WHY I THINK FRED DUNLAP SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK FRED DUNLAP SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Fred Dunlap was one of the best all around second basemen ever to play the game of baseball. He set the single season record for fielding percentage by a second baseman in 1889, won three fielding titles and finished second for two more, had three .300 seasons and one .400 season, won a batting title, and hit as many as 39 doubles in a season. The thing that made Dunlap extra special is that he was ambidextrous, and because he also didn’t wear a glove in the field, he could field and throw the ball with the same hand, an adherent advantage. Fred Dunlap started his career well (unlike most Major Leaguers), hitting .276 for the Cleveland Blues in 1880 and leading the NL in doubles. After a .325 season and a second place finish in doubles (behind Hall of Famer Cap Anson), Dunlap batted .280 and .326 in his next two seasons. After being traded to the St. Louis Maroons, Dunlap had one of the best overall seasons that any player ever had in 1884, with a .412 batting average and Union Association highs in batting average, home runs, runs scored, hits, times on base, OBP, slugging percentage, total bases, OPS, extra base hits, home run percentage, fielding percentage, putouts and assists. He slugged .621 and scored 160 runs in only 101 games that year. Beside all of those statistics, Dunlap also finished second in the UA in saves as an occasional relief pitcher. Dunlap fell all the way down to .270 in 1885, .274 in 1886 and .265 in 1887, but helped the Detroit Wolverines to win the primitive World Series title in 1887. His batting still hadn’t recovered, as he batted .262 and .235 in 1888 and 1889 before being limited to 26 more career games, finishing up in 1891 when he broke a leg sliding into second base. Fred Dunlap, despite his late decline in production, was still a very valuable player and one worthy of a Hall of Fame selection. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 965 season high: 122 in 1886 

At Bats career: 3,974 season high: 481 in 1886 

Hits career: 1,159 season high: 185 in 1884 led UA: 185 in 1884 

Doubles career: 224 season high: 39 in 1884 led NL: 27 in 1880 

Triples career: 53 season high: 10 in 1887 

Home Runs career: 41 season high: 13 in 1884 led UA: 13 in 1884 

Runs career: 759 season high: 160 in 1884 led UA: 160 in 1884 

Runs Batted In career: 366 season high: 69 in 1886 (RBI’s weren’t counted in the UA in 1884) 

Stolen Bases career: 85 season high: 24 in 1888 (stolen bases weren’t counted until 1886) 

Walks career: 283 season high: 46 in 1889 

Strikeouts career: 263 season high: 51 in 1886 (strikeouts weren’t counted in the UA in 1884) 

Batting Average career: .292 season high: .412 in 1884 led UA: .412 in 1884 

On Base Percentage career: .340 season high: .448 in 1884 led UA: .448 in 1884 

Slugging Percentage career: .406 season high: .621 in 1884 led UA: .621 in 1884 

Total Bases career: 1,612 season high: 279 in 1884 led UA: 279 in 1884 

Sacrifice Hits career: N/A

Fielding Percentage career: .924 season high: .950 in 1889 led UA 2B: .926 in 1884 led NL 2B: .934 in 1885, .950 in 1889 (the league fielding percentage was .902) 

Double Plays career: 513 season high: 64 in 1886 led NL 2B: 44 in 1880, 62 in 1882 led UA 2B: 54 in 1884 

Putouts career: 2,912 season high: 343 in 1884 led NL 2B: 304 in 1883 led UA 2B: 341 in 1884 

Assists career: 3,171 season high: 393 in 1886 and 1889 led NL 2B: 290 in 1880, 297 in 1882, 393 in 1886 led UA 2B: 300 in 1884 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Sure Shot” and the “King of Second Basemen” for the near guarantee of a successful play at second base 

-his 160 runs scored in 1884 set MLB records for the most in a season by a second baseman and for the most in a season by any Union Association player, and is currently the 16th highest total of all time  

-hit a triple in the 1887 World Series  

-also played two games in rightfield and one each at third base and centerfield 

-led NL second basemen in games (84) in 1882 

-his .412 batting average in 1884 set the MLB record, and was 52 points above the second place batter in the league, Orator Shafer 

-went 145-102-5 as a manager and captured the 1884 UA pennant 

-hit for the cycle on May 24, 1885 

WHY I THINK CECIL TRAVIS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK CECIL TRAVIS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Cecil Travis was one of the finest pure hitters in the history of baseball. He had a lifetime batting average of .314 and batted over .330 three times. He had 218 hits in 1941 and has the highest career batting average of any AL shortstop. Defensively, Travis was better than average, adept at turning the double play, and had enough versatility to play both shortstop and third base. Career long Washington Senator Travis started his career in 1933 by batting .302 in 18 games. He hit over .300 every year until 1939, when he slumped to .292 (bothered by the flu), but soon was on track with a .322 mark in 1940. He had the best season of his career in 1941 when he batted a remarkable .359 with 19 triples and 101 RBI's. At 27, Travis already had 1,370 hits (including 73 three-baggers), and was just entering his peak. However, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, and America was plunged into total war. Travis spent the next three years in Military Service during World War II. He nobly sacrificed three of his peak years to protect the country that he called home. When he returned in 1945, he was a hero, but a mediocre hitter. He was hitting .330 every season before the war, but struggled to hit .250 afterwards. He quit after the 1947 season, but he worked for the Senators as a scout until 1956. Cecil Travis was a marvelous hitter, a fine fielder, and a war hero. He should be in the Hall of Fame today, but two things are working against him: the fact that he played for a now departed franchise, and his military service. In a perfect world, Travis would have over 2,000 hits and a plaque in Cooperstown.

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,328 season high: 152 in 1941 

At Bats career: 4,914 season high: 608 in 1941 

Hits career: 1,544 season high: 218 in 1941 led AL: 218 in 1941 

Doubles career: 265 season high: 39 in 1941 

Triples career: 78 season high: 19 in 1941 

Home Runs career: 27 season high: 7 in 1941
Runs career: 665 season high: 106 in 1941 

Runs Batted In career: 657 season high: 101 in 1941 

Stolen Bases career: 23 season high: 6 in 1938 

Walks  career: 402 season high: 58 in 1938 

Strikeouts career: 291 season high: 47 in 1946 

Batting Average career: .314 season high: .359 in 1941 

On Base Percentage career: .370 season high: .410 in 1941 

Slugging Percentage career: .416 season high: .520 in 1941 

Total Bases career: 2,046 season high: 316 in 1941 

Sacrifice Hits career: 67 season high: 13 in 1938 

Fielding Percentage career: .951 season high: .965 in 1937 

Double Plays career: 630 season high: 113 in 1938 led AL 3B: 29 in 1935 

Putouts career: 1,946 season high: 304 in 1938 

Assists career: 3,138 season high: 457 in 1938 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed "Kid Bandage" because he was the most spiked infielder in the league

-batted lefthanded and threw righthanded 

-was a three time all-star (in 1938, 1940, and 1941) 

-smacked a record five hits on his MLB debut (tied with Hall of Famer Fred Clarke) 

-led the AL in hit by pitch in 1935 (nine) 

-finished sixth in the AL MVP voting in 1941, ninth in 1938, 11th in 1937, and 23rd in 1940 

-led the AL with 153 singles in 1941 

-finished second in the 1941 AL batting race to Hall of Famer Ted Williams (.406)  

-holds the third highest career batting average among MLB shortstops, behind Hall of Fame Pirates Honus Wagner (.327) and Arky Vaughan (.318) 

-also played 52 games in centerfield, 17 in leftfield, four at second base, and 102 as a pinch hitter

WHY I THINK STEVE O’NEILL SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK STEVE O’NEILL SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

The reason that I believe Steve O’Neill should be in the Hall of Fame is because he was one of the greats as both a manager and as a player. He played as a catcher and was one of the best of his time, and as a manager he went 1,040-821-18 lifetime and had a winning record in every single season in which he managed, including the 1945 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers. As a player, O’Neill started his career for nine games in 1911 and batted only .228 in 69 games in 1912. He bettered that mark to .295 (80 games) and .253 (87 games) in his next two seasons. O’Neill slowed offensively in his next four seasons but batted .289 in 1919 and .321 for the 1920 World Series Champion Indians. He batted .333 with four walks and three doubles in the World Series. He hit .322 and .311 in the two following seasons, but slipped to marks under .250 in the next two seasons. He hit well in a short stint in 1925 but took the 1926 season off. He played roughly half a season in 1927, showing signs of age and injury bringing him down, and finished out his playing career by batting .292 in only ten games in 1928, having injured himself in a car accident. O’Neill was a pretty calm manager (only eight career ejections in 1,879 games) and that certainly contributed to his success. He was also a very smart manager, taking his great knowledge of the battery from his playing days to his managing days. When O’Neill managed the Tigers to the top in 1945, that made him one of the handful to win a World Series both as a player and as a manager without being a player-manager. Steve O’Neill was one of the game’s best catchers and also one of the best-ever managers. A man with such skill to play seventeen years as the man in the iron mask and successfully manage for fourteen seasons certainly deserves a spot in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,590 season high: 149 in 1920 

At Bats career: 5,566 season high: 489 in 1920 

Hits career: 1,239 season high: 157 in 1920 

Doubles career: 248 season high: 39 in 1920 

Triples career: 34 season high: 7 in 1918 and 1919 

Home Runs career: 13 season high: 3 in 1920 

Runs career: 448 season high: 63 in 1920 

Runs Batted In career: 534 season high: 65 in 1922  

Stolen Bases career: 30 season high: 5 in 1913 

Walks career: 592 season high: 73 in 1922 

Strikeouts career: 414 season high: 55 in 1917 

Batting Average career: .263 season high: .322 in 1921 

On Base Percentage career: .349 season high: .424 in 1921 

Slugging Percentage career: .337 season high: .440 in 1920 

Total Bases career: 1,614 season high: 215 in 1920 

Sacrifice Hits career: 130 season high: 15 in 1920 

Fielding Percentage career: .972 season high: .983 in 1918 and 1927 led AL C: .983 in 1918 

Double Plays career: 199 season high: 36 in 1916 led AL C: 22 in 1914, 36 in 1916, 19 in 1917, 16 in 1919, 20 in 1920 

Putouts career: 5,968 season high: 576 in 1920  

Assists career: 1,698 season high: 175 in 1915 led AL C: 175 in 1915, 154 in 1918 

Games Managed career: 1,879 season high: 158 in 1947 

Wins career: 1,040 season high: 92 in 1946 

Losses career: 821 season high: 76 in 1943 and 1946 

Ties career: 18 season high: season high: 4 in 1947 

Winning Percentage career: .559 season high: .597 in 1946 

Ejections career: 8 season high: 2 in 1947 and 1953 

Pennants 1945 AL 

World Series 1945 

DID YOU KNOW?

-brother of Jack, Jim, and Mike O’Neill

-went 1-for-4 with a stolen base on his MLB debut 

-hit 35 doubles in 1919 and had five seasons with over 20 

-finished sixth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1922 and 24th in 1913 

-owns a .469 career caught stealing percentage 

-hit home runs off of Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson, and another one off of Carl Mays 

-led the AL in games caught in 1916 (128) and 1918 (113) 

-owns five of the top 50 seasons in double plays at catcher, including the all time record of 36 in 1916

-threw out the most runners attempting to steal in the AL in 1915 (99), 1916 (86), and 1918 (80) 

-played a game at first base in 1914 and 65 others as a pinch hitter 

-among MLB catchers, ranks 32nd in games caught, second in double plays (behind Hall of Famer Ray Schalk), third in assists (behind Deacon McGuire and Schalk), and 13th in runners thrown out stealing 

-was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 1951

WHY I THINK ARLIE LATHAM SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK ARLIE LATHAM SHOULD

BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Arlie Latham was a very classic baseball player of his time. He would try to force his way

on base in any way possible, steal a base or two, and score the run. Latham was a huge run producer,

a great defensive third baseman for his time, an expert sign stealer (legal type), and one of the best base

thieves of all time. He was also no slouch at the plate, as he batted .269 for his career and banged out

85 triples. Arlie Latham started his career with the Buffalo Bisons in 1880, but wasn’t a regular until

1883, when he played for the St. Louis Browns of the American Association. He batted only .236 that

year but hit .274 in 1884 and was soon enormously popular with the fans, as much for his hitting and

baserunning as for his heckling of the opponent. Latham batted .301 in 1886, led the league in scoring

with 152, and had his finest season in 1887. That year he hit .316 with 129 stolen bases and scored

163 runs. He fell to .265 in 1888 but stole 109 bases, which marked the first time in MLB history that a

player stole 100 or more bases in consecutive seasons. Latham batted only .246 in 1889 and split his

1890 season but was back on track in 1891 with the Reds, when he batted .272. Latham slipped to

.238 in 1892 but batted .282, .313, and .311 for the Reds before becoming a part time player  for the

NL Browns in 1896. Latham was released after the season but came back in 1899 for six games and

played four more games in 1909 at the age of 49 before retiring for good. Arlie Latham was a great

baserunner and a big draw at the ballpark for his aggressive play. Without question, Latham belongs

in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,629 season high: 152 in 1892 led AA: 98 in 1883 

At Bats career: 6,832 season high: 627 in 1887 led AA: 627 in 1887 

Hits career: 1,836 season high: 198 in 1887 

Doubles career: 245 season high: 35 in 1887 

Triples career: 85 season high: 12 in 1884 

Home Runs career: 27 season high: 7 in 1891 

Runs career: 1,481 season high: 163 in 1887 led AA: 152 in 1886 

Runs Batted In career: 563 season high: 83 in 1887 

Stolen Bases career: 742 season high: 129 in 1887 led AA: 109 in 1888 (stolen bases weren’t counted in

1880, 1883, 1884 or 1885) 

Walks career: 589 season high: 74 in 1891 

Strikeouts career: 305 season high: 55 in 1892 (strikeouts weren’t counted from 1883 through 1886) 

Batting Average career: .269 season high: .316 in 1887 

On Base Percentage career: .334 season high: .392 in 1894 

Slugging Percentage career: .341 season high: .413 in 1887 

Total Bases career: 2,332 season high: 259 in 1887 

Sacrifice Hits career: 18 season high: 11 in 1894 (sacrifice hits weren’t counted until 1894) 

Fielding Percentage career: .872 season high: .892 in 1893 (the league fielding percentage was .867) 

Double Plays career: 267 season high: 29 in 1892 led AA 3B: 14 in 1883, 16 in 1884 led NL 3B: 24 in 1891 

Putouts career: 2,080 season high: 204 in 1889 

Assists career: 3,656 season high: 370 in 1891 led AA 3B: 302 in 1884, 217 in 1885 led NL 3B:

370 in 1891 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “The Freshest Man On Earth”, "The Dude", and "The Hustler from Hustletown"

-played in four “World Series” in the 1880’s and stole 28 career bases and scored 31 runs

in those Series 

-won a World Series ring with the St. Louis Browns in 1886 

-would do somersaults to avoid being tagged on the basepaths

-was the oldest player ever to steal a base at 49

-his 129 stolen bases in 1887 are still the third highest total of all time 

-led the AA with 677 plate appearances in 1887 

-led AA third basemen in games in 1883 (98) and led NL third basemen in 1892 (142) 

-needless to say, he was the oldest player to appear in an MLB game in 1909 

-was the first contracted base coach in MLB history, and was also the first man from New

Hampshire to play in the MLB 

-As a base coach, he would scream at and insult opposing pitchers to distract him; when

he ran up and down the first and third base lines and even sometimes lit firecrackers under

third base; coaching boxes were invented to prevent him from doing this. 

WHY I THINK VERN STEPHENS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK VERN STEPHENS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Vern Stephens was one of the best hitting shortstops in the history of baseball. He batted .286 for his career and averaged 111 RBI’s for every 162 games in which he played. His defensive work was also very fine, and he was a pleasure to watch in the field, especially when he threw runners out with the strength of a cannon or helped his pitcher out with a nice tag on an attempted steal. Vern Stephens started his career with the St. Louis Browns in 1941 with a .500 batting average in three games. He batted .294 in 1942 and enjoyed his first 20-homer campaign in 1943. In 1944, he paced the AL in RBI’s and led the Browns to their only pennant. The Browns lost the Series to the Cardinals in six games, and the main reason for their defeat was the loss of Stephens’s usually potent bat, as he batted .227 with only one extra-base hit in the Series. He did, however, lead the league in homers in 1945 and bat .307 in 1946, and after a strong 1947 season he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. He was an instant hit in Boston, as he hit 29 homers and drove home 137 runs in his first season there. He enjoyed the two best years of his career in 1949 and 1950, when he batted a combined .2924 and averaged 34.5 homers and 151.5 RBI’s per season. After those two seasons he had another fine year in 1951, but failed to play in 100 games in a season until 1954, when he batted .285 in 101 games with the Baltimore Orioles, who made the change from the Browns just one year earlier. He played in 25 more games in 1955 before retiring. Vern Stephens was a phenomenal hitter and a fine fielder, who possessed such skills that were unparalleled by any shortstop since, not excluding Derek Jeter. Jeter made the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, so why should anyone think that Stephens is undeserving of that same honor? 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,720 season high: 155 in 1948 and 1949 led AL: 155 in 1948 and 1949

At Bats career: 6,497 season high: 635 in 1948

Hits career: 1,859 season high: 185 in 1950

Doubles career: 307 season high: 34 in 1950

Triples career: 42 season high: 8 in 1948

Home Runs career: 247 season high: 39 in 1949 led AL: 24 in 1945

Runs career: 1,001 season high: 125 in 1950

Runs Batted In career: 1,174 season high: 159 in 1949 led AL: 109 in 1944, 159 in 1949, 144 in 1950

Stolen Bases career: 25 season high: 8 in 1947

Walks career: 692 season high: 101 in 1949

Strikeouts career: 685 season high: 73 in 1949

Batting Average career: .286 season high: .307 in 1946

On Base Percentage career: .355 season high: .391 in 1949

Slugging Percentage career: .460 season high: .539 in 1949

Total Bases career: 2,991 season high: 329 in 1949

Sacrifice Hits career: 37 season high: 6 in 1944

Fielding Percentage career: .962 season high: .981 in 1950 led AL SS: .961 in 1945

Double Plays career: 921 season high: 128 in 1949 led AL SS: 128 in 1949

Putouts career: 2,732 season high: 290 in 1942 

Assists career: 4,827 season high: 540 in 1948 led AL SS: 494 in 1947, 540 in 1948, 508 in 1949

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Buster”, “Junior”, or “Little Slug” 

-was an eight time all-star 

-finished third in the AL MVP Award voting in 1944, fourth in 1942, 1948, and 1950, sixth in 1945, seventh in 1949, ninth in 1943, 19th in 1946, and 31st in 1947 

-his 39 home runs in 1949 were the MLB record for a shortstop until Ernie Banks broke it in 1955

-was the first shortstop ever to hit 200 career homers

-was the only member of the 1944 Browns to later play for the Orioles 

-led the AL in home run percentage (4.2) in 1945 

-his 159 RBI’s in 1949 are the MLB record for a shortstop 

-hit four home runs each off of Hall of Famers Early Wynn and Hal Newhouser, two off of Bob Lemon, and one off of Bob Feller, plus three more off of Hall of Fame snub Allie Reynolds 

-also played 322 games at third base, 11 in the outfield, 61 as a pinch hitter, and two as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006