MLB Full Re-Sim Hall of Fame Part 4 (1889)
This year we have our first inductees since the inaugural Class of 1886! Here we go:
First is Boston hero Al Spalding. Despite never winning a Cy Young, Spalding put up 42 WAR over 10 short years as a full-time starter. An excellent start to his career was followed up by mediocrity through his mid-20s, but a 1.75 ERA over 287 innings in his age-29 season solidified his case. Additionally, he earned two Silver Sluggers and finished his career with a .335 average, 135 OPS+, and 11 batting WAR.
Spalding received the highest vote percentage at this point, with 98.1%.
Next is Cincinnati Reds star pitcher, Hugh Campbell. Campbell earned the 1878 Cy Young Award for a 1.79 ERA with 24 wins (of 32 starts), and won the World Series in '76 and '82. He finished his career with 204 wins, a 112 ERA+ over 3100 innings, and 49 WAR. In my opinion he was the strongest player of this class, and he's entering the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot with 96.6% of the vote.
I put Campbell and Spalding on my ballot. Campbell was an easy pick, and Spalding's peak plus his impressive hitting numbers put him in for me.
Full voting results:
SP Al Spalding - 98.1% (1)
SP Hugh Campbell - 96.6% (1)
SP John McMullin - 74.0% (1)
SP Frank Buttery - 63.2% (1)
LF Steve King - 40.2% (1)
SP Phonney Martin - 35.9% (2)
2B Jimmy Wood - 16.4% (3)
1B Andy Leonard - 10.5% (1)
CF Count Sensenderfer - 6.5% (1)
RP Frank Fleet - 5.6% (1)
SP Ballplayer McDoolan - 5.0% (2) DROPPED
SP James McDermott - 3.7% (3) DROPPED
LF Ed Pinkham - 3.4% (1) DROPPED
SP Ballplayer O'Rourke - 2.2% (1) DROPPED
Posted Mar 12, 2025, 7:51 PM UTC