Lucky Hall of Famer Number 65 - Dave Parker

My first official backtrack in article form on this blog, I previously advocated for Dave Parker in 2021, prior to his election in 2024. Since then, I have become more of a small-Hall guy, and after reevaluating his career, I have changed my mind about his case. He was a very good player, but short of the Hall's standards. 

    A seven-time all-star, two-time Batting Champion, and 1978 NL MVP, Parker was an imposing figure on the diamond, standing 6'5" and weighing a robust 230 pounds. He hit over 20 home runs in nine different seasons and drove in as many as 125 runs in 1985. All told, Parker hit 339 home runs and collected 2,712 hits while batting .290 over a 19-year career. 

    Despite beefy counting statistics and a few great individual seasons, Parker wasn't consistently one of the game's greatest players. While he was certainly one of the best for a five-year stretch in the late 1970's, he was merely average for the rest of his career, except for two strong seasons in 1985 and 1986. His .290 / .339 / .471 slash line was certainly good, but a little weak for a Hall of Fame rightfielder who didn't reach 500 home runs or 3,000 hits. And despite winning three Gold Gloves, he was a mediocre fielder, leading his league in errors seven times. He also played 484 games as a DH, which allowed him to play past age 40 and compile his counting statistics while providing little value to his club. 

My opinion: Dave Parker is probably not a Hall of Famer. 

Amazing Baseball Quote #14

"The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing." - Dizzy Dean 

Already known as Dizzy before the quote, Jay Hanna Dean was a colorful and very quotable character in his day. Pinch running in Game 4 of the 1934 World Series, Dean was struck on the head by a thrown ball, and he made this candid quote to reporters when describing the incident. 

One of the best pitchers in the game in the 1930's, Dean later became a famous broadcaster. 

Lucky Hall of Famer Number 64 - Tom Yawkey

Tom Yawkey was the owner of the Boston Red Sox from 1933 until his death in 1976. He also served as the AL Vice President from 1956 through 1973. Yawkey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, but I don't exactly understand why. 

    While Yawkey was a longtime executive in baseball, he didn't bring much success to the game. His Hall of Fame plaque mentions that his team was the first to travel by plane, but that was about the extent of Yawkey's impact. In his 44 seasons with the Red Sox, they only won three pennants and no World Series, so he couldn't have been elected for his club's success. He seems to only be in the Hall for having a long career, not for any particularly important accomplishments. In my opinion, a long career is not enough to merit induction on its own. 

    Despite being in the Hall of Fame, Yawkey's name has often been mentioned with distaste. The Red Sox were the last existing MLB team to integrate, not fielding their first black player until 1959. Whatever the reason may be, the ensuing controversy didn't exactly help Yawkey's image, and it doesn't make me more inclined to support his already weak Hall of Fame case. 

My opinion: Tom Yawkey is not a Hall of Famer. 

Some Other Things to Look for in a HOF Candidate (Beyond Statistics)

Very often when considering Hall of Fame candidates, it is tempting to reduce them merely to names and numbers. Of course historical context is important too, but evaluating careers commonly becomes nothing more than a math problem. Does he have enough hits? A high enough WAR? 
    While statistics are undoubtedly important, even primary, in discerning fitting candidates, there are more to players than merely their numbers, as they had a real historical impact on the game, for better or for worse. Here are some other factors I tend to look for in a candidate beyond what is recorded in the stat sheet, which affect the game both on and off the field. 

1. A truly good baseball player is a good teammate. Baseball is a team sport, and damaging influences on a team's culture can prove cancerous to a ballclub's on-field success. If a team doesn't work well together, then it generally won't succeed. This is true at any level at which the game is played. 

2. A Hall of Famer should treat fans well and generally be a good ambassador for the sport. After all, professional baseball is ultimately entertainment, and the players are the entertainers (and often celebrities). Being a good entertainer is vital to being a respectable MLB player. Hall of Famers should also help serve the game in other ways besides their on-field contributions and should never harm the game in any respect. 

3. Like any other profession, baseball is a job, so one must be a good employee. Again, being a team player is critical to being a good player, as is showing up on time, giving your best effort, respecting superiors such as managers, and generally avoiding unreasonable contract disputes. 

4. Something that is key to on-field success is good strategy. In today's fast-paced game, the intricacies of each pitch are easily lost, and the only strategy today seems to be throwing harder, hitting farther, and running faster. In addition to these necessary skills, intelligence and heads-up play can make the difference between a win and a loss. For example, Willie Mays sometimes used to awkwardly whiff on breaking pitches early in a game in hopes of getting the same pitch in a critical spot later in the game, leading to many clutch RBI's. Roberto Clemente used to bobble singles on purpose to bait runners to try for second, where he'd often gun them down. Al Kaline and countless others in years past sacrificed many an at bat by moving runners with ground balls, which counts negatively in the stat sheet but is very beneficial in a game. A truly great baseball player is not only fast and strong, but also smart and team-oriented. 

5. While fielding statistics, both traditional and advanced, are important in evaluating a player's defense, they remain very limited, more so than other statistics. Therefore, contemporary opinion and the eye test are important when considering a player's defense. Outstanding plays often count just the same as average ones, and many errors were committed on difficult plays that are rarely attempted today, leading to a discrepancy between statistics and on-field impact. Additionally, there are plays that are not accounted for in fielding statistics that are absolutely necessary to make and can often save a game. For example, saving an errant throw or choosing to hold the ball (and thereby a runner) are critical to a locked-down defense, but do not receive their proper credit in the record books (it looks as though nothing happened, when in reality the play saved something from happening). In addition, errors are usually only charged for physical errors, not mental errors (which can be worse depending on the situation). 

Just as a disclaimer, I am not saying these things should replace common methods of statistical analysis in evaluating a Hall of Fame candidate, nor am I discrediting the Ty Cobbs of the world as Hall of Famers. I am merely suggesting that these things can and should make some sort of difference in considering candidates, and indeed they could be enough to sway one's perspective on a borderline candidate. 

Scouts

While the players are the ones who ultimately determine the quality of play in the Majors, they wouldn't be there at all without scouts. As such, scouts are integral to the success of their teams and to MLB as a whole. Despite their importance, however, scouts are seldom recognized for their work, and I think it would be fitting to induct a few of them into the Hall of Fame. Two candidates who deserve special consideration are Tony Lucadello and Dick Wiencek. 

Tony Lucadello was a minor league shortstop before beginning his scouting career in 1942, which he would continue until his death in 1989. He signed 52 future MLB players in his career, including Mike Marshall, Alex Johnson, and Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins and Mike Schmidt. Lucadello captured a Scout of the Year award in 1986. 

Dick Wiencek signed more MLB players than any other scout, finishing his career with a whopping 72, including Hall of Famers Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, and Alan Trammell. In 1976, he set the single-season record when he signed six future MLB players, including Morris, Trammell, and Dan Petry, who would be key contributors to the 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers. Wiencek served as the Assistant General Manager for the Angels from 1971 through 1974 and as the Director of Scouting for the A's from 1981 through 1984. 

The Greatest Name of All Time?

From 1882 through 1892, there was an outfielder who played under the name Chicken Wolf. If there were a Hall of Fame for baseball names, his would certainly be near the top. Wolf gets extra points because his given name was William Van Winkle. He wasn't a bad player, either, batting .290 for his career and topping the AA with a .363 mark in 1890. 

While Chicken Wolf is an incredible name, there are many other amazing names across MLB history. What are some of your favorite baseball names? 

Benny Kauff

Benny Kauff's name is seldom mentioned anymore, and when it is, there are often negative connotations. Kauff is best known as one of the first people to be banned from baseball, as he was booted by Commissioner Landis in 1921 amid charges of automobile theft. However, I think his banishment and subsequent bad reputation were unjust and unwarranted. Here is an attempt to clear his name. 
    Benny Kauff made his Major League debut in 1912, playing five games for the New York Highlanders (later the Yankees). He spent the 1913 season in the minors, batting .345, and jumped to the newly-formed Federal League in 1914. The 24-year-old centerfielder had a breakout campaign that season, leading the new league in batting average, hits, runs scored, doubles, stolen bases, total bases, and OBP. Kauff had another fantastic year in 1915, topping the league in batting, OBP, slugging, and stolen bases, which earned him the nickname "The Ty Cobb of the Feds." 
    After the Federal League disbanded in 1915, Kauff played five years for the New York Giants. Although he never quite matched the heights he reached in the Feds, Kauff remained a productive hitter and a prolific base thief. He helped the Giants win the NL pennant in 1917 and hit two home runs in the World Series. 
    Throughout his time in baseball, Kauff was generally viewed as a fair and honest individual. He once turned down a $500 bribe from teammates to throw a game, instead reporting the incident to manager John McGraw, and he served in the military during World War I. Soon afterward, however, his good name was in serious peril. 
    In February of 1920, Kauff, a car dealer, was arrested on suspicion of auto theft when a used automobile sold by his dealership in 1919 was found to be stolen. Although he was released on bail, he was traded to a minor league club after 55 games. The trade caught everyone by surprise, as did his subsequent trial on May 10, 1921. Kauff pleaded that his employees had deceived him by producing a false bill of sale, convincing him that the car was obtained legally. He also provided evidence that he could not have stolen the car because he was dining with his wife at the time. After a very brief deliberation, Kauff was acquitted on May 13, and he attempted to refund the money he had made from the sale. Things were looking up for Kauff, and he was set to return to the Giants in 1921. 
    However, despite the results of the trial, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Kauff for life before the start of the 1921 season. Landis claimed that the jury's ruling was a "miscarriage of justice" and thought that reinstating Kauff would be detrimental to the game for all the scandal surrounding his name. Although he scouted for 22 years, Kauff would never play again. He died on November 17, 1961, and was posthumously reinstated by Commissioner Rob Manfred on May 13, 2025, incidentally the 104th anniversary of his acquittal. 
    Benny Kauff was simply a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had no hand in stealing the car, as seen in his fairly cut-and-dry case. However, due to crooked employees and a rigid commissioner who regularly banned players despite court cases finding them innocent, Kauff was banned for life and is often remembered today as nothing but a crook. This reputation is appalling and grossly undeserved, and he should instead be remembered as a great hitter, "The Ty Cobb of the Feds," and an unfortunate victim of bad judgment.