#18- Rickey Henderson, LF

Year Inducted: 2009 (BBWAA, ballot #1, 511/539)

Score: 41892

For many years, the main trait for a leadoff hitter was speed, followed by an ability to get on base.  While that has changed more recently, it certainly has held true for most of baseball’s existence.  Players like Lou Brock (who was a very good hitter, but never carried a high OBP) were more common than Matt Carpenter (who has a high OBP but little speed).  Even less common were hitters that had power and could leadoff.  Only one player in baseball history could hit, draw walks, hit for power, and steal bases out of the leadoff position.  That was Rickey Henderson.

#47- Lefty Grove, SP3

Year Inducted: 1947 (BBWAA, ballot #4, 123/161)

Score: 31845

Every year, after the World Series, the baseball world erupts in the same debate over and over again: What does the word “valuable” mean in the MVP award?  For many old school adherents, the MVP must play for a playoff team as there isn’t value in being on a losing team.  For many of the younger crowd, the MVP should go to the best player regardless of his team’s ranking.  Occasionally, the thought of whether a pitcher should win the award comes up when there isn’t a stand out position player and that opens up another debate.  Pitchers have been winning the MVP ever since it was first handed out, actually.  Clayton Kershaw’s MVP in 2014 was the tenth won by a lefty pitcher.  The first was by Hall of Famer Lefty Grove in 1931, the first year the MVP was handed out officially.

#60- Al Simmons, LF

Year Inducted: 1953 (BBWAA, ballot #9, 199/264)

Score: 29327

Mike Trout has had the greatest start to a career that any player has ever had.  Naturally, the question becomes who else has started similarly.  Most recently, Albert Pujols’ first ten seasons were historic and cemented him as the greatest player in the game, a title that Pujols has obviously relinquished to Trout as he becomes more and more like Dave Kingman it’s scary.  Before Pujols’ beginning, many other players laid claims to a Hall of Fame career based on their first seasons as well.  Players like Ken Griffey were pegged for greatness almost from their first game.  But the first player to really jumpstart a Hall of Fame career on the strength of his first 10 seasons would be Al Simmons.

#65- Eddie Plank, SP2

Year Inducted: 1946 (Veterans Committee)

Score: 28970

It’s tough to be a big league player, that’s why the Minors exist.  Unlike football or basketball, where college is a good prep for a pro-career, the talent gap between MLB and College Baseball is way too wide for most players to make a complete transition.  However, that never stopped people from trying.  Connie Mack and the A’s signed a pitcher out of Gettysburg College who had yet to play in the Minor Leagues but had attended an academy with instructors like Ty Cobb to a contract and tryout in Spring Training, and the legend of Eddie Plank was born.

#71- Rube Waddell, SP1

Year Inducted: 1946 (Veterans Committee)

Score: 28395

There aren’t many first generation starters remaining in the Hall of Fame to cover.  And, up to this point, a lot of them have been similar.  They threw a ton of innings, didn’t strike many out, and had really low ERA’s.  They mostly had short careers, but there were a few that pitched longer than 15 years like Pud Galvin and Cy Young.  But, only one of the first generation of starting pitchers could rack up strikeouts like some current pitchers.  That would be Philadelphia Athletics lefty, Rube Waddell.

#82- Dennis Eckersley, RP

Year Inducted: 2004 (BBWAA, ballot #1, 421/506)

Score: 27147

John Smoltz wasn’t the only one who went from great starter to dominant closer.  Sometimes a pitcher can have some great seasons, but an odd delivery can lead to arm and back issues and slow them down.  Typically, this means the end for a pitcher’s career.  However, that wasn’t the case in Oakland in 1986.  Manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan noticed that, when he became a reliever, this pitcher’s arm issues were gone and he became absolutely dominant out of the pen if held to a couple of innings at a time.  That was how Dennis Eckersley became one of the best closers of all-time.

#105- Chief Bender, SP2

Year Inducted: 1953 (Veterans Committee)

Score: 24803

Baseball can sometimes be a battleground for race it seems.  The first professional African American players (Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby) had to endure a ton of pressure and hate and played amazingly despite it.  Go back even further in history, the first great Jewish sportsman (Hank Greenberg) went through similar troubles though not quite as severe.  Even further back, Irish players like Hugh Duffy had to face racial angst.  The country has had tenuous relations with all of those ethnicities, as they have with Native Americans.  And, one of the first great Native American players was Chief Bender.

#112- Rollie Fingers, RP

Year Inducted: 1992 (BBWAA, ballot #2, 349/430)

Score: 23965

Andrew Miller is making a lot of news lately, as is his manager Terry Francona.  Not just because he is an awesome pitcher, but because Francona is deploying his best arm in the biggest situations and not saving him for the 9th inning.  There have been several times in the last few seasons, especially in the postseason, where managers have either stuck with starters too long or gone to less effective relievers because they want to save their best arm for the ninth to get the save.  Believe it or not, like was mentioned in the Bruce Sutter entry, this wasn’t always the case.  Great bullpen arms were brought in as early as the 6th inning at times to preserve the victory.  There have been many of these arms throughout history, but the first greatly effective one was Rollie Fingers.

#140- Catfish Hunter, SP4

 

Year Inducted: 1987 (BBWAA, ballot #,3 315/413)

Score: 20002

Back in the Home Run Baker post, the subject of nicknames was brought up, and how they typically come about due to either a player’s looks, name or special act.  But, there is still a fourth way to get a nickname-have an insane owner who thinks it’s necessary.  Charlie Finley, the definition of eccentric, was the owner of the Athletics and when they signed Jim Hunter as a bonus baby out of high school, gave him the nickname “Catfish” because he thought that every player needed a nickname.  He came up with the story that Hunter had ran away from home at the age of 6, caught two catfish and was about to grab a third when his parents found him.  And thus, a legend was created.

#156- Home Run Baker, 3B

Year Inducted: 1955 (Veterans Committee)

Score: 17219

Some nicknames make full sense.  Usually a shortening of a player’s first or last name, or something depicting a player’s size.  Big Mac was used as a nickname for several players, including Willie McCovey and Mark McGwire.  Kiki Cuyler’s nickname came from shortening his last name to its first syllable.  Other nicknames like Hammerin’ Hank come from a player’s on-field exploits.  The most infamous one is the nickname that Frank Baker got for hitting two home runs in the World Series one year, “Home Run” Baker.