nyy #23

1894 Hall of Fame Ballot If I was going to describe the 1894 Hall of Fame Ballot I'd call it uninspiring. I shouldn't let me feelings cloud the ballot, but 3B Ezra Sutton returns after receiving 61.6% of the vote. A career .260 hitter Sutton drove in 642 runs in his career and scored 821. SS Tom Barlow, SP Joe Borden, SP George Bradley, C John Clapp, SS Davy Force, and 3B Andy Leonard appear on the ballot for the first time. JAWS Score Tom Barlow: 15.1 John Bass: 11.8 Joe Borden: 13.2 George Bradley: 32.6 John Clapp: 8.5 Davy Force: 13.6 Chick Fulmer: 18.9 Dick Higham: 5.5 Andy Leonard: 8.6 Mike McGeary: 7.8 Lip Pike: 15.7 Ezra Sutton: 25.1 Fred Treacey: 3.8 George Wright: 14.7 Tom York: 12.1

I'm not sure why it doesn't default to Gold Glove, but Gold Glove and Silver Slugger are the two awards that you have to edit the name. I would guess because they are sponsored by Rawlings and Louisville Slugger (I believe). I've gone in and edited them, so they should be correct going forward though.

1893 Hall of Fame Results The 1893 Hall of Fame class is the largest to date, with three players elected to the Hall of Fame. All of the newly elected members of the Hall of Fame appeared on the ballot last year, with one player gaining entry his third time on the ballot, and one player his fourth time on the ballot. Deacon White was selected to the Hall of Fame in his fourth year on the ballot with 80.4% of the vote. I've stated the case for White previously, at least in relation to the two catchers already in the Hall of Fame. If Fred Waterman and Cal McVey are in the Hall, I think White belongs. Out of the now 8 members who have been elected to the Hall of Fame three are catchers. Dick McBride had the highest vote percentage this year with 88.4% and will be going to the Hall of Fame on his fourth ballot, seeing his totals increase from 60.4% to 72.2% to 74.4% to this year's total. To be honest, I'm not too impressed by McBride (151-168, 3.05 ERA, 28.2 WAR). His metrics are lower than average - 38.3 JAWS, 31 Black Ink, 256 Gray Ink, 47 HOF Standards, 206 HOF Monitor. I'm fully on board with the theory that pitcher wins don't mean much, but a losing record is a bit much. His one Pitcher of the Year Award and 5 All-Star appearances seem low for a Hall of Famer. For every part of me that wants to take him out of the Hall, part of me is glad he made it to the Hall, because Hall of Fame voters do stupid things. It sounds crazy, but replicating some of those things where you don't always agree with them is kind of neat. With 84.4% of the vote Jim Britt became the third player elected this season on his second year on the ballot, increasing from 68.1% of the vote. Doing a quick comparison (250-214, 2.74, 22.9 WAR), 42.5 JAWS, 54 Black Ink, 299 Gray Ink, 57 HOF Stand, 247 HOF Monitor it's hard not to say he's a better pitcher than McBride. They'll be inducted together though. That leaves two players with over 50% of the vote. 3B Ezra Sutton who received 61.6% support in his first year on the ballot, and 2B Lip Pike who was at 58% in his fifth year. Three players failed to receive 5% of the vote and were dropped off the ballot, RF Dan Collins, CF Tommy Beals, and SP John McMullin. 1893 Hall of Fame Voting Results: SP Dick McBride 88.4 (4th year) Inducted HOF SP Jim Britt 84.4 (2nd year) Inducted HOF C Deacon White 80.4 (3rd year) Inducted HOF 3B Ezra Sutton 61.6 (1st year) 2B Lip Pike 58.0 (5th year) RF Dick Higham 17.9 (1st year) LF Tom York 13.8 (1st year) C Mike McGeary 12.9 (1st year) SS Chick Fulmer 11.2 (2nd year) SS George Wright 9.4 (4th year) CF Fred Treacey 8.5 (3rd year) RF John Bass 5.4 (3rd year) RP Dan Collins 2.2 (2nd year) Dropped CF Tommy Beals 2.2 (1st year) Dropped SP John McMullin 1.8 (3rd year) Dropped

1893 Hall of Fame Ballot The 1893 ballot features fifteen players, including five players appearing on the ballot for the first time. Deacon White (74.8%), Dick McBride (74.2%), and Jim Britt (68.1%) lead the returning players. Former MVP and Rookie of the Year Ezra Sutton leads the newcomers. Sutton was a .260 career hitter who won 5 Gold Gloves at 3B and was elected to 11 All-Star teams. RF Dick Higham was also selected for 11 All-Star teams and will be appearing on the ballot for the first time along with CF Tommy Beals, C Mike McGeary, and LF Tom York. JAWS Score John Bass: 11.8 Tommy Beals: 9.7 Jim Britt: 45.3 Dan Collins: 7.2 Chick Fulmer: 18.9 Dick Higham: 5.5 Dick McBride: 44.6 Mike McGeary: 7.8 John McMullin: 9.0 Lip Pike: 15.7 Ezra Sutton: 25.1 Fred Treacey: 3.8 Deacon White: 12.3 George Wright: 14.7 Tom York: 12.1

1892 Hall of Fame Results For the second straight year two players were elected to the Hall of Fame, with two players less than one percent away from enshrinement. Give players were dropped from the ballot this year for failing to get 5% of the vote. Al Pratt set a record for highest percentage of votes when he appeared on 96.1% of the ballots. There was no doubt in my mind that Pratt was a Hall of Famer and should have been elected after winning 326 games, posting a career WAR of 76.9, and winning four Pitcher of the Year Awards. Catcher Fred Waterman was the second player elected to the Hall of Fame this year, and also the second catcher to gain election into the Hall of Fame after receiving 82.5% of the vote. Maybe his popularity played a part, but looking at the comparison between Waterman and Deacon White: Waterman: .290/.315/.341, 426 RBI, 645 R, 154 SB, 2 Gold Gloves, 11 time All-Star, 1 Silver Slugger White: .290/.317/.352, 494 RBI, 598 R, 44 SB, 3 Gold Gloves, 10 time All-Star, 4 Silver Slugger It's certainly hard to say Waterman is that much better than White, if at all. White did finish third in voting with 74.7% of the vote, jumping from 58.4% of the vote. Another near miss was Dick McBride who's vote totals continue to increase. He appeared on 74.2% of the ballots in his third year, jumping from 60.4 to 72.2 in his second year. SP Jim Britt received 68.1% of the vote his first time on the ballot. Britt was 250-214 in his career with a 2.74 ERA. Lip Pike saw his support drop in his fourth year to 47.6% after appearing on 66.5% of the ballots last year. SS John Radcliff, RF George Bechtel, SP Martin Malone, 1B Jim Foran, and SS Frank Sellman all failed to appear on 5% of the ballots and have been dropped off. 1892 Hall of Fame Voting Results: SP Al Pratt 96.1 (1st year) Inducted HOF C Fred Waterman 82.5 (1st year) Inducted HOF C Deacon White 74.7 (2nd year) SP Dick McBride 74.2 (3rd year) SP Jim Britt 68.1 (1st year) 2B Lip Pike 47.6 (4th year) SS Chick Fulmer 17.9 (1st year) CF Fred Treacey 12.7 (2nd year) SS George Wright 11.4 (3rd year) RF John Bass 8.7 (2nd year) RP Dan Collins 5.2 (1st year) SP John McMullin 5.2 (2nd year) SS John Radcliff 4.4 (2nd year) Dropped RF George Bechtel 3.9 (2nd year) Dropped SP Martin Malone 3.5 (2nd year) Dropped 1B Jim Foran 1.7 (1st year) Dropped SS Frank Sellman 0.9 (1st year) Dropped

1892 Hall of Fame Ballot Six players will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year with three players returning who received over 50% of the vote last year, Dick McBride (72.2), Lip Pike (66.5), and Deacon White (58.4). The newcomers on the ballot are led by 300 game winner Al Pratt who won the Pitcher of the Year Award in 1874 (32-20, 2.49), 1875 (30-24, 2.25), 1876 (28-25, 2.60), and 1879 (25-17, 1.93). Pratt should be a first ballot Hall of Famer with a Black Ink of 103, Gray Ink of 374, HOF Standards of 69, and HOF Monitor of 452. 250 game winner Jim Britt is also appearing on the ballot for the first time. Britt will present an interesting choice with a Black Ink of 54, Gray Ink of 299, HOF Standard of 57, and HOF Monitor of 347. Each one of those numbers is higher than current Hall of Famer Cherokee Fisher. Also appearing on the ballot for the first time is 11 time All-Star catcher Fred Waterman, former Reliever of the Year Dan Collins, 1B Jim Foran, and SS Check Fulmer. JAWS Score John Bass: 11.8 George Bechtel: 6.9 Jim Britt: 45.3 Dan Collins: 7.2 Jim Foran: 7.0 Chick Fulmer: 18.9 Martin Malone: 10.2 Dick McBride: 44.6 John McMullin: 9.0 Lip Pike: 15.7 Al Pratt: 80.9 John Radcliff: 20.0 Frank Sellman: 6.1 Fred Treacey: 3.8 Fred Waterman: 18.6 Deacon White: 12.3 George Wright: 14.7 ------- As a reminder, if you'd like to cast your Hall of Fame ballot just reply by 6pm tomorrow and it will be manually submitted and factored into the OOTP voting.

1891 Hall of Fame Results A pair of players received enough votes to gain enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the second and third player to receive that honor. George Zettlein was the leading vote getter, appearing on 95.4% of the ballots. There are a lot of good reasons to elect Zettlein to the Hall of Fame, 278 career wins, two Pitcher of the Year Awards, four Gold Gloves, 12 All-Star appearances, and three Silver Slugger Awards. Zettlein also had a lot of losses (308). Despite being on a bad team Zeitlein was one of the better pitchers in the league. Cal McVey became the first position player, and catcher elected to the Hall of Fame after appearing on 75.5% of the ballots, just over the threshold required for entry. McVey hit .294 during his career, in 952 games behind the plate. McVey won four Gold Glove awards, was selected to 12 All-Star teams, won three Silver Slugger Awards, and was the MVP in the 1878 World Series, winning his only World Series. After finishing in second place with 60.4% of the vote last year Dick McBride saw his totals increase to 72.2 and jump to third in the results over Lip Pike, who in his third year on the ballot saw his vote percentage increase from 62 to 66.5. Catcher Deacon White appeared on 58.4% of ballots. White hit .290 for his career and won three Gold Gloves, was selected to 10 All-Star games, won four Silver Slugger Awards, and won three World Championships. With McVey off the ballot, and White having pretty close numbers it'll be interesting to see whether his numbers jump next year. No other first year player had higher than 25.3% of the vote. George Wright saw his numbers fall from 25.3 to 22.4, with Frank Fleet seeing his numbers fall from 12.2 to 4.6 to drop off the ballot, joining Dave Eggler and Count Sensenderfer as players that officially fall off the ballot. 1891 Hall of Fame Voting Results: SP George Zettlein 95.4 (1st year) Inducted HOF C Cal McVey 76.5 (1st year) Inducted HOF SP Dick McBride 72.2 (2nd year) 2B Lip Pike 66.5 (3rd year) C Deacon White 58.4 (1st year) CF Fred Treacey 25.3 (1st year) SS George Wright 22.4 (2nd year) SP John McMullin 22.4 (1st year) RF John Bass 21.0 (1st year) SP Martin Malone 17.4 (1st year) SS John Radcliff 14.9 (1st year) RF George Bechtel 10.3 (1st year) RP Frank Fleet 4.6 (2nd year) Dropped CF Dave Eggler 3.2 (1st year) Dropped CF Count Sensenderfer 2.8 (1st year) Dropped

This feature has really added a lot for me, so I definitely agree.

1891 Hall of Fame Ballot The 1891 ballot is the largest ballot to date, with 15 players appearing on the ballot, including four players for the first time. This year's ballot has a little bit of everything, two former Rookie of the Year Award winners, two former Pitcher of the Year winners, and two former MVP's. I originally said that this ballot contained the first player I would have voted for, but upon further review I'm having second thoughts because I misread something. The talent on the ballot is definitely going in the right direction though. JAWS Score John Bass: 11.8 George Bechtel: 6.9 Dave Eggler: 7.4 Frank Fleet: 2.5 Martin Malone: 10.2 Dick McBride: 44.6 John McMullin: 9.0 Cal McVey: 21.6 Lip Pike: 15.7 John Radcliff: 20.0 Count Sensenderfer: 5.7 Fred Treacey: 3.8 Deacon White: 12.3 George Wright: 14.7 George Zetttlein: 63.7

It's taken a little while to get to a place in time where the Hall of Fame ballot is starting to have a fair number of names on the ballot. The 1891 ballot will feature the first player I would vote for, and will, because starting last year I cast one vote. I would also like to get in to a routine where I post the ballot one day, then the next day I will post the results, and the next year's ballot. That's the plan, and I know life will get in the way occasionally, I've already got a couple small trips planned, but I'll do my best to stick to a regular schedule. So in an effort to increase interactivity, or at least offer interactivity I would like to offer you the opportunity to vote for up to 10 players. Just respond with your votes, and they will go towards that players vote total. I'll leave the ballot up about a day, so if you want to support a player you've got until say 6 pm the next day. I'll check for any votes before I move forward, and I usually start after 6, but that's the earliest time.

1890 Hall of Fame Results The 1890 Hall of Fame election saw four players fall off the ballot, the highest number to date. We'll say goodbye to Ed Pinkham who appeared on the ballot five times, along with Steve King in his second year. Both John Hatfield and Candy Cummings failed to gain much support and fell off the ballot their first year of eligibility. 9 time All-Star Lip Pike led all players appearing on 62% of the ballots. His support increased 2% this year, but that last 13% will be hard to get, which I think is deservedly so. I'm not on the Lip Pike Hall of Fame bandwagon, in fact I'm anti-Pike, at least when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Dick McBride finished in second place with 60.4% of the vote, with George Wright finishing in third place with 25.3% of the vote, and Frank Fleet finishing with 12.2% of the vote. 1890 Hall of Fame Voting Results: 2B Lip Pike 62.0 (2nd year) SP Dick McBride 60.4 (1st year) SS George Wright 25.3 (1st year) RP Frank Fleet 12.2 (1st year) 2B John Hatfield 4.5 (1st year) Dropped RP Candy Cummings 3.7 (1st year) Dropped RF Ed Pinkham 3.3 (5th year) Dropped LF Steve King 2.4 (2nd year) Dropped

1890 Hall of Fame Preview For the second straight year five players will be appearing on the ballot for the first time. Dick McBride leads all pitchers on the ballot, with George Wright leading the new hitters. My prediction is no players will be elected, but results will be announced tomorrow. JAWS Score Candy Cummings: 6.1 Frank Fleet: 2.5 John Hatfield: 13.9 Steve King: -0.8 Dick McBride: 44.6 Lip Pike: 15.7 Ed Pinkham: 3.5 George Wright: 14.7

1889 Hall of Fame Results Cherokee Fisher became the first player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. Fisher's best season came in 1877 when he went 29-18 with a 2.67 ERA on his way to a Pitcher of the Year Award. Fisher began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1871 at the age of 26 and retired at the age of 38 following a season where he went 10-5 with a 2.74 ERA. Finishing in second place on the ballot was second baseman Lip Pike. I'm a little surprised about his high vote total, but it will be interesting to see what his second year on the ballot brings. Joe McDermott officially fell off the ballot, while Steve King and Ed Pinkham will be back for at least one more year. 1888 Hall of Fame Voting Results: SP Cherokee Fisher 85.9 (1st year) Inducted HOF 2B Lip Pike 60.0 (1st year) LF Steve King 7.3 (1st year) RF Ed Pinkham 5.9 (4th year) RP Joe McDermott 4.4 (1st year) Dropped

1889 Hall of Fame Preview Five players will be appearing on the 1889 Hall of Fame ballot, four players for the first time. Let's take a preview of the players who will be on the ballot: SP - Cherokee Fisher - spent 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics while compiling a 205-205 record with a 3.01 ERA. His ERA+ throughout his career was exactly league average and with 414 strikeouts in 3586 innings, and a WHIP of 1.36 ERA Fisher doesn't look like a strong candidate. Fisher was elected to nine All-Star teams, won two 'Cy Young' Awards, and was a member of three championship teams, although Fisher pitched in just 5 innings during his third and final championship season. His career WAR was 43.4 and his JAWS score was 52.1 LF - Steve King - a 12 year veteran that hit .264 for his career. His -3.4 WAR and -0.8 JAWS should send King to an early ballot exit RF - Ed Pinkham - his vote totals are trending down (16.4, 8.2, 6.9) and Pinkham should fall off the ballot soon SP/MR - Joe McDermott - in his only year as a starting pitcher McDermott was 9-21 with a 5.39 ERA. He was better pitching out of the bullpen, but should be off the ballot after one year 2B - Lip Pike - a career .307 hitter who won two MVP Awards during his prime, and was named an All-Star in 9 of his 12 seasons. Pike added five Silver Slugger awards, but with 15.2 WAR and a JAWS score of 15.7 he didn't do enough, in my opinion. Results will be announced tomorrow.

1888 Hall of Fame Ballot Ed Pinkham's support dropped for the second straight year with just 6.9% of the votes barely keeping him on the ballot. (I swear this will get more exciting soon. Next year should be more interesting.) 1888 Hall of Fame Voting Results: RF Ed Pinkham 6.9 (3rd year)

1887 Hall of Fame Ballot Former Brooklyn Atlantic right fielder Ed Pinkham appeared on the ballot for the second time, and saw his support cut in half this year, going from 16.4 % of the vote to 8.2% of the vote. Random facts Ed Pinkham scored four or more runs three times in his career, all during the 1873 season. 1887 Hall of Fame Voting Results: RF Ed Pinkham 8.2 (2nd year)

1886 Hall of Fame Results Congratulations to the first player on the Hall of Fame ballot to receive enough votes to appear on the ballot next year - outfielder Ed Pinkham Hopefully you weren't expecting miracles, because I think it will take a few years before someone who is electable appears. You have to start somewhere though. 1886 Hall of Fame Results: RF Ed Pinkham 16.4 (1st year) 1B Wes Fisler 1.9 (1st year) Dropped

That would be great. Thanks.

January 1, 1886 Major League Baseball announced that they will break ground this summer in Cooperstown, New York for a museum to honor baseball greats. An election will be held each January, and any playing submitted on more than 75% of the ballots will forever be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. A player will be eligible on a ballot for 10 years, and if a player fails to achieve election they will be ineligible. If during any year less than 5% of voters select a player they will fall off the ballot. A player must be retired for five seasons to appear on the ballot, and have played ten seasons in the majors. A look at the fine print: In just four days votes to the first ever Hall of Fame ballot will be revealed, and the fate of two players will be decided.

Hi everyone. After just starting to repost one of my dynasties here I've had a change of heart. After going back and reposting several posts I feel like I'm doing double work. Maybe if I started fresh it would work better, or maybe it's just what I'm used to. I just know for me that if I keep doing that I'm going to abandon it here eventually. So hopefully this will work out a little better for me, and I'll be doing this dynasty exclusively here. I've had pretty good success in the past with a narrow focus for a dynasty. About six years ago I did one of my first dynasties on the OOTP boards, maybe even my first, called The Home Run. I focused exclusively on the home run, was able to move through history pretty quickly, not get bogged down by anything else, and I had a lot of fun doing it. With OOTP 16 one of my favorite new features is the Hall of Fame voting, although it takes a long time to see how the voting plays out. Usually at least. So what I'm going to do is focus exclusively on the Hall of Fame, the voting, the players elected, and the players on the ballot, and hopefully have fun doing it. A few ground rules - I won't be taking control of any team I'll be moving forward one year at a time I won't be talking about any player until they retire I will be using OOTP's engine instead of recalc I'll be beginning in 1871 when simming through history, but 1886 will be the first year for the Hall of Fame If you have any questions please let me know, and hopefully this will be a fun journey.

1871 NL Award WinnersThe National League gave Asa Brainard the MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and Rookie of the Year awards after Brainard went 17-12 with a 3.41 ERA in 245 2/3 innings for the World Champion Chicago Cubs. Al Pratt won the only award Brainard didn't qualify for by going 3-0 with a save and 1.97 ERA in 50 1/3 innings to capture Reliever of the Year.

1871 AL Award WinnersAfter hitting .353 for the Baltimore Orioles Ross Barnes added a pair of awards to his trophy case, winning the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year Awards. It was a pair of Yankees winning the American League pitching awards, George Zettlein capturing Pitcher of the Year after going 8-17 with a 3.26 ERA and reliever Joe McDermott capturing Reliever of the Year after going 2-2 with an 11.10 ERA. Zettlein's numbers may have been a bit misleading, but Triple Crown winner Bill Stearns of the Orioles should feel robbed after going 20-5 with a 1.95 ERA while leading the league with 27 strikeouts.

1871 National League Gold Glove AwardsPitcher Bobby Mathews (Cincinnati Reds) Catcher Doug Allison (Chicago Cubs) First Baseman Everett Mills (Los Angeles Dodgers) Second Baseman Wes Fisler (Los Angeles Dodgers) Third Baseman John Radcliff (Atlanta Braves) Shortstop Dickey Pearce (Chicago Cubs) Left Fielder Tom York (Cincinnati Reds) Center Fielder Lip Pike (Atlanta Braves) Right Fielder Dave Birdsall (Atlanta Braves)

1871 American League Gold Glove AwardsPitcher Bill Stearns (Baltimore Orioles) Catcher Fergy Malone (Baltimore Orioles) First Baseman Joe Start (Cleveland Indians) Second Baseman Ross Barnes (Baltimore Orioles) Third Baseman Harry Schafer (Cleveland Indians) Shortstop Ralph Ham (Philadelphia Athletics) Left Fielder Jimmy Hallinan (Baltimore Orioles) Center Fielder Dave Eggler (Philadelphia Athletics) Right Fielder Al Reach (Baltimore Orioles)

1871 National League Silver Slugger AwardsPitcher Asa Brainard (Chicago Cubs) .404/.396/.485, 99 AB, 0 HR, 0 SB, 125 wRC+, 2.3 WAR Catcher Cal McVey (Los Angeles Dodgers) .346/.343/.434, 136 AB, 0 HR, 8 SB, 122 wRC+, 1.3 WAR First Baseman John W Glenn (Chicago Cubs) .326/.368/.376, 141 AB, 0 HR, 1 SB, 108 wRC+, 0.6 WAR Second Baseman Wes Fisler (Los Angeles Dodgers) .294/.304/.357, 143 AB, 0 HR, 3 SB, 96 wRC+, 1.6 WAR Third Baseman Ezra Sutton (Cincinnati Reds) .288/.292/.410, 139 AB, 0 HR, 5 SB, 102 wRC+, 1.1 WAR Shortstop Frank Sellman (Cincinnati Reds) .264/.287/.411, 129 AB, 1 HR, 3 SB, 102 wRC+, 0.7 WAR Left Fielder Steve King (Chicago Cubs) .358/.377/.480, 148 AB, 0 HR, 2 SB, 133 wRC+, 1.3 WAR Center Fielder Lip Pike (Atlanta Braves) .336/.353/.539, 128 AB, 1 HR, 4 SB, 133 wRC+, 1.4 WAR Right Fielder Art Allison (Los Angeles Dodgers) .351/.353/.507, 148 AB, 2 HR, 0 SB, 137 wRC+, 1.1 WAR