Yes, I admit it. There has been a negative cast to my Hall of Fame pieces the past few Fridays.
I explained — logically and unemotionally, I hope — why several of the hall’s inductees don’t really belong in Cooperstown. My targets in recent weeks included Tommy McCarthy, Freddie Lindstrom, four managers, Catfish Hunter, a trio of catchers, and Bill Mazeroski.
There are others on my hit list, but let’s put them aside for a future Friday. It’s time for a positive respite, a rundown of the most deserving members of the Hall of Fame.
I picked 12 stars for this list (the top 10, plus ties) by using the same measuring stick that so clearly enumerated the deficiencies of McCarthy, Lindstrom, et al. It’s the quality score (QS), which is plotted on a 100-point scale.
Anybody with a QS of 60 points or higher is a virtual lock to make it to Cooperstown. The Hall of Famers on today’s list soared far above that threshold, as you can see:
1. Honus Wagner, 98
2. Rogers Hornsby, 96
2. Walter Johnson, 96
4. Willie Mays, 95
5. Mike Schmidt, 91
6. Ty Cobb, 90
6. Lefty Grove, 90
6. Nap Lajoie, 90
6. Babe Ruth, 90
10. Randy Johnson, 89
10. Mariano Rivera, 89
10. Ted Williams, 89
Only two players in big-league history have amassed quality scores in this elite neighborhood (89 points or higher) without being admitted to Cooperstown’s plaque gallery. You know their names — Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens — and you know why they’ve been excluded. We’ll talk about them some other time.
Today’s focus is on the dozen all-time greats who bring the greatest honor to the Hall of Fame. There’s no need to say much about them — I’m sure you’re familiar with all 12 — or to parse the slight differences in their quality scores.
I make an exception only for the player at the very top of the standings. Many of you may be surprised to see Honus Wagner leading the pack, not Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb.
Wagner was chosen as one of the Hall of Fame’s five charter members, though he didn’t receive the most votes in the 1936 election. That honor went to Cobb, much to the displeasure of some of his contemporaries.
“Cobb! A great hitter, a sensational baserunner, and a dynamic personality on the diamond, yes,” said Jack Meyers, a catcher in the National League from 1909 to 1917. “But he was a poor outfielder, did not possess a good arm, and was never known as a team player.”
And who did Meyers consider the greatest player in the 65-year history of major-league baseball? “Old Honus was a ballplayer’s player,” Meyers said in 1936. “He did everything well. We used to marvel at his all-round ability. We considered him an artist, rather than just a player.”
Wagner was unsurpassed in Meyers’s estimation, and he retains that distinction in today’s QS standings, holding a two-point lead over his closest rivals.
Scroll below to see a capsule report on each of the 12 Hall of Fame superstars, including his primary position, career stats, quality score, year of selection, and percentage of votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. (The threshold for induction, of course, is 75 percent.) Players are listed in order of their election years.
Cooperstown at the Crossroads
Read about the Hall of Fame’s checkered history (and uncertain future)
Honus Wagner
Career: 1897-1917
Primary position: SS
Career stats: G 2,794, HR 101, RBI 1,732, BA .328
Quality score: 98 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1936
BBWAA votes: 95.13%
Walter Johnson
Career: 1907-1927
Primary position: P
Career stats: G 802, W-L 417-279, SV 34, ERA 2.17
Quality score: 96 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1936
BBWAA votes: 83.63%
Ty Cobb
Career: 1905-1928
Primary position: CF
Career stats: G 3,034, HR 117, RBI 1,944, BA .366
Quality score: 90 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1936
BBWAA votes: 98.23%
Babe Ruth
Career: 1914-1935
Primary position: RF
Career stats: G 2,503, HR 714, RBI 2,214, BA .342
Quality score: 90 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1936
BBWAA votes: 95.13%
Nap Lajoie
Career: 1896-1916
Primary position: 2B
Career stats: G 2,480, HR 82, RBI 1,599, BA .338
Quality score: 90 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1937
BBWAA votes: 83.58%
Rogers Hornsby
Career: 1915-1937
Primary position: 2B
Career stats: G 2,259, HR 301, RBI 1,584, BA .358
Quality score: 96 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1942
BBWAA votes: 78.11%
Lefty Grove
Career: 1925-1941
Primary position: P
Career stats: G 616, W-L 300-141, SV 54, ERA 3.06
Quality score: 90 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1947
BBWAA votes: 76.40%
Ted Williams
Career: 1939-1960
Primary position: LF
Career stats: G 2,292, HR 521, RBI 1,839, BA .344
Quality score: 89 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1966
BBWAA votes: 93.38%
Willie Mays
Career: 1948-1973
Primary position: CF
Career stats: G 3,005, HR 660, RBI 1,909, BA .301
Quality score: 95 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1979
BBWAA votes: 94.68%
Mike Schmidt
Career: 1972-1989
Primary position: 3B
Career stats: G 2,404, HR 548, RBI 1,595, BA .267
Quality score: 91 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 1995
BBWAA votes: 96.52%
Randy Johnson
Career: 1988-2009
Primary position: P
Career stats: G 618, W-L 303-166, SV 2, ERA 3.29
Quality score: 89 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 2015
BBWAA votes: 97.27%
Mariano Rivera
Career: 1995-2013
Primary position: P
Career stats: G 1,115, W-L 82-60, SV 652, ERA 2.21
Quality score: 89 points (excellent)
Selected to HOF: 2019
BBWAA votes: 100.00%