SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS - part 5
ANDY PAFKO - The 1945 National League batting champ and Most Valuable Player spent well over a decade as a solid major league centerfielder. Pafko was a 4-time all-star who began his major league career with the Cubs at the age of 21. He actually posted better numbers in 1948 than he did in his MVP season but was overshadowed by Ralph Kiner's 55 homer season and lost the batting title to Eddie Waitkus of the Phillies that season.
A shocking deal after the 1949 season sent him from the Cubs to the Indians in exchange for outfielder Gene Woodling and pitcher Ray Narleski. His first season in Cleveland went well but his numbers tailed off each of the next two seasons and the Indians moved him to the Athletics for pitchers Roy Face and Lou Brissie.
Pafko's final two years as an everyday player were with the A's and he hit .313 and .314 over those seasons but as he turned 34 he was dealt again - this time to Brooklyn were he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter by the Dodgers in 1955. He would finish his major league career with brief stops in Milwaukee and San Francisco.
He appeared in 3 World Series and batted .294 but was on the losing end all three times. His sim totals were 1,875 games played, 2,110 hits, 202 homers and a .298 batting average. In real life Pafko played in 1,852 games for the Cubs, Dodgers and Braves, batting .285 with 1,796 hits and 213 homeruns.
VERDICT - No chance at making Hall of Fame and I would not expect him to get the 5% share of the votes needed to remain on the ballot.
DODE PASKERT - Not sure how this could be his first ballot as Paskert played for the White Sox from 1904 until 1918. He won 3 gold gloves in left field and was a member of 3 World Series champion teams although he played sparingly in the 3 Series wins.
In the 1908 series Paskert hit .240 in 6 games as the White Sox lost to the Cubs. The White Sox won 6 straight pennants starting in 1915 and Paskert was on the roster for the first three, but appeared in just 2 games, both as a pinch-hitter.
He signed with the White Sox as a 22 year old in 1904 and never played for any other organization as he retired after being released part way through the 1918 season.
VERDICT - He has no chance of getting enough votes to remain on the ballot and I still have no idea what made him eligible for the first time this year.