Guy Hecker

Guy Hecker is one of my favorite players of all time. While he only played parts of nine seasons, he achieved so many odd and incredible feats that an entire book could be written about him. As it is, Hecker is the first player to be featured twice on this blog, as I previously advocated his Hall of Fame case in 2020. While I must attribute that post largely to excitement over his bizarre career and not to merit, I nonetheless enjoyed writing it and am happy to go through his career again, as he should not be forgotten. 

    Guy Jackson Hecker (that was his real name) began his MLB career in 1882 as one of the founding members of the Louisville Eclipse, an American Association club that has connections to today's Pirates. He pitched 13 games that season, compiling a 1.30 ERA and topping the AA in several pitching categories. Hecker had his greatest season in 1884, when he captured a pitching Triple Crown and set American Association records for wins (52), innings pitched (670 2/3), starts (73), and complete games (72). Hecker had his enormous workload trimmed a bit in 1885, resulting in "only" 30 wins, and won 26 games in 1886. Incidentally, he led the AA in batting with a .341 average that year, becoming the only pitcher in history to win a Batting Title. 

    Hecker played his last game in 1890, but not before accomplishing a remarkable number of eyebrow-raising feats. In his very first Big League at bat, he smacked an inside-the-park home run. Still a rookie, Hecker tossed a 3-1 no-hitter against Allegheny City on September 19, 1882, which was the first no-hitter in history not to result in a shutout. Later, on August 15, 1886, he became the only player in AA history to hit three home runs in a game, scoring a Major League record seven runs against Baltimore. With that performance, he became the first of only three pitchers to hit three home runs in one game, the others being Jim Tobin and (surprise) Shohei Ohtani. As if all this weren't enough, he accomplished perhaps his wildest feat on October 9, 1887. In a game against Cincinnati, Hecker became the only man to play an entire game at first base without handling a single chance. 

    While Hecker's career was brief, he made an impressive impact on the history books. Out of all the players who ever reached the Majors, he is perhaps my favorite to research. While he is not a Hall of Famer, he was an exciting player whose career should not be forgotten. 

Lucky Hall of Famer Number 61 - Bid McPhee

Bid McPhee played second base for the Cincinnati franchise (later the Reds) in both the American Association and the National League from 1882 through 1899. A defensive wizard, McPhee was the last professional player not to wear a glove in the field, holding out until 1897. A quiet and unimposing man, McPhee was forgotten for over a century before the Veterans Committee inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2000. 

    While McPhee was a truly stellar defender, his offense leaves a lot to be desired. His slash line was a fairly modest .272 / .355 / .373, good for an OPS+ of 107. While this number is usually no detriment for a second baseman, it is important to realize that second base was an offensive position until around 1920. Once the live-ball era kicked in, first base became an offensive position and second base a defensive one. 

    In addition, McPhee played the first eight years of his career in the American Association, which is typically considered inferior to the National League. He led the AA once in triples and once in home runs, but never led the NL in any offensive categories. 

My opinion: Bid McPhee is probably not a Hall of Famer. 

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Lucky Hall of Famer Number 60 - Larry Doby

It's hard to call any player from the Negro Leagues lucky. Despite Jackie Robinson having broken the color barrier before him, Doby still experienced his share of bigotry as the first black player in American League history in 1947. However, based on his baseball record alone, Doby can be considered lucky to have been chosen for the Hall of Fame. 

    While Major League Baseball declared the Negro Leagues Major Leagues in December of 2020, the quality of Negro League play is certainly questionable, and their records are very spotty. While Negro League statistics should not be ignored, they need to be taken with a grain of salt. 

    Even if we add Doby's existing Negro League numbers to his MLB totals, he nonetheless comes up short as a Hall of Fame candidate, in my opinion. His counting stats are still quite thin for an outfielder (1,697 hits, 1,080 runs, 1,099 RBI's) and he was finished at age 35. Considering Doby's high OPS+ and his historical significance as the first black player in the AL, I can live with his selection, but he is far from an ideal candidate. 

My opinion: Larry Doby is probably not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall of Famer Number 59 - Hal Newhouser

Hal Newhouser pitched for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians from 1939 through 1955. A six-time all-star, two-time MVP, and four-time 20-game winner, Newhouser finished with 207 wins and a 3.06 career ERA. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1992. 

    Despite the accolades he earned, I believe Newhouser's career was a little short of the Hall's standards. Both of his MVP Awards (including his 1945 Triple Crown) came in the midst of World War II, when many of baseball's best players were serving overseas and inferior players were brought up to replace them. While these seasons are still valid, they need to be properly contextualized, which makes them appear more impressive at face value than they really were. Newhouser did have a spectacular season in 1946 (league-leading 26 wins and 1.94 ERA), but afterward lost effectiveness due to arm trouble. 

    Overall, while he was a fine pitcher, I think Newhouser's career lacks the volume required for the Hall of Fame. Due to his injuries, he was mostly finished by age 30, and he retired at 33 with fewer than 3,000 career innings. He struggled to gain traction with the BBWAA, but found luck with the VC. 

My opinion: Hal Newhouser is probably not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall of Famer Number 58 - Dave Bancroft

A National League shortstop whose career spanned from 1915 through 1930, Dave Bancroft was a successful player in his day, winning two World Series with the New York Giants in 1921 and 1922. He was best known for his defense, leading NL shortstops in fielding twice, putouts four times, assists three times, and double plays three times. A career .279 hitter, Bancroft tallied 2,004 hits over his career. 

    Overall, Bancroft has a rather weak case for the Hall of Fame. His bat was mediocre (98 OPS+), and while he was a strong fielder at an important defensive position, he was inferior to the other defense-first shortstops in the Hall, such as Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and contemporary Rabbit Maranville (who I also consider a lucky Hall of Famer). In addition, he was often caught stealing, batted .172 in four World Series, and played fewer than 2,000 career games, leaving him with rather weak counting stats (including 591 RBI's). In my opinion, his career seems to be lacking the necessary credentials set forth by the Hall. 

    While he was a very good player, most people did not consider Bancroft a Hall of Famer until decades after his career ended. While he never surpassed 16.2% of the vote on any of his first 15 Hall of Fame ballots, he was inducted by the Veterans Committee in 1971, spearheaded by former teammates Bill Terry and Frankie Frisch, who gained infamy in the 1970's by inducting many former teammates whose careers were clearly undeserving. As part of that trend, Bancroft is very lucky to be in the Hall of Fame. 

My opinion: Dave Bancroft is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall of Famer Number 57 - Edd Roush

Edd Roush was a Major League centerfielder from 1913 through 1931, most notably with the Reds and the Giants. A two-time batting champion and lifetime .323 hitter, Roush was known as a strong defender and had the unusual ability to make outfield throws with both arms. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1962. 

    While Roush was a fine player, in my opinion he falls a little short of the Hall's standards. Other than his two Batting Titles, he rarely topped his league in offense, leading once each in doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. He also played fewer than 2,000 career games, leaving his overall counting stats a little thin. In addition, Roush was frequently caught stealing, cutting heavily into his baserunning value. While his defense was very good and his 126 OPS+ is solid, they don't stand out enough to make up for his lack of volume. 

My opinion: Edd Roush is probably not a Hall of Famer.