ultimately didn’t sign with the Blue Sox and played his senior year with the Tigers. In 198 college games, he had 252 hits, 117 runs, 50 home runs, 164 RBI, and 11.6 WAR. His name came up again in the 1948 MLB Draft and he went to Tampa, grabbed with the 159^th overall selection.

Medina immediately slotted into the starting lineup, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. Medina was good in his first two years, but then became great in year three with his first Silver Slugger and a second place MVP finish. Moved to designated hitter in 1952 and 1953, he won MVP and Silver Sluggers in both seasons, posting a career-best 54 home runs and 123 runs in 1952, and a career-best 1.069 OPS and 223 hits in 1953. Medina would win his third MVP in 1957 and fourth in 1958, while taking third in 1954. He won nine consecutive Silver Sluggers from 1951-59, an incredibly difficult task considering the quality of bat found at 1B and DH.

Medina also stayed true to his Panamanian roots, playing for Panama in the World Baseball Championship from 1950-67. In 143 games, he had 165 hits, 105 runs, 61 home runs, 126 RBI, a .327/.431/.715 slash and 10.2 WAR. He was third in WBC MVP voting in 1953 with a 1.708 OPS in 11 games.

With Tampa, Medina led the National Association in total bases four times, homers and RBI twice, OBP five times, slugging three times, OPS four times, wRC+ three times, and WAR twice. The Thunderbirds were a bottom-rung franchise for most of his run, although they did finally make playoff appearances in 1957 and 1958, falling in the 1957 AACS to Vancouver. Medina arguably had Hall of Fame numbers just in his 11 years in Tampa, posting 2162 hits, 1150 runs, 318 doubles, 449 home runs, 1302 RBI, a .334/.407/.599 slash and 76.1 WAR. His #3 uniform would be retired by the Thunderbirds and he’d remain an incredible popular player with fans of the franchise.

Medina was very popular throughout the league and decided to try free agency for the 1960 season at age 33. Oakland was the buyer with a five-year, $640,000 contract. Medina didn’t win any awards with the Owls and saw his power numbers decline a bit, but he still was a very solid starter for five years, putting up 855 hits, 158 home runs, 489 RBI, 508 runs, and 23.2 WAR. Oakland made the playoffs twice but had early playoff exits both years, keeping Medina from ever getting to the World Series. With the Owls, Medina crossed 3000 career hits and 600 home runs His contract came up for 1966 and he signed at age 38 with Jacksonville. He had a great 1965 and a bit of a resurgence, but dropped off with a career-worst 1966. Medina wanted to stick around if nothing else than to get to 2000 career RBI, but no one signed him in 1967 and he retired at age 40.

Medina’s final stats: 3339 hits, 1850 runs, 486 doubles, 660 home runs, 1972 RBI, 1301 walks, a .319/.395/.565 slash, wRC+ of 155 and 107.1 WAR. At retirement, he was fifth all-time in both home runs and RBI, 12^th in hits, and seventh in runs scored. Medina was also 11^th in hitting WAR and as of 2037 is 34^th all-time. He was undoubtedly one of the premiere sluggers of his era and an obvious slam dunk first ballot choice at 98.4%.

John Delaney – Starting Pitcher – Brooklyn Dodgers – 82.6% First Ballot

John Delaney was a 5’7’’, 160 pound right-handed pitcher from Elkton, Maryland; a town of around 15,000 people in the Delaware Valley. He was known for having remarkable movement on his pitches, ranked 10/10 for most of his career. Delaney’s velocity peaked at 97-99 mph with a three pitch arsenal of a curveball, changeup, and sinker. He had an extreme groundball tendency with solid stuff and average to above average control. Delaney was viewed as fairly durable with solid stamina in his earlier years.

Delaney attended Miami University in Ohio for college and had a no-hitter his freshman year against Louisville. In three college seasons, he had a 1.92 ERA in 38 starts with a 21-9 record, 290 innings, 301 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. Naturally, this made him a highly sought after prospect and he ended up picked sixth overall by Brooklyn in the 1951 MLB Draft. Delaney ultimately spent his entire professional career as a Dodger. In his rookie season, he was split between starting and the bullpen. He became a full-time starter when healthy from year two onward.

After a very solid second season, Delaney emerged as a true ace in his third and fourth seasons, leading the National Association in WAR for both with 9.3 and 9.7. In part hurt by the Dodgers being below average, he finished third and fourth in Pitcher of the Year voting these seasons. Delaney also made appearances in the 1953, 54, and 55 World Baseball Championships for the United States. Primarily as a reliever, he had a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings with 39 strikeouts. He earned a world championship ring with the 1955 squad.

In 1957, he won Pitcher of the Year by leading in ERA at 2.21 and wins at 21-7. Delaney improved his ERA to a career-best 1.90 in 1958, winning another Pitcher of the Year and taking third in MVP voting. In 1959, he made it three straight with the individual highlight being a no-hitter on September 15 against Baltimore with 10 strikeouts and two walks. He led the National Association in quality starts five times in this stretch. Brooklyn put together some playoff success with four straight berths from 1958-61. In 1958, they made it to the World Series and got to the NACS in 1961. In 10 playoff starts, Delaney had a 1.92 ERA, 5-2 record, 75 innings, 48 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. Delaney got a huge seven-year, $1,036,00 starting with the 1960 season.

The Dodgers dropped into mediocrity after the 1961 season. Delaney’s first notable setback with elbow tendinitis putting him out five weeks, although his 1962 was still solid. His production dropped off noticeably after that with only slightly above average numbers, plus a few missed starts from injury. In September 1964, he required radial nerve decompression surgery in his elbow. This put him out part of 1965 and he struggled in his return. Delaney bounced back with a respectable league-average 1966, but he decided it was time to call it, retiring at age 35. Brooklyn would retire his #1 jersey that winter.

Delaney’s final stats: 215-162 record, 2.79 ERA, 3499.1 innings, 2604 strikeouts to 970 walks, 330/461 quality starts, FIP- of 76 and 90.1 WAR. Despite winning three Pitcher of the Year awards, he had a somewhat quiet career being on a weaker Dodger squad and being a much lower strikeout guy than the average Hall of Famer. His credentials were still plenty impressive to get a first ballot nod at 82.6%.

E.J. Perron – Starting Pitcher – Calgary Cheetahs – 78.8% First Ballot

E.J. Perron was a 5’9’’, 175 pound left-handed starting pitcher from North Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite his smaller frame, Perron was a fireballer with peak velocity at 99-101 mph and filthy stuff. His main pitch was an incredible cutter, balanced with a solid curveball and changeup. Perron’s movement was generally rated as above average with his control being considered middling, but his stuff was generally strong enough to overcome that weakness. Perron also had very solid stamina and defensive skills and was considered reliable and durable in his 20s.

Perron went to the University of Iowa for college and in three years as a Hawkeye, had a 2.74 ERA over 289 innings with 295 strikeouts, a 19-13 record, and 10.1 WAR. He was picked 13^th overall by Calgary in the 1951 MLB Draft and spent nearly his full pro career with the Cheeaths. He was split between the rotation and bullpen as a rookie, then was a full-time starter starting his second year.

Year two was arguably the best of his career, as at age 21, he led the American Association in ERA at 2.49, posting 8.9 WAR and 10 shutouts. This earned him second place in Pitcher of the Year voting and he took third the following year when he led the AA in wins at 25-7. He was still very good, but not in the award conversations or at the top of the leaderboards the next few years, perhaps also overlooked with Calgary struggling in the 1950s. Perron did become a popular player within all of Canada though with a stellar run in the 1954 World Baseball Championship, helping them to the title with a 1.98 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 36.1 innings. He played for the Canadian team from 1954-61 and posted a 13-2 record with a 2.34 ERA over 138.1 innings, 218 strikeouts, and 6.0 WAR.

In 1961, a 29-year old Perron picked up his lone Pitcher of the Year award, leading in wins at 24-6 and complete games with 20. The Cheetahs made the playoffs from 1961-63, but never made it out of the second round. Perron had a 2.01 ERA in 40.1 playoff innings for Calgary. 1963 saw his first major injury setback with elbow inflammation putting him out seven weeks. Perron wasn’t the same after that, struggling mightily in 1964.

The 33-year old Perron was healthy in 1965, but was a spot starter that even saw time in the minors. The Cheetahs opted to cut him that August, although they’d still honor him soon after by retiring his #24 uniform. Perron signed with San Diego in 1966 but was only used 14.2 innings, notably including one complete shutout. He pitched 0.2 innings in the postseason in relief and earned a World Series ring with the Seals. No longer able to hang as a full-time pro, Perron retired at age 35.

Perron’s final stats: 219-138 record, 3.43 ERA, 3303 innings, 3049 strikeouts, 1182 walks, 245/413 quality starts, 197 complete games, and 79.2 WAR. Considering how quickly he fell off after his age 31 season, it’s impressive he accumulated the totals he did, even if they’re lower than a lot of other MLB Hall of Famers. The voters felt his resume was worthy and surprised some doubters by giving Perron the first ballot nod at 78.8%.

08-12-2023, 12:44 PM	#499
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,285	1972 MLB Hall of Fame Three first ballot selections were made for Major League Baseball’s 1972 Hall of Fame Class. The star was first baseman Martin Medina at 98.4%, followed by pitchers John Delaney and E.J. Perron at 82.6% and 78.8%, respectively. Two returners were above 60%, but short of the required 66% with RF Estefan Salinas at 62.0% on his eighth attempt and 1B Tiger Novak at 61.7% on his ninth. Three others were above 50% with closer Vicente Guerrero (57.6%, 4^th), catcher Gray Caraway (55.8%, 2^nd), and SP Abraham Reiner (55.1%, 5^th). Three players fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts. Closer Hunter Walsh peaked at 50.4% on his second attempt and ended at 39.3%. In 19 years with nine teams, he had 339 saves and 400 shutdowns, 2.70 ERA, 970 strikeouts, and 33.5 WAR. Solid, but no major accolades or dominance. 2B Matthew Verdey was dropped at a low of 21.2% after hovering generally in the 40-50% range. In 18 years with Hartford, Nashville, and Houston, the 2B had 2629 hits, 1593 runs, 468 doubles, 126 triples, 189 home runs, 974 RBI, 1005 walks, a .784 OPS, and 79.0 WAR. He had four Silver Sluggers, but also lacked the big accolades or the power numbers the voters like. Catcher Eric Barker peaked at 43.3%, but was down at 11.5% by the end. He had three Silver Sluggers and a 19-year career with four teams, posting 2088 hits, 1016 runs, 295 home runs, 1132 RBI, a .767 OPS, and 54.5 WAR. The general anti-catcher bias in the voting meant he never had a real chance without more awards. Also worth noting was SP Eduardo Muniz, who dropped below 5% on his eighth attempt. He had a 258-199 record, 3.63 ERA, 4232 innings, 2515 strikeouts, 224 complete games, and 63.0 WAR. Well tenured, but viewed as a compiler with little dominance and no accolades as well. Martin Medina – First Baseman – Tampa Thunderbirds – 98.4% First Ballot Martin Medina was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Panama City. He is the third Panamanian MLB Hall of Famer and has the very unique dual-nationality with Tokelau, a tiny obscure Pacific island nation of around only 1,500 people. With the bat, Medina was considered good to great at all phases of the game. He was an excellent contact hitter with very strong power, he was very solid at drawing walks and great at avoiding strikeouts. Medina’s one offensive flaw was a lack of baserunning speed, although he was still a smart enough player to make the most of what he had. Medina was a career first baseman and generally viewed as an average to slightly below average defender. He was incredibly durable and viewed as an ironman, playing 140+ games in all 18 years of his pro career. Medina left Panama as a teenager and came to America, playing college baseball at Clemson. As a foreign born player, he wasn’t eligible until the fourth round of the MLB Draft due to regional restrictions, but teams took notice of his potential. In the 1947 Draft, he was picked 11^th in the fourth round, 162^nd overall, by Buffalo. Medina ultimately didn’t sign with the Blue Sox and played his senior year with the Tigers. In 198 college games, he had 252 hits, 117 runs, 50 home runs, 164 RBI, and 11.6 WAR. His name came up again in the 1948 MLB Draft and he went to Tampa, grabbed with the 159^th overall selection. Medina immediately slotted into the starting lineup, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. Medina was good in his first two years, but then became great in year three with his first Silver Slugger and a second place MVP finish. Moved to designated hitter in 1952 and 1953, he won MVP and Silver Sluggers in both seasons, posting a career-best 54 home runs and 123 runs in 1952, and a career-best 1.069 OPS and 223 hits in 1953. Medina would win his third MVP in 1957 and fourth in 1958, while taking third in 1954. He won nine consecutive Silver Sluggers from 1951-59, an incredibly difficult task considering the quality of bat found at 1B and DH. Medina also stayed true to his Panamanian roots, playing for Panama in the World Baseball Championship from 1950-67. In 143 games, he had 165 hits, 105 runs, 61 home runs, 126 RBI, a .327/.431/.715 slash and 10.2 WAR. He was third in WBC MVP voting in 1953 with a 1.708 OPS in 11 games. With Tampa, Medina led the National Association in total bases four times, homers and RBI twice, OBP five times, slugging three times, OPS four times, wRC+ three times, and WAR twice. The Thunderbirds were a bottom-rung franchise for most of his run, although they did finally make playoff appearances in 1957 and 1958, falling in the 1957 AACS to Vancouver. Medina arguably had Hall of Fame numbers just in his 11 years in Tampa, posting 2162 hits, 1150 runs, 318 doubles, 449 home runs, 1302 RBI, a .334/.407/.599 slash and 76.1 WAR. His #3 uniform would be retired by the Thunderbirds and he’d remain an incredible popular player with fans of the franchise. Medina was very popular throughout the league and decided to try free agency for the 1960 season at age 33. Oakland was the buyer with a five-year, $640,000 contract. Medina didn’t win any awards with the Owls and saw his power numbers decline a bit, but he still was a very solid starter for five years, putting up 855 hits, 158 home runs, 489 RBI, 508 runs, and 23.2 WAR. Oakland made the playoffs twice but had early playoff exits both years, keeping Medina from ever getting to the World Series. With the Owls, Medina crossed 3000 career hits and 600 home runs His contract came up for 1966 and he signed at age 38 with Jacksonville. He had a great 1965 and a bit of a resurgence, but dropped off with a career-worst 1966. Medina wanted to stick around if nothing else than to get to 2000 career RBI, but no one signed him in 1967 and he retired at age 40. Medina’s final stats: 3339 hits, 1850 runs, 486 doubles, 660 home runs, 1972 RBI, 1301 walks, a .319/.395/.565 slash, wRC+ of 155 and 107.1 WAR. At retirement, he was fifth all-time in both home runs and RBI, 12^th in hits, and seventh in runs scored. Medina was also 11^th in hitting WAR and as of 2037 is 34^th all-time. He was undoubtedly one of the premiere sluggers of his era and an obvious slam dunk first ballot choice at 98.4%. John Delaney – Starting Pitcher – Brooklyn Dodgers – 82.6% First Ballot John Delaney was a 5’7’’, 160 pound right-handed pitcher from Elkton, Maryland; a town of around 15,000 people in the Delaware Valley. He was known for having remarkable movement on his pitches, ranked 10/10 for most of his career. Delaney’s velocity peaked at 97-99 mph with a three pitch arsenal of a curveball, changeup, and sinker. He had an extreme groundball tendency with solid stuff and average to above average control. Delaney was viewed as fairly durable with solid stamina in his earlier years. Delaney attended Miami University in Ohio for college and had a no-hitter his freshman year against Louisville. In three college seasons, he had a 1.92 ERA in 38 starts with a 21-9 record, 290 innings, 301 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. Naturally, this made him a highly sought after prospect and he ended up picked sixth overall by Brooklyn in the 1951 MLB Draft. Delaney ultimately spent his entire professional career as a Dodger. In his rookie season, he was split between starting and the bullpen. He became a full-time starter when healthy from year two onward. After a very solid second season, Delaney emerged as a true ace in his third and fourth seasons, leading the National Association in WAR for both with 9.3 and 9.7. In part hurt by the Dodgers being below average, he finished third and fourth in Pitcher of the Year voting these seasons. Delaney also made appearances in the 1953, 54, and 55 World Baseball Championships for the United States. Primarily as a reliever, he had a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings with 39 strikeouts. He earned a world championship ring with the 1955 squad. In 1957, he won Pitcher of the Year by leading in ERA at 2.21 and wins at 21-7. Delaney improved his ERA to a career-best 1.90 in 1958, winning another Pitcher of the Year and taking third in MVP voting. In 1959, he made it three straight with the individual highlight being a no-hitter on September 15 against Baltimore with 10 strikeouts and two walks. He led the National Association in quality starts five times in this stretch. Brooklyn put together some playoff success with four straight berths from 1958-61. In 1958, they made it to the World Series and got to the NACS in 1961. In 10 playoff starts, Delaney had a 1.92 ERA, 5-2 record, 75 innings, 48 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. Delaney got a huge seven-year, $1,036,00 starting with the 1960 season. The Dodgers dropped into mediocrity after the 1961 season. Delaney’s first notable setback with elbow tendinitis putting him out five weeks, although his 1962 was still solid. His production dropped off noticeably after that with only slightly above average numbers, plus a few missed starts from injury. In September 1964, he required radial nerve decompression surgery in his elbow. This put him out part of 1965 and he struggled in his return. Delaney bounced back with a respectable league-average 1966, but he decided it was time to call it, retiring at age 35. Brooklyn would retire his #1 jersey that winter. Delaney’s final stats: 215-162 record, 2.79 ERA, 3499.1 innings, 2604 strikeouts to 970 walks, 330/461 quality starts, FIP- of 76 and 90.1 WAR. Despite winning three Pitcher of the Year awards, he had a somewhat quiet career being on a weaker Dodger squad and being a much lower strikeout guy than the average Hall of Famer. His credentials were still plenty impressive to get a first ballot nod at 82.6%. E.J. Perron – Starting Pitcher – Calgary Cheetahs – 78.8% First Ballot E.J. Perron was a 5’9’’, 175 pound left-handed starting pitcher from North Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite his smaller frame, Perron was a fireballer with peak velocity at 99-101 mph and filthy stuff. His main pitch was an incredible cutter, balanced with a solid curveball and changeup. Perron’s movement was generally rated as above average with his control being considered middling, but his stuff was generally strong enough to overcome that weakness. Perron also had very solid stamina and defensive skills and was considered reliable and durable in his 20s. Perron went to the University of Iowa for college and in three years as a Hawkeye, had a 2.74 ERA over 289 innings with 295 strikeouts, a 19-13 record, and 10.1 WAR. He was picked 13^th overall by Calgary in the 1951 MLB Draft and spent nearly his full pro career with the Cheeaths. He was split between the rotation and bullpen as a rookie, then was a full-time starter starting his second year. Year two was arguably the best of his career, as at age 21, he led the American Association in ERA at 2.49, posting 8.9 WAR and 10 shutouts. This earned him second place in Pitcher of the Year voting and he took third the following year when he led the AA in wins at 25-7. He was still very good, but not in the award conversations or at the top of the leaderboards the next few years, perhaps also overlooked with Calgary struggling in the 1950s. Perron did become a popular player within all of Canada though with a stellar run in the 1954 World Baseball Championship, helping them to the title with a 1.98 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 36.1 innings. He played for the Canadian team from 1954-61 and posted a 13-2 record with a 2.34 ERA over 138.1 innings, 218 strikeouts, and 6.0 WAR. In 1961, a 29-year old Perron picked up his lone Pitcher of the Year award, leading in wins at 24-6 and complete games with 20. The Cheetahs made the playoffs from 1961-63, but never made it out of the second round. Perron had a 2.01 ERA in 40.1 playoff innings for Calgary. 1963 saw his first major injury setback with elbow inflammation putting him out seven weeks. Perron wasn’t the same after that, struggling mightily in 1964. The 33-year old Perron was healthy in 1965, but was a spot starter that even saw time in the minors. The Cheetahs opted to cut him that August, although they’d still honor him soon after by retiring his #24 uniform. Perron signed with San Diego in 1966 but was only used 14.2 innings, notably including one complete shutout. He pitched 0.2 innings in the postseason in relief and earned a World Series ring with the Seals. No longer able to hang as a full-time pro, Perron retired at age 35. Perron’s final stats: 219-138 record, 3.43 ERA, 3303 innings, 3049 strikeouts, 1182 walks, 245/413 quality starts, 197 complete games, and 79.2 WAR. Considering how quickly he fell off after his age 31 season, it’s impressive he accumulated the totals he did, even if they’re lower than a lot of other MLB Hall of Famers. The voters felt his resume was worthy and surprised some doubters by giving Perron the first ballot nod at 78.8%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)