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Old 05-05-2018, 12:44 AM   #61
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SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS

I am going to cast a ballot in this year's Hall of Fame vote. It will be the first time I participate as everything up to this year had been quick simmed. There are 46 names on the ballot with the range of career years stretching from 1871 until 1960.

Let's start with the first time eligible candidates in alphabetical order:

BOBBY AVILA - A solid second baseman for over a decade but he is certainly not an all-star. Due to playing in his native Mexico for several years, Avila does not show up in the game until the age of 24 in 1948. He missed almost all of his rookie pro season with an injury but bounced back and posted solid numbers in 1949 with AA Dayton (.306,4,63 in 131 games) and earned a late season call up to AAA San Diego. The following season he made the Indians roster out of spring training and would remain in the big leagues until his retirement following the 1960 campaign.

Avila's stay with Cleveland was short-live as, after hit .256 in 56 games as a rookie, he was dealt to the Brooklyn Dodgers at the trade deadline in exchange for 27 year old outfielder Hank Bauer. The trade would benefit both clubs as Bauer had some good years in Cleveland while Avila became the Dodgers starting second baseman for nearly a decade.

Avila made a pair of All-Star appearances (1951, 1952) and won a gold glove in 1956. He also was on a pair of pennant winning Dodger teams but hit just .170 in 11 World Series games as his club lost the Series both times.

In 1418 career major league games, Avila is a lifetime .284 hitter, numbers that compare very favourably with his real-life .281 average in 1300 games. In real-life Avila won an American League batting title in 1954. He came close once in the sim, hitting a career best .341 and finishing second in the National League behind Richie Ashburn.

VERDICT - A good player but there is no way he should get the 5% of the votes necessary to remain on the ballot.


AL DARK - The Camanche, Texas native played for 4 teams over his 14 year major league career. He was named American League rookie of the year in 1947 after hitting .311 for the Detroit Tigers and was an AL all-star for 4 consecutive seasons starting in 1949. In 1953 Detroit sent him to Cincinnati in exchange for young slugger Wally Post. Post did not pan out in Detroit and was dealt back to the Reds a couple of years later. Dark's stay in Cincinnati was also not very successful as he was moved to Milwaukee in exchange for Irv Noren a year later.

In 1956 Dark helped lead the Braves to the franchise's first World Series title since 1897. It was a 7 game series with the Yankees and Dark was named MVP after going 12-for-24 in the series. He would play two more years in Milwaukee before finishing his career with the Cleveland Indians. The trade worked out extremely well for the Indians, but not because of Dark. A throw in the deal which sent outfielder Bob Nieman to Milwaukee, was a then 19 year old Denny Lemaster. It would take Lemaster a few seasons to become a regular but the now 26 year old was 18-8 last season for the Indians and is 64-46 over 4 seasons.

Dark hit .296 with 118 homers and 859 rbi's in 1942 career major league games. He ended with 2202 base hits in his career. The real-life Al Dark played 1828 games and had 2089 hits to go with a .289 career batting average. He had a little more power in real life, belting 126 homers and drove in 757 rbi's. Like in the sim, Dark won 1 World Series title and was named Rookie of the Year. He was named to the all-star game 3 times, one less than in the sim.

VERDICT - Much like Avila, a decent player but by no means a Hall of Famer.
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Old 05-05-2018, 01:21 AM   #62
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SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS - part 2


CARL ERSKINE - No where near a Hall of Fame career for the former Braves pitcher. The Anderson, Indiana native made his major league debut with the Boston Braves in 1949 as a 22 year old. He spent his entire career in the Braves organization but only really had 3 or 4 decent years. He was a career best 18-12 with a league leading 184 strikeouts in 1953 and followed that up by going 27-23 over the next two seasons. By 1956 he was moved to the bullpen where he finished his career. A teammate of Al Dark on the 1956 World Series winning club, Erskine was 1-0 in 4 relief appearances in the Series. He led the National League in saves with 18 and appearances (65) in 1958 but missed much of the 1959 season with injuries, only pitching sparingly after that.

He pitched a no-hitter in 1951, blanking the St Louis Cardinals 2-0 in a game he squared off against Bob Lemon. Erskine also tossed a 1-hitter three years later.

Erskine was originally Brooklyn Dodger property but they dealt him to the Braves when he was 19 and had yet to pitch a professional game. Stan Spence, who was at the tail end of a decent career went the other way in exchange for young Erskine.

Career numbers for Erskine were an 80-59 record with 26 saves and a 3.26 era. He started 154 major league games and in total appeared in 334 games. In real life Erskine pitched over a decade with the Dodgers and was 122-78 with a 4.00 era. He started 216 of his 335 major league games with a 20-6 1953 season being the best of his career. He won his only World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1955.

VERDICT - No where near Hall of Fame calibre.

MIKE GARCIA - For a four year period from 1950-53, Mike Garcia was one of the best pitchers in the game. He won a pair of Cy Young Awards, an American League MVP and was a 6-time all-star during his 12 year career with the Cleveland Indians. Garcia won a career best 21 games in 1950 - his first full season in the majors. The next year he was 18-11 with a 2.13 era and won his second straight Cy Young as well as the MVP award. He led the Indians to the World Series both times and was 3-1 with a 1.10 era in 4 World Series starts but his club lost to the Phillies both times.

Garcia threw a no-hitter in April of 1956, blanking Kansas City 11-0 and narrowly missing out on a perfect game. The only blemish was an error by second baseman Milt Smith in the fifth inning. Garcia faced just 28 batters, walking no one while fanning 3 in the contest.

He made his pro debut at the age of 18 in 1942 but it took 8 years for him to work his way up the Indians system and make his major league debut. His final major league numbers were 143-121 with a 3.20 career era. He started 313 of his 385 major league appearances.

Real life numbers for Garcia are comparable (142-97 with a 3.27 era. Started 281 of 428 career appearances. No individual awards aside from 3 all-star appearances. He was part of one of the greatest starting rotations in history with the Indians of the early 1950's joining Bob Lemon, Bob Feller and Early Wynn in the Cleveland rotation.

VERDICT - Might be lucky and get enough votes for the 5% to remain on the ballot but will certainly never be a hall of famer.
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Old 05-05-2018, 01:51 AM   #63
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SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS - part 3



BILLY GOODMAN - Goodman went straight from high school to the major leagues, joining the Chicago Cubs as an 18 year old. Even more impressively he started 146 games that season and batted .282. He would spend his entire career in the Windy City, appearing in 2332 major league games before being sent down to AAA Los Angeles late in his career at the age of 34. Goodman was a 5-time all-star, claimed 3 Silver Slugger Awards and a gold glove.

He finished with a .296 lifetime batting average and 2737 career hits. He ranks in the top 30 all-time in doubles with 511 and led the National League in two-baggers 5 times in his career. He never played a World Series game as his Cubs were a second division club for much of his career.

In real life Goodman played 16 seasons with 4 different teams. He had 1691 career hits and was a .300 hitter. Goodman was also a 2-time all-star with the Red Sox and won an American League batting title in 1950.

VERDICT - Not a Hall of Famer but might stick around on the ballot a few years.



JIM HEARN - Hearn is in the top 30 all-time in games pitched with 578 career appearances. He was 76-84 with 48 saves over a 16 year major league career that saw him pitch for 5 different teams including the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees. Primarily a reliever he was 8-20 for the 1951 Giants as a starter but then followed that up with a 17-8 season for the Dodgers the next season.

Hearn never won an individual award and was 0-1 with an 8.53 era in 3 appearances with the Dodgers in the 1955 World Series, one they would lose to the Yankees.

In real life Hearn went 109-89 over 13 seasons with the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies. He made the all-star team in 1952 and was 15-7 for the Giants that year.

VERDICT
- Certainly no where near the hall of fame
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Old 05-05-2018, 11:23 AM   #64
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Did Ollie Johns make it into your league he is a stud closer in my HRD.
John Halla is another reliever I would be interested in seeing his performance in your league.

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Old 05-05-2018, 02:28 PM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JaBurns View Post
Did Ollie Johns make it into your league he is a stud closer in my HRD.
John Halla is another reliever I would be interested in seeing his performance in your league.
Love to see how they did in your league but for me neither one amounted to much.


Halla was a victim of the reserve roster. Wish we could lower them to just 3-5 players or eliminate altogether. Not quite good enough to make a major league team but just good enough that someone purchases his contract from the minors and sticks him on the reserve roster as there are no affiliated teams in his era.

JOHN HALLA

John Halla pitched for 4 different major league teams in my sim but was 2-2 with a 2.70 era in just 19 career major league appearances. He finished his career at the age of 28 when he went 13-22 for Louisville of the American Association in 1912. It was the only year he pitched more than 20 innings in a season.

He signed with the Browns as a free agent in 1902 but remained on their reserve roster for 2 seasons before being dealt to the Tigers for reliever Cy Swaim. He was named the 78th best prospect prior to the 1904 season but was released by the Tigers after spring training.

The White Sox signed Halla in May of 1904 and he made his major league debut that season, getting a save in his only appearance. At the end of the year the White Sox dealt him to the Mobile Bears of the Southern Association for pitcher Ted Breitenstein but before the 1905 season started the Browns purchased his contract and put him back on their reserve roster. That lasted just a few months as the Browns cut him in July but the Philadelphia Athletics immediately added him to their reserve roster.

At the end of the 1905 season the A's released him and Mobile signed him to a contract but despite being on their roster for the second time, Halla never pitched for the Bears as the Cubs purchased his contract in February 1906 and he was once again assigned to a major league 15-man reserve roster. After being cut by the Cubs in mid-season and picked up again by the Athletics to finish out 1906 he was again released.

The Cincinnati Reds signed him prior to the 1907 season and he cracked the major league roster so for the first time since that 1 game in 1904 he would be able to pitch again. He was 0-1 with a 2.25 era in 5 relief appearances early in the 1907 season but was released at the end of April. Philadelphia had injury trouble so the Phillies signed him a couple of weeks later and he got 5 relief appearances for them, going 1-0 with a 5.06 era. He was cut in July but caught on with the Washington Senators who used him in 1 game that season. In all he pitched for 3 major league teams in 1907, going 1-1 with a 3.12 era in 11 appearances.

He stuck with the Senators for the 1908 campaign and was 1-1 with a 1.80 era in 10 innings of work over 7 appearances but spent the bulk of the year on their reserve roster.

Released in spring training 1909 by Washington, Halla found his way to San Francisco of the PCL and made 7 relief appearances for the Seals in April before the Pirates purchased his contract and it was back to the reserve roster for Halla. He would spend most of the next 2 years on reserve rosters of various major league clubs but did get 1 appearance with Pawtucket of the New England League and 12 games with Louisville of the American Association in 1911.

His contract remained with Louisville for the entire 1912 season and he finally got to pitch, making 35 starts but was 13-22 with a 2.90 era for a very bad Colonels team. Louisville released him after the season and he never caught on anywhere else, finally choosing to retire at the end of the 1914 season.



OLLIE JOHNS

Great beginnings to his career but Ollie Johns never amounted to much in my sim. The only time he spent on a big league roster was 4 months in the winter of 1910-11 but he was cut by the Cleveland Naps prior to spring training.

Johns made his pro debut with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association in 1904. He led the league in games started and innings pitched and posted an impressive 21-13 record as a rookie. He would spend 4 more seasons with Indianapolis but did not match his rookie year. Following the 1907 season the Indians released him and he signed with the Rochester Broncos for 1908. The Broncos only used him in 7 games and released him at the end of the season. He bounced around three minor leagues in 1909, spending time with St Paul, Montreal and Butte but none of the teams used him in a game. That led to a brief signing with the Cleveland Naps but after being cut before spring training and spending the 1911 season unemployed he retired from the game.
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Old 05-05-2018, 03:01 PM   #66
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SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS - part 4


GIL HODGES - A 6 time gold glove winner at first base and a five time all-star, Hodges played 13 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers before finishing his career as a New York Yankee. In 1,943 career games, he had 2,084 hits including 358 homers. He led the National League in rbi's 3 times in his career and was a lifetime .291 hitter.

The Princeton, New Jersey native spent 4 seasons in the Dodgers system before making his major league debut in 1947 at the age of 23. He would be the Dodgers everyday first baseman for the next 12 years and help them win a pair of National League pennants. Hodges would also make the World Series with the 1960 Yankees, who acquired the then 36 year old at midseason for prospect Bob Aspromonte. Hodges would hit .254 after the deal and provide depth for the Yankees but he would go just 1-for-11 in the series as New York lost to Cincinnati. He was a lifetime .204 hitter in World Series play and was on the losing side in all three series.

His time as a Yankee was brief as he was not resigned following the 1960 season. The Red Sox picked him up and he spent the entire 1961 campaign in the minors, primarily in the PCL with Seattle where he hit .258 with 13 homers in 105 games. He won the PCL Series that year with the Rainiers and then retired.

The real life Gil Hodges was considered one of the best defensive first basemen of his time and won 3 Gold Gloves. He was an 8 time all-star and also on a pair of World Series winning clubs. Real life numbers include 370 homeruns and 1921 career hits in 2071 games with a .273 career batting average.

VERDICT - His 358 homers rank 18th all-time and the 6 gold gloves are impresive but he falls short of having a Hall of Fame career. He won't get my vote but I think he might get enough interest to stay on the ballot for a few years.

DON NEWCOMBE - A teammate of Hodges with the Dodgers, the lefthander from Madison, Wisconsin was 151-113 over his 12 year major league career. He made the all-star team twice- in 1950 and 1952 - but was not selected in 1951 which was his only 20 win season. He pitched in two World Series (Dodgers lost them both), appearing in 3 games and starting two of them but had no WS decisions.

Newcombe began his career in the Negro National League with the Newark Eagles before being one of the first players to move across when the color barrier came down. His 1945 season with the Eagles is one for the ages, when the then 18 year old went 17-2 with a 2.67 era in 19 starts. He was a teammate of the great Satchel Paige with Newark that season and the two combined for a 37-7 record. THe following year with Paige's role diminished, Newcombe was the pitching star of a club that also included future major leaguers Larry Doby and Monte Irvin. The three would lead the Eagles to the Negro World Series title that season.

The Dodgers signed him prior to the 1948 season and assigned him to Montreal for the year were he went 9-11 with a 3.77 era. The following year he joined the Dodgers and spent the next 12 seasons in the major leagues. Newcombe ended his career in 1961, pitching in relief for the American Association champion Omaha Dodgers before retiring at the end of that season.

In real life Newcombe was the first pitcher to win rookie of the year, MVP and the Cy Young award in his career, a feat he alone held until Justin Verlander equalled it in 2011. He was the first black pitcher to start and World Series game and the first to win 20 games in a season. He finished with a 149-90 career record and was a 4-time all-star.

VERDICT
- Like in real life, segregation will cost Newcombe a chance at the Hall of Fame through the regular vote. In real life he also missed 2 years of his prime due to military service. He got those seasons back in the sim but if his Negro League totals were added to his MLB numbers he would be a 200 game winner. He might get enough votes to stick around for a few ballots and depending on what I learn going forward looking at the old timers still on the ballot he might get my vote.
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Old 05-05-2018, 04:51 PM   #67
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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.
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Old 05-05-2018, 05:23 PM   #68
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SOME THOUGHTS ON 1966 HALL OF FAME CLASS - part 5


Here are the final two players that are appearing on the ballot for the first time:

GEORGE SILLIMAN - Silliman spent 9 seasons in the White Sox rotation from 1950-58 and ended his career with a season in relief for San Francisco. In real life he never played in the majors, in fact he only played two seasons Kingsport of the Class D Appalachian League before leaving the game at age 20.

In the sim he was 131-111 in 322 major league appearances including 273 starts. His best year was 1958 when Silliman went 18-9 for the White Sox. It would also be his last year in the rotation as he spent most of 1959 in the minors. The White Sox released him prior to the 1960 season and he signed a minor league deal with the Giants and ended up pitching 38 major league innings in relief.

Silliman was 1-1 in 2 starts in the 1953 World Series in which the White Sox beat St Louis. Silliman tossed a complete game 7-hitter in the series clinching game as Chicago beat the Cardinals 7-1 to win the series in 6 games.

VERDICT- Had some decent seasons but never made an all-star team. Not a chance at Hall of Fame.


ENOS SLAUGHTER - The 8 time all-star played 3,140 major league games - which is fifth most all-time. His 3,344 career hits rank 10th in baseball history.

Slaughter made his major league debut with the Boston Braves as a 19 year old in 1935 and would stay with the organization until he turned 41. He would end his storied career with 2 seasons with the Yankees and one with the Cardinals but he will always be remember as a Brave. He is the franchise all-time leader in games, at bats, hits and total bases.

Slaughter suffered through some lean years in Boston but was still around when the then Milwaukee Braves won their first and only post-1901 pennant in 1956. 40 years old at the time, Slaughter went 2-for-5 as a pinch-hitter in the series to help Milwaukee past the Yankees for their only World Series title.

The real-life Slaughter was a Hall of Fame outfielder who played primarily for the Cardinals but had brief stops at the end of his career with the A's, Yankees and Braves. He played a lot more in the sim then he did in real-life, in part because he missed three years due to WWII, but still spent 19 seasons and played 2,380 major league games.

VERDICT - He will definately be getting my vote.


That is all of the first-timers on the ballot. I will look at the top vote getters from last year next.
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Old 05-06-2018, 08:52 AM   #69
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Here are Ollie Johns' and John Halla's stats in my league. Sorry they are so big, haven't yet learned how to make them smaller.


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Old 05-08-2018, 12:02 AM   #70
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Last year was just the sixth time since the Hall of Fame opened in 1932 that no one received enough votes to qualify. Joe Gordon came closest to the required 75% as he was named on 71.9% of the ballots.

Here are the top seven vote getters from last season.
Code:
1- Joe Gordon 		71.9
2- Pee Wee Reese 	66.5
3- Jackie Robinson	64.9
4- Bob Feller		64.5
5- Harry Breechen	53.4
6- Ralph Kiner		51.1
7- Del Ennis		34.2
JOE GORDON

This is Gordon's 9th time on the ballot and his support has steadily increased from just 42.8% in his initial year of eligibility to just missing last season.

He played 2265 career major league games with the Yankees and Athletics and never spent a day in the minors. He was an 8-time all-star and won 4 gold gloves at second base. Gordon was named American League rookie of the year in 1936 when he hit .277 with 19 homers for the Yankees. He would be the Yankees every day second baseman for a decade before being traded to the Athletics in exchange for Babe Barna and Joe Astroth. With Philadelphia he would be a starter for 5 more seasons before spending the final two years of his career as a back-up infielder.

Gordon played in two World Series with the Yankees, batting .200 with a pair of homers in 11 games, but his club lost to the Cardinals both times. He finished with 2255 career hits, 327 homers and a .274 lifetime average. The real life Gordon played just 11 seasons, missing two years due to military service, hitting .268 with 1530 hits and 253 homeruns.

PEE WEE REESE

Reese is eligible for the fifth time and has come close but is consistently falling about 10% short of election. Like Gordon, he was a 4 time gold glove winner and 8 time all-star.

Reese spent his entire 19 year career with the Dodgers, retiring following the 1956 season. He played 2619 career games, had 2803 hits and was a lifetime .274 hitter. He only appeared in one World Series, going 3-for-17 as the Dodgers were swept by the Yankees in 1955.

In real-life Reese played 2166 games, missing 3 years during WWII, and had 2170 career hits to go with a lifetime .269 average.


JACKIE ROBINSON

In this universe Robinson is just one of a number of former Negro League players who made the major leagues in 1948 so he does not have quite the same impact historically as the real life version of him does. That being said, when you consider he did not debut in the game until the age of 26 in 1945, with what he accomplished in 3 years in the Negro Leagues added to his real life totals he did enough to get my vote for the Hall of Fame.

Robinson was eligible for the first time in 1964 and he was named on 53.7% of the ballots, a number that increased to 64.9% last year.

He began his professional baseball career in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League. Robinson played 3 seasons for the Monarchs and ended up with a .402 career batting average. A two-time MVP and two-time league batting champ, Robinson also won a Negro World Series with Kansas City.

Following the 1947 season he joined a wave of Negro Leaguers to move to the Major Leagues. The Phillies signed him and after a very brief apprenticeship in the International League, where he belted 5 homers in 8 games while batting .484, Robinson was promoted to the Phillies and remained with the club until his retirement in 1958. He was named 1948 National League rookie of the year after hitting .337 in 92 games.

Robinson never won a batting title in the major leagues, but did lead the National League in stolen bases twice and runs scored on 3 occassions. He played 1,429 career major league games and was a lifetime .301 hitter. A six-time all-star he showed his versatility in the field by winning 3 Gold Gloves at 3 different positions.

When you add in his Negro League numbers Robinson is a .320 career hitter with 2,059 hits in just 1,756 games. You have to wonder what he would have accomplished had his career started at age 20 instead of 26.

The other big nod in Robinson's favour is his post-season play. He was a big contributor to a loaded Phillies team that played in 6 World Series in a 7 year span. Robinson hit .304 in 39 World Series games with 5 homers. His most dominant playoff was 1952 when he went 10-for-22 (.455) in a 6 game win over the Yankees. His Phillies won 4 World Championships during that span.


VERDICT - On it's own, Robinson's major league numbers are maybe not enough to get him in the Hall - even with his World Series performances - but he will certainly get my vote based on his Negro League totals, and he still was the first to break the color barrier in this game in terms of awards - his 1948 National League rookie of the year was the first major award won by a player of color.

Reese and Gordon seemed to have pretty similar careers and I would consider both borderline Hall of Famers. I am leaning towards voting for Reese and not for Gordon, just based on the longevity that allowed Reese to get over 2800 hits, placing him 34th all-time in that category.

As I post the rest of the candidates from this years ballot I welcome any feedback to try and change my mind but so far my ballot will consist of the following:

Pee Wee Reese
Jackie Robinson
Enos Slaughter

with Don Newcombe a possible selection, but I still have a number of players to look at including some decent pitchers.
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Old 05-08-2018, 12:38 AM   #71
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Lets next take a look at a pair of pitchers who finished in the top five in last year's Hall of Fame voting.

BOB FELLER

Feller has been eligible for the past 3 years and taking a quick look I can't see how he is not elected. A 6-time all-star who won two World Series with the Indians and pitched for 22 seasons. He was 255-198 in a career that saw him lead the American League in strikeouts 5 times. He also pitched a no-hitter in 1950.

Feller sits 6th all-time in career strikeouts with 2528 and his win total of 255 ranks 23rd all-time.

Feller's numbers compare favourably with Carl Hubbell, Dutch Leonard, Hal Newhouser and Fred Hutchinson - who are all in the Hall.

The real life Feller was 266-162 with 2581 career strikeouts.


HARRY BRECHEEN

This is Brecheen's 6th year on the ballot. He had the misfortune of spending his entire career with the Browns and they were awful for most of his tenure. Brecheen posted some great numbers despite the lack of talent around him - 3 Cy Young Awards and 7 all-star appearances to go with a 215-189 career record.

He led the American League in losses when he went 6-22 in 1940 on a Browns team that lost 107 games but 3 years later he was 26-11 on a team that won just 76 games. The Browns/Orioles are the only original franchise to never win a pennant.

The real-life Brecheen was 133-92 over a 12 year career primarily with the Cardinals but he did finish with a year as a Brown.

VERDICT - Don Newcombe factors in here as well. I think Feller should get my vote based on his 255 wins and the strikeout totals. Numbers alone I feel Brecheen and Newcombe fall just short but both have extenuating circumstances. Newcombe missed out on his early years due to the color barrier and Brecheen was handicapped by how bad his team was.

I am going to vote for Feller. I will have to think more about Brecheen and Newcombe. I am leaning to Brecheen as a yes and Newcombe as a no but he will be someone who draws consideration from the special Old-Timers Committee I will introduce to give players from the early days of minors and Negro Leagues a shot at the Hall.
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Old 05-08-2018, 12:45 AM   #72
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Right now this is my ballot:

Pee Wee Reese
Jackie Robinson
Enos Slaughter
Bob Feller

But it can change as there are a number of old-time greats that we need to take a look at including:

Pete Alexander
Cap Anson
Sam Crawford
Hank Greenberg
Tommy Heinrich
Billy Herman
Tony Lazzeri
Heinie Manush
Rube Marquard
Ducky Medwick
Eddie Plank
Sam Rice
Preacher Roe
George Uhle
Mickey Vernon
Doc White
Cy Young


as well as more recent retirees
Del Ennis and Carl Furillo

I will look at the careers of each of them next before finally casting my ballot and advancing the game.
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Old 05-08-2018, 11:23 AM   #73
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I just recently found this thread and want to echo the thoughts of others who have mentioned that this is a really great read. Thanks Tiger Fan.

I may have missed mention of him previously, but could you speak more on Duke Snider and how he has or did end up your sim? It looks like he likely came up right in the middle of that '50s Philly dynasty - I'm wondering if he had pieces in those '55 and '57 pennant winners. Unfortunate that they went 40 years between pennants though!

Also, this is probably a stupid question - but I saw that you're using 3-year recalc. Does that mean the player's ratings in your sim are based on real life or on the game engine? And also - I'm new to the game - if you're using ratings based on real stats/3-year recalc, how does the game treat player ratings for players that retired in real life but are still kicking in the sim league? For instance, I saw your Christy Mathewson played until 1921, although in real life, he retired after 1916. How were his ratings treated from 1917-1921?

Sorry for the questions.
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Old 05-08-2018, 11:53 AM   #74
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Interesting that Robinson started with the Phillies. After all the trouble the Dodgers had with Phillies early in his career with their manager.
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Old 05-08-2018, 08:07 PM   #75
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I just recently found this thread and want to echo the thoughts of others who have mentioned that this is a really great read. Thanks Tiger Fan.

I may have missed mention of him previously, but could you speak more on Duke Snider and how he has or did end up your sim? It looks like he likely came up right in the middle of that '50s Philly dynasty - I'm wondering if he had pieces in those '55 and '57 pennant winners. Unfortunate that they went 40 years between pennants though!

Also, this is probably a stupid question - but I saw that you're using 3-year recalc. Does that mean the player's ratings in your sim are based on real life or on the game engine? And also - I'm new to the game - if you're using ratings based on real stats/3-year recalc, how does the game treat player ratings for players that retired in real life but are still kicking in the sim league? For instance, I saw your Christy Mathewson played until 1921, although in real life, he retired after 1916. How were his ratings treated from 1917-1921?

Sorry for the questions.

Thank you for the kind words and there are no stupid questions. It is actually a very good question and I believe (but am not 100% correct) the game development engine kicks in for players like Mathewson when they run out of 'real life seasons' to take stats from.

As for Snider he got 3 World Series rings but as Tiger rather than a Dodger.

DUKE SNIDER

Despite being released twice as a teenager, Duke Snider went on to have an outstanding major league career with the Detroit Tigers. He was a 6-time all-star, won 3 gold gloves and was a 3-time World Series Champion before retiring after the 1964 season.

Snider joined the Dodgers system as a 17 year old in 1944 but was released in June of that year despite hitting .302 for Newport News. The Giants immediately signed him and he finished the '44 season with stops in Erie and Richmond. He would spend the 1945 season in the Giants system but they cut him at the end of the year after he batted just .258 between Hickory and Richmond.

Detroit signed him and by the of the 1946 season he was at AA Dallas of the Texas League, where he hit .455 in 27 games and helped Dallas win the league title. He began 1947 back in Dallas and again hit well, batting .355 through 103 games. That earned him a late season promotion to the big leagues and the now 20 year old Snider went 1-for-4 in his major league debut in 1947. His first hit was a single off of the Brown's Hal Brecheen. Snider went 7-for-15 including his first career homerun in 11 games for Detroit that year.

He was a major leaguer to stay after that, claiming the American League rookie of the year award the following season when he batted .306 with 20 homers and 100 rbi's.

Snider would remain with Detroit until his retirement following the 1964 season. In 2,280 career games he hit .292 with 2,385 career hits, 384 homeruns and 1,434 rbi's. In real life Snider, a hall of famer, made 8 all-star appearances and won 2 World Series in a career that spanned basically the same time from -from 1947-64. Snider played 2,143 games and was a .295 hitter with 407 homers and 1,333 rbi's.




As a sidenote I was trying to figure out why the Dodgers would release him mid-season especially with the numbers he put up at Olean and Newport News. The only possible answer I can come up with is there system had a lot of highly rated (at the time) outfield prospects although most never panned out. Included in the group were Hank Bauer, 22 years old, Cal Abrams (20), Dick Whitman (24), Bud Kimball (26), George Shuba (20), Marv Rickert (23), Joe Polcha (25) and Dale Leedy (23). Still, I can't see why there wasn't a place for a 17 year old who was batting over .300 in the Piedmont League. Of course the Dodgers were not the only team to give up on so maybe there was something else. Either way, it was a big gain for Detroit and Snider teamed nicely with Minnie Minoso and a young Al Kaline on 3 World Series winners.
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Old 05-08-2018, 08:37 PM   #76
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Interesting that Robinson started with the Phillies. After all the trouble the Dodgers had with Phillies early in his career with their manager.
Yes it is ironic how that worked out. Robinson was one of 5 players purchased by Major League teams from the Negro League on the initial day after the color barrier was dropped in the game: September 26, 1947. A few more would follow that winter but in addition to Robinson the other four signed on the first day were Willie Mays to the St Louis Browns, Roy Campanella to the Athletics, Bus Clarkson to Cincinnati and Dave Pope to Detroit.

It would be just under a week later when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Don Newcombe to be the first Negro League player welcomed to their organization. The Dodgers would sign another pitcher that off-season, by the name of Alex Newkirk.

Looking at box scores I believe Roy Campanella was the first to break the color barrier. He played the second game of an opening day doubleheader on April 1,1948 in my sim. Campanella, replaced starter Yogi Berra behind the plate for the A's and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in an 8-3 loss to Boston.

Campanella would go on to play a decade with the Athletics, be an 8-time all-star and the 1952 American League MVP. You know all about Jackie Robinson in this replay and you will hear plenty about Mays as the story progresses but here is a quick word on the other 3 players mentioned above.

Bus Clarkson did very little in his Negro League career so it is no surprise he did not amount to much in the major leagues. A third baseman, Clarkson played in 259 career MLB games with the Giants and Braves but started just 4 and finished with a .236 career average.

Dave Pope was a 25 year old outfielder with just 1 season of Negro League play under his belt when Detroit signed him. He spent a few years in AAA and was up and down to Detroit over the next decade but had just 288 major league plate appearances in his career and was a .276 hitter.

Newkirk was 18-25 over two seasons with the New York Black Yankees before he was signed along with Newcombe by Brooklyn. Newkirk never made the majors but did bounce around the minor leagues for nearly a decade with several organizations.

Here are the remaining signings of Negro League players in the fall of 1947.

Clev - Lino Donoso
CHA - Willard Brown
NYY - Buck Leonard
NYG - Al E Smith
BSN - Monte Irvin
StL - Alonso Perry
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Old 05-09-2018, 06:18 AM   #77
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Surprised that no one signed Paige.
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Old 05-09-2018, 08:51 AM   #78
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Surprised that no one signed Paige.
I believe Paige did get signed but not in that first wave. Will check tonight but might have been a year later when he was signed.
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Old 05-09-2018, 07:46 PM   #79
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Surprised that no one signed Paige.
SATCHEL PAIGE

Paige pitched over 20 seasons in the Negro National League and is among the career leaders in most pitching categories including 4th all-time in wins with a record of 180-142. His best years were with the Newark Eagles, a team he helped win a pair of Negro World Series titles. After he suffered an elbow injury in 1946 he retired from baseball but the Kansas City Monarchs talked him in to coming back to pitch for them at the age of 40 in 1947.

He would retire again following the 1948 season but came out of retirement in 1951 when he signed a contract with the St Louis Browns. The 44 year old started the season at AAA Toronto but was called up to the Browns mid-way through the '51 campaign and appeared in 19 games for the Browns. He would pitch two more seasons with St Louis before retiring for good at the age of 46.

Paige never won a pitcher of the year award but did collect 4 gold gloves as a Negro Leaguer. He will get some consideration for the Hall of Fame from the veteran's committee when it begins.

I have no idea why the game retired and unretired him multiple times.
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Old 05-10-2018, 04:34 PM   #80
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Back to the Hall of Fame ballot. Let's take a look at 7 pitchers who have been on the ballot ranging from 8 to 35 years, all of whom received more than 5% of the vote each year but none of whom have come close to election in recent years. First up is Preacher Roe.

PREACHER ROE

Roe is an interesting case for the Hall. He certainly has the hardware with 2 Cy Young's, an MVP, a rookie of the year and 6 World Series rings but he only made an impact for half a dozen seasons. Roe also tossed a pair of no-hitters in his major league career.

When he was good he was excellent such as 1944 and 1945 when he went 23-3, 1.94 and 24-5, 2.03 in those consecutive seasons. However, he did not really become a major league regular until the age of 25 and missed most of the next two years with arm troubles. Then at the age of 34 he became just bullpen depth for a strong Cardinals team before being released a couple years later.

Roe's lifetime record was 144-94 and he had the benefit of playing on a powerhouse Cardinals team that won 6 World Series in a 7 year span beginning in 1941. He was released by St Louis in the summer of 1952 and ended his major league career with a season and a half with the Washington Senators. In real life Roe was a 5-time all-star who compiled a 127-84 career record with the Cardinals, Pirates and Dodgers.

VERDICT - I am really torn here. On one hand Roe was just dominant and the ace of a great Cardinals team but he did not sustain that level of success long enough to warrant inclusion. I don't believe I can vote for him. He was named on 31% of the ballots in 1959 -his first year of eligibility - but that number has declined every year to the point where last season he appeared on only 6.1% of the voter's lists.
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