Yankees on the 2022 Early Baseball, Golden Days HoF Ballots
This weekend the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of the votes held by the Early Baseball Era and Golden Days Era Committees this fall. These are two of the four time period-based committees that give players who may have been overlooked in the more traditional baseball writers vote a second chance at enshrinement in Cooperstown. The Early Baseball Era vote is especially intriguing as seven of the ten players eligible this year are former Negro League stars. As Negro League players are severely underrepresented in the Hall of Fame currently, this is a great opportunity to add players who will help tell a more complete story about baseball history.
The main focus here, though, will be the former New York Yankees present on these ballots. In all, there are four players across these two groups who spent at least part of their career in pinstripes. For each nominee, if 12 members of their respective 16-person committee vote yes, they will get a plaque in Cooperstown. With committee members limited to just four votes, this has proven to be no small task.
Below is a brief review of each former Yankee's resumé with some commentary on their merit as a Hall of Famer. To help give perspective, the JAWS (Jaffe Average WAR Score, developed by Jay Jaffe) value for the player is given in addition to the the average Hall of Famer's JAWS at the player's position. JAWS is a Hall of Fame rating system based on WAR that incorporates both career and peak value. If you're interested in learning more about this, click here.
Roger Maris - Right Fielder, JAWS: 35.3, HoF JAWS: 57.3
Everybody knows Roger Maris for the one shining achievement of his career: getting an honorable mention in a certain book about all-time Yankee greats...But seriously, Maris' record-setting 61 home runs in 1961 is the beginning, middle and end of any conversation about his career, especially when it comes to his Hall of Fame case. The home run record was a Herculean feat that deserves to be celebrated. Yet focusing on that alone sells him short as a ballplayer.
Maris was a truly great all-around player, especially during his seven year stint as a Yankee. He was a fantastic fielder, earning a Gold Glove in his first of back-to-back MVP seasons in 1960, and always had the ability to patrol Yankee Stadium's spacious centerfield in place of Mickey Mantle when needed. Although he rarely stole bases, he was also an above average base runner. Add those attributes to his obvious home run power and sharp batting eye - he walked more than he struck out during his prime years in New York - and you have a player without a weakness.
Despite that fact, Maris never came particularly close to reaching Cooperstown the traditional way. He spent a full 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, but hovered around 20-30% of the vote for most of those years before creeping over 40% during the last few. The electorate's focus on the home run record alone was probably only partly responsible for him not getting over the hump. Injuries hampered Maris for most of his career - he surpassed 140 games played just three times - and that prevented him from compiling Hall-worthy numbers or playing past age 33. He also had a career .260 batting average during a time when the value of drawing walks to supplement offensive production was not fully understood or appreciated.
At his best, Maris transcended baseball. Otherwise, he was just damn good at baseball. If he were to get elected, he'd be far from the worst player in the Hall of Fame, but there's a long list of players better than him that are also still on the outside looking in. Maris will remain with that group after this election.
Lefty O'Doul - Left Fielder, JAWS: 27.2, HoF JAWS: 53.7
The Yankee career of Lefty O'Doul lasted a grand total of 40 games, mostly as a pitcher and pinch-hitter. He was then included in one of many trades between the Yankees and Red Sox in the early 1920's and spent one uneventful season in Boston. The Red Sox sent him packing to the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League where his career took a significant turn.
O'Doul converted from pitcher to outfielder and became the best hitter in the league. He toiled in the PCL for five seasons before the Giants took another chance on him as a major leaguer. After one season, they traded the 32-year old to Philadelphia and that's where the Hall of Fame case for Lefty O'Doul begins.
The Phillies were still playing in the Baker Bowl at this time, one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball history, and O'Doul took full advantage of it. In 1929 he won the NL batting title with a .398 average, hit 32 long balls, and drove in 122 runs. He was narrowly edged by Rogers Hornsby for the NL MVP award and was similarly spectacular the following year. Despite the success, he continued his nomadic lifestyle and was dealt to the Brooklyn Dodgers prior to the 1931 season.
Playing in the more pitcher-friendly Ebbets Field, O'Doul still won another batting title with a .368 average in 1932, but that was the end of his major league stardom. For a very brief period, he was one of the best hitters in the National League, but that alone isn't nearly enough to get him into Cooperstown.
But consider this. After retiring as a player O'Doul spent 23 seasons as a manager in the PCL, mostly guiding a highly successful San Francisco Seals team. Going back to his playing days he was also an ambassador of the game in Japan and that continued during his managerial career. So much so that he's a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Between his success as a player in both the minor and major leagues, and his work as a manager and promoter of the game overseas, O'Doul probably deserves some kind of lifetime baseball achievement award. It just won't likely come as a result of this election.
Allie Reynolds - Starting Pitcher, JAWS: 23.1, HoF JAWS: 61.7
Like Roger Maris, Allie Reynolds has the distinction of getting an honorable mention in the definitive tome on all-time Yankees. He was acquired in a trade straight-up for Joe Gordon - who was actually selected for that all-time team by your humble author - and served as the de facto ace of the Yankee pitching staff during their record five straight World Series titles from 1949 through 1953.
In reality, Reynolds shared ace duties with Eddie Lopat and Vic Raschi during those years, but of the trio he had the reputation of being the best big game pitcher. His aggressive. fearless style gave him an advantage against tough lineups and contributed to his 7-2 record in World Series play. That style also allowed him to channel greatness few pitchers ever reach as evidenced by the two no-hitters he threw during the 1951 season.
Even as Reynolds' career wound down, he maintained his competitive edge by accepting a part-time role as a reliever. He was a remarkably effective closer when called upon, saving 48 games in 54 career chances. Ultimately, though, his legacy is tied to wins and losses. During his Yankee career, he posted an astonishing .686 winning percentage with a 131-60 record. That winning percentage sits just four one-hundredths of a point below the man that replaced him as the Yankees' ace, Hall of Famer Whitey Ford.
In spite of his impressive reputation, Reynolds maxed out at just 33% of the Hall of Fame vote during his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot. So where does his case fall apart? It all boils down to a late start in the major leagues. Reynolds wasn't able to shine as a true star until his first year as a Yankee, but by then he was already 30 years old. He accomplished a lot in five more seasons as a full-time starter, but that simply wasn't enough time to give him career numbers that measure up to other Hall of Fame pitchers. There's no way this group of voters will see it any differently.
Jim Kaat - Starting Pitcher, JAWS: 44.3, HoF JAWS: 61.7
The first number that comes to mind when reflecting on Jim Kaat's lengthy career is 16. That's the number of consecutive Gold Gloves he earned, which was a record until it was broken by Greg Maddux. Fielding the position well is important for a pitcher, but getting outs is the name of the game. Turns out that Kaat was pretty good at that too.
Kaat spent the majority of his career as a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He was never a hard thrower and didn't have a repertoire that missed bats often, but what he lacked in flash he made up for in control and consistency. Kaat was always among the league leaders in walk rate and was able to limit the amount of damage done by batters when they put in the ball in play.
Since Kaat didn't throw hard, he was able to throw a ton of innings without risk of injury. By his mid-30's he left the Twins to embark on the journeyman portion of his career where he was still an effective starter until his 40's when he finished things out in the bullpen. That included a pretty forgettable stint with the Yankees from 1979 to 1980.
While Kaat was not exactly a perennial Cy Young contender, he was able to compile 283 career wins. His rock solid 25 year career puts him in good company with the likes of Tommy John, Jaime Moyer, or even Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven as pitchers who weren't appreciated for their consistent effectiveness as it happened. Kaat has also benefitted from staying relevant in baseball as a long-time TV broadcaster, which included a brilliant 12-season stint with the Yankees during their dynasty run in the late 1990's/early 2000's.
As time goes on and starters pitch decreasingly less innings each year, Kaat's 283 victories looks better and better. Of all the players included here, he's got the best shot to win over the committee members.
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