Hall of Fame Spotlight - Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn

Historically, his last name has been spelled two ways, Radbourn and Radbourne.  I have seen Radbourn used more and will use that spelling of it here.  If you are active on the Twitter, you may know that the long-deceased Old Hoss Radbourn is very active on the account @OldHossRadbourn.  Many humorous posts using the language mechanics of the late 19-th century makes his account a fun one to follow, especially when he rants on the merits (or lack thereof) of today's players.

Radbourn (b. 1854 - d. 1897) was the son of a butcher who played in the majors from 1881 to 1891 (11 seasons) for the Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds and Cincinnati Reds.  His career record was 309-194 with 1,830 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.68.  Radbourn won an astounding 59 games in 1884 for the Grays in a time when a team's pitching rotation consisted of only two pitchers, with some players needed from time to time for spot starts.

That season, Radbourn would start 73 games (and come in relief in two others, notching 2 saves) and complete all of them.  That season, he would boast a record of 59-12 with a 1.38 ERA and would lead the Grays to a championship.

It was a different game back then as the pitcher was expected to pitch the entire game.  Throwing overhand was not allowed and there was no pitcher's mound.  The pitcher would throw the ball from the pitcher's "box" and oftentimes would be able to get a running start before throwing a sort of sidearm delivery.  Radbourn was widely considered the greatest pitcher of his day, but as one may be able to tell, the huge work load on his arm allowed for him to have only a brief career.

Radbourn was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 by the "Old Timers Committee".  His 309 wins rank 19th all-time.  His career WAR (if anyone cares about that crap) is 76.0 and ranks 72nd all-time.  His 448 career complete games rank 8th all-time, even though he only played 11 seasons.  Radbourn also captured the pitching Triple Crown in 1884 with his 59 wins, 1.38 ERA and 441 strike outs.

Radbourn is one of the several players that I know I will not own an autograph of, since he passed away in 1897, and it is highly unlikely any baseballs signed by him exist.

Hall of Fame Spotlight - Dizzy Dean

Photo is from www.baseballhall.org

Dizzy Dean was born Jay Hanna Dean on January 16, 1910 in Lucas, Arkansas.  He pitched for the Cardinals, Cubs and Browns in a career that spanned from 1930, 1932-1941 and 1947.  He had a career record of 150-83 with 1,163 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.02.  Here are some more of Dean's accomplishments:

• Won 20 games or more in 4 straight seasons (1933, 34, 35 and 36)
• Won 30 games (and was the last NL pitcher to win 30 games) in 1934
• Led the NL in wins in 1934 (30) and 1935 (28)
• Led the league in strikeouts for 4 straight seasons (1932, 33, 34 and 35)
• Led the league in shutouts twice (1932 with 4 and 1934 with 7)
• 1934 NL MVP
• Won the World Series in 1934 with the St. Louis Cardinals as a member of the fabled 'Gashouse Gang'

Dean injured his toe during the 1937 All Star game.  When he changed his delivery to try to avoid some of the pain, his mechanics were altered, resulting in an arm injury from which he would never recover.  He was out of the game after he turned 31 (1941), only to return for one game for the Browns in 1947.

After his playing career was over, Dean would go on to become a successful commentator.  He was known for butchering the English language, but this quality is what endeared him to fans.

Dean died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in 1974.

Dean is one of those legendary players from the 1930s who definitely deserves his spot in the Hall.  He is probably most similar to Sandy Koufax in that he didn't pitch for very long, but during a 5-year stretch, he was unstoppable...

Dizzy Dean signed memorabilia can be very expensive.  Signed post cards are selling for around $300.00 while signed baseballs can go anywhere from around $800 to $5,000.

Hall of Fame Spotlight - Hoyt Wilhelm

Plaque photo borrowed from www.baseballhall.org

Hoyt Wilhelm (b. 1922 - d. 2002) was one of the first great relief pitchers. He played in the majors from 1952 to 1972 for the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs and Dodgers. I have been working on a spreadsheet of Hall of Famers lately and what I liked the most about Wilhelm was that he was born in Huntersville, NC. I lived in Huntersville myself from 2001 to 2003 before we bought our house in Cornelius (which is where Wilhelm went to high school). We sold our house in Cornelius in December of 2009. Anyway, Wilhelm was considered a great knuckleball pitcher, which is why he was able to pitch as long as he did. He made his final appearance in the majors just 16 days prior to his 50th birthday. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985 on his 8th ballot with 83.8% of the vote. He retired after 21 seasons with a record of 143-122, 1,610 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.52.

What makes him a Hall of Famer?

• Led the league in ERA in 1952 (2.43) and 1959 (2.19)
• His 2.52 ERA ranks 45th all-time
• Recognized as the first pitcher to save 200 games
• First pitcher to appear in 1,000 games
• His 651 games finished ranks 10th all-time
• His 1,050 games pitched ranks 5th all-time
• Threw a no hitter against the soon-to-be World Champion Yankees in 1958
• All Star in 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1970
  

Should he be a Hall of Famer?

• Never won a MVP or Cy Young award
• Played until he was 49; 16 days prior to turning 50
• A major influence on how the relief pitcher is used today
• Appeared on 8 Hall of Fame ballots (elected on 8th ballot) averaging 59% of the vote

The Verdict?

Being a player who sets the tone for how other players in your position are used definitely puts one in the running for the Hall. Wilhelm's numbers may not stack up with the greatest pitchers of all time, but I believe he definitely should be in. YES Hoyt Wilhelm is a Hall of Famer.

On average, a Hoyt Wilhelm autographed baseball can be had for $70.60 or a signed card can be found for around $39.99.

Hall of Fame Spotlight Recap

As I wait patiently was mail to arrive, or some money to come along for cards, I thought I'd make it a little easier for you to see all of the Hall of Fame Spotlight posts that I have done so far. I really enjoy this feature of my blog, as I have learned a lit about some players who I didn't know much about, or learned more about players who I thought I did know of. I hope you all enjoy this feature, as I plan on keeping it around. I am also creating a spreadsheet for myself about Hall of Famers, so I can keep track of which autos I have, which autos I can afford and which I can keep dreaming about. So, check the links below and get caught up on who I have written about so far. I plan on adding them to my sidebar soon (might take a couple elements off of it as well) so you all can continue to keep track. Here are the players I have written on so far:

Joe Sewell

Travis Jackson

Hal Newhouser

Ernie Lombardi

Joe Medwick

Jimmie Foxx

Luke Appling

Stan Musial

I pick the players who I write about pretty randomly. I'm not sure who I will write about next, but I'm sure I will enjoy it. I wish I had enough money to get more autographed baseballs, but things are tight right now. I have seen a couple authenticated baseballs of some Hall of Famers for under $50, so I may be able to allocate some funds toward that soon. Here's to hoping. In the meantime, check out the links above, leave me some comments. If there is someone who you would like to see me post, let me know and I'll try to get on it.