Four former Dodgers, including Garvey and John, on Hall of Fame ballot
Yesterday at 03:44 PM
by Mark Langill
A quartet of former Dodgers — Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dick Allen and Ken Boyer — are among eight players on the Baseball Hall of Fame's Classic Baseball Era committee, which meets Dec. 8 at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
The focus of the era is the period prior to 1980, including the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro League stars. The four other candidates are Dave Parker, Luis Tiant, and former Negro League players John Donaldson and Vic Harris.
The identities of the 16-person committee will be announced closer to the meeting. Candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the vote for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted into the Hall on July 27, 2025, along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 21.
Garvey was a 10-time National League All-Star who played in a NL-record 1,207 consecutive games between 1975 and 1983. He won NL Most Valuable Player honors in 1974 and was the MVP of the 1974 and 1978 All-Star Games.
Garvey played 1,727 games with Los Angeles from 1969 to 1982. He slashed .301/.337/.459/.796 with 211 home runs and 992 RBI.
The four-time Gold Glove Award winner, two-time NL Championship Series MVP and 1981 Roberto Clemente Award winner played 19 big league seasons and amassed 2,599 career hits, 272 home runs, 1,304 RBI and had a career bWAR of 38.0.
Allen spent one season with the Dodgers in 1971. He slashed .295/.395/.468/.863 with 23 home runs and 90 RBI in 155 games.
Overall, Allen was a seven-time All-Star at first base, third base and left field with five teams from 1963 to 1977. He slashed .292/.378/.534/.912 in 1,749 games with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBI.
Allen, who passed away at age 78 in 2020, has narrowly missed election to the Hall of Fame, missing by one vote from similar committees in 2014 and 2021.
After the 1971 season, Allen was traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for John.
The trade paid off for both teams. Allen won American League MVP honors with the White Sox in 1972, slashing .308/.420/.603/1.023 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI in 148 games.
With Los Angeles from 1972 to 1978, John compiled an 87–42 record with a 2.97 ERA in 182 games with 11 shutouts and 37 complete games. John's career appeared in jeopardy in 1974 when he suffered a ruptured ligament in his left elbow. Team physician Dr. Frank Jobe performed an experimental transplant procedure which became known as "Tommy John surgery." It revolutionized baseball.
John returned to the Major Leagues in 1976 and was a 20-game winner with Los Angeles in 1977. John's 288 career victories during his 26-year career are the most by a pitcher not in the Hall of Fame.
Boyer, who passed away at age 51 in 1982, won five Gold Glove Awards and was a seven-time All-Star during his 15-year career with four teams from 1955 to 1969. He was a key player in the Cardinals' 1964 championship season in which he won NL MVP honors, leading the Majors with 119 RBI. In the 1964 World Series, Boyer hit a grand slam in Game 4 and had an insurance home run in the decisive Game 7, won by the Cardinals, 7–5.
Boyer joined the Dodgers as a free agent on May 10, 1968, and he spent the final two seasons of his career as a reserve with Los Angeles. In 108 games with the Dodgers, Boyer batted .263 with six home runs and 45 RBI.
Four former Dodgers, including Garvey and John, on Hall of Fame ballot was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
