Well, hello again you Hall of Fame maniacs, welcome to another edition of “Cooperstown Talk.” In case you haven’t noticed and, based on the number of @cooperstowncred Twitter followers, you haven’t, I shared 20 fun facts about the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on Twitter in the last few weeks. They don’t call this the best website about the Hall of Fame for nothing.

OK, in case you’re “juussst a bit outside” and don’t get the joke, that first paragraph of this piece is an homage to the Harry Doyle character (played by Bob Uecker) in the movie Major League.

Anyway, as we count down to the ceremony honoring the Hall of Fame Class of 2018, today we’ll recap those 20 fun facts, when appropriate putting some meat on the character-limited Twitter bones. These 20 fun facts (or you could call them “pieces of useless trivia”) range from fascinating to interesting to “who cares?” Take a look at them, study them, make them your own.

When it’s time for the inductions, you can share these tidbits with your family members and wow them with how deep your baseball knowledge is, or how shallow.

Be that person at the summer barbecue that everyone wants to avoid, in order to spare themselves the pain of hearing you wax poetic about all the Hall of Fame trivia cooped up in your brain.

In essence, you could become Data in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Starship Mine.” If you get that reference, you already are that person!

Before getting started, let me state what these facts are about. They’re about the context of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 as it relates to other Hall of Fame classes. The facts are about the players and the teams they played for.  So, this isn’t the place where you’ll learn that Chipper Jones has the third most home runs for switch-hitters or that Jack Morris had the most wins in the 1990’s.

Anyway, to help you navigate this piece, the “fun facts” are in bold, with additional commentary that follows each one of them.

Let’s begin!

(cover photo: Baseball Hall of Fame)

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #1

The six members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 (Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell) represent the biggest class of living inductees since 1955.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Just as it was in ’55, the six inductees include four players voted on by the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) along with two Veterans Committee inductees (Morris and Trammell).

The Hall of Fame Class of 1955 featured the Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio, who went into the Hall with catchers Gabby Hartnett and Ray Schalk, third baseman Frank “Home Run” Baker and pitchers Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance. Baker and Schalk were the Veterans Committee selections.

There were two other Hall of Fame classes between 1955 and 2018 that inducted six or more players but neither had six members that were alive to bask in the glory of the honor of having a plaque in Cooperstown’s shrine.

6 players were inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 1945 by the “Old Timers Committee,” the predecessor to the Veterans Committee. 10 more players were inducted in 1946 by the same committee. All 16 inductees played in the 19th century or the first decade of the 20th century.

Because of some dubious selections in ’45 and ’46, many baseball historians decry these two years as the ones that turned the Hall of Fame from a shrine to the elite of the elite of players into the “Hall of Very Good.”

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #2

Jim Thome and Chipper Jones (who both played in the 1995 World Series) are the first Fall Classic player opponents to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year since Carlton Fisk and Tony Perez (inducted in 2000).

Fisk and Perez, of course, faced off in the classic 7-game series in 1975 between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Incidentally, Sparky Anderson, the manager of the Big Red Machine dynasty, also was inducted into Cooperstown in 2000.

Other pairs of World Series opponents who were inducted into the Hall in the same Class in the last 40 years:

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #3

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were teammates with the Detroit Tigers for 14 years. The only two teammates who played with each other longer & entered the Hall together were Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle.

Ford and Mantle were teammates for 15 years, from 1953 to 1967, and were inducted together in the Hall of Fame Class of 1974.

In 2014, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux were inducted into the Hall together. The two Atlanta Braves’ 300-game winners were teammates for 10 seasons, from 1993-2002. They were also inducted in the same class as their longtime manager, Bobby Cox.

The most famous combination of Hall of Fame teammates was Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance, who played together with the Chicago Cubs from 1902-1912. The trio of infielders were the cornerstone members of the 1907 and 1908 World Series champions. They were inducted as part of the massive 10-player Hall of Fame Class of 1946 as voted on by the “Old Timers Committee.”

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #4

With the four-person BBWAA Class of 2018 (Vlad, Chipper, Thome, Hoffman), the writers have elected 16 members in the last 5 years. That’s the most players ever to be selected by the BBWAA in a 5-year period.

It’s both ironic and appropriate that the BBWAA would be on an inducting spree. In 2013, with one of the most star-studded ballots in Hall of Fame voting history, the writers pitched a shutout, electing not one single player. This was the first ballot featuring Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa, who would normally have been easy first-ballot selections but all fell far short of the needed 75% of the vote because of their links to Performance Enhancing Drugs.

It took 10 years for the BWAAA to induct the previous 16 players, from the Hall of Fame Class of 2003 (Eddie Murray and Gary Carter) to the Class of 2013 (Barry Larkin).

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #5

Chipper Jones won his 1st and only World Series title as a rookie with the Atlanta Braves in 1995. The only other Hall of Fame members who won their ONLY titles as “rookies” were 42-year old Satchel Paige and Larry Doby (24 years old) on the 1948 Cleveland Indians.

When you’re young and feeling invincible, a World Series ring as a rookie must feel like something that’s going to happen on an annual basis but that’s not the way it usually works out.

Besides Jones, Paige and Doby, there are several other Hall of Famers who appeared in the World Series and won titles in their rookie campaigns. These others, however, went on to win more than one title in their respective careers.

Mickey Mantle’s rookie season was in 1951, a World Championship season for the New York Yankees. It would be the first of 7 rings for The Mick. This was not an unusual occurrence for members of the Bronx Bombers. Yogi Berra won 10 rings, including during his 1947 rookie campaign.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #6

Trevor Hoffman will be the 12th San Diego Padres player in the Hall of Fame. Since 1969, the Dodgers also have 12 former members in the Hall. Only the Red Sox (15) and Athletics (14) have more in the LCS era.

The 12 Padres’ alumni who have made the Hall of Fame are Hoffman, Tony Gwynn, Roberto Alomar, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson, Mike Piazza, Willie McCovey, Greg Maddux, Gaylord Perry, Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers.

It’s always interesting, when looking at the various stops that Hall of Famers made in their MLB journeys, to recall the “cup of coffee” stops, the locations in which they spent just one or two full or partial seasons. Many of these stops occur at the end of the line, when the great player becomes a journeyman late in his career.

What’s notable about the Padres and the Hall of Fame is that most of its playing alums had significant campaigns in San Diego, either at the beginning or the middle of their careers. Of the former Friars inducted into the Hall, 8 of them appeared in at least one All-Star Game wearing a Padres uniform.

Here are the teams with the most Hall of Famer All-Stars since 1969:

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #7

Vladimir Guerrero is the 5th player who made their MLB debut with the Montreal Expos to make the Hall of Fame (joining Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Randy Johnson, and Tim Raines). Since 1960, there’s no other franchise that has that many Hall of Famers who made their big league debuts in their team’s uniform.

There are five franchises that had four players to debut in their team uniform since 1960 but only the now defunct Expos have had five. Here are the teams with four Cooperstown enshrined players to debut with that franchise:

  • Boston Red Sox: Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs
  • Kansas City/Oakland Athletics: Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Rickey Henderson
  • Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves: Phil Niekro, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones
  • Chicago Cubs: Ron Santo, Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, Greg Maddux

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #8

Trevor Hoffman becomes the third Padres closer to make the Hall of Fame, joining Rollie Fingers & Goose Gossage. The Pads are the only team with 3 Hall of Fame closers with 75+ saves each.

Hoffman, of course, had by far the most saves with San Diego among this trio, with 552 out of his 601 career saves in a Padres uniform. Fingers, from 1977-1980, saved 108 games with the Padres. Gossage, from 1984-87, saved 83.

Hoffman and Fingers have another franchise in common. Fingers, in his first year with the Milwaukee Brewers, was the A.L. Cy Young Award winner. Hoffman pitched his final two seasons in Milwaukee, where he earned his final 47 saves.

Incidentally, in the twilight of his career, Gossage was teammates with Oakland A’s closer Dennis Eckersley. The Goose had one save in 1992-93 while serving as one of Eckersley’s set-up men.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #9

Jim Thome is the 11th Hall of Fame player to wear the Indians uniform since 1969.

Thome is the first player to make his MLB debut with Cleveland since Dennis Eckersley (1975). Before Thome and Eckersley, you have to go back to 1947 (Larry Doby) to find a Hall of Famer who started his career with the Tribe.

The other Hall of Fame players since 1969 to play for the Indians besides Thome and Eckerlsey? Gaylord Perry, Frank Robinson, Bert Blyleven, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Jack Morris, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield and Roberto Alomar.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #10

Chipper Jones (Braves) and Alan Trammell (Tigers) spent their entire careers with one team. They’re the 12th pair of “one team only” players to be inducted in the same class in the history of the Hall of Fame.

The others:

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #11

The 6 inductees in the Class of 2018 were selected to a combined 40 All-Star teams. That’s the most since the Class of 1989: Carl Yastrzemski, Johnny Bench, and the late Red Schoendienst (just 3 players) combined for 42 All-Star nods.

Vladimir Guerrero is the pace-setter for the Class of 2018 with 9 All-Star nods. Chipper Jones had 8 appearances while Trevor Hoffman made 7 squads. Alan Trammell made the All-Star roster 6 times. Jack Morris and Jim Thome were selected 5 times each.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #12

Alan Trammell took over as the Detroit Tigers manager in 2003, 7 years after retiring. The last living Cooperstown inductee who became a MLB manager in between the end of his playing career and getting inducted to the Hall was Tony Perez.

Perez, first baseman for the two-time World Series champion Cincinnati Reds, retired after the 1986 campaign. He briefly managed the Reds, leading the squad for its first 44 games in 1993 before being fired and replaced by Davey Johnson.

Perez made it to the Hall of Fame in 2000. The Big Dog got one other taste of being in charge of a big league dugout in 2001, when he managed the last 114 games of the season for the Florida Marlins.

Trammell’s managerial career was not quite as auspicious as his playing career. He managed the Tigers to a 43-119 record in 2003, the worst record for any MLB team since the infamous 1962 expansion New York Mets went 40-120.

Trammell led Detroit to 72 wins in 2004 and 71 in 2005 before being replaced by Jim Leyland. The 2006 Tigers made it all the way to the World Series.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #13

Chipper Jones is the 13th player with 50% of his games played at 3rd base in the Hall, the lowest total for any position (other than designated hitter).

The other 12 Hall of Famers to primarily man the hot corner: Wade Boggs, George Brett, Mike Schmidt, Ron Santo, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Mathews, George Kell, Freddie Lindstrom, Pie Traynor, Home Run Baker, Jimmy Collins and Deacon White.

9 other players, recognized primarily for their play at other positions, played at least 400 games at 3rd base, including Jim Thome, Paul Molitor, Cal Ripken, Tony Perez & Harmon Killebrew.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #14

Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero each started over 500 games as a Designated Hitter. They’re the 7th and 8th Hall of Famers to do so. The others: Frank Thomas, Paul Molitor, Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray, Jim Rice & George Brett.

The games started for those 8 at DH for each (plus the next 6):

  • Frank Thomas (1,308)
  • Paul Molitor (1,169)
  • Jim Thome (813)
  • Reggie Jackson (589)
  • Eddie Murray (563)
  • Jim Rice (519)
  • Vladimir Guerrero (508)
  • George Brett (500)
  • Dave Winfield (408)
  • Carl Yastrzemski (402)
  • Frank Robinson (308)
  • Billy Williams (242)
  • Ken Griffey Jr. (197)
  • Hank Aaron (196)

Edgar Martinez, the longtime DH for the Seattle Mariners, has an excellent chance to set a new standard if he’s elected to the Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Edgar, in his 10th year on the ballot this December, earned 70.4% of the vote in 2018, putting him in good position to cross the finish line next year. Martinez appeared in 1,403 games as his team’s DH which would be the most for any player in the Hall.

A brief editorial in a piece filled mostly with facts and trivia:

It’s time for some curmudgeonly BBWAA voters to stop withholding their votes from players who were primarily DH’s because “it’s not a real position.” I’m sorry, but it is a position. The DH has been around as long as Roe v Wade. The DH came into being during the Nixon administration and it will still be here at the end of the Trump administration, no matter how long that lasts.

There’s not a single current player who was as much as a newborn infant without the DH existing in Major League Baseball.

The DH is everywhere. It exists throughout the minor leagues, in college baseball and even in high school baseball. It’s used throughout the world and in the World Baseball Classic. Pretty much the only place the DH doesn’t exist in professional baseball is in the National League. And that’s fine. I personally am happy with the two different sets of rules in each league.

There are dozens of position players in the Hall of Fame who provided minimal defensive value, who actually hurt their teams more than they helped them in the field. Do you think Ted Williams wouldn’t have spent much of his career as a DH if it existed when he playing? Would you not want him in the Hall of Fame if that had happened?

Jim Thome hit 205 out of his 612 career home runs as a DH. So what?

Vladimir Guerrero hit 86 out of his 449 taters as a DH. Who cares?

In December 2021, David Ortiz will be on the ballot for the first time. He spent virtually his entire career as a DH. Ortiz was one of the greatest post-season hitters in history and owns three rings with the Boston Red Sox.

In the 2004, 2007 and 2013 World Series, the Red Sox played 7 games in N.L. parks. Guess what? Ortiz started every one of them at first base. He played first base because DH wasn’t a position in the N.L. parks. He didn’t make anybody forget Keith Hernandez but he was fine.

Here endeth the sermon.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #15

Trevor Hoffman is the 7th pitcher in the Hall with over 150 saves. For the time being, Hoffman is the all-time saves leader among Hall of Fame relief pitchers. This will change in 12 months, of course, when Mariano Rivera is inducted with the Hall’s Class of 2019.

It might surprise you to know that there are 30 hurlers in the Hall of Fame with at least 20 career saves. In early 20th century baseball starters occasionally closed games in between starts. Although the “save” was not an official statistic until the 1960’s, Baseball Reference has retroactively applied the save rule and included it on the pages of all pitchers in history.

After the top 7 (Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, Hoyt Wilhelm and John Smoltz), Lefty Grove is in 8th place on the all-time Hall of Fame saves list with 54. In 1930, his first true superstar season, Grove went 28-5 with a 2.54 ERA while leading the A.L. with 9 saves.

Waite Hoyt had 53 saves, “Three Finger” Brown had 49.

Walter Johnson, an original Hall of Famer in the Class of 1936, won 417 games in his career, while completing 80% of his starts. Meanwhile, the Big Train pitched out of the bullpen 136 times, finishing 127 of them while being credited with 34 saves.

If you’re interested in a little more on how starting pitchers were used as relievers in the first half of the 19th century, please visit this piece, The History of Relief Pitching: Part One (1871-1945). 

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #16

Chipper Jones played 5 consecutive years (from 1995-1999) on the Atlanta Braves with fellow Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz  (Smoltz didn’t pitch in 2000).

The last time a team completed at least a 5-year run with 4 Hall of Famers playing together was in 1971.

The Chicago Cubs from 1966-71, despite no playoff appearances, featured four Hall of Famers:  Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Fergie Jenkins.

The San Francisco Giants actually had a stretch of 10 years (from 1962-71) in which they featured 4 Hall of Fame players: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. From ’62 to early ’66, the Giants actually had a 5th Hall of Famer, first baseman Orlando Cepeda.

It’s remarkable when you consider the hitting and pitching talent in San Francisco that the team only made the post-season twice, in the 1962 World Series and the 1971 NLCS.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #17

Vladimir Guerrero appeared in the World Series in 2010. That’s one of just 8 appearances by Hall of Famers in the World Series in the 21st century.

The others:

  • Ivan Rodriguez (Tigers 2006)
  • Jeff Bagwell & Craig Biggio (Astros 2005)
  • Pedro Martinez (Red Sox 2004)
  • Ivan Rodriguez (Marlins 2003)
  • Randy Johnson (Diamondbacks 2001)
  • Mike Piazza (Mets 2000)

This is going to change, of course, as Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter make the Hall in 2019 and 2020. If Curt Schilling makes it, he’ll represent Arizona in 2001 and Boston in 2004. In addition, David Ortiz becomes eligible for the Hall in 2022.

Still, it’s a long-term trend that, as baseball has expanded from 16 teams to 30 while the Hall of Fame has gotten stingier in its admission standards, there are more and more World Series teams that are absent any Cooperstown-enshrined players.

If you look at the roster of the 2002 Anaheim Angels, it’s a near certainty that no member of that squad will make the Hall. Their opponent, the San Francisco Giants, also has no Hall of Famers, although Barry Bonds and/or Jeff Kent may get in some day.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #18

2018 is the first time that 3 members of the 400 HR club will be inducted in the same year: Jim Thome (612), Chipper Jones (468) & Vladimir  Guerrero (449).

Only twice have two 400-HR hitters been inducted:

  • Jimmie Foxx (534) & Mel Ott (511) (Class of 1951)
  • Hank Aaron (755) & Frank Robinson (586) (Class of 1982)

These pairs of long-ball specialists were each, of course, members of the 500 home run club and Henry Aaron hit a wee bit more than that. Two Hall of Fame classes came close to having two 400 HR hitters:

  • Carl Yastrzemski (452) & Johnny Bench (389) (Class of 1989)
  • Duke Snider (407) & Al Kaline (399) (Class of 1980)

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #19

In the 1985 All-Star Game (at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome), newly minted Hall of Famer Jack Morris was a part of the only All-Star Game league lineup since 1934 to feature 8 Hall of Famers players in it.

  1. Rickey Henderson (CF)
  2. Lou Whitaker (2B) (not in the HOF)
  3. George Brett (3B)
  4. Eddie Murray (1B)
  5. Cal Ripken (SS)
  6. Dave Winfield (RF)
  7. Jim Rice (LF)
  8. Carlton Fisk (C)
  9. Jack Morris (P)

There are many baseball analysts today who think that ’85 A.L. lineup should be 9 for 9 with Hall of Famers. Whitaker, the long-time double play mate with Alan Trammell, has the highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for any eligible, non-scandal tainted position player in baseball since 1911 who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Despite the edge in Hall of Famers, the N.L. prevailed in the ’85 Mid-Summer Classic easily by a score of 6-1.

In the 1934 All-Star Game, BOTH teams had 8 Hall of Famers in the lineup; the A.L. had all 9.

The AL lineup: Charlie Gehringer, Heinie Manush, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Lefty Gomez.

The NL lineup: Frankie Frisch, Pie Traynor, Joe Medwick, Kiki Cuyler, Wally Berger (not a Hall of Famer), Bill Terry, Travis Jackson, Gabby Hartnett, Carl Hubbell.

The ’34 game is famous for Hubbell striking out five consecutive Hall of Famers (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons and Cronin) but the A.L. ultimately won 9-7.

Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Fun Fact #20

Jim Thome played for 6 MLB teams (Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Twins, Orioles), the most teams played for among the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018. 

Two of Thome’s former squads (the White Sox and Dodgers) are the only teams to have former players represented in 4 of the last 5 Hall of Fame classes:

  • White Sox: Thome (2018), Tim Raines (2017), Ken Griffey Jr. (2016), Frank Thomas (2014)
  • Dodgers: Thome (2018), Mike Piazza (2016), Pedro Martinez (2015), Greg Maddux (2014)

Four other franchises (including the defunct Montreal Expos) have had four former players enshrined between 2014-2018:

  • Braves: Chipper Jones (2018), John Smoltz (2015), Tom Glavine (2014), Maddux (2014)
  • Astros: Jeff Bagwell (2017), Ivan Rodriguez (2017), Craig Biggio (2015), Randy Johnson (2015)
  • Expos: Vladimir Guerrero (2018), Raines (2017), Martinez (2015), Johnson (2015)
  • Marlins: Trevor Hoffman (2018), Rodriguez (2017), Raines (2017), Piazza (2016)

And so, for extra credit, that leaves us with one final fun fact: the Chicago White Sox and Florida Marlins are the only two franchises to be represented by each of the last 3 Hall of Fame classes.

The irony is that none of the players who wore the uniform for either team are primarily known for their years in those cities. With Florida in particular, Hoffman, Rodriguez and Raines each spent just one year in Miami. Rodriguez, of course, had a big impact, leading the Marlins to the 2003 World Series title.

 

Well, there you have it. 20 fun facts and dozens of bits of corollary information about the baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018. If you decide to commit all of the information in this piece to memory, you will impress, bewilder and confound your friends and family with the depth of your baseball knowledge. You might also get a referral for psychiatric help.

Thanks for reading. Please follow @cooperstowncred on Twitter for insightful player analysis, compelling features and, every once in awhile, some utterly useless trivia.

Chris Bodig

2 thoughts on “20 Facts about the Hall of Fame Class of 2018”

  1. The HOF Class of 2014 also had 6 living members inducted…Maddux, Glavine, Thomas, Cox, Torre, LaRussa.

    Reply

    1. Hi Dan, I probably should have clarified that. I was referring to 6 living players. Cox, Torre and LaRussa were inducted as managers. Thanks for reading.

      Reply

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