15. Vada Pinson
Playing career: 18 seasons; Cincinnati Reds (1958-68), St. Louis Cardinals (1969), Cleveland Indians (1970-71), California Angels (1972-73), Kansas City Royals (1974-75).
Standout season(s): 1963 (.313/.347/.514, 22 HR, 106 RBI, 204 hits, 142 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: 2757 hits.
Major honors and statistical crowns: Two All-Star selections, one NL Gold Glove for outfield (1961), runs once, hits twice (had four 200+ hit seasons), double twice, triples twice.
Primary position: center field.
BBWAA Hall voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 15.69%.
2003 VC voting: 25.9%.
2005 VC voting: 28.8%.
Pinson is another good but not great 1960s outfielder. Good defense, good hitting, but nothing that stands up and proclaims Hall-worthy greatness. I think this is the correct state of affairs, and should continue forthwith.
Chipmaker's vote: no.
16. Ron Santo
Playing career: 15 seasons; Chicago Cubs (1960-73), Chicago White Sox (1974).
Standout season(s): 1964 (.312/.398/.564, 30 HR, 114 RBI, 86 walks, 164 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: 342 HR (28th when he retired, now 77th)
Major honors and statistical crowns: Nine All-Star selections, five NL Gold Gloves at third base, OBP twice, triples once, walks four times. Jersey #10 retired by the Cubs.
Primary position: third base.
BBWAA Hall voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 43.13% (on his final ballot).
2003 VC voting: 56.8% (third highest return).
2005 VC voting: 65.0% (tied for highest return).
I could write a lengthy and spirited defense of Santo, but won't. Played third base, a notoriously difficult position, and played it extremely well. Hit a ton, and it wasn't just Wrigley Field being friendly to him. Drew lots of walks. And he did the bulk of this in the 1960s, a pitchers' era.
I honestly do not understand how Santo has been overlooked for so long by the Hall's electoral colleges. Part may have been genuine underappreciation for his career, which is waning as analysis continuously improves. Another part may have been utter disbelief on the part of the writers, that no team with three Hall Of Famers (Banks, Williams, Jenkins from 1966-71, plus cameos by Roberts and Wilhelm) could fail to win a division at least once, so there's no way there could be four HOFers on the squad – meaning Santo loses out. I just don't understand.
Chipmaker's vote: yes, absolutely.
17. Joe Torre
Playing career: 18 seasons; Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960-68), St. Louis Cardinals (1969-74), New York Mets (1975-77).
Standout season(s): 1971 (.363/.421/.555, 24 HR, 137 RBI, 230 hits, 171 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: 2342 hits.
Major honors and statistical crowns: 1971 NL MVP, nine All-Star selections, one NL Gold Glove at catcher (1965), one NL batting title, hits once, RBI once.
Primary position: catcher early, first base later. Won his MVP while playing third, however.
BBWAA Hall voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 22.20% (on his final ballot, and right after he'd won the first Yankees championship in 18 years).
2003 VC voting: 35.8% (fourth highest return).
2005 VC voting: 45.0% (fifth highest return).
Baseball bonus points: has been a manager for 25 seasons, with the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and (continuing with) the New York Yankees. Won one NL West title with the Braves and also has done pretty well in his tenure with the Yanks.
Torre bounced around a bit, both in teams and positions, neither of which is a bad thing. He was a good hitter with a few great seasons. In broad strokes, there is no particular reason why Torre isn't yet in the Hall, except perhaps that he never hit any big career milestone numbers. But let's be pragmatic: while player Torre may never get in, manager Torre, with four World Series championships with the Yankees (in a five-year span) to his credit, certainly will someday after he retires. I'm not sure if the Hall has a policy on what it would do if a given individual was honored twice, for different roles; it would be interesting to say the least. Player Torre good – Manager Torre great. Let's let him get the plaque that best represents his lasting contribution to the game of baseball.
Chipmaker's vote: no (though I might vote yes if he didn't have the Yankees manager plaque essentially inevitable in his future).
18. Cecil Travis
Playing career: 12 seasons; Washington Senators (1933-41, '45-47) with almost four seasons spent in military service (played only 15 games in 1945).
Standout season(s): 1941 (.359/.410/.520, 218 hits, 39 doubles, 19 triples, 101 RBI, 150 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: .314 AVG.
Major honors and statistical crowns: three All-Star selections, hits once.
Primary position: shortstop, plus third base for four seasons.
BBWAA Hall voting: never named to the ballot.
2003 VC voting: not considered.
2005 VC voting: not considered.
Man, Travis is a weird case; he's never before been given any recorded consideration for the honor of the Hall. Short career due to a long stretch in the army; froze his feet at the Battle Of The Bulge, and though he recovered he lost some mobility, which is a critical skill for a middle infielder. Good hitter "for a shortstop" but, while he did have some good seasons, he wasn't going to impress anyone with his hitting. Made the strategic mistake of peaking in 1941, when two guys named Williams and DiMaggio were grabbing all the headlines. Can't knock him for the service to the war effort, but the ballot considers him as a player, and as a player he's not quite there.
Chipmaker's vote: no.
19. Mickey Vernon
Playing career: 20 seasons; Washington Senators (1939-43, '46-48, '50-55), Cleveland Indians (1949-50, '58), Boston Red Sox (1956-57), Milwaukee Braves (1959), Pittsburgh Pirates (1960), plus two seasons spent in military service.
Standout season(s): 1953 (.337/.403/.518, 15 HR, 115 RBI, 205 hits, 101 runs, 43 doubles, 11 triples, 149 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: 2495 hits, participated in 2044 double-plays, which was a record at the time and may still be.
Major honors and statistical crowns: seven All-Star selections, two AL batting titles, doubles three times.
Primary position: first base.
BBWAA Hall voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 24.94% (on his final ballot).
2003 VC voting: not considered.
2005 VC voting: not considered.
Baseball bonus points: was the first manager for the (second, expansion) Senators for three years immediately after he retired from playing. His record isn't good, but this was the Senators, and there's only so much any manager could have done.
Vernon was a good player for a long, long time – 20 seasons plus two sitting out is rare in any era – but first basemen get into the Hall on their hitting, and while he had a couple of great seasons, most of the time he was just pretty good. His peak came in his mid-30s, which today would bring accusations of, oh, something inane. Back then it was just how it was. Vernon was durable and useful, but not enough of anything for the Hall.
Chipmaker's vote: no.
20. Maury Wills
Playing career: 14 seasons; Los Angeles Dodgers (1959-66, '69-72), Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-68), Montreal Expos (1969).
Standout season(s): 1962 (.299/.347/.373, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 208 hits, 130 runs, major league record 104 stolen bases, 99 adjOPS).
Career stat highlight: 586 stolen bases.
Major honors and statistical crowns: 1962 NL MVP, five All-Star selections, two NL Gold Gloves at shortstop (1961-62), triples once, stolen bases six times (consecutive), singles four times. Member of three World Series champion teams (1959, '63, '65) and another NL champion (1966). Due to the Dodgers playing a three-game playoff against the Giants in 1962, Wills is the only man to have played in 165 games in a single championship season, getting in to every game.
Primary position: shorstop.
BBWAA Hall voting: 15 ballots, peaking at 40.65%.
2003 VC voting: 29.6% (fifth highest return).
2005 VC voting: 32.5%.
Baseball bonus points: was a manager for the Seattle Mariners for parts of two seasons.
Wills' big claim to fame is that he restored the stolen base to the game, making it another tool in a team's offensive kit. But that base-stealing speed didn't translate into more doubles or triples, because he couldn't hit very much; singles, sure. And he got caught stealing a lot, too; not disastrously so, but that is the price of running freely. Wills was a good shortstop and it's not at all unusual to find a light hitter playing there. He did shake up the game. If his speed had given him 300+ doubles instead of only 177, he'd have a more compelling candidacy; as it is, while somewhat more than a one-trick pony, he doesn't have a great deal besides that one trick to stand upon.
Chipmaker's vote: no.
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