Pete Gray

Pete Gray is notable for making it to the Major Leagues despite having only one functional arm. Although his MLB career was short (just 77 games in 1945), Pete Gray made an impact on the game and its history. His story should not be forgotten. 

Peter J. Wyshner, Jr., was born on March 6, 1915, in Pennsylvania. He suffered an accident around the age of six that resulted in him losing his right arm from the elbow down. However, young Peter longed to play baseball, and taught himself to hit and field lefthanded. As he got older, Wyshner swung a 38 ounce bat. His incredible bat speed enabled him to successfully swing the log with only one arm. 

Wyshner, who changed his name to Gray while he was playing semipro ball, was an instant success in organized baseball. Before his professional debut in 1942, the crowd applauded him nicely. He rewarded them by making a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. He batted .381 that season and .289 in the next. In 1944, he batted .333 and led the league with 68 stolen bases, earning him the Southern Association MVP Award. He got his call up to the Majors in 1945 as a backup outfielder for the defending AL champions, the St. Louis Browns. 

A lot of people probably thought that Gray wouldn't have a chance to hit Big League pitching. As a result, all the outfielders played very shallow for him. This cost him many a hit, and Gray wound up hitting only .218 on the season. However, it might have been twice as high, .436, if he hadn’t had his accident. One can only imagine how well Gray would have done if he had two intact arms.

Amazing Baseball Quote #7

"You can have money piled to the ceiling, but the size of your funeral is still going to depend on the weather." - Chuck Tanner 

How true. 

2023 Hall of Fame Ballot Results

The BBWAA's annual Hall of Fame voting results are in. 

Scott Rolen - .763 of the vote 

Todd Helton - .722 

Billy Wagner - .681 

Andruw Jones - .581 

Gary Sheffield - .550 

Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent - .465 

Alex Rodriguez - .357 

Manny Ramirez - .332 

Omar Vizquel - .195 

Andy Pettitte - .170 

Bobby Abreu - .154 

Jimmy Rollins - .129 

Mark Buehrle and Francisco (Frankie) Rodriguez - .108 

Torii Hunter - .069 

Dropoffs From Future Ballots 

Bronson Arroyo, R.A. Dickey, John Lackey, Mike Napoli, Huston Street - .003 

Matt Cain, Jacoby Ellsbury, Andre Ethier, J.J. Hardy, Jhonny Peralta, Jered Weaver, Jayson Werth - nothing 

Obviously, my biggest takeaway is Scott Rolen, who made it to Cooperstown on his sixth ballot. I'm glad he made it, I knew he deserved it, and I'm impressed by his 13.1% jump in the voting since last year. 

I am also pleased by Gary Sheffield's 14.6% jump from last year. At 55% on his ninth ballot, one hopes that he'll have a chance to make it next year. 

The fact that Carlos Beltran garnered 46.5% of votes on his debut ballot is simply astounding. He should definitely make it to Cooperstown, maybe as early as next year. Personally I can't condone him being in the Hall of Fame, considering his role in the Astros' sign stealing scandal, which cost him a managing job in 2019. 

I am disappointed, however, at Omar Vizquel receiving only 19.5% of the vote. On his sixth ballot, it's a 4.4% drop from last year, so things aren't boding well for him. I hope he makes it, but the 11-time Gold Glover will probably end up on this blog at some point. 

The Hall of Fame made a mistake in omitting Jeff Kent. The 2000 NL MVP, Kent is the all time leader in home runs by a second baseman (377). His other counting stats, too, are quite impressive: 1,320 runs scored, 2,461 hits, 560 doubles, 1,518 RBI's. His slash line was .290/.356/.500, making him one of only two second basemen (min. 7,000 PA) with a slugging percentage of at least .500. The other? Rogers Hornsby, the Rajah. I could go on and on. But the Veterans Committee should pick him. 

I am also surprised that Todd Helton and Andruw Jones did so well with the BBWAA. Helton's home-road splits are pretty significant, to say the least. I'm not sure if he belongs, but he'll probably make it next year. I definitely have my doubts about Jones. He was a very good player, a ten time Gold Glover with 434 home runs (including a 51 homer season in 2005), but he was pretty much done at 30. He hung around ineffectively until he was 35, batting .214 across his final six seasons. His overall batting average was .254, and he fell short of 2,000 hits (he has 1,933). I'd be extremely skeptical about his election. 

Amazing Baseball Quote #6

"All I remember about my wedding day in 1967 is that the Cubs lost a doubleheader." - George Will 

Those Cubs! Always losing doubleheaders! 

Those weddings! So boring! 

Kal Daniels

Kal Daniels had Hall of Fame potential, but injuries hampered his chances and ultimately finished his career. There are many other players like Kal Daniels out there (in that regard), and they deserve to be recognized, if not by the Hall of Fame, then by the average baseball fan. 

Kalvoski Daniels was born on August 20, 1963, in Vienna, Georgia. A baseball phenom from day one, he hit .500 in high school and set the Northside High single season home run record. Daniels made his pro debut at age 18, tore up the minor leagues for five seasons, and was with the Cincinnati Reds by 1986. He batted .320 in 74 games as a rookie and established himself as a star in 1987, hitting .334 with 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases in only 108 games (368 at bats). He proceeded to lead the NL in on base percentage (.397) in 1988 to go along with 27 thefts. 

Injuries took their toll on Daniels in 1989, as the 25 year old underwent his sixth career knee surgery and was traded to the Dodgers before the end of the season. He came back strong in 1990 (.296-27-94), but stole only four bases. His knee problems started to affect his hitting, too, as he slumped in both average (.249) and power (17 homers) in 1991. He played one last season in 1992, hitting six homers in a partial season with two teams. 

If Daniels could stay healthy, he could have been a Hall of Famer. For his career he slashed .285/.382/.479 with 104 homers in only 2,338 at bats. He was only 29 when he quit, and still produced when available. In a perfect world, Daniels would be in Cooperstown; in this imperfect world, we can at least do our best and remember what a talent he truly was.

Amazing Baseball Quote #5

"I try not to break the rules, but merely to test their elasticity." - Bill Veeck Jr. 

Amen! Although I'm not sure that's something you should say out loud. 

Amazing Baseball Quote #4

"Aw, how could he lose the ball in the sun? He's from Mexico." - Harry Caray 

As I'm sure everybody knows, it is usually quite sunny in Mexico. This fact + the goofiness of Harry Caray = a pretty darn funny quote. 

Three Interesting Characters

    Of the many thousands of men to have played professional baseball, at least a few of them are bound to have pretty good stories. Three in particular have interested me. 

On May 18, 1912, the Detroit Tigers had to scramble to field a team. The regular team went on strike after Ty Cobb was suspended, and manager Hughie Jennings played a lot of amateur players against the Philadelphia A's. Among them was 48 year old Deacon McGuire, formerly a top catcher who came out of retirement for the second time and went 1-for-2; Ed Irwin, who went 2-for-3 that day with a pair of triples and has MLB's highest career slugging percentage (2.000); and even Jennings himself, who came out of retirement for the third time and inserted himself as a pinch hitter. The Tigers' pitcher that day was Aloysius Travers, one of seven players from St. Joseph's University. Travers batted third in the Tigers' lineup and pitched a complete game loss, surrendering 24 runs, 14 earned. He later became a Jesuit priest serving the archdiocese of Philadelphia. (I guess I should have referred to him as Father Aloysius Travers.) 

Joe E. Brown was a famous actor in the 1930's, known for his down home personality and massive maw. He was most famous for his baseball trilogy from 1932 through 1935. He got his chance to play at the age of 42, pitching one game for the 1935 Mission Reds (PCL). One has to wonder if he used his trademark whirlybird pitching windup. 

Randy Poffo played four seasons in the minor leagues, mostly as an outfielder and catcher, in the early 1970's. After he quit he became Randy Savage, or "Macho Man", one of the most famous fake wrestlers. If Wrestlemania were real, one would say that he was one of the greats. He may be best known as the guy breaking slim jims on commercials. 

Anyway, baseball is a career for a lot of people, but some people are good at other things. These guys made their mark on the world in other ways. 

Amazing Baseball Quote #3

"How will I spend my World Series share? Ninety percent of it I'll spend on whiskey, women, and other good times. The other ten percent I'll probably waste." -Tug McGraw 

Amazing Baseball Quote #2

"The only reason I don't like playing in the World Series is I can't watch myself play." - Reggie Jackson 

Typical Ol' Reggie.