Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 2,722
|
2005 MLB Hall of Fame
Two players earned induction in 2005 into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Pitcher T.J. Nakabayashi was a slam dunk with a 99.3% debut. 3B Ambrose Heidinger also picked up the first ballot nod, but at the lower 74.8% mark. Six other players were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement to get in.

The highest of those was closer Alex Cantos at 59.7% on his seventh ballot. Debuting CF Will Kemme had 59.0% and debuting RF Brian Ostrovskaya got 56.5%. On his fourth try, outfielder Mike Castaneda had 55.0%. Reliever Isaac Porter debuted at 52.2% and SP Ollie Husband picked up 50.4% on his seventh try.
The lone player dropped after ten ballots was pitcher Tadd D’Innocenzo. He pitched 11 years between Ottawa and Calgary, posting a 178-104 record, 3.22 ERA, 2713.2 innings, 2110 strikeouts, 648 walks, 124 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 73.5 WAR. D’Innocenzo also won two titles with the Cheetahs. He retired fairly young after his age 35 season and had pretty good rate stats. D’Innocenzo’s WAR total certainly wouldn’t be out of place compared to other additions, but he lacked any league-leading dominance or major awards. Thus, his candidacy never got much traction, debuting at a peak of 24.9% and ending at 8.3%.

T.J. “Hitman” Nakabayashi – Starting Pitcher – Austin Amigos – 99.3% First Ballot
T.J. Nakabayashi was a 5’9’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Honiara, the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands. Nakabayashi earned the nickname “Hitman” for his strikeout dominance on the mound. He would later gain the distinction as the first inductee representing a team from MLB’s 1982 expansion and was the first MLB inductee born from a Pacific Island nation.
Despite the smaller frame, Nakabayashi threw fire with 10/10 stuff led by 99-101 mph fastball. He also had a stellar changeup and a good curveball, boasting very good movement and control. Nakabayashi had excellent stamina and was an ironman who never missed a start, tossing 255+ innings each year of his 18 year career. Nakabayashi was adaptable, but he wasn’t looked to in the clubhouse for leadership. However, his remarkable ability to get whiffs made him a very popular player throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Nakabayashi grew up on the Solomons as a fan of the country’s Oceania Baseball Association squad Guadalcanal. Some OBA scouts took notice of him as a teenager, but his family connections allowed him to move to the United States towards the end of high school. Nakabayashi would attend Wake Forest for his college career. In three seasons as a Demon Deacon, he had a 21-9 record, 1.95 ERA, 281 innings, 330 strikeouts, 18 1 ERA+, and 13.1 WAR. Nakabayashi was second in NCAA Pitcher of the Year voting as a freshman.
With the MLB Draft’s regional restrictions in the first three rounds, Nakabayashi wasn’t eligible until the fourth round of the 1981 Draft. This draft was also the first to feature the eight expansion franchises that would begin play in 1982 with those squads having the earliest picks each round. Austin had the second pick of the round and grabbed Nakabayashi with the 174th overall selection.
Nakabayashi was a full-time starter and ace immediately, posting 7.7 WAR in his rookie season, which somehow was second in Rookie of the Year voting. He would go on to have 13 seasons worth 7+ WAR in his career. By his second season, Nakabayashi led the American Association in strikeouts, a feat he’d achieve nine times in his career. He led in Ks as well in 1984 and 1985.
In 1984, Nakabayashi had a no-hitter on June 3 with 10 strikeouts and one walk against Houston. 1985 was Nakabayashi’s first time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist, taking second. That was also the one season he won an ERA title, posting 2.61. He had a weaker 1986, but bounced back with a third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1987 and in 1988. Austin committed to their ace after the 1986 campaign with a seven-year, $13,320,000 contract extension.
In 1988, the Amigos and Edmonton became the first expansion teams to earn a playoff appearance, both getting to the American Association Championship Series. The Eels prevailed, but Nakabayashi had a great postseason with a 1.91 ERA over 33 innings. Austin made it back to the AACS in 1989, but lost to Denver. Nakabayashi again was a good playoff arm with a 2.70 ERA over 26.2 innings.
1989 began a streak of six straight seasons leading in strikeouts. That year also was the first of three straight as the WARlord, posting 10.5 Still, Nakabayashi only got second in POTY voting. He wasn’t a finalist in 1990, but couldn’t be denied in 1991.
He had career highs in wins (24-10), ERA (2.47), strikeouts (314), quality starts (28), shutouts (6), FIP- (51), and WAR (12.6) in 1991 to finally win Pitcher of the Year. The WAR total also set the new single-season record by any player in MLB history. Nakabayashi’s mark still remains the all-time mark among pitchers as of 2037.
Austin missed the playoffs in 1990 and 1991, but made it back in 1992. The Amigos were ousted in the second round and Nakabayashi was rocked with a 9.39 ERA in 15.1 innings. Nakabayashi finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting that year, but it was a rough way to ultimately end a brilliant run in Austin. He decided to decline his contract option, becoming a free agent for 1993 entering his age 32 season.
For his Amigos tenure, Nakabayashi had a 196-132 record, 2.87 ERA, 3146.2 innings, 3138 strikeouts, 856 walks, 269/372 quality starts, 198 complete games, 138 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 94.6 WAR. He would be remembered very fondly as the franchise’s first star and his #25 uniform would be the first jersey retired in Austin.
Nakabayashi signed a six-year, $14,300,000 deal with San Francisco. He led in Ks his first two years with the Gold Rush and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1994 and 1995. SF had a four-year playoff streak from 1993-96. In 1994, San Francisco surprised the field as a wild card by winning the World Series over Toronto.
Despite his general dominance, Nakabayashi wasn’t good in the playoffs for the Gold Rush. He had a 6.54 ERA in the title run and posted a 6.10 ERA over 62 innings with 44 strikeouts in total for SF. Still, he was popular for his role in getting the team to the title in 1994. Nakabayashi continued to reliably eat innings, but his velocity and production started to dip by the end of the San Francisco run.
Nakabayashi had a career worst 3.80 ERA in 1997 and in 1998, had his first season with fewer than 200 strikeouts. Still, he became the sixth pitcher to reach 4500 for his career. Nakabayashi’s once triple-digit velocity was now towards the mid 90s though and his hopes of becoming the all-time strikeout leader were dwindling. His last year with San Francisco did see him join the 300 win club as the eighth member.
With the Gold Rush, Nakabayashi had a 109-73 record, 3.34 ERA, 1718 innings, 1429 strikeouts, 391 walks, 132/213 quality starts, 102 complete games, 118 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 42.9 WAR. He was a free agent again at age 38 entering the 1999 season and Phoenix gave him a shot with a two-year, $8,640,000 deal.
By now, Nakabayashi’s fastball peaked in the 90-92 mph range. The ironman still got 255 innings, but they were subpar quality with a 4.27 ERA and 92 ERA+. He narrowly passed Newton Persaud for second on the strikeout list, but was still 302 away from Julius Jordan’s mark while only posting 119 in 1999. Nakabayashi decided to retire that winter at age 38.
For his career, Nakabayashi had a 317-222 record, 3.09 ERA, 5119.2 innings, 4686 strikeouts, 486 walks, 417/619 quality starts, 312 complete games, 128 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 139.2 WAR. As of 2037, Nakabayashi’s still very prominent on the all-time pitching leaderboards in MLB. He’s second in strikeouts, fifth in pitching WAR, sixth in wins, tenth in innings pitched, and fourth in complete games.
It is surprising considering that resume that Nakabayashi only won Pitcher of the Year once, and that took a single-season WAR record. Still, most felt he was a top five ace for the better part of two decades, making Nakabayashi a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He received 99.3% to headline MLB’s 2005 class.

Ambrose Heidinger – Third Base – Cincinnati Reds- 74.8% First Ballot
Ambrose Heidinger was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Cincinnati, Ohio. Heidinger was considered a very good contract hitter that was solid at avoiding strikeouts, although he was mediocre at drawing walks. He wasn’t a prolific home run hitter, but he had reliably sturdy power. Six times, Heidinger hit 30+ dingers in a season and he’d almost always get you at least 20. He also was good for around 25-30 doubles most years.
Heidinger was big and slow, known as a laughably bad baserunner. He had a cannon arm though, which served him as a career third baseman. Heidinger’s glove and range was respectable and he graded out for his career as reliably above average defensively. He had great durability for his career and didn’t miss much time in the field over a 20-year career.
After growing up in Cincinnati, Heidinger remained in Ohio for college by attending Bowling Green. He won a Silver Slugger as a freshman for the Falcons. In total at BGSU, Heidinger had 144 games, 165 hits, 101 runs, 21 doubles, 35 home runs, 110 RBI, a .280/.327/.497 slash, 144 wRC+, and a 6.1 WAR. His hometown Reds were well aware of Heidinger and his dream from childhood came true as Cincinnati picked him 20th overall in the 1978 MLB Draft.
Heidinger was a part-time starter as a rookie, but was largely the full-time guy after that for the next 14 years for Cincinnati. He was merely a decent starter his first two years, but began to look elite by year three, winning his first Silver Slugger in 1982. Heidinger would win it again in 1987, 1989, and 1990. He was very much ol’ reliable, but never was a league leader to MVP finalist. Still, Heidinger had eight seasons worth 6+ WAR for the Reds.
Throughout the 1980s, Heidinger was a beloved local hero for Cincinnati. He was one of the only redeeming things in a weak era for the team, as they were more often than not below .500. Their only playoff appearance in Heidinger’s 15-year tenure was 1989, a second round exit. The Reds had committed to Heidinger with a seven-year, $17,720,000 extension after the 1987 season.
Heidinger chugged along as a fixture at third base. He did make six World Baseball Championship squads for the United States team, but as a reserve. He only made two starts in 25 games, but did get world champion rings with the 1985 and 1992 teams. After the 1993 season, Heidinger executed his contract option to finish the seven-year deal in full with the Reds. He would hit his 400th career home run right at the end of the 1994 season.
Heidinger and Cincinnati would amicably part ways after the 1994 campaign, ending a 15-year run. In total, he had 2464 hits, 1125 runs, 383 doubles, 400 home runs, 1301 RIB, a .292/.322/.486 slash, 140 wRC+, and 77.2 WAR. To the surprise and confusion of many Reds fans, Heidinger’s #10 uniform would never be retired by the team.
Coming up on his age 36 season, Heidinger signed a three-year, $10,360,000 deal with Ottawa. He put up his usual steady production with the Elks, posting 493 hits, 209 runs, 73 home runs, 261 RBI, a .280/.312/.450 slash. 130 wRC+, and 14.7 WAR. Ottawa made the playoffs once in 1996 as a wild card, but were quickly ousted.
Heidinger was a free agent again for 1998 and Tampa wanted that reliable production, giving him three years and $11,920,000. Heidinger regressed though and was firmly mediocre in two seasons starting for the Thunderbirds with a .230/.264/.388 slash, 83 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.
While in Tampa, Heidinger did reach the 3000 career hit and 500 home run milestones. He failed to meet the vesting criteria for the third year of the deal, becoming a free agent for 2000. Heidinger was cooked and went unsigned all year, finally retiring in the winter at age 42.
Heidinger had 3200 hits, 1436 runs, 494 doubles, 32 triples, 518 home runs, 1688 RBI, a .284/.315/.471 slash, 133 wRC+, and 93.6 WAR. As of 2037 among third basemen, he’s fourth in hits, fourth in homers, third in RBI, and eighth in WAR. Heidinger is 41th among all MLB players in hits as of 2037 and 74th in WAR.
A few voters were critical of his lack of black ink and big awards. However, Heidinger’s impressive longevity was hard to ignore. Plus, being a hometown favorite gives you a boost, even if the franchise was a stinker during the run. Heidinger received 74.8% for the first ballot induction with MLB’s 2005 Hall of Fame voting.
|