Let's start by comparing Evers's lifetime statistics with another second baseman from a rival team who was never thought of as a Hall of Famer.
Johnny Evers - 1,784 games, 919 runs scored, 1,659 hits, 216 doubles, 70 triples, 12 home runs, 536 RBI's, 324 stolen bases, 778 walks, 293 strikeouts, .270 batting average, .356 on base percentage, .334 slugging percentage
Player B - 1,514 games, 676 runs scored, 1,450 hits, 254 doubles, 41 triples, 28 home runs, 574 RBI's, 188 stolen bases, 627 walks, 584 strikeouts, .271 batting average, .347 on base percentage, .350 slugging percentage
Player B is none other than... Tom Herr (1979 - 1991). Obviously, there are a lot of differences that make each man's statistics more or less significant according to his era, but that is for a future post.
Evers's Hall of Fame plaque says,
"Middle-man of the famous double play combination of Tinker to Evers to Chance, with the pennant winning Chicago Cubs of 1906,-07-08-10 and with the Boston Braves' miracle team of 1914. Voted Most Valuable Player in N.L. in 1914. Served as player, coach and manager in Big Leagues and as a scout from 1902 through 1934. Shares record for making most singles in four game World Series."
Seriously? Is that the best that one can say about Evers? Who cares if he hit the most singles in a four game World Series? The fact that he won an MVP Award is something of importance, however, but he was very lucky, to say the least, to beat out guys like teammate Bill James (26-7, 1.90 ERA) or Sherry Magee (.314, 15 home runs, 103 RBI's). Evers batted .279 with one home run and 40 RBI's.
Again, the plaque writer also made a simple mistake worth correcting. Joe Tinker and Frank Chance were not on the 1914 Boston Braves, as the plaque seems to imply.
My opinion: Johnny Evers is not a Hall of Famer.
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