VEB Historical Hall of Fame Ballot Voting: Part 1

This is going to be a long post so I’ll be quick with my intro. This is the first round of voting for the VEB Hall of Fame. The first round does not include either Negro League players nor any players who played in the 1800s. I created a list of players, which ended up totaling 503 players, comprised of players with 40+ WAR on either Baseball-Reference (bWAR) or Fangraphs (fWAR), players who won an MVP or Cy Young (with at least 20 WAR), players who made the actual Hall of Fame, and and high-ranking career relievers by WAR or by saves. Then I used a random number generator to select 32 players to go on the first ballot.

In case you missed it, 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 and it’ll probably be right. So that’s... pretty much all the information and context you’ll need. Now the players

Felipe Alou (OF)

Career: 38.1 fWAR, 42.2 bWAR, 38 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 2.9 fWAR, 3.2 bWAR)

Peak: 30.7 fWAR, 33.8 bWAR

Accomplishments: 3-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 5 seasons by both fWAR and bWAR

Notable Stat: In 1966, he led the league in at-bats, hits, runs scored, and total bases, which led to a 5th place MVP vote.

Profile: Always good at sports, he was going to raise his family out of poverty by being a doctor, entering university as a premed student. He attracted teams when the Dominican team won gold at Pan American Games. He signed with Giants in 1955. Despite being a good to great player during most of his early career, he was traded three times pre-free agency so he ended up playing for five organizations. He received just 3 votes when he was on the ballot.

Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown (SP)

Career: 57.3 bWAR, 49.3 fWAR, 51 JAWS (per his 226 IP average: 3.5 fWAR, 4.1 bWAR)

Peak: 43.7 bWAR, 36.6 fWAR

Accomplishments: 1 ERA title (his career predates awards and All-Star games)

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

Notable stat: It was the Deadball era, but in the 1906 season, Brown had a 1.04 ERA in 277.1 innings pitched.

Profile: Brown had what Sabr describes as a bent middle finger, a paralyzed pinky finger and a stump where his index finger used to be. Because of the weird shape of his right-hand, he gained his nickname and the ability to throw a wicked knuckle curve. Despite a successful few years in the minors, he wasn’t purchased until he was 26 by the Cardinals. They immediately traded him to the Cubs after one season. He was on the first ever Hall of Fame ballot, but it took him until 1949 to get voted in by Old Timers Committee.

John Burkett (SP)

Career: 21.8 bWAR, 44.3 fWAR, 17.5 JAWS (per 200 IP: 1.6 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR)

Peak: 16.8 bwAR, 28.4 fWAR

Accomplishments: 2-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 1 by bWAR, 5 by fWAR

Notable Stat: This is not baseball-related, but he apparently has thrown 32 perfect games in bowling and is a part-time professional bowler to this day. Huh.

Profile: Drafted out of high school by the Giants in 1983, he appears to have been traded in December of 1994 in the middle of the strike to the Rangers. He then... never played for them and signed as a free agent in April of 1995. Weird. He signed with the Marlins as a free agent, was of course traded, and was a gun-for-hire for the rest of his career after that.

John Candiotti (SP)

Career: 42.3 bWAR, 38.9 fWAR, 37.5 JAWS (per 200 IP: 3.1 bWAR, 2.9 fWAR)

Peak: 33.9 bWAR, 29.4 fWAR

Accomplishments: N/A

4-WAR seasons: 5 by both bWAR and fWAR

One Notable Stat: He led the league in 1986 with 17 complete games, which is exactly a fourth of his career total (68)

Profile: Never drafted by an MLB team, he tried out and made the roster for an independent league team. He was sold to the Royals after a season, and got drafted in the Rule 5 draft by the Brewers in 1983. He didn’t pitch much for them, throwing less than 100 innings in his three seasons there. He signed with the Indians at 28, stayed there for five and half seasons, and then signed with the Dodgers, where he stayed for six seasons. He retired at 42. He received two votes in his only time on the ballot.

Gary Carter (C)

Career: 70.1 bWAR, 69.4 bWAR, 59.2 JAWS (per 550 PAs: 4.3 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR)

Peak: 48.4 bWAR, 46.2 fWAR

Acc.: 11-time All-Star, 3-time Gold Glover, 5-time Silver Slugger

4+ WAR seasons: 8 by both bWAR and fWAR

Notable Stat: I said per 550 PAs, but it is worth pointing out Carter had over 550 plate appearances in a season 11 times, including six seasons above 600 PAs, which is just insane for a catcher.

Profile: Drafted in the 3rd round by the Montreal Expos, he made the MLB in just two years at age 20. He didn’t become a Met until he was traded there after the 1984 season at 31. Which is weird because I think of him as a Met but he was there for five seasons to the Expos 10+ seasons. He was elected to the Hall on his sixth try.

Joe Cronin (SS)

Career: 64.8 bWAR, 66.6 fWAR, 54.3 JAWS (per 600 PA: 4.4 bWAR, 4.5 fWAR)

Peak: 43.7 bWAR, 44.6 fWAR

Acc.: 7-time All-Star (there was no ASG in his first four seasons, including two with top 10 MVP votes); He also won the AL Writers’ MVP in 1930 (precursor to BBWAA MVP) and AL MVP by Sporting News,

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

Notable Stat: He was either 1st or 2nd in dWAR six times in his career, most of which were at the beginning of his career.

Profile: Originally started his career for the Washington Senators, he became player-manager in 1933 at 26. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey wanted Joe Cronin and offered the Senators their starting SS and $250,000 for Cronin. Plus, he offered Cronin a five-year contract as player-manager. That’s where he finished his career, and in fact stayed on as manager two years after his playing career was over. It took 11 tries, but he was finally elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956.

Paul Derringer (SP)

Career: 39 bWAR, 62.4 fWAR, 31.2 JAWS (Per his average 243 IP: 2.6 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR)

Peak: 26.4 bWAR, 35.7 fWAR

Acc: 6-time All-Star (no ASG in first two seasons, including rookie season when he was 20th in MVP voting)

4 WAR seasons: 2 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

Notable Stat: He was a good pitcher, but he led the league in the things you don’t want to be leading a few times: led the league in losses with 27 in 1933, in hits allowed three times, and in earned runs once.

Profile: He debuted with the Cardinals actually, pitching so well in his rookie season, he definitely would have won Rookie of the Year, had it existed then. But he had a sophomore slump and started 1933 rough, so he was traded in May of that year to the Reds. He stayed a Red for most of his career until the Cubs bought him for his last few seasons. He was on seven different Hall of Fame ballots, but never got higher than 6.2%.

Bill Dickey (C)

Career: 56.5 bWAR, 56.1 fWAR, 46 JAWS (per 550 PAs: 4.4 bWAR and fWAR)

Peak: 35.5 bWAR, 35.1 fWAR

Acc: 11-time All-Star (four of his full-time seasons predated ASG)

4 WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 5 by fWAR

Notable Stat: He received a top 5 MVP vote four times, and received an MVP from someone 9 times.

Profile: He was a Yankee his entire career. I will note that he missed two seasons, later in his career, due to serving in the US Navy due to World War II. His 1943 was a 4 bWAR season so some missing WAR there. He was elected on the 11th try by the BBWAA in 1954.

Bobby Doerr (2B)

Career: 51.6 bWAR, 53.3 fWAR, 44.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.9 bWAR, 4 fWAR)

Peak: 37 bWAR, 38 fWAR

Acc.: 9-time All-Star

4 WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 6 by fWAR

Notable Stat: Ranked 1st in double plays turned 5 times in his career and ranked 2nd another 4 times. Altogether, he’s 5th all-time in double plays turned.

Profile: Debuting at 19-years-old for the Boston Red Sox in 1937, he remained there for the rest of his career. His career ended relatively early, at just 33-years-old, because of spinal problems. He also missed a prime season due to serving in the Army for one year. He appeared on 15 ballots in the Hall, but didn’t get elected until 1986 by the Veterans Committee.

Larry Doyle (2B)

Career: 45.1 bWAR, 49.6 fWAR, 37.6 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.7 bWAR, 4 fWAR)

Peak: 37.6 bWAR, 33.2 fWAR

Acc.: MVP (Chalmers Award in 1912), batting title, entire career predates ASG

4 WAR seasons: 4 by bWAR, 6 by fWAR

Notable Stat: The Chalmers Award only existed for four seasons, and Doyle’s prime was at the exact right time because he finished first, third, and 17th in MVP voting in three of the four years.

Profile: Purchased by the New York Giants in 1907 for a then record price of $4,500, he was a Giant for pretty much all of his career, with a slight detour to the Cubs when he was traded. He got traded back to the Giants to end his career, which happened pretty early at 33, coming off a 3.3 WAR season. He asked to be released to manage the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not hockey, minor league baseball.

Darrell Evans (3B)

Career: 58.8 bWAR, 61.1 fWAR, 48 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.3 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR)

Peak: 37.2 bWAR, 38 fWAR

Acc: 2-time All-Star

4 WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 8 by fWAR

Notable Stat: In 1973, Evans had a 9 bWAR season and 9.7 fWAR season... and finished 18th in MVP voting. That was actually an insane year though. Pete Rose won with an 8 bWAR season and there were three better seasons, including 11 bWAR Tom Seaver. In total, there were 7 players with 7 or more bWAR.

Profile: In that weird time where there were a bunch of drafts, Evans was drafted four times without signing before finally signing with the Athletics in 1967. A year and half later, he was drafted in the Rule 5 draft by the Braves. His tenure with the Braves ended with a trade to the Giants. He stayed with them through most of his prime and spent his late 30s with the Tigers, before retiring in 1989 at 42. He got 8 votes on his only time on the ballot.

Goose Goslin (OF)

Career: 66.4 bWAR, 64 fWAR, 55 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.1 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR)

Peak: 43.7 bWAR, 42.5 fWAR

Acc: Batting title, 1-time All-Star (he was 32 when the first ASG happened, with his best seasons behind him)

4 WAR seasons: 7 by both bWAR and fWAR

Notable Stat: In Bill James “Power Speed” stat - basically a reflection of your stolen bases and home run combination - Goslin ranked 1st three times and in the top 6 eight times. He’s 91st all-time in this stat.

Profile: Debuting with the Washington Senators, Goslin was a key piece in back-to-back World Series appearances in 1924 and 1925. After mid-career career struggles, he was traded to the Browns, where he regained his form and was traded back to the Senators, where they made the World Series again. He was traded after because the Senators couldn’t afford him, and he made back-to-back World Series with the Tigers. He did not get voted in on 9 ballots by the BBWAA, but by the Veterans Committee in 1968.

Rich “Goose” Gossage (RP)

Career: 41.6 bWAR, 31.1 fWAR, 36.4 JAWS (per his avg 75 IP: 1.8 bWAR, 1.4 fWAR)

Peak: 31.7 bWAR, 23.5 fWAR

Acc: Rolaids Relief Winner, 9-time All-Star

2+-WAR seasons (as RP): 8 by bWAR, 7 by fWAR

One Notable Stat: Gossage was a starter for one year. I did not factor that year into his average performance above nor as one of his 2 WAR seasons. His notable stat, however, is that he was a top 6 vote getter in the Cy Young race five times.

Profile: Drafted by the White Sox in the 7th round, he emerged as an elite reliever within a few years, so good that the White Sox tried him at starting one year. When he was just average, they traded him to Pittsburgh. He signed with the Yankees, where he stayed for six years, and then the Padres for four years. He ended up playing for nine organizations. He was elected on the 9th try in 2008.

Rickey Henderson (OF)

Career: 111.2 bWAR, 106.3 fWAR, 84.8 JAWS, (per 600 PAs: 5 bWAR, 4.8 fWAR)

Peak: 57.5 bWAR, 56.2 fWAR

Acc: MVP, 10-time All-Star, Gold Glove, 3-time Silver Slugger, ALCS MVP

4-WAR seasons: 14 by bWAR, 13 by fWAR

One Notable Stat: He ranked 1st in stolen bases 12 times in his career. The first time this happened he was 21 and the last time it happened, he was 39. He ranked in the top 10 22 times and ranks first in stolen bases all-time.

Profile: Drafted out of high school in the 4th round of the 1976 MLB Draft, he must have liked Oakland a lot. He was there for his first five seasons, they traded him to the Yankees. He later re-signed with them three times even though they traded him a second time. He ended up playing for 10 organizations until he was 44. He was elected with 94.8% of the vote on his first try.

Babe Herman (OF)

Career: 39.4 bWAR, 42.7 fWAR, 35.3 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.8 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR)

Peak: 31.2 bWAR, 34.1 fWAR

Acc: Nothing (there was no ASG in his first seven seasons)

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

One Notable Stat: He holds the Dodgers’ team record for batting average (.393), slugging percentage (.678), hits (241), and total bases (416) to this day, all of which he did in 1930.

Profile: Here’s an unusual one for the 1920s. He was traded before he ever made the majors to a team he also never made the majors for. He found a spot for the Brooklyn Robins, where he stayed most of his career, but he got traded to the Reds, then the Cubs, then the Pirates. he was on 12 Hall of Fame ballots, but never higher than 5.7%.

Sad Sam Jones (SP)

Career: 39.9 bWAR, 39.6 fWAR, 35.2 JAWS (per 200 IP: 2.1 bWAR, 2 fWAR)

Peak: 27.6 bWAR, 22.2 fWAR

Acc: Nothing (First ASG was when he was 40-years-old)

4-WAR seasons: 2 by bWAR, 1 by fWAR

Notable Stat: He led the league in saves in 1922, which of course was not a stat yet, but is notable because he also started 28 games with 20 complete games. Just a completely different game in 1922.

Profile: He gained his nickname because he wore his cap real low so he always looked downcast, which is a more optimistic reason than I expected. He debuted at 21 for the Cleveland Naps, was traded with another guy and money for Hall of Famer Tris Speaker to Red Sox. Through trades, he also pitched for the Yankees, Browns, Senators, and White Sox, retiring at 42 in 1935. He was on three HOF ballots, but received one vote each time.

David Justice (OF)

Career: 40.6 bWAR, 40.4 fWAR, 35 JAWS (Per 600 PAs: 3.7 bWAR, fWAR)

Peak: 29.5 bWAR, 30.1 fWAR

Acc: Rookie of the Year, 3-time All-Star, Halle Berry (just trying to see if anybody is actually reading this)

4-WAR seasons: 2 by bWAR, 4 by fWAR

Notable Stat: A regular fixture in the playoffs, he made seven World Series, including two wins, and won ALCS MVP in 2000. However, his 91 wRC+ in the playoffs was significantly worse than his 130 wRC+ in the regular season.

Profile: Drafted in the 4th round by the Braves, he remained a Brave until he was 30-years-old and traded to the Indians. The Indians traded him three years later to the Yankees, then the Yankees to the Mets, and in his last season, he was traded to the Athletics. He got one vote in the 2008 Hall of Fame ballot.

Jim Kaat (SP)

Career: 45.2 bWAR, 70.9 fWAR, 44.3 JAWS (per 200 IP (as SP): 2.1 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR)

Peak: 38.1 bWAR, 38.7 fWAR

Acc: 3-time All-Star, 16-time Gold Glover

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

Notable Stat: Jim Kaat’s move to the bullpen did not help his Hall of Fame case even a little bit. In the five years from 40-44, Kaat was worth 1.2 fWAR and -1.4 bWAR.

Profile: Kaat was signed out of high school by the Washington Senators in 1957 - no draft at the time - and was traded to Twins early in his career. After 13 seasons with them, he was claimed by the White Sox off waivers, who kept him for a couple seasons before trading him to the Phillies. He reached free agency for the first time at 40, and the Yanks immediately gave him up to Cards to end his career. He was on 16 HOF ballots, finally making it this year on Veteran’s Committee.

Jerry Koosman (SP)

Career: 57 bWAR, 62.6 fWAR, 45.1 JAWS (per his avg 212 IP: 3.1 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR)

Peak: 36.5 bWAR, 34.7 fWAR

Acc: 2-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 6 by bWAR, 7 by fWAR

Notable Stat: He came close to winning two awards. He finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting with his 6.3 bWAR season and 2nd in Cy Young voting with his 4.7 bWAR season many years later.

Profile: Signed by the Mets exactly a year before the MLB Draft began, he stayed a Met until 1978 when he was 35-years-old. At the end of his career, he was a Twin, White Sox, and Phillie. He was on exactly one Hall of Fame ballot, getting 4 votes.

Sam Leever (SP)

Career: 41 bWAR, 33.1 fWAR, 36.9 JAWS (per his avg. 220 IP: 3.4 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR)

Peak: 33.7 bWAR, 24.4 fWAR

Acc: ERA title (played way before ASG and Cy Young awards)

4-WAR seasons: 5 by bWAR, 3 by fWAR

Notable Stat: In 1899 - his first full season - he threw the most innings (379), started the most games (51), and finished the most games (11), which does not include his 35 complete games.

Profile: He didn’t debut until he was 26-years-old in 1898 for five starts and he stayed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for his entire 13-year career, retiring at 38 in 1910. He was on the 1937 Hall of Fame ballot, but garnered just one vote and never returned again.

Stu Miller (SP/RP)

Career: 27.3 bWAR, 18.6 fWAR, 25.2 JAWS (per his avg. 104 IP in bullpen: 1.7 bWAR, 1.1 fWAR)

Peak: 23.4 bWAR, 14.7 fWAR

Acc: ERA title (as a hybrid starter/reliever in 182 IP)

2-WAR seasons (as RP): 4 by bWAR, 2 by fWAR

Notable Stat: Not necessarily a notable stat, but important information: he started 93 career games while rarely being a full-time starter. Most of his higher WAR seasons came in seasons he started.

Profile: Signed as an amateur free agent by the Cardinals, he debuted in 1954 and was traded to the Phillies in 1956 and then the Giants later that year, where he foresaw the Giants move from New York to San Francisco. He stayed with them for a while before getting traded to the Orioles for his late 30s seasons. I don’t believe he appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot.

George Mullin (SP)

Career: 47.5 bWAR, 41.2 fWAR, 41.8 JAWS, (per his avg. 281 IP: 2.6 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR)

Peak: 36.2 bWAR, 27.5 fWAR

Acc: None (played from 1902-1915)

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

Notable Stat: The entire reason Mullin qualified to be on the ballot was because he added 12.8 bWAR and 8.4 fWAR with his bat. He was a career 99 wRC+ hitter in 1,685 plate appearances.

Profile: Here’s a ballsy move. Mullin signed with three different teams for the 1902 season, somehow thinking this would just be ignored. He played for the Tigers, but got sued by the Fort Wayne owner (and ended up having to pay $1,000). He played most of his career for the Tigers before retiring at 34 in 1915. He did not go on a Hall of Fame ballot.

Milt Pappas (SP)

Career: 46.2 bWAR, 43.8 fWAR, 36.1 JAWS (per 200 IP: 2.9 bWAR, 2.8 fWAR)

Peak: 28.5 bWAR, 26.3 fWAR

Acc: 3-time All-Star (two ASG were the same year, so really 2-time All-Star)

4-WAR seasons: 5 by bWAR, 2 by fWAR

Notable Stat: Not a stat, but Pappas gave up Roger Maris’ 59th home run and in 1998 Pappas admitted to throwing nothing but fastballs because he was upset at commissioner Ford Frick for saying he was going to list the record separately if he didn’t hit the 60th by the 154th game.

Profile: Pappas signed with the Orioles at 18-years-old and pitched in just three minor league games before debuting in 1957 and becoming a full-time starter at 19. He was traded by the Orioles with two other players for future HOFer Frank Robinson to the Reds. He also played for Cubs and Braves. He received just five votes in his only appearance on a ballot.

Billy Pierce (SP)

Career: 53.4 bWAR, 52.5 fWAR, 45.6 JAWS (per his avg. 221 IP: 3.6 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR)

Peak: 37.9 bWAR, 35.3 fWAR

Acc: 7-time All-Star, ERA title

4-WAR seasons: 6 by both bWAR and fWAR

Notable Stat: He was a strikeout pitcher of his day, posting top 10 K/9 10 times in his career, including two seasons as the top guy.

Profile: Billy Pierce made the Detroit Tigers out of spring training before finishing high school, but it was 1945, a lot of players were at war, and he barely played. He saw his next action in 1948, but was traded to the White Sox at the end of the year. He remained a White Sox for most of the rest of his career. He was on five HOF ballots, but never got more than 2%.

Jackie Robinson (2B)

Career: 63.9 bWAR, 57.2 fWAR, 57.7 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 6.5 bWAR, 5.9 fWAR)

Peak: 51.5 bWAR, 48.2 fWAR

Acc: Rookie of the Year, MVP, 6-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 7 by both bWAR and fWAR

Notable Stat: In his 10 seasons in the big leagues, he received an MVP vote in 8 of them.

Profile: I’m sure you’re all well aware of his story, but he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1945 to 1956. He only played 10 years, because he debuted at 28, and well I hope you know the reason for that!

Red Schoendienst (2B)

Career: 44.5 bWAR, 37.4 fWAR, 38.5 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 2.9 bWAR, 2.4 fWAR)

Peak: 32.5 bWAR, 28.1 fWAR

Acc: 10-time All-Star

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

Notable Stat: He wore an MLB uniform for 74 consecutive years at the time of his death and 67 of his 74 years were as a Cardinal.

Profile: Again, you guys should be mostly familiar, but he started his Cardinals career in 1945 because in 1944 he suffered an eye injury and trauma from shooting a bazooka so he was discharged from the Army. Something I did not know. He was on 15 Hall of Fame ballots, maxing out at 42.6%, but was elected in 1989 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Reggie Smith (OF)

Career: 64.6 bWAR, 64.6 fWAR, 51.6 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 4.8 WAR)

Peak: 38.6 bWAR, 38.8 fWAR

Acc; 7-time All-Star, 1 Gold Glove

4-WAR seasons: 10 by bWAR, 9 by fWAR

Notable Stat: More of a fun stat, but in the 13 seasons where Smith played in at least 70 games, his teams had winning records in all of them.

Profile: He was a Red Sox for his first eight seasons before they traded him to the Cardinals. He had two All-Star seasons here before being traded to the Dodgers. His last year was with the Giants, when at 38-years-old, he jumped ship to the NPB for nearly a million dollars. He was coming off a 134 wRC+ season so he left some MLB WAR on the table by doing that. He received three votes in his only time on the ballot.

John Smoltz

Career: 66.4 bWAR, 79.5 fWAR, 53.9 JAWS (per 200 IP as SP; 3.7 bWAR, 4.4 fWAR)

Peak: 38.7 bWAR, 41.9 fWAR

Acc: Cy Young, Rolaid Relief, 8-time All-Star, Silver Slugger

4-WAR seasons: 8 by bWAR, 10 by fWAR

Notable Stat: At worst, John Smoltz pitched exactly the same in the postseason as the regular season (similar FIP). At best, he pitched quite a bit better, with a 2.67 ERA to his 3.33 ERA in 209 innings pitched with 15 wins to 4 losses and 4 saves.

Profile: Smoltz was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1985 draft by the Tigers actually out of high school. He was traded to the Braves before he made the majors and spent all but a half season with the Braves. We know about that half season. He was elected on his first try to the Hall of Fame with 82.9% of the vote.

Gene Tenace (C)

Career: 46.8 bWAR, 45 fWAR, 40.9 JAWS (per 550 PAs: 4.7 bWAR, 4.5 fWAR)

Peak: 35 bWAR, 33.3 fWAR

Acc: 1-time All-Star

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 6 by fWAR

Notable Stat: Gene Tenace had a 140 wRC+ for his career as a catcher, but since a lot of his value was walking a lot (17.8%), the league as a whole was completely oblivious to it so he only got 5,525 plate appearances in career.

Profile: Drafted by the Athletics, who migrated from Kansas City to Oakland while he was in the organization, he was the backup for a few years before becoming the starter. He departed for free agency in 1976 and signed with the Padres. He ended his career as a backup again for the Cardinals and Pirates. He received one vote when he went on HOF ballot.

Bobby Veach (OF)

Career: 48 bWAR, 43.7 fWAR, 42.9 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.8 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR)

Peak: 37.8 bWAR, 35.7 fWAR

Acc: None (Career was from 1912-1925, before ASG)

4-WAR seasons: 7 by bWAR, 6 by fWAR

Notable Stat: Veach only played for 10 full seasons, and in that time, he was top 10 in RBIs eight times. He finished first three times and top 3 six times in his career.

Profile: He was acquired by the Tigers to be part of a three-man outfield with future Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. He was with the Tigers until he was 36, and he played for three different teams in his last two years. He received just one vote on the 2nd ever Hall of Fame ballot and never appeared on a ballot again.

Zach Wheat (OF)

Career: 60.5 bWAR, 63.1 fWAR, 47.4 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.6 bWAR, 3.8 fWAR)

Peak: 34.8 bWAR, 36.3 fWAR

Acc: Batting Title (all of career is prior to ASG)

4-WAR seasons: 6 by both bWAR and fWAR

Notable Stat: For his time, he was something of a power hitter, placing in the top 10 in slugging 12 times in his career, including leading the league once.

Profile: Born and died in Missouri actually, Wheat was acquired by the Brooklyn Robins in 1909. He stayed there for just about his entire career, but played his very last season with the Philadelphia Athletics at 39. He was on 17 different Hall of Fame ballots, but needed a Veterans Committee vote in 1959 to get in.

Dave Winfield (OF)

Career: 64.2 bWAR, 59.9 fWAR, 51 JAWS (per 600 PAs: 3.1 bWAR, 2.9 fWAR)

Peak: 37.9 bWAR, 34.2 fWAR

Acc: 12-time All-Star, 7-time Gold Glover, 6-time Silver Slugger

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

Notable Stat: His Gold Gloves may not have been earned. In six of his seven Gold Glove seasons, he was, by the metrics, a negative defender.

Profile: Drafted 4th overall by the Padres, as soon as he hit free agency, he signed with the Yankees where he spent pretty much all of the 1980s. He played for four separate teams after the Yankees, retiring in 1995 at 43-years-old. He was inducted on his first try with 84.5% of the vote.

Not including the 1800s players nor the people VEB has already voted into the Hall of Fame, there are 202 Hall of Famers among your 503 potential choices, which is 40%. There are 32 people on the ballot, and 40% of 32 is 12.8, so you get up to 14 votes. Most of these guys are obviously yes or obviously no, but take your time and think about the fringier guys and make an informed vote please.

Final note: I will not be releasing who made the Hall of Fame until I’ve posted four ballots. The reason being... I don’t want to write four different posts saying who’s made the Hall. So after four ballots, you’ll find out who made it. Your deadline to vote is Wednesday night, 12 am CT. Then I will close the votes. The second ballot should be up Thursday.