VEB Historical Hall of Fame: Part Fourteen

10/28/2024 08:00 AM

By pure luck, this happened to be the "oh god why did you remind me the Cardinals made this trade" section?

Here is something I have been putting off, because it is very time-consuming. A 32-person ballot was a bad idea, but there's only so many ways to go through as many players as we did. We have covered 12 ballots so far and 365 players. We have but a mere 62 players left post-1900. There is an additional 64 players from the 1800s, but I'm not currently sure how I want to approach that, cause judging by the way people vote, they don't really vote for super old, unknown players. That describes just about every player who primarily played in the 1800s.

Here's a refresher in case you don't remember from the last time or maybe this is your first time here. I wrote a primer here. In case you don't want to read that, I said I would give the averages of the current Hall of Fame standards for context, though that is simply there to give you some sort of basis for how good something is. Here is the average Hall of Famer by position (PP = position players except catcher)

SP: 71 bWAR, 67 fWAR (3.8 bWAR per 200 IPs, 3.3 fWAR per 200 IP)

RP: 33.5 bWAR (1.6 WAR per 65 IP), 25.5 fWAR (1.3 WAR per 65 IP)

C: 53.7 WAR (3.9 WAR per 550 PAs)

PP: 68 WAR (4.4 WAR per 600 PAs)

Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs evaluate pitchers differently. There was not an appreciable difference in how they evaluated hitters, at least not on a macro scale. Individually, sure we will see some differences. But they had virtually identical career WAR and WAR per 600 PAs figures. Next, the average Hall of Fame peak by their seven best seasons and their JAWS, which factors in peak with career total.

SP: 40.7 bWAR Peak, 61.4 JAWS

RP: 23.4 bWAR Peak, 29.7 JAWS

C: 34.7 bWAR Peak, 44.2 JAWS

PP: 43.1 bWAR Peak, 55.8 JAWS

Yeah trying to figure out the fWAR peaks was... way too much work. And for position players and catchers, it would probably be the same. Just mentally downgrade a couple WAR for Fangraphs pitching and it'll probably be right. So that's... pretty much all the information and context you'll need. Now the players.

Dick Allen (1B)

Career: 58.7 bWAR, 61.3 fWAR, 52.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.6 bWAR and fWAR)

Peak: 45.9 bWAR, 45.4 fWAR

Acc: MVP, Rookie of the Year, 7-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: Up until Albert Belle became eligible in 2006, Dick Allen held the highest slugging percentage of anyone eligible not elected to the Hall of Fame. Obviously that list has grown since then.

Profile: Allen was signed by a Phillies scout and former MLB player who later claimed Dick Allen was the only player he ever saw hit the ball as hard as Babe Ruth. He spent four seasons in the minors, although he debuted in the majors at the very end of 1963 at 21. The next year, he won Rookie of the Year and placed 7th in MVP voting. He encountered problems in his sophomore season. He got into a fight with his teammate, Frank Thomas, which resulted in Thomas swinging a bat at him. Thomas got released the next day, but under threat of heavy fine, no Phillies player was allowed to say what actually happened. So Allen got blamed by the Philly faithful and it did not help that Thomas was white. This was 1965 after all. He made straight three All-Star teams, but Phillies fans hated him and he eventually demanded a trade. He was in the infamous Curt Flood trade. He had an All-Star season with the Cardinals and then was traded to Dodgers after just one season. He was traded again and had his MVP season with the White Sox. He became the highest-paid player in baseball when he signed a 3-year deal, but the first year was injury-marred and he left two weeks before the season ended in his second year due to a feud with Ron Santo. He got traded and then retired. The Phillies talked him out of retirement, but his prime was done at that point. He retired for good after the 1977 season at 35. He's been on fourteen BBWAA ballots and six Veterans Committee ballots, missing by one vote in the most recent ones.

George Brett (3B)

Career: 88.6 bWAR, 84.6 fWAR, 71 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.6 bWAR, 4.4 fWAR)

Peak: 53.3 bWAR, 50.9 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 13-time All-Star, Gold Glove, 3-time Silver Slugger, 3 batting titles

4-WAR seasons: 12 by bWAR, 10 by fWAR

One notable stat: Brett is one of five players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average.

Profile: Brett was born in West Virginia, but his family had moved to El Segundo by the time he reached high school. He was the youngest of four brothers in a very sports-oriented family. He graduated high school in 1971, getting drafted later that year by the Royals in the 2nd round of the MLB draft. He was drafted as a shortstop, but had to move to 3B because he had trouble going to his right. It took him a little over two years to make the majors, debuting at the end of the 1973 season at 20. He made his first All-Star game, the first of 13 straight, when he was 23, although he placed 11th in MVP voting the year before. He was a Royal for his entire career, retiring at 40 in 1993, playing exclusively DH at the very end. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1999 with 98.2% of the vote.

Steve Carlton (SP)

Career: 90.2 bWAR, 96.5 fWAR, 72.2 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4 bWAR, 4.6 fWAR)

Peak: 54.3 bWAR, 55.9 fWAR

Acc: 4-time Cy Young winner, 10-time All-Star, Gold Glove, ERA title, Triple Crown

4-WAR seasons: 10 by bWAR, 13 by fWAR

One notable stat: Carlton once got the win in 46% of his team's wins for the whole season, winning 27 games for the 59-win Phillies in 1972. He is the last NL pitcher to win 25 games and last pitcher period to throw 300 innings in a season.

Profile: Carlton was born and raised in Miami, playing baseball and basketball at North Miami High School, but he quit basketball to focus on baseball his senior season. He attended Miami Dade College North, and got signed by the Cardinals in 1963. He quickly advanced through the minors and debuted in 1965, but he wasn't a regular until 1967 for the World Series winning Cardinals. He was a no-show for the 1970 spring training, holding out for more money and following another salary dispute before the 1971 season, he was traded to the Phillies. Though he had made three All-Star games, by the time he was a Phillie, he won his first of four Cy Youngs in his first season in Philly. Carlton held the all-time strikeout record at various points between 1982 and 1984, trading places with Nolan Ryan. In 1986, Carlton was released in the middle of the season by the Phillies. He signed with the Giants, made six starts, recorded his 4,000th strikeout and retired. But he came back before the season was over, signing with the White Sox. He played another season for two teams, and was released at the end of April in 1988. He was 43. Carlton was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1994, getting 95.6% of the vote.

Dennis Eckersley (SP/RP)

Career: 62.3 bWAR, 61.8 fWAR, 49.9 JAWS (3.6 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR per 200 IP as SP, 1.4 bWAR, 1.7 fWAR per 66 IP as RP )

Peak: 37.8 bWAR, 28.9 fWAR

Acc: Cy Young, MVP, 6-time All-Star, 2-time Rolaid Relief winner

4-WAR seasons (SP): 6 by bWAR, 4 by fWAR; 2-WAR seasons (RP): 5 by both

One notable stat: Eckersley is one of two players in MLB history with both a 50-save season and a 20-win season. He received Cy Young votes in more seasons as a reliever than a starter, winning his only Cy as a reliever.

Profile: Eckersley grew up in California, playing QB in football and pitching in baseball. He gave up football to protect his throwing arm. He was drafted by Cleveland in the 3rd round of the 1972 MLB draft. He debuted in the 1975 season at 20, being with the team nearly the whole year. He made his first All-Star team in his third season and was traded to the Red Sox after the season. He made his second All-Star team in his fifth season with Boston, but got traded early in the 1984 season to the Cubs, who made their first postseason since 1945 that year. After the 1986 season, he checked into rehab for alcoholism. Before he had pitched a game in the 1987 season, he was traded to the As. An injury to the closer moved him to the closer role and he saved 16 games that year, and 45 the next. He was a reliever for good. He stayed with the As until 1995 when he followed Tony La Russa to the Cardinals for two seasons. He pitched a final year with the Red Sox, retiring at 43. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer with 83.2% of the vote.

Bob Feller (SP)

Career: 63.4 bWAR, 61.4 fWAR, 57.5 JAWS (per his 242 IP avg: 4.1 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR)

Peak: 51.6 bWAR, 41.9 fWAR

Acc: 8-time All-Star, ERA title, Triple Crown (no Cy Young award existed until late in career)

4-WAR seasons: 7 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Feller was the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. He also held the record at the time of his retirement with three no-hitters.

Profile: Feller was born in Iowa, playing shortstop or outfielder growing up. He started pitching at age 15, and developed an impressive fastball. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians and was supposed to report to a minor league team after the high school semester. The scout who signed him became general manager and put him directly on the MLB roster straight out of high school without playing him in the minors. This was in violation of a rule at the time that only minor league teams could sign amateurs, so Feller was declared a free agent at the end of the season. He chose to stay in Cleveland. A good pitcher in his first few years, he became a perennial Cy Young contender - if it existed then - beginning at age 20. His career was interrupted by World War II and he missed three complete seasons and only made 9 starts in 1945. He picked up where he left off in 1946, but settled into being more of a good pitcher after that. He stayed in Cleveland for his entire career, retiring at age 37. Feller was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1962.

Mike Flanagan (SP)

Career: 25.2 bWAR, 37.2 fWAR, 22.1 JAWS (per 200 IP: 1.8 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR)

Peak: 18.7 bWAR, 26.2 fWAR

Acc: Cy Young, 1-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 0 by bWAR, 3 by fWAR

One notable stat: He spent most of his career as a starting pitcher, but he ended it as a reliever, which is how he was the last Orioles pitcher to pitch at Memorial Stadium.

Profile: Flanagan was born in New Hampshire with a grandparent and father who both played professional baseball. He was on both the baseball and basketball teams, both of whom won consecutive NHIAA Class L titles in his junior and senior seasons. He was drafted in the 15th round in 1971, but did not sign due to an elbow injury. He attended UMass, playing both baseball and basketball (with Rick Pitino and Julius Erving). He was drafted by the Orioles in 7th round of the 1973 draft. He made the majors two years later at 23 towards the very end of the season. He split his time between the majors and minors in 1976 and cracked the starting rotation for good in 1977. He made his first and only All-Star team in 1978 and won the Cy Young in 1979. He had made 157 straight scheduled starts, but that ended in 1981. He had further injury problems in 1983 and 1985. He was traded midseason to the Blue Jays in 1987 and was in Toronto until May of 1990 when he was released. He signed back with the Orioles and spent his last two seasons in the bullpen. He retired at 40. He was on one ballot with barely any votes.

Bob Friend (SP)

Career: 46.8 bWAR, 61.1 fWAR, 36.9 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 2.9 bWAR, 3.8 fWAR)

Peak: 33 bWAR, 38.3 fWAR

Acc: 4-time All-Star, ERA title

4-WAR seasons: 5 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: Friend was the first player to lead the league in ERA for a last place team. He also holds Pirates record for career innings pitched and strikeouts.

Profile: Friend was born in Indiana, becoming a multi-sport star in high school. He was All-State at both pitcher and half-back, while also playing basketball and golf. Despite wanting to play football for Purdue University - it was a dream of his - he signed with the Pirates out of high school, attending Purdue for the next eight offseasons to get a degree. Friend spent one year in the minors, making the team out of spring training in 1951. He then spent the next 14 years with the Pirates, being the unfortunate recipient of what were usually not very good teams. He led the league in losses twice, despite 3.7 fWAR and 4.9 fWAR seasons. He spent his last season in New York for both teams. He retired at 35. He appears to have never appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot.

Gary Gaetti (3B)

Career: 42.1 bWAR, 39 fWAR, 33.7 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 2.6 bWAR, 2.4 fWAR)

Peak: 25.3 bWAR, 24.4 fWAR

Acc: 2-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glover, Silver Slugger

4-WAR seasons: 2 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Gaetti was the first ever player to hit home runs in his first two postseason plate appearances in the 1987 ALCS, winning MVP of that series.

Profile: Born in Illinois, Gaetti first played for Lake Land College and then Northwest Missouri State. He was drafted three times, signing the final time with the Twins in 1979. He debuted late in the 1981 season and became the starter the next season at 23-years-old, placing 5th in Rookie of the Year voting. He spent another eight seasons as the starting 3B for the Twins, making two All-Star teams, winning four Gold Gloves, and getting MVP votes in three seasons. He signed a three-year deal with the Angels upon reaching free agency, but he was released early in his third season after disappointing. He rebounded completely with the Royals spending the rest of that season and an additional two more seasons in Kansas City. He signed with the Cardinals when he reached free agency. He spent two full seasons and most of the 1998 season with them, but was released so Fernando Tatis could play. He signed with the Cubs soon after, and played another season with them in 1999. He retired after playing just 5 games for the Red Sox. He was 41. He was on one Hall of Fame ballot with little support.

Joe Gordon (2B)

Career: 55.6 bWAR, 60.4 fWAR, 50.2 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 5.1 bWAR, 5.5 fWAR)

Peak: 44.8 bWAR, 47.9 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 9-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: Gordon is 2nd all-time in HRs by a 2B behind Robinson Cano, and was the first AL 2B to hit 20 homers in a season, which he did seven times.

Profile: Gordon was born in Los Angeles, but his family moved to Oregon by the time he reached high school. He attended the University of Oregon, where he played on the football team, the baseball team, gymnastics, soccer, and the long jump. He also played violin in the college orchestra. He is fourth in Oregon baseball history with a career .358 average. He signed with the Yankees after his sophomore season. He spent two years in the minors, and took over for Hall of Famer Tony Lazerri in 1938. He got MVP votes in his first year and made his first All-Star team in his sophomore campaign. His career was interrupted by serving in World War II, causing him to miss the 1944 and 1945 seasons. While he was able to play, he made 9 straight All-Star teams. He had an injury-filled 1946 which caused the Yankees to trade him after the season to Cleveland. He spent his last four seasons with the Indians, including helping to lead them to what is still their last World Series win. He did play two more years as a player-manager after his MLB career ended. He was on BBWAA ballots as late as 1970, but failed to get in by the writers. It took four tries on the Veteran's Committee but he was elected in 2009, long after he died.

Vladmir Guerrero (OF)

Career: 59.5 bWAR, 54.5 fWAR, 50.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.9 bWAR, 3.6 fWAR)

Peak: 41.2 bWAR, 40.5 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 9-time All-Star, 8-time Silver Slugger

4-WAR seasons: 8 by bWAR, 7 by fWAR

One notable stat: Guerrero was known for his aggressive plate approach and ability to hit bad balls. In the first pitch of an AB, he hit 126 career homers and put 1,780 balls in play.

Profile: Guerrero was born in the Dominican Republic, growing up poor and not getting a real baseball glove until he was 15-years-old. He worked out at the Dodgers' baseball complex for eight months, but was sent home without a contract. He signed with the Expos in 1993, claiming to be one year younger than he was (he was 18 instead of 17). He made his MLB debut three years later during the September callups, was a fourth outfielder in his rookie season, and was a full-time starter by 1998. At 24, he made his first All-Star game, which was his first of four straight. An injury-shortened season prevented five straight, but he made four straight again after signing with the Angels. In fact, he won his only MVP award in his first Angels season. He made his final All-Star team at 35 on a one-year deal with the Rangers. He played a final year with the Orioles in 2011. He went unsigned on Opening Day in 2012, signed a minor league deal, requested a release when he wasn't promoted by a certain date, and he retired in 2014. He got elected on his second BBWAA ballot.

Dan Haren (SP)

Career: 35 bWAR, 40.4 fWAR, 34.1 JAWS (per 200 IP: 2.9 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR)

Peak: 33.2 bWAR, 36.2 fWAR

Acc: 3-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 4 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Dan Haren became the 13th pitcher ever to get a win against all 30 MLB teams.

Profile: Haren was born and grew up in California, attending Pepperdine University when it was time to go to college. He was WCC Player of the Year, and got selected 72nd overall by the Cardinals in 2001. He made his debut just two years later, getting 14 starts in 2003. He spent most of the 2004 season in the minors and was traded to the Athletics after the season. He was instantly good after the trade, recording 7 straight 3+ fWAR seasons. He spent only three of those in Oakland, getting traded to the Diamondbacks before the 2008 season. He signed a four-year extension with the Diamondbacks in his first season, but got traded to the Angels in the 2nd year of the deal. He hit free agency for the first time at 32, signing a one-year deal with the Nationals. He signed his final deal with the Dodgers, but ended up playing with three different teams in his last two seasons. He retired after his age 34 season. He received no votes on his Hall of Fame ballot.

Keith Hernandez (1B)

Career: 60.3 bWAR, 59.4 fWAR, 50.8 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.2 bWAR and fWAR)

Peak: 41.2 bWAR, 40.9 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 5-time All-Star, 11-time Gold Glover, 2-time Silver Slugger, Batting Title

4-WAR seasons: 9 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: From 1980 to 1988, game-winning RBI was kept as an official stat, and at least partially because he was in his prime when that stat was recorded, Hernandez is technically the all-time leader in game-winning RBIs with 129.

Profile: Hernandez was a star athlete in high school in California, but sat out his senior season due to a dispute with his coach. He played at College of San Mateo, a community college, and got drafted in the 42nd round by the Cardinals in the 1971 draft. It took him three seasons to debut in the majors, which he did towards the end of the 1974 season, and then he split the next season between the majors and minors. He finally learned how to hit at 22 and was the starting 1B for the next seven seasons for the Cards. He won his first of 11 straight Gold Gloves in 1978. He made his first All-Star team and split the MVP in 1979 with Willie Stargell. Hernandez was traded in the middle of the 1983 for his cocaine use and Whitey Herzog considered him a cancer on his team. While his stats were slightly down when he was traded, they jumped back up with the Mets. He then spent six more seasons with the Mets before they chose not to re-sign him when he batted .233. His last year was mostly injured filled with Cleveland and he retired after 1990. He was on 9 Hall of Fame ballots, but never got much traction.

Tommy John (SP)

Career: 61.5 bWAR, 79.4 fWAR, 48.1 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 2.6 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR)

Peak: 34.6 bWAR, 33.8 fWAR

Acc: 4-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 6 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Obviously, he's infamous for being the first player to receive ligament replacement surgery, later known as Tommy John surgery. He played 14 seasons after the surgery, tied the record for most seasons pitched, and was the oldest player in baseball in 1989.

Profile: John was a star baseball and basketball player in a high school in Indiana. He was also valedictorian, although he wasn't allowed to give the valedictorian address due to having a stutter (1961, am I right?). He was recruited by several colleges for basketball, but chose to sign with the Indians out of high school. He debuted at 20 late in the 1963 season. He split the 1964 season between the minors and majors and was traded to the White Sox after the season. He started the 1965 season in relief, but became a member of the rotation through good pitching. He made his first All-Star game during the Year of the Pitcher. After seven seasons, he was traded to the Dodgers. In the middle of the 1974 season, John felt pain and had unknowingly torn his UCL. After the experimental new surgery, he missed all of 1975 and returned in 1976, good as new. He spent an additional three seasons post-surgery as a Dodger, and signed with the Yankees when he reached free agency. He spent four seasons with the Yankees, although he was traded to the Angels late in his fourth season. He signed an extension with the Angels, but got released midway through his third season. He was picked up by the Athletics to finish out the year. He spent his last four seasons with the Yankees, getting released in the middle of the 1989 season when he was 46. He was on all 15 Hall of Fame ballots by the writers without getting in and was on an additional four Veterans Committee ballots.

Charlie Keller

Career: 43.6 bWAR, 45.7 fWAR, 41.4 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 5.7 bWAR, 6 fWAR)

Peak: 39.2 bWAR, 41.4 fWAR

Acc: 5-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 6 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: A feared slugger in his day, he led the league in walks twice and actually has the 21st highest BB rate of all time (with at least 1,000 career plate appearances) with a 17 BB%.

Profile: Keller was born in Maryland and grew up in a farm where all the children were expected to work. During the Great Depression, his family lost their farm and moved into town. At school, Keller was a multi-sport athlete, playing baseball, basketball, soccer, and track. He played pitcher and catcher for the baseball team and earned a scholarship to the University of Maryland, where he played baseball, basketball, and football, though he dropped football after an ankle injury. He graduated and signed with the Yankees right after in 1936. He was the 1930s version of a top prospect and was named the starting left fielder next to Joe DiMaggio before the 1939 season. He either received MVP votes or made the All-Star team in his first five seasons, before he was called to serve in World War II. He returned late in the 1946 season, and played one more full season. He had injury problems for the rest of his career, topping at 289 plate appearances. He played as a pinch hitter for two years with the Tigers before ending his career with the Yankees for one plate appearance in 1952. His career had effectively ended at 33. He was on 11 Hall of Fame ballots with little support.

Nap Lajoie (2B)

Career: 106.9 bWAR, 102.2 fWAR, 83.5 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 6.1 bWAR, 5.9 fWAR)

Peak: 60 bWAR, 57.4 fWAR

Acc: 3-time batting title, Triple Crown (no major awards existed during his playing career)

4-WAR seasons: 13 by bWAR, 12 by fWAR

One notable stat: Lajoie led the league in bWAR six times throughout his career. Technically, there was a version of the MVP award very late in his career, but none for his best seasons. He would surely have won one or three if it did.

Profile: Lajoie was born in Rhode Island, the youngest of eight children. His dad died early in his life, so he and his siblings worked to support the family. Lajoie dropped out of school to work in the textile mill. He secretly played for the local semi-pro team, because his parents did not approve of him playing baseball. By 1896, he was driving a taxi and had attracted attention for his baseball playing ability. He played for a Class B minor league team and recorded 163 hits in 80 games. The Phillies purchased his contract late in the 1896 season for $1,500 ($56,000 today). He led baseball in slugging percentage and HRs (with 9) in his first full season. By 1901, he had requested a salary increase, but was rejected, so when the new American League formed, he jumped to the Philadelphia Athletics for a pay increase. A judge upheld the reserve clause and he was not actually allowed to play for the Athletics, but it was only enforceable in the state of Pennsylvania, so Connie Mack traded him to the then Cleveland Bronchos. In 1905, he became player-manager. Dissatisfied with his team's play, he asked to be replaced as manager in 1909, but remained as a player. In 1914, he became the third player ever to record 3,000 hits. He played two more seasons, returning to the Athletics, and retired at 41 in 1916. He made the Hall of Fame on the second ever ballot in 1937.

Davey Lopes (2B)

Career: 42.4 bWAR, 41.8 fWAR, 36.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.5 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR)

Peak: 30.2 bWAR, 30.3 fWAR

Acc: 4-time All-Star, Gold Glover

4-WAR seasons: 4 by both bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Lopes was an extremely effective base stealer. He stole 557 career stolen bases which ranks 26th all-time, but among base stealers with more than 400 stolen bases, Lopes ranks 3rd best with an 83% success rate.

Profile: Lopes was born and raised in Rhode Island, but went to the Midwest for college, playing at both Iowa Wesleyan College and Washburn University in Kansas. He was drafted in the 1967 draft, but did not sign. He signed when he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1968 January draft by the Dodgers. Lopes was drafted fairly old (for a draftee) and spent three seasons in AAA, so he was 27 when he debuted for 11 games in 1972. He was the starting 2B the next season, and began a streak of 7 straight seasons with 3+ fWAR and at least 30 stolen bases. His bat fell off in 1981, and the Dodgers traded him to Oakland the next season. After another below average season with the bat, his bat improbably rebounded at 38 in 1983. He got traded at the waiver deadline to the Cubs in 1984. He spent 1985 with the Cubs and got traded to Astros in the middle of 1986. His career ended at the end of 1987 at 41 with the Astros. He was on one HOF ballot with little support.

Pedro Martinez (SP)

Career: 86.1 bWAR, 84.4 fWAR, 71.1 JAWS (per 200 IP: 6.1 bWAR, 6 fWAR)

Peak: 58.2 bWAR, 56.1 fWAR

Acc: 3-time Cy Young, 8-time All-Star, 5-time ERA title, Triple Crown

4-WAR seasons: 11 by bWAR, 10 by fWAR

One notable stat: Martinez recorded the second lowest single-season FIP (1.39) in the live ball era, the second lowest single-season WHIP in MLB history (0.74), and the best ERA+ in baseball history (291)

Profile: I'm trying to save time here guys. You all know who Pedro Martinez is. Whatever I write here will make no impact on your vote. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2015 with 91.1% of the vote.

Thurman Munson (C)

Career: 46.1 bWAR, 40.9 fWAR, 41.6 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.7 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR)

Peak: 37 bWAR, 33.2 fWAR

Acc: MVP, Rookie of the Year, 7-time All-Star, 3-time Gold Glover

4-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 5 by fWAR

One notable stat: Very specific set of criteria admittedly, but he's the first player in MLB history to be named a College Baseball All-American, win Rookie of the Year, MVP, a Gold Glove, and win a World Series.

Profile: Munson was born in Akron, Ohio, where he was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. He was all-city and all-state in all three sports. He switched from shortstop to catcher his senior year of high school. He went to Kent State for college and also played Cape Cod in the summer of 1967, batting .420. The Thurman Munson batting award is giving to the batting champion of the Cape Cod League now. He was selected in the 4th round of the 1968 draft by the Yankees. He debuted the very next season for just 26 games late in the season. He won Rookie of the Year in 1970 at 23-years-old. He made his first All-Star game the next year. In 1976, he won the MVP in the middle of six straight All-Star nods. Late in the 1979 season, Munson died trying to land a plane. He was on a Hall of Fame ballot just two years later, but didn't get a ton of support for the next 15 tries. He's been on four Veteran's Committee ballots with no better luck.

Phil Niekro (SP)

Career: 97 bWAR, 78.1 fWAR, 75.1 JAWS (per his 251 IP avg. 4.5 bWAR, 3.6 fWAR)

Peak: 54.3 bWAR, 42.4 fWAR

Acc: 5-time All-Star, 5-time Gold Glover, ERA title

4-WAR seasons: 13 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: Niekro is the only knuckleballer to win 300 games. Combined with his brother Joe, they have the most wins as a brothers with 539. He also has the most wins after 40 with 121.

Profile: Like most knuckleballers, Niekro initially tried to have a traditional arsenal, but a minor league manager told him to throw the knuckler or go home. Niekro was born in Ohio, the son of a coal minor who played semi-pro who taught his sons how to throw the knuckleball. He signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. He didn't debut until he was 25 and spent most of the year in the minors. While he spent 1966 in the majors, it was in long relief, and he played in both the majors and minors the next season too. In 1967, he started the year in relief, but became a full-time starter for the first time at 28. He then spent the next 18 years in the Braves rotation, averaging 267 innings and throwing over 300 innings four times. He left the Braves for the first time after his age 44 season, signing with the Yankees. He spent two years in the Yankees' rotation, including getting his 300th win on the final day of the 1985 season. He didn't throw his knuckleball until his final three pitches. He signed with Cleveland, who traded him in his second season to the Jays, who released him after just three starts. He signed for one final start with the Braves and retired at 48, becoming oldest player in MLB history until Julio Franco. He was elected on his fifth Hall of Fame ballot.

Roger Peckinpaugh (SS)

Career: 45.5 bWAR, 41.6 fWAR, 37.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.3 bWAR, 3 fWAR)

Peak: 29.2 bWAR, 28.1 fWAR

Acc: MVP (No All-Star games or major awards existed during his playing career)

4-WAR seasons: 4 by bWAR, 3 by fWAR

One notable stat: In the 1925 World Series, the same year he won MVP, Peckinpaugh committed eight errors, an MLB record.

Profile: Peckingpaugh was born in Ohio and moved to Cleveland by the time he got to high school. The son of a semipro player, he played football, basketball, and baseball. He lived in the same neighborhood as Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps, and Lajoie signed him as soon as he graduated high school. He got promoted at the end of the 1910 season, but he spent all of 1911 with a minor league team. In 1912, he was a poor hitter, but good fielder, seeing 70 games of action. He lost the starting SS job to Ray Chapman in 1913, and was traded to the Yankees. He spent the rest of that season and an additional eight years as the starting SS for the Yankees. In his last season there, the Yankees made their first World Series. After the 1921 season, Peckinpaugh was traded to the Red Sox, but before he could report, he was traded again in that same offseason to the Washington Senators. He spent five seasons with the Senators, including leading the team to their first World Series win. In 1925, he won MVP... for some reason (2.4 fWAR season). He didn't play much in his final season and was traded to the White Sox for a final year of playing. His career ended when he moved over to manage Cleveand. He was on nine HOF ballots, but didn't receive many votes.

Kirby Puckett (OF)

Career: 51.1 bWAR, 44.9 fWAR, 44.4 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.9 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR)

Peak: 37.6 bWAR, 33.2 fWAR

Acc: 10-time All-Star, 6-time Gold Glover, 6-time Silver Slugger, Batting Title

4-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 4 by fWAR

One notable stat: Puckett's career .318 batting average was the highest by a right-handed hitter since Joe DiMaggio. He also reached 2,040 hits in his first 10 seasons, which is more than any other player in the live ball era in their first 10 seasons.

Profile: Puckett was born and raised in a Chicago housing project, receiving little attention from colleges despite being All-American. He attended an open tryout hosted by the Royals, which lead to a scholarship from Bradley. His father died and his grades suffered, so he was forced to attend Triton College. He received little attention from scouts, but a Twins scout was impressed enough to tell the Twins to draft him 3rd overall in the January portion of the draft. He made the majors very quickly, less than two years later, and he got 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting in 1984. He made his first of 10 straight All-Star teams in his third season. He played his entire career with the Twins, with his career ending prematurely when he woke up in spring training with a loss of vision in his right eye. Diagnosed with glaucoma, he had three surgeries in the next few months, but his vision did not improve so he retired at 35. Puckett was first ballot in 2001.

Dan Quisenberry (RP)

Career: 24.6 bWAR, 14.5 fWAR, 23.5 JAWS (per his 200 IP: 3.8 bWAR, 3.1 fWAR)

Peak: 22.5 bWAR, 12.7 fWAR

Acc: 3-time All-Star, 5-time Rolaids Relief

2-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 2 by fWAR

One notable stat: Quisenberry was top 3 in Cy Young voting as a reliever for four straight seasons, and to be fair to that time period, he threw 129 innings in each of those seasons while leading the league in saves. Not quite your modern closer.

Profile: Quisenberry was born in Santa Monica and was encouraged to play baseball by his step father when he was a kid. He attended a community college and won team MVP in 1973, which led to being recruited by University of La Verne. He went undrafted and signed as an amateur free agent with the Royals in 1975. He spent a few years in the minors and debuted in the 1979 season at 26-years-old. In spring training the next year, his manager suggested he throw it submarine-style. Which instantly made him a dominant reliever for the next seven seasons. He was signed to a lifetime contract like George Brett, except in his case, he was released midway through the 1988 season, so I guess that's not worth anything. The Cardinals quickly picked him up, although he was not good in that season. He rebounded in 1989. He signed with the Giants in 1990, but tore his rotator cuff, and he retired at 37. He was on one writer's ballot and one Veterans Committee ballot.

Brad Radke (SP)

Career: 45.6 bWAR, 38.7 fWAR, 40.8 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.7 bWAR, 3.2 fWAR)

Peak: 36.2 bWAR, 29.3 fWAR

Acc: 1-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 5 by bWAR, 6 by fWAR

One notable stat: A Twins Hall-of-Famer, Radke ranks second in franchise history in starts, third in wins, third in innings pitched, and third in strikeouts.

Profile: Radke was born in Wisconsin, setting a record at Jesuit High School of Tampa with a 0.31 ERA. He accepted a scholarship to South Florida, but when the Twins drafted him in the 8th round in 1991, he signed. He spent four seasons in the minors, but made the team out of spring training in 1995 and was a fixture of the Twins rotation until he retired. In his last season, he pitched with a torn labrum, which led to him wanting to retire. He spent 12 years in the majors, retiring at 33. He received few votes on his only Hall of Fame ballot.

Eppa Rixey

Career: 57.3 bWAR, 64.7 fWAR, 45.1 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.7 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR)

Peak: 34.2 bWAR, 34.5 fWAR

Acc: No major awards existed for most of his career

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: At the time of his retirement, he had the most wins by a left-handed pitcher, a record he held until Warren Spahn exceeded 266 wins in 1959. He also holds the distinction of most losses by a left-handed pitcher.

Profile: Rixey was an anomaly for the time. As opposed to the more humble origins of most baseball players, Rixey was born into a relatively wealthy family in Virginia. He got a scholarship to the University of Virginia, and eventually got masters degrees in chemistry and Latin. He was signed to the Phillies by, of all people, an umpire who moonlighted on the staff of the Virginia baseball team. The league subsequently banned umpires from doing this. He never pitched in the minors. He spent his first eight seasons with the Phillies, skipping 1918 to serving in the Chemical Warfare Division in Europe for World War I. He was traded to the Reds prior to the 1921 season and he stayed there until he retired at 42-years-old in 1933. He was actually on 16 Hall of Fame ballots by the writers, topping out at 52.8%, but the Veteran's Committee put him in the Hall in 1963.

Steve Rogers (SP)

Career: 45.1 bWAR, 49.8 fWAR, 40.8 JAWS (per his 233 IP avg.: 3.7 bWAR, 4.1 fWAR)

Peak: 36.8 bWAR, 35.5 fWAR

Acc: 5-time All-Star, ERA title

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

One notable stat: Rogers is the only player with at least a 10-year career who spent his entire career with the Montreal Expos.

Profile: Rogers was born in Jefferson City and raised in Springfield. He pitched for his high school team, which made it to state championship semifinals in his senior year. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1967, but his father didn't think he was ready, so he went to Tulsa University instead. His team made it to the College World Series title game, but they lost. The next year, he made the All-Tournament team. He was drafted 4th overall by the Expos in the 1971 draft. He debuted in the middle of the 1973 season, getting 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting despite first pitching after the All-Star break. (He had a 1.54 ERA). The next year, he made 38 starts and by 1976, he was the Opening Day starter. He started 8 straight Opening Day starts for the Expos, a streak that ended in 1984, when he threw just one complete game and failed to record 200 innings. He started his 9th Opening Day in 1985, but was released in May. His career was over at 35. He received no votes on his only Hall of Fame ballot.

Joe Sewell (SS)

Career: 54.7 bWAR, 48.1 fWAR, 46 JAWS (per his 600 PAs: 4 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR)

Peak: 37.4 bWAR, 33.8 fWAR

Acc: None (All-Star game didn't exist until his last season)

4-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 5 by fWAR

One notable stat: Joe Sewell had 114 strikeouts.... in his entire career. His K% of 1.4% is the lowest in MLB history and he also holds the record for most consecutive games without a strikeout at 114 games. Both of these, safe to say, are unbreakable.

Profile: Sewell was born in Alabama and attended the University of Alabama, lettering in college football three times and being a part of four conference titles on the baseball team. He signed with New Orleans, a minor league team after graduating. The same year he signed, Ray Chapman was killed by a baseball when he got hit and his replacement pulled a leg muscle a few weeks later. In response, Sewell's contract was selected by the Cleveland Indians, a team suddenly in desperate need of a shortstop. He played the rest of the season as a starter and kept that role going into next year. Starting in September of 1922, he started 1,103 consecutive games, which still stands as the 7th longest streak of all time. His batting average dipped to .289 and the Indians released him before 1931. He played his last three seasons as the Yankees 3B, getting released at 34-years-old. He received very little support on the writer's ballot, but the Veteran's Committee elected him in 1977.

Tris Speaker (OF)

Career: 135 bWAR, 130.2 fWAR, 98.8 JAWS (per his 233 IP avg.: 3.7 bWAR, 4.1 fWAR)

Peak: 62.7 bWAR, 61.4 fWAR

Acc: MVP, batting title (Major awards didn't exist; MVP didn't even exist for most of his career)

4-WAR seasons: 18 by bWAR and fWAR

One notable stat: Lot to pick from, but Speaker is the all-time leader in doubles with 792 career doubles. He is also first all-time in assists by a CF with 452 assists, also leading the league eight times. Related, but he's first all-time in double plays turned by an OFer with 143.

Profile: Tristram Speaker was born in Texas in 1888. He broke his arm falling from a horse, which forced him to be left-handed. Speaker played a year of college baseball attracting the attention of a Texas League owner, who signed him in 1906. He converted from pitcher to outfielder when his teammate was struck in the head by a ball. He was also probably not that good at pitching. He was sold to the Boston Americans at the tail end of 1907. He was traded to a minor league team for "use of spring training facilities" but his contract was re-purchased later in the year. He finally broke out in 1909 at 21-years-old, although he happened to have his greatest season in a short stretch where there was an MVP award. He won it in 1912 with a 10.6 fWAR season. Here's a sign of the times. After his average dropped from .338 to .322, the Red Sox president wanted him to take a pay cut of six grand. Speaker refused and the Red Sox traded him. He held out until he got a portion of the money they received for him and became the highest paid player in baseball in 1916 to the Cleveland Indians, and it was for at least a few years considered the worst trade in Red Sox history. Speaker became player-manager in 1919, remaining in that post until he left. He was the fifth player ever to reach 3,000 hits in 1925. There was a mini-scandal when a pitcher claimed he and Ty Cobb fixed a game, but the pitcher didn't show up to the hearing, so it was dropped. But it was enough for Cleveland to drop him. He played his last two seasons for the Senators and Athletics. He was on elected on the 2nd ever Hall of Fame ballot.

Luis Tiant (SP)

Career: 66 bWAR, 54.8 fWAR, 55.1 JAWS (per his 200 IP: 3.8 bWAR, 3.1 fWAR)

Peak: 44.1 bWAR, 33.7 fWAR

Acc: 3-time All-Star, 2-time ERA title

4-WAR seasons: 8 by bWAR, 4 by fWAR

One notable stat: When Tiant was on, he was on. He led the league in shutouts three separate times, and is 21st all-time in shutouts with 49 career shutouts.

Profile: Born in Cuba and son to Luis Tiant Sr, who pitched in the Negro Leagues and Cuban professional league in the winter. At 16, he was picked for the Cuban Juvenile All-Star team. He was discovered by an Indians scout, who also recommended him to a Mexican League team. So for the next three years, he split his time between the Mexican League and minor league ball. Cleveland purchased his contract in 1961, but at this point, he wasn't allowed to return to Cuba due to Fidel Castro's regime and he didn't see his parents for 14 years. He spent a few more years in Cleveland's farm, finally debuting at 23 in 1964. Cleveland traded him to the Twins after the 1969 season, and midway through the season, he fractured his right scapula. He was dropped next spring training, signed with a farm team of the Braves, and was traded midseason to the Red Sox, where he had a rough season. He rebounded completely with a 272 IP season and spent eight years in Boston. He signed with the Yankees as a free agent for two seasons and played two more years for the Pirates and Angels. His MLB career was over at 41. He was on 15 writer's ballots with not a ton of support and has since been on six Veterans Committee ballots.

Mo Vaughn (1B)

Career: 27.1 bWAR, 31.1 fWAR, 27.1 JAWS (per his 600 PAs: 2.5 bWAR, 2.9 fWAR)

Peak: 27.1 bWAR, 29.5 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 3-time All-Star, Silver Slugger

4-WAR seasons: 3 by bWAR, 4 by fWAR

One notable stat: Timing is all you need. Vaughn was MVP with a 139 wRC+ in 1995, but he actually had four better years with the bat and two seasons with more fWAR.

Profile: Vaughn was born in Connecticut and attended Seton Hall. He set a few school records there, with 28 HRs in a single season and a career 57 homers and 218 RBIs. He was MVP of the Big East Conference Tournament one year. He also played Cape Cod in the summers and got put in the Cape Cod inaugural Hall of Fame class. He was a 1st round pick by the Red Sox in 1989 and made the majors just two years later. By his third season, he had established himself and in his fifth, he won his only MVP award. He didn't think Boston management wanted him around, so as soon as he reached free agency, he signed a six-year deal with the Angels. He instantly fell off a cliff with the Angels and ended up missing the entire 2001 season to injury. But because he still hit a combined 69 homers in his two healthy seasons (with 3.8 combined fWAR), they managed to trade him to the Mets. He played one healthy season with the Mets, and another plagued by knee problems. He missed all of 2004 due to the same issues and effectively retired (He was still under contract so he couldn't actually retire). He received a couple votes on his only ballot.

Roy White (OF)

Career: 46.8 bWAR, 41 fWAR, 41.9 JAWS (per his 200 IP: 3.6 bWAR, 3.2 fWAR)

Peak: 37 bWAR, 33.7 fWAR

Acc: 2-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 5 by fWAR

One notable stat: Befitting a Yankees player who is very under the radar, the most interesting stat I could find was that he led LFers in range factor per 9 innings four seasons and is 15th all-time in that stat among LFers.

Profile: White was a multi-sport athlete out of Centennial High School in Compton, California. He was signed out of high school by the Yankees in 1961. It took him four years to make the majors, which he did during September callups of 1965. White hit well enough to make the team the next year, but a very slow ending to his season caused him to start 1967 in the minors. He got called up again and was even worse this year. White benefited from a rebuilding year from the Yankees and fully broke out in 1968. He made his first All-Star game in 1969 and made his second one the next year, though strangely never again. White became a fixture of some pretty mediocre Yankees teams, finally rewarded towards the end of his tenure as the only remaining Yankee from the late 60s to be a part of the 70s World Series wins. His last two seasons saw a diminished role and a truly awful last season forced the Yankees to part with him. He actually spent a further three years playing in Japan, but retired after that. He received no votes on his only Hall of Fame ballot.

Bernie Williams (OF)

Career: 49.6 bWAR, 43.9 fWAR, 43.6 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.3 bWAR, 2.9 fWAR)

Peak: 37.5 bWAR, 33.7 fWAR

Acc: 5-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, Batting Title

4-WAR seasons: 8 by bWAR, 7 by fWAR

One notable stat: His defensive reputation was not great, especially at the end, but Williams does have the 82nd best offensive WAR on Baseball-Reference with 63.2.

Profile: Born Bernabe Williams Figueroa Jr. in Puerto Rico, Williams won four gold medals and a silver medal at the 1984 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in track at 15-years-old. On his 17th birthday, he was signed by the Yankees. He became a top prospect in baseball, getting #11th on Baseball American's list prior to the 1991 season, also the year he made his debut at 22. He split 1992 between the majors and minors, and was given the full-time job in 1993. In 1995, he really broke out, but he didn't make his first All-Star team until 1997. According to his Sabr profile, during this period George Streinbrenner basically wanted to trade him every year. In 1998, he signed a lucrative eight-year deal. He essentially collapsed as a player in the sixth year of the deal, but still ended up signing a one-year deal in 2006 to end his career. He for some reason refused to officially retire until 2015. He did make it on two Hall of Fame ballots, but fell under 5% on the 2nd try.

And I have one more post-1900 ballot, which I will post on Wednesday. And for at least a 1st round of voting for Hall of Famers past 1900, that'll be everyone. If I do a 2nd round of this, it'll probably be presented differently, certainly not 30+ names per ballot. And if I do an 1800s version, I'm leaning towards just the top vote getter getting in the Hall cause I do not trust you guys to elect anybody if it requires 75% of the vote. It'll be more than one ballot, but just letting you know.

I used to be able to embed the ballot on here, but I cannot figure it out, so I will share a link that hopefully works. Let me know if it doesn't. Max vote of 14 players or I'll remove your ballot.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YJqV0U9RufMcJvVUwaXsXCwR5qoDsQzAXFX2zEj8uAQ/prefill