The National Baseball Hall of Fame is in the thick of its
annual season. The 2015
ballot was recently released and the Golden Era Committee did not elect any
new members to the hallowed museum. There is no tried and true formula to
determine who is worthy and who is not, and there will always be arguments
about those who have been passed over. However, some are so far back in the
rearview mirror that their obscurity generally prevents them from eliciting the
support other similar candidates might receive.
Here are three largely forgotten players who deserve closer
scrutiny when it comes to their respective case for the Hall of Fame.
Jim
McCormick, Pitcher/Outfielder: The Glasgow, Scotland-born right-hander
last threw a major league pitch when Grover Cleveland was still in office, so
his obscurity is understandable. At 5’10” and 215 pounds, he was built more
like a stevedore than a hurler, but he sure could pitch. In his 10-year major
league career (1878-1887), he was a combined 265-214 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
and 33 shutouts. Of his 485 career starts, he failed to complete just 19 of
them.
During the 19th century, pitchers were used about as often
and indiscriminately as a favorite bat, so their numbers dwarf anything one
might expect to see today. For instance, McCormick’s arguably best season came
in 1880 with the Cleveland Blues in the National League, as he went 45-28 with
a 1.85 ERA in 74 starts. He not only led the league in wins and starts but also
innings with a whopping 657.2.
Naturally, playing in the dead ball era means McCormick’s
statistics were achieved under much different circumstance. Nevertheless, he
was a dominant performer whose production in comparison to his peers is still
very distinguishable today. He led the league in wins, ERA and innings pitched
twice, and complete games three times. His 118 ERA+ is the same as
Hall-of-Famers Bert
Blyleven, Tom Glavine
and Ted
Lyons. It also bests Hall-of-Famers like Nolan Ryan,
Dennis
Eckersley and Waite Hoyt.
Additionally, McCormick’s career WAR of 75.5 ranks as the 27th-best mark for
pitchers of all time.
McCormick’s resume as a part-time outfielder does little to boost
his Hall-of-Fame case, as he was a below average hitter, batting just .236.
However, he did own one of America’s first sports bars
with a teammate (in Paterson, New Jersey).
Having passed away in 1918, McCormick never even knew about
the Hall of Fame, which first opened in 1936. Pitching in a different era under
much different circumstances should not veil his greatness. As one of the best
pitchers to ever step on a mound, he clearly deserves enshrinement so he can be
brought back to the common baseball memory.
Bill Dahlen,
Shortstop: A reputation
for enjoying adult beverages didn’t stop the right-handed hitter from having
one of the longest and most productive careers in baseball history. Over 21
years (1891-1911) spent with four National League teams (Chicago Colts,
Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers, New York Giants and Boston Braves). He accumulated a
.272 batting average, 84 home runs, 1,234 RBIs, 548 stolen bases, 2,461 hits
and 1,590 runs scored in 2,463 games.
In 1894, he had a 42
game hit streak. Upon that ending, he promptly went out and rang up another
28 game streak to give him at least one hit in 70 of 71 games—putting him in
the same stratosphere as Joe DiMaggio
when it comes to hitting streaks.
Playing in an era when shortstops were generally known for
their gloves, and any offense was an added bonus, Dahlen excelled in both
regards. He was an elite defender who is still among the most proficient to
ever play the position. When he retired he was first all-time in games
played and among the leaders in a number of other categories.
Incredibly, “Bad” Bill Dahlen is 46th
all-time in WAR for position players with 75.2, just ahead of Sam Crawford
and Johnny
Bench. The only players to play the majority of their career at shortstop
who rank ahead of him are Alex
Rodriguez, Cal Ripken
Jr., George
Davis and Ozzie Smith.
A good bet as to what helped relegate Dahlen to his
banishment to obscurity is that he was viewed as extremely moody and surly
throughout his career. A passage in The New Bill James Historical Baseball
Abstract gives an idea of how the shortstop was regarded:
"Shortstop Dahlen… was a heavy-set, moody, surly man,
seemingly lazy and indifferent, who kept mostly to himself, glowering into
space like a sick cat. But the seeming indifference, said [manager John] McGraw
years later, “made him an iceberg on the field, keeping others cool in the
tightest situation.” – John Devaney, Sport
Magazine, October, 1963.
Dahlen also lived quite a bit harder than many of his
peers, enjoying horse racing and drinking to the point that it nearly took his
baseball career. He gave up drinking for a time to get back in baseball’s good
graces but relapsed following his retirement from the diamond—to the point that
he was nearly destitute. It was McGraw who helped get him back on his feet,
including giving him a job as a night watchman at the Polo Grounds.
There is a very reasonable argument to be made that Dahlen
has a much better resume than a number of those who entered the Hall of Fame
through the ballot system. It’s a shame that such a significant contributor to
an earlier era is still on the outside waiting for his ticket to be punched.
Bob Johnson,
Outfielder: “Indian” Bob Johnson, who claimed one-quarter Cherokee lineage,
was given the type of nickname bestowed on just about every player with Native
American heritage during his time. He compiled one of the most consistently
impressive resumes during his 13-year major league career, yet is virtually
forgotten today.
Playing primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics between
1933 and 1945, the right-handed hitting leftfielder hit a combined .286 with a
.393 OBP, 288 home runs, 2,051 hits and 1,283 RBIs. He hit at least .290 with
21 home runs and 92 RBIs in each of his first seven seasons and made seven All
Star teams. Additionally his 139 career OPS+ is tied
with Reggie
Jackson for 81st all-time, and is better than many other Hall-of-Famers,
including Carl
Yastrzemski (130), George Brett
(138) and Billy
Williams (133). Shockingly, the two years (1948 and 1956) that he was on
the Hall-of-Fame ballot, he failed to get even one percent of the vote.
There are three likely factors that have contributed to
Johnson slipping into the shadows. First, his counting statistics are not quite
as high as one might expect from a player with his resume because he didn’t
break into the majors until he was 27. An extra four of five of his typical
seasons would have made his case much tougher to ignore.
Johnson also toiled in relative baseball purgatory
throughout his career. The Athletics were putrid during his time with the team,
finishing last or second-to-last in eight of those 10 seasons.
Some might also discount Johnson’s production as being a
product of hitter-friendly Shibe Park. While the park may have played to the
hitters, it was definitely no band box, as evidence by its measurements of 334
down the left-field line, 331 feet down the right-field line and an exhausting
468 feet to center during the time he played. He did hit .302 with 149 home
runs in 747 career games in Philadelphia home games, but his .293 average with
139 homers in 1,116 games in other venues is hardly anything to sneeze at.
Baseball has always had the silent toilers who produce year
in and year out, yet see other players receive greater attention because of the
market they play in or their ability to be better at self-promotion. Johnson seems
to be a classic example of this. In a 1985 article for the National
Pastime ("For the Hall of Fame: Twelve Good Men"), Bob Carroll
observed. "Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but it can
also make certain ballplayers nigh unto invisible. Indian Bob Johnson never had
one of those super seasons that make everyone sit up and whistle. While phenoms
came, collected their MVP trophies, and faded, he just kept plodding along
hitting .300, with a couple dozen homers and a hundred ribbies year after
year...like a guy punching a time clock." (Bill
James, Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame? (Fireside, 1995).
Part of the beauty of the Hall of Fame is that there is no
perfect set of inductees. The museum will always spark debate about the worthiness
of candidates. That doesn’t mean that such conversations and arguments shouldn’t
take place, as it keeps the spirit of the game and the players in a perpetual
stream of consciousness. Fortunately, no doors at the Hall are truly closed
forever, and perhaps one day McCormick, Dahlen and Johnson will have plaques
commemorating their careers on the premises.
********************************
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am an avid sports cards collector and recently pulled a heine groh game used bat knob card. I have been researching him much and am confused to why he has not been considered for induction into the hall of fame. Do you have information on this and what is your thoughts?
Hi Sam,
DeleteThanks for reading and for your question. In my opinion, Groh was a very good but not great player. I suspect his resume has always fallen a bit short for those handling Hall-of-Fame voting. Although he played 16 years, he was really a regular for just `0 of them. He did hit any of the typical HOF benchmarks like a .300 batting average, 3000 hits (he didn't even have 2000). Deadball Era players are also discounted a bit because their numbers are so modest. Ultimately, I don't think it is a travesty that he is not in.
That all being said, sounds like you pulled a very cool card. Have any pictures of it?
Yes I cannot add an attachment to the comment section I don't think. I'm trying to figure out if someone can tell me the approx years the bat could be from as well (teens or twenties).
DeleteThe company that made the card should have that information. If they are marketing it as a game-used bat, they must know its origins.
DeleteYour right I'll call them and see if they can tell me
Delete