[VanillaGorilla]

15 more classes after this one, then on to v14! In a complete flip flop from the previous HOF, there are many hitting candidates in the spreadsheet and very few pitchers. As was the case with the pitchers in the last HOF, the only way a hitter can be certain of getting in before this world comes to an end is to get in on the First Ballot Standard. If he doesn't, his fate lies in the hands of the fickle Selection Committee.

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If there was any further need to demonstrate that the OOTP HOF selection process is lacking, the fact that Rickey Henderson was not inducted by the software ends all argument. Just ask Rickey.

There is only one Rickey. Again, just ask Rickey.

There may be no player in this game that is more fun for me to play with than Rickey. Rickey says,"What do you mean may be?"

Good point, Rickey.

Rickey was the 6th player chosen in the 2040 draft. Me and Rickey both wonder what the first 5 teams were thinking. The Cubs and the Wrigley faithful were delighted to have him.

Rickey did what Rickey does from the start. A broken wrist towards the end of his first Spring Training delayed his debut (which disappointed no one more than Rickey). In 138 games he hit .308, scored 103 runs, and stole 62 bases in 82 attempts. He finished second in the SB race by 2. He finished first in ROY voting, which he dubbed "Rickey of the Year."

In each of his next 4 seasons he walked at least 103 times and scored at least 113 runs. He stole 100 bases in 2044 and a career high 115 in 2045. Then he became a free agent.

In what was the most unshocking development in OOTP history, Rickey placed a high value on his talents. The teams didn't think Rickey was worth what Rickey thought he was worth. So, Rickey did not play.

On June 15, 2046, Rickey signed on with the Astros at a $4.5M/yr rate for the rest of the season. Rickey had enough of a vacation. Rickey set out to prove the doubters wrong. Rickey did.

Rickey slashed 324/426/532 in 83 regular season games for Houston. These would all stand as career highs. His 160 npa OPS+ would also stand as a career high. Rickey was not done.

In the post season Rickey batted .293 and stole 8 bases with 0 CS as he led the Astros to a WS win.

Rickey was pleased. The Astros were pleased. They gave him a long term deal.

Rickey liked Houston. Houston liked Rickey.

10 years later, Rickey again led the Astros to WS victory.

In 7 post seasons, Rickey stole 20 bases and was caught once (the ump blew the call, according to Rickey). Rickey is the first player from either of these squads to be inducted in the HOF.

Rickey played through the 2059 season and retired in 2060. He retired with 929 SBs (3rd, behind HOFers Tony Campana and Eddie Collins Sr), 2345 hits, and 1675 runs scored (20th, 10 ahead of Jose Reyes). He drove in 1167 runs and walked 1650 times (7th, no eligible player has more walks and is not already in the HOF).

He led the league in SB each year from 2043 to 2046. 5 times he led the league in walks. Twice he led in runs scored.

A 6 time All Star, Rickey won 4 GGs in his career. Rickey enters the HOF by virtue of his Black Ink number being above the HOF average.

Rickey Henderson is the 49th RL HOFer to be inducted, here.

Black Ink: 25 (50)
Gray Ink: 95 (143)
HOFm: 74 (181)
HOFs: 49 (53)

Gorilla Composite: 3.1 (5.2)

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The Selection Committee called on the way back machine to fetch Red Murray for enshrinement.

Red Murray was the 4th player selected in the 2010 draft. He was taken by his classmate's favorite club, the Astros.

He won Rookie of the year in 2011 by cracking 199 hits, batting .319, hitting 36 HRs, collectine 199 RBI and scoring 122 times. He also hit 13 riples to lead the league. He also stole 44 bases, for good measure.

He followed up in 2012 with an MVP season where he slashed 336/398/658. This would be a career high slg%. His 184 npa OPS+ would also stand as a career high. He it 44 HRs, drove in 125, and scored 120 in just 128 games.

Murray collected over 220 hts in each of his next two seasons. Then he was felled by injuries. The Astros chose to let him go to free agency prior to the 2019 season. Murray, appropriately, took a 1 year deal with the Reds.

Red could not keep a regular spot in the Red line-up, and didn't perform well when given the opportunity. He had to settle for a minor league offer from Philadelphia in the off-season.

Murray was solid, but not spectacular, in 2020. He did play in 159 games and did score over 100 runs and steal 34 bases, but had a .263 ave and a npa OPS+ of 91.

Philly offered him a 3yr $10m contract and Murray took it. Philly got their $10m worth in 2021, alone.

325/376/503 Murray slashed in 116 games (npa OPS+139). He again stole 30 bases and helped the Phillies win the WS. He joins team mates Ralph Kiner and Mike Piazza in the HOF.

For his career, Murray slashed 302/356/501 for a npa OPS+ of 134. He collected 1854 hits, hit 264 HRs, stole 447 bases (61st), and scored an even 1100 runs.

Like his classmate, Murray was a 6 time All Star. He won 2 GGs in RF.

Red Murray enters on the Veteran Standard at age 79.

Black Ink: 7 (4)
Gray Ink: 114 (57)
HOFm: 101 (7)
HOFs: 40 (11)

Gorilla Composite: 2.5 (0.8)

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On their return trip fetching Red Murray, the Selection Committee picked up Gary Nolan.

Nolan was selected by the Twins with the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 draft. At age 62, Nolan gave his acceptance speech.

Nolan won 16 games in his rookie season striking out 253 in 244 innings. His sophomore season was cut short by an injury that required Tommy John surgery.

He came back as a servicable pitcher, and from 2028 through 2033 made at leats 32 starts a season and had an OOTP ERA below 4 in each season and a winning record in all but 1 season. He was no longer fanning a man an inning, but he was getting the job done.

Now striking out men at about half the rate he did prior to the TJ surgery, Nolan put together the season of his career in 2034. He posted a 23-5 mark with a 2.23 OOTP ERA (npa ERA+ 176). In 250 1/3 IP he struck out 150 and walked only 26 for a season WHIP figure of 0.92. This was good for a Cy Young Award.

For his career, Nolan won 258 games (t- 9th, Bill J Sweeney) against 191 losses. He had a career OOTP ERA of 3.65 for a npa ERA+ of 119.

He struck out 3171 men (43rd, 1 spot ahead of Carl Hubbell) in 4107 1/3 IP (11th, 1 slot behind Don Sutton) while walking only 852. His career 1.867 w/9 rate is 32nd best All Time, 0.004 better than Fergie Jenkins.

A 3 time All Star, Nolan won 2 GGs. Nolan enters the HOF for being the highest ranking eligible pitcher on the VORP list (698.45, 22nd).

Black Ink: 25 (7)
Gray Ink: 143 (56)
HOFm: 90 (43)
HOFs: 48 (26)

Gorilla Composite: 2.8 (1.2)

ADD: Dizzy Dean joins the league in 2070.