January 27, 2020

On Tuesday, January 21, Major League Baseball (MLB) greats Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Jeter, an outstanding all-around shortstop, earned 99.7 percent of the possible votes (396 of 397) in his first year of eligibility. Walker, a powerful outfielder in his 10th and final year of eligibility, received 76.6 percent of votes cast, just exceeding the 75 percent required for election. The former catcher Ted Simmons, elected in December 2019 by the Modern Baseball Era Committee, will also be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on July 26, 2020. Joining the players will be the sportswriter Nick Cafardo, the broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, and the former players’ union executive Marvin Miller.

The longtime Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter will headline baseball’s Hall of Fame class in 2020. Credit: © Rebecca Cook, Reuters/Landov

Derek Jeter, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Michigan, played 20 MLB seasons from 1995 through 2014 with the New York Yankees. He won five Gold Glove awards as the best defensive shortstop in the American League (AL). He also won five Silver Sluggers as the best hitter at his position. A career .310 hitter, Jeter was a 14-time All-Star, hit 260 home runs, and his 3,465 career hits are the most ever by an MLB shortstop. Known for his leadership as well as his playing ability, Jeter served as team captain of the Yankees from 2003 through 2014. During Jeter’s time in New York, the Yankees won seven AL pennants and five World Series.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honors players and other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. It is located in Cooperstown, New York. Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The Canadian Larry Walker played 17 seasons for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals from 1989 to 2005.  Walker blossomed in Montreal, where in 1992 he made the first of five career All-Star teams. It was in Denver, however, that Walker made his case for the Hall of Fame. In nine full seasons with the Rockies, he batted .300 or better seven times and led MLB in hitting in 1998 (.363), 1999 (.379), and 2001 (.350). In 1997, he hit .366 with 49 home runs and 130 runs batted in (RBI’s) and was named the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player. Walker ended his career with 2,160 hits, 383 home runs, 1,311 RBI’s, and a .313 lifetime batting average.

Michigan’s Ted Simmons played 21 seasons with the Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves from 1968 to 1988. Simmons become an everyday catcher in 1971, and in 1972 he made the first of eight All-Star teams. An exceptional switch-hitter, Simmons hit .300 or better seven times, hit 20 or more home runs six times, and topped 90 RBI’s eight times. He retired with 248 home runs, 2,472 career hits (second all-time to Iván Rodríguez among MLB catchers) and 1,389 RBI’s (second to Yogi Berra among catchers).

Nick Cafardo, a longtime beat writer for the Boston Red Sox, joined the Hall of Fame as the winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” Hawk Harrelson, who hit 131 home runs as an MLB player in the 1960′s, broadcast MLB games–mainly for the Chicago White Sox–from 1975 through 2018 and entered the Hall as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters. Marvin Miller oversaw the advent of player free agency during his tenure as the executive director for the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1982.

Hall of Fame voting is based upon a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team or teams on which the player played. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with at least 10 consecutive years of service. To be eligible, ballplayers must have spent at least 10 seasons in the majors and been retired for 5 years. Exceptions are made in the case of severe injury or sudden death, such as with Roberto Clemente. Eligible players remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years, after which they can gain entry only though the select eras committees. The eras committees, made up of former executives, managers, players, and umpires, also choose nonplayers such as Cafardo, Harrelson, and Miller for entry into the Hall of Fame.

February 9, 2016

On Feb. 9, 1971, African American baseball pitcher Satchel Paige (1906-1982) was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Paige’s election was unique at the time, as he was the first player elected for his career numbers in the Negro leagues instead of his numbers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Paige began his career in the 1920’s, long before baseball was racially integrated in 1947. Despite being barred from MLB’s big stage, Paige gained rapid fame for his pitching prowess as well as his electric personality and enthusiasm for the game. Paige at last made it to the big leagues in 1948, when he helped the Cleveland Indians win their last World Series championship.

Satchel Paige
Credit: © AP Photo

Leroy Robert Paige was born on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. He earned the nickname Satchel from carrying satchels at the Mobile railroad depot as a boy. He began playing baseball professionally in 1924, and often pitched against major leaguers in exhibition games. In 1937, New York Yankee star Joe DiMaggio called him the greatest pitcher he ever faced. Paige pitched for touring black teams and teams in the Negro leagues for more than 20 years.

Paige was past his prime when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and became the first black pitcher in the American League. At age 42, he was the oldest rookie in MLB history. Paige won 6 games and lost 1 that season and helped Cleveland win the pennant. He appeared in one game for the Indians in their World Series victory over the Boston Braves. Paige pitched again for Cleveland in 1949 and for the St. Louis Browns from 1951 to 1953. He made a final appearance in 1965, pitching in one game for the Kansas City Athletics. Paige’s career major league record was 28 victories and 31 defeats.

Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson (1962) and Roy Campanella (1969) were the first two African American players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Robinson and Campanella earned their entry on the strength of their MLB numbers, not their brief careers in the Negro leagues. In the late 1960’s, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn created a committee to nominate African American players for the Hall of Fame based on their Negro league careers alone. Paige was the unanimous first choice. Paige died in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 8, 1982.

January 7, 2016

Yesterday, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Mike Piazza were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey’s election was considered a certainty. The only suspense may have been whether he would be the first player to be selected by a unanimous vote in his first year of eligibility. He came close. Griffey was named on 437 of the 440 ballots. His vote of 99.3 percent is the highest since Hall of Fame voting began in 1936. A minimum of 75 percent of the vote is required for election. Candidates remain eligible for 10 years after their retirement. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which consists of writers with 10 consecutive years of service in the association.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, honors players and other individuals who made outstanding contributions to the sport. Credit: © Andre Jenny, Alamy Images

Griffey was marked for stardom as a teenager. At the age of 18, he was the first selection in the 1987 major league draft. He became the first number-one draft pick ever voted into the Hall of Fame. Piazza had to wait until his sixth year of eligibility to gain entry into the Hall of Fame. Piazza was not chosen until the 62^nd round of the baseball draft in 1988 (there are now 40 rounds). As the 1,390th player selected, he became the lowest-drafted player in baseball history to enter the Hall of Fame.

Griffey, a brilliant outfielder as well as a feared hitter, played major league baseball from 1989 through 2010. He spent most of those years with the Seattle Mariners (1989-1999 and 2009-2010) and the Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008). Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth on the career home run list. He was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1997 and was selected for 13 All-Star teams. Griffey won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1990 through 1999 for his outstanding defense play.

Piazza played in the major leagues from 1992 through 2007, primarily as a catcher. He played most of his career for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1998) and with the New York Mets (1998-2005). His 396 home runs is a major league career record for a catcher, and he was selected for 12 All-Star teams.

After Griffey and Piazza, the closest players to Hall of Fame selection were first baseman Jeff Bagwell with 71.6 percent of the vote and outfielder Tim Raines with 69.8 percent. Much attention has been focused on controversial candidates Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Both players were tainted with charges of taking such illegal performance enhancing drugs as steroids during their career. In their fourth year of eligibility, Clemens and Bonds received their highest voting percentages. Clemens received 45.2 percent of the vote, and Bonds, 44.3 percent. Mark McGwire, a leading home run hitter of the 1990’s who admitted to using steroids, received only 12.3 percent of the ballots in 2016, his 10^th and final year of eligibility.

Other World Book articles: 

Baseball (1997) – A Back in Time article
Baseball (2008) – A Back in Time article