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.
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