WGOM Half-Baked Hall

WGOM Half-Baked Hall: 1927-1929

43 Comments

We have now reached 60 years of baseball history. After this ballot, we'll have about 85 left. We're oh so close to the era of home runs.

If you were underwhelmed by any big names during the 1920's, be prepared to be overwhelmed now. The question is will we break our record of five inductees in one ballot?

BALLOT DUE: Thursday, April 16

Final Ballot

Addie Joss
Clark Griffith

New Batters

George Burns (yes, two ballots in a row with this name)
Max Carey
Ty Cobb
Johnny Evers
Jack Fournier
Heinie Groh
Stuffy McInnis
Roger Peckinpaugh
Wally Pipp
Ray Schalk
Billy Southworth
Tris Speaker
Zack Wheat
Ken Williams

New Pitchers

Bullet Joe Bush
Stan Coveleski
Walter Johnson
Bob Shawkey
Urban Shocker

Stats

Last Ballot

43 thoughts on “WGOM Half-Baked Hall: 1927-1929”

  1. I'm continuing to vote yes on Joss and Griffith. I'll admit to being a little perplexed how Joss hasn't made it in yet. He was never one that I had to do a whole lot of considering on.

    2. JAWS hates Joss. Even on 7-year peak he doesn't meet the JAWS standard.

      Here's the thing, though. The guy NEVER had a bad year. 9 years, All-Star worthy every year. And he didn't leave the game due to arm problems. He died. Meningitis. While he was still a great pitcher. If Kershaw dies suddenly in a year or two, still at the top of his game, I bet he gets a special election within weeks.

    3. This.

      Like Beau mentions below, he had precisely zero bad years. The only season he was below 4 WAR was in his last season, where he only pitched a hundred innings. All time WHIP leader, and the people right below him on that list are impressive.

        1. He gave up zero home runs in 1908, 1916, and 1919. He did however lead the league in home runs given up in 1913.

          1. He did however lead the league in home runs given up in 1913.

            An interesting stat given that his 1913 season is among a small handful of best seasons for a pitcher ever.

            For example, those 9 home runs were part of the ridiculously low 44 total earned runs in 346 innings pitched.

                1. It would have to be, since there have been 20 pitching seasons since 1901 of 11 rWAR or higher, and that seven year stretch has 5 of them.

                  edited: 5, my bad. One of them doesn't hit 10 rWAR unless you include batting.

                2. Also, I was talking more subjectively "the best".

                  When you look at the type of pitchers that have been showing up in the past few ballots, I'd consider Johnson the best pitcher ever, I think.

            2. He gave up 50% more home runs than the entire Red Sox pitching staff that year!

              The Senators led the league in home runs given up that year. I don't see any splits available for that year so it's possible more triples turned into home runs or something like that.

          2. He gave up zero home runs in 1908, 1916, and 1919. He did however lead the league in home runs given up in 1913.
            Interestingly, Scott Baker also gave up zero home runs in 2004, 2012, and 2015. He did however come in fourth in the league in home runs given up in 2009.
            So Walter Johnson was just like him 96 years earlier.

            Scott Baker was also fifth-highest in the league in HR/9 for 2006 (Minimum 80 IP, behind Bruce Chen, Scott Elarton, Gustavo Chacin, and Carlos Silva).
            Walter Johnson was fifth-highest in the league in HR/9 for 2010 (Minimum 260 IP).

            Scott Baker's wife's maiden name was Johnson.
            Walter Johnson's wife was the daughter of a baker.

        1. I was trying to come up with a joke before you; thought you nailed it. I just tried to take it further.

  3. Urban Shocker may get my "cool name bro" vote (although Heini Groh may want to have a word with me).

    1. It's probably my favorite baseball name because it's his given name. Well, his given name was Urbain Shockor, but close enough.

  4. So this seems like a more interesting ballot than the last one.

    Also, vote for Joss everyone!

  5. Things I didn't know about Speaker:

    --he was born right-handed. Broke his right arm twice so he went lefty.
    --alleged member of the KKK
    -- “I know it's easier, basically, to come in on a ball than go back,” Speaker said later. “But so many more balls are hit in front of an outfielder, even now, that it it’s a matter of percentage to be able to play in close enough to cut off those low ones or cheap ones in front of him. I still see more games lost by singles that drop just over the infield than a triple over the outfielder's head. I learned early that I could save more games by cutting off some of those singles than I would lose by having an occasional extra-base hit go over my head.”

    --Once turned a routine ground ball double play as a center fielder because he played so shallow.

  7. I usually use the Maybe vote as a reminder to myself to give someone another look when I have more time, but this time, I really wasn't sure what to think of Zack Wheat. Apparently that's what a borderline HOFer looks like to me.

  8. I realize I left Carl Mays and Lee Meadows off the ballot. I don't imagine they will get many votes, but I'll make sure they get on the next ballot just in case.

  9. At spring training in 1921 in Dallas, manager Tris Speaker invited the team down to his nearby home for a barbeque. Coveleski and shortstop Joe Sewell took a rowboat out on the lake. Once out a ways from shore, Covey asked Sewell if he could swim. The rookie replied in the negative whereupon Coveleski shoved him into the lake and rowed away. A rescue party saved Sewell; Coveleski never explained himself, thinking the prank very funny.

    Dude.

    His wife died suddenly shortly after. His sister-in-law took care of their kids while he played baseball. Then he married her and spent the rest of his life with her. Working in nursing homes for years I did a lot of social histories. I heard the same story from people several times. Spouse dies, marry the sibling. Often happily.

  10. I flipped on Griffith, I can't decide either way on him but I think he's close enough for a yes vote. Barely.

    I had more maybe's on this ballot than I've had for quite some time.

  11. Bullet Joe Bush - born in Gull River, MN (between Brainerd & Pillager). His numbers won't get him into the Half-Baked Hall (on my ballot anyway), but from his SABR bio:

    It is noteworthy that Hall of Famer Chief Bender - Bullet Joe's teammate with Connie Mack's Athletics- was also a Brainerd native.

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