2016 Baseball Hall of Fame Nominees

The Pre-Integration Committee released their ballot today:

Doc Adams
Sam Breadon
Bill Dahlen
Wes Ferrell
Garry Herrmann
Marty Marion
Frank McCormick
Harry Stovey
Chris von der Ahe
Bucky Walters

Dahlen had the most votes last time with 10. I assume he will get in this time. Breadon, Ferrell, Marion and Walters were also on the last ballot, getting no more than three votes. Tony Mullane and Al Reach were dropped from the last ballot. I don't get dropping Mullane but whatever.

I wish they would do away with this version of the committee and just alternate between Golden and Expansion Era. After putting in Dahlen, the player portion has been picked pretty clean -- if the five after Dahlen are the best to choose from, I'd rather focus on much more deserving guys from other eras.

 

Marion's HOF case rests on just how good of a defender he was because his offensive numbers are putrid, even for that era. When he won his MVP he was like the fifth-best choice on his team.

 

Having read "Summer of Beer and Whiskey" I hope von der Ahe is selected.

 

Waste of time. Some of these guys have been dead so long that anyone who ever knew them (including their own grandkids) are probably dead too.

I think Marion is the only guy who lived into this century.

Dahlen and maybe Wes Ferrell deserve induction, but who is really served if they are voted in?

 

If they are deserving, they should be in.

Before the last pre-integration vote, I thought Ruppert and O'Day were already in. This era has been picked clean to some extent. When a guy like Frank McCormick is considered one of the best additions to a 10-man ballot and a guy like Marion can't get knocked off then it might be time to do away with it.

I would love to know why someone like Mullane was taken off and McCormick was added over Bob Johnson, who has such a better case than McCormick it's criminal and played in the same era, or Sherry McGee.

To be fair, just based on fame for the players, I've heard of Ferrell, Stovey and Marion; wasn't familiar with McCormick or Walters and didn't know Dahlen before the last pre-integration vote.

As far as execs/owners, I'm whatever on them. The Hall has been bad on dealing with them from the start so if they think Breadon is worthy (and I do) and Hermann is not, then fine. The bios the Hall put out for them are mostly terrible in saying why they would be worthy. I mean if Doc Adams was such an integral force in the origins of baseball, wouldn't he have been put in early on?

 

Here is the Ford Frick ballot. Apparently they couldn't find anyone who worked past the 60s:

Jack Graney
Harry Heilmann
Al Helfer
France Laux
Tom Manning
Graham McNamee
Rosey Rowswell
Hal Totten
Ty Tyson
Bert Wilson

 

Marty Marion is still a thing because of the Gashouse Gang mystique.

 

Marion wasn't part of the Gas House Gang, which was the 1934 Cardinals. Leo Durocher was the shortstop of that team.

But he does have that Certified Cardinals Legend thing going for him.

 

True, but it also seems like the committee just looks at MVP winners who aren't in the Hall and puts them on the ballot. I fully expect Bob Elliott and Jake Daubert on the list in three years.

 

There was a guy who used to call WFAN (think usually Steve Somers show) a lot and say Marion should be in the HOF, said he was as good as Reese and Rizzuto.