Albright's musings

[jalbright]

Pop Lloyd
Years played: 1906-1932 (13 winters in Cuba)
Main position: shortstop
All star selections: Holway 13
MVP selections: Holway 4, ESPN 5, James 1 (remember, James’ season by season picks begin in 1920)
League champions on: 16 American summer, 1 California Winter, 6 Cuban Winter
League leading performances: In American summer play, he was in the top two in average three times (led twice) and led in steals once. In California, he led in average once. In Cuba, he has the fourth best career average at .329 and led once in hits and once in homers.
Expert rankings: top shortstop in CPDD historian’s poll, 1st team shortstop in Courier poll, tied for fifth in SABR poll, third shortstop in Museum poll, James’ best Negro league shortstop, 2d best shortstop of all time and 27th overall, second team shortstop in Clark selections, and on Team #1 in the All World selections.

He’s frequently compared to Honus Wagner, and while I can’t quite rate him that highly, he probably comes as close as any retired shortstop ever has. Shades of Glory’s data begins when Lloyd was 36, but their data has him with a .343 average, .393 OBP and .450 slugging with 18.9 steals per 550 AB. That’s flat out impressive for someone from that point of his career on. The fragmentary records from 1919 and earlier suggest the Shades of Glory numbers are not out of line with his earlier play. He certainly had a long career toiling for many winners and garners a lot of respect from experts in all star and MVP picks.

Lloyd got a lot of praise for his defense, and the length of time he played at short would seem to confirm that his defense was top shelf. While I don’t think he comes close to catching Wagner, I don’t see any other retired shortstop as being particularly close to Lloyd, either.

[jalbright]

Cristobal Torriente
Years played: 1913-1928 (14 Cuban winters)
Main position: CF
All Star selections: 9 time Holway pick
MVPs: ESPN two, James one (beginning in 1920), and Holway none
League champions on: 5 American summers, 4 Cuban Winter
League leading performances: In American summers, led once in average. In Cuba, second in career average and second in career steals, led in homers five times, steals four, hits three, runs four, and average twice.
Expert rankings: 2nd OF in CPDD historian’s poll, third OF in Courier poll, 20th in SABR poll, not listed in Museum poll results, James’ #2 Negro League CF, 67th overall, and all time Negro League Gold Glove selection, third team Clark selection, and on Team #2 of the All-World picks.

Shades of Glory doesn’t report his data, so the best I’ve got on him comes from David Lawrence’s work in an APBA set of Negro League franchise all-stars. He’s rated for the Chicago American Giants, which covers him in his prime of 1918-1925. They have him with a .335 average, .369 OBP and .554 slugging percentage and 24.5 steals per 550 AB with that squad. His Cuban data for the twelve seasons we have extra base hit counts yields a .352 average and .499 slugging. I rank him between Reggie Jackson and Al Simmons.

[jalbright]

There are two major things that I think caused the change of Bill James in likening Myer to Herman. The first is, the first time around, he didn't account for Herman's loss of two years to wartime service (Myers retired after the 1941 season at age 37, Herman missed 1944 and 1945 and played well in 1946 though collapsed in 1947). The second is that when he ran the defensive numbers for win shares, Herman comes up as a B+ second baseman, Myer a B- (and Myer had significant playing time at third). Those two things separate them.

A comparison using win shares, with no wartime credit for Herman:

category.......................	Myer	Herman
career win shares.............	258	298
place among 2B, career WS..	21	16
top 3 seasons win shares.....	80	90
place among 2B, top 3 WS....	27	13
best 5 consecutive Win Shares	115	135
placed among 2B, 5 consec WS	27	12
MVP shares place..............	326	103
HOF standards place..........	148	173
Black plus gray ink total.....	51	143
defensive grade, 2B...........	B-	B+

Myer is close to HOF caliber, though to my mind just a tad shy. Herman is better IMO.

[jalbright]

Wee Willie Keeler

He does well in the inks: 97th of all hitters for Black and 62nd of all hitters for Gray. In HOF standards, he's 79th among all hitters, again, clear HOF territory. In career win shares, he's 17th among the stacked RF field in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract, which is also good enough. His 25.41 win shares per 162 games is the middle of All-Star territory, which is a terrific thing to average over a career. His peak measures aren't quite what you'd want if you don't deal with the fact that three of his better years are 1895 to 1897, when his team played 129 or 130 games. Making a simple adjustment of a few win shares on those peaks, and his peak at least looks acceptable by HOF standards.

[jalbright]

Cy Young

My excuse for doing him is that I want to cover all the HOFers, because anyone who doubts his qualifications certainly won't be persuaded by attempts at reaching someone by reason.

Young
won the 1901 Pitching Triple Crown
is #1 in career wins and IP
had 17 seasons in the top 10 in wins
had 11 seasons in the top 10 in winning percentage
had 17 seasons in the top 10 in ERA+ (2 firsts, 6 seconds, and 2 thirds)
is 5th in Black Ink among pitchers
is 1st in Gray Ink among pitchers
and is 2nd in HOF standards among pitchers.

If that isn't enough for you, I'll compare him to the HOF pitchers who pitched most of their careers from 1890 (when he started) to 1916 (five years after he finished). I didn't go five years before he started because the 60 foot, 6 inch distance is such a key event, and the vast majority of Young's career is after that seminal event.

pitcher....	career	top 3	5 consec
Young......	635	127	200
W. Johnson	564	143	217
Nichols....	479	135	208
Rusie......	293	137	205
Mathewson	426	115	161
Plank......	360	89	133
Willis.......	293	101	138
McGinnity	269	117	162
Griffith....	273	96	143
M. Brown..	296	105	163
Waddell...	240	100	145
Walsh.....	265	124	177
Bender.....	231	70	100
Chesbro...	209	103	143
Joss........	191	88	139

Johnson, Nichols and Rusie can top him on peak measures, but not on career. I can see saying that Johnson is close enough on peak to beat him, but not the other two. None of the rest measure up in any of the three measures. You can't leave a man that dominant out of a "Hall of Fame".

[jalbright]

Johnny Mize

He's so good, his case is persuasive without any credit for the 3 years he missed during WWII.

He's 11th among the 1B listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in career win shares;
He's 10th among the 1B listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his top 3 seasons in win shares;
He's 7th among 1B listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares;
He's 26th among all hitters in Black Ink;
He's 27th among all hitters in Gray Ink;
He's 90th among all hitters in HOF standards;
He's a 10 time All-Star; and
He's 55th in MVP shares.

All those measures say HOFer. The combination of all of them, without those three years at ages 30-32, near what should have been his peak, scream HOFer.

[jalbright]

Luke Appling

Despite being in his late 30's in WW II, he lost all but 18 games out of 1944-45 and returned to play productively for a few more years. He's so good, he doesn't need that credit to help him make a HOF case, so I won't use it.

He's a 7 time All-Star (one of his weaker points, but still good enough);
He's 6th among shortstops listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in career win shares;
He's 9th among shortstops listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his top 3 seasons in win shares;
He's 10th among shortstops listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares;
He's 58th among all hitters in HOF standards; and
He handily beats the SS/2B/C HOF standard of 50 Black Ink plus Gray Ink points.

A no-brainer selection to the HOF as far as I'm concerned.

[jalbright]

Joe DiMaggio

Joe is yet another who is so talented that he doesn't need the credit for the 3 years he lost to military service in WW II (though it likely wouldn't improve his ranking in the win share categories among CF if you did).

He won 3 MVPs on his way to being 8th all-time in MVP shares;
He was a 13 time all-star;
He was 46th among all hitters in Black Ink;
He was 28th among all hitters in Gray Ink;
He was 35th in HOF standards among all hitters;
He's in 5th place among the CF listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in each of the 3 win share categories I use (career, top 3 seasons, best 5 consecutive seasons).

A no-questions-asked-HOFer.

[jalbright]

Joe Jackson

If we look at his play and ignore his involvement in the Black Sox scandal, he's a HOFer:

131st (close to good enough) in MVP shares despite the fact the award wasn't given during much of his career;
165th in Black Ink among all hitters (not quite what you'd want, but acceptable);
49th in Gray Ink among all hitters (easily HOF caliber);
148th in HOF standards among all hitters (close but not quite to the borderline);
23rd among all LF in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in career win shares (not quite good enough, but close);
6th among all LF in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his top 3 seasons in win shares (easily HOF caliber);
12th among all LF in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract in his top 5 consecutive seasons in win shares (definitely HOF caliber).

The close but not quites are made up for by some very strong performances elsewhere.

That brings us to the question of whether this obviously talented player deserves to be honored for what he did in the game. I say no. He admitted to taking money which was dirty because it was intended in one way or another to further a conspiracy to fix the World Series. In doing so, he so deeply dishonored the game that he deserves to be scorned by the game, not honored. There are so many people who have toiled long and hard to make baseball a great sport enjoyed by millions that only when all those who have done their honest best to help/improve the game have received their due should we then consider turning our attention to someone who would sell the game out.

[jalbright]

Omar Linares

Linares is first in Castro-era Cuban career runs scored and slugging percentage, second in career walks and average, third in career hits and homers, ninth in career doubles, and tenth in career steals. In the National Series, he won in batting average five times, runs six times, walks seven times, and triples once. In other series, his wins all came in Select Series. He won batting average, homers, and hits once each, RBI and runs twice each, and walks three times. I'm quite impressed by the broad range of his skills demonstrated by these marks: hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, and plate discipline.

Linares acquired almost mythological status for his ability to supplement these superior marks with a penchant for delivering in key situations on big stages. As with many myths based on historical fact, it can be difficult to separate the myth from fact.

Linares was born in October, 1967, the son of a baseball player good enough to have made the Cuban National team in his own right as an outfielder. Omar broke on to the scene at the tender age of 14, in 1982. This is a major reason he earned the nickname "El Nino" ("The Kid").

At his peak, Linares was just over 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. He was professionally courteous though soft spoken. He was also a staunch supporter of the Castro government. He had a quick bat, foot speed, nimble feet on defense, and a powerful throwing arm.

However, in his final five seasons in Cuban ball, Linares gained weight and appeared to have lost some enthusiasm for the game. Some of this may have been due to nagging injuries exacerbated by an already lengthy playing career. Chief among the injuries were his shoulders and knees. Other issues may have been the general lack of financial incentives for a living legend like Linares to continue playing, but also conditions somewhere between those experienced by Negro Leaguers and modern minor leaguers: travel on buses lacking air conditioning over poor roads, then sleeping in sparse dormitory-style accomodations under ballpark grandstands.

Here's the season-by-season record of Linares' career inside Cuba, which includes the National Series, the Revolutionary Cup, and the Selective Series as given on page 355 of Bjarkman's book, though I will note I have had to calculate AB from H/avg and TB/slg and OBP from (H + BB)/(AB + BB). My sources give the career AB, but my calculations may not add up to that figure.

 
YEAR	G 	AB 	R 	H 	2B 	3B 	HR 	RBI 	BB 	AVG 	OBP 	SLG 	   
1982-83	27	77	12	19	3	1	0	4	5	.247	.293	.312	   
1983-84	112	457	86	140	24	3	11	35	37	.306	.358	.444	   
1984-85	111	440	96	160	24	11	18	59	68	.364	.449	.591	   
1985-86	96	333	84	129	16	3	20	70	67	.387	.490	.634	   
1986-87	94	340	88	116	14	2	24	59	65	.341	.447	.606	   
1987-88	94	347	101	135	15	4	31	91	63	.389	.483	.723	   
1988-89	108	424	106	160	21	2	36	87	58	.377	.452	.691	   
1989-90	110	391	109	166	18	3	35	90	87	.425	.529	.754	   
1990-91	108	364	109	136	23	3	26	75	102	.374	.511	.668	   
1991-92	107	356	109	140	28	1	34	94	107	.393	.533	.764	   
1992-93	91	305	91	129	18	5	26	73	85	.423	.549	.770	   
1993-94	99	329	93	120	15	7	27	96	93	.365	.505	.699	   
1994-95	84	280	93	100	19	0	25	71	87	.357	.510	.693	   
1995-96	95	324	98	118	14	3	31	96	88	.364	.500	.713	   
1996-97	68	235	69	91	16	2	23	63	61	.387	.514	.766	   
1997-98	61	196	46	67	9	1	10	31	48	.342	.471	.551	   
1998-99	30	103	21	28	4	0	2	12	28	.272	.427	.369	   
1999-00	92	305	50	99	21	1	8	31	75	.325	.458	.479	   
2000-01	58	182	47	71	14	1	9	40	69	.390	.556	.626	   
2001-02	46	145	35	56	11	1	8	41	29	.386	.489	.641	   
Totals	1700	5962	1547	2195	327	54	404	1221	1327	.368	.483	.644

In his career, he had 246 steals against 95 caught stealings. His career defensive statistics are:

 
Def Inn	Putouts	Assists	Errors	Fld %	DP	   
13333.0	1581	3633	285	.948	476

[jalbright]

Excluding those who haven't been on a HOF ballot for at least a few years (which catches Rose and Joe Jackson and the actives, among others), here's my all-outside the HOF team among MLB players, first teamers listed first, reserves after:

C: Deacon White
Ted Simmons
1B: Dick Allen
Mark McGwire
2B: Larry Doyle
Joe Gordon
3B: Ron Santo
Stan Hack
SS: Bill Dahlen
Alan Trammell
OF: Sherry Magee
Paul Hines
Tim Raines
============
Harry Stovey
Minnie Minoso
Dave Parker
SP: Bert Blyleven
Carl Mays
Wes Ferrell
Wilbur Cooper
Bucky Walters
RP: Dan Quisenberry

I could support all these for the Hall. Some more strongly than others, of course. I do know this: this team would blow away the weakest of the HOF.

[jalbright]

Berra vs Bench

I can't buy the Win Shares book's decision that Berra beats Bench on defense A to A-, but if you reversed those grades, I'd buy it--and I think it captures that Berra was a fine defender, if not in Bench's class. It would be nice if we had Gold Gloves from Berra's era, so we could compare his haul to Bench's 10, but we can't.

In win shares, they're really close: Berra leads in career, 375-356, but Bench is better in best 3 seasons at 105-97 and nudges Berra in best five consecutive at 155-154. Personally, I'd take Berra overall, but it's obviously close.

Bench was an All-Star an impressive 14 times--but Berra did it 18 times.
Bench won two MVPs--but Berra won three.
Bench is 40th in MVP shares--but Berra is 15th.
Bench was in the top 10 in homers seven times--but Berra did it nine times (though Bench did lead twice to Berra's none)
Bench was in the top 10 in OPS+ four times--but Berra did that seven times.
Bench wins Black Ink handily, as Berra had none and Bench is 105th
Bench was 248th in Gray Ink--but Berra was 113th
Bench was 157th in HOF standards--but Berra was 115th.

As good as Bench was, I'd rather have Berra.

[jalbright]

Roger Clemens

I tend to think that there's some smoke in the brouhaha over Roger's juicing. The question is, how much do we discount? He was an 11 time All-Star, won 7 Cy Youngs and an MVP; is the all-time leader in Cy Young Award shares; had 7 ERA titles; led in wins 4 times; had 5 strikeout titles; is 5th among pitchers in black ink and 8th in Gray Ink; and is 5th among pitchers in HOF standards. He has 437 win shares, 89 in his top 3 seasons, and 125 in his top five consecutive.

Let's look at him as a Red Sock, before his career started the odd trajectory. He won 3 Cy Youngs and that MVP, and 3.69 Cy Young Shares, which would be good for 6th if we drop the Roger Clemens career total. He was a 5 time all-star with 4 ERA titles--in Fenway park, and had three more top five finishes. He also had 2 leaderships in wins and 2 strikeout titles and 4 second place finishes. That's a HOF resume right there, so there's no way I can deny he's worthy of the HOF.

[jalbright]

Mike Piazza

He was a 12 time all-star, was 29th in MVP shares, had twice the total in black and gray ink I use as a cutoff for catchers, is 55th in HOF standards, and, among catchers listed in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract, he finishes 6th in career win shares, and 1st in both the top 3 seasons in win shares and the best five consecutive seasons in win shares. He clearly belongs.

[jalbright]

Craig Biggio

He was a 7 time all-star, which isn't fantastic, nor is his 226th place finish in MVP shares. However, he was a four time Gold Glover, 42d in HOF standards, had almost 2 1/2 times the cutoff I use in black ink plus gray ink for 2B, and had the following finishes among 2B in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract: 5th in career win shares, 7th in top 3 seasons in win shares, and 5th in best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares. He belongs.

[jalbright]

Ty Cobb

It's so easy to make his case for the HOF, it's absurd. He:

won a Triple Crown
an MVP in the few years it was given during his career
won 11 batting titles
has the best career batting average
won 7 OBP titles
won 8 Slg Pct titles
led in runs scored 5 times
won 4 RBI titles
won 6 SB titles
led in OPS+ 11 times
is 2d in career black ink
is 1st in career gray ink
is 5th in HOF standards
has the most career win shares of any CF in the latest Bill James Historical Abstract;
has the second most win shares in his best 3 seasons of any CF in the latest BJHA to Mantle;
has the second best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares of any CF in the latest BJHA to Mantle.

[jalbright]

Honus Wagner

Another ridiculously easy case for the HOF. He was a good fielding shortstop who:

won 8 batting titles
led in OBP 4 times
led in slg pct 6 times
led in runs scored twice
led in RBI 5 times
led in SB 5 times
was best in OPS+ six times
is 6th in career black ink
is 4th in career gray ink
is 7th in HOF standards
STATS picked him as NL MVP 7 times (win shares has him 9 times)
leads all shortstops in career win shares, best three seasons of win shares, and best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares.

[jalbright]

Eddie Collins

Yet another easy HOF case. He was a 2B who:

won 8 win shares Gold Gloves at 2B;
is 16th in MVP shares despite the award's absence during many seasons during his career;
was in the top 5 in average 10 times;
was in the top 3 in OBP 10 times;
led in runs scored 3 times;
won 4 SB titles;
was in the top 5 in OPS+ 9 times;
was 112th in Black Ink;
was 18th in Gray Ink;
was 14th in HOF standards;
is the best 2B in the latest BJHA in career win shares;
is the 3rd best 2B in best 3 seasons in win shares to LaJoie and Hornsby;
and is the 2d best 2B in best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares to Morgan.

[jalbright]

Nap LaJoie

His star is only dimmed in comparison to such luminaries as Cobb, Wagner and Eddie Collins. He's a 2B who:

is a 4 time win share Gold Glover;
won the 1901 Triple Crown;
won 5 batting titles;
won 4 slg pct titles;
led in OPS+ 3 times;
is 8th in career black ink;
is 20th in career gray ink;
is 18th in HOF standards;
is 4th among all 2B in career win shares (Morgan, E Collins, Hornsby);
is tied for 1st among all 2B for the best 3 seasons in win shares (Hornsby);
and is 4th among all 2B for the best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares (Morgan, E Collins, Hornsby)

[jalbright]

Sam Crawford

One of the best outfielders of early baseball. He

was in the top 4 in OPS+ nine times;
is 49th in career black ink;
9th in career gray ink;
61st in HOF standards;
and is 6th best among all RF in the latest BJHA in career win shares; best 3 seasons in win shares; and best 5 consecutive seasons in win shares; and the only one of those six who could be said to be a contemporary of his or earlier is Babe Ruth.

[jalbright]

Christy Mathewson

He won two pitching Triple Crowns;
5 ERA titles;
4 win titles;
5 strikeout titles;
10 strikeout to walk ratio titles;
5 ERA+ titles;
is 9th in Black Ink among pitchers;
is 4th in Gray Ink among pitchers;
and is 1st in HOF standards among pitchers.


If all that isn't enough, I'll give you this chart comparing him to all Cooperstown and BBF HOF inductees who pitched at least 2000 innings during his career:

Pitcher....	career 	best 3 	5consec	bl ink	gr ink	HOF stds
W Johnson	564	143	217	150	420	82
Cy Young..	635	127	200	100	472	82
Mathewson	426	115	161	92	352	84
Plank.......	360	89	133	15	291	71
M Brown...	296	105	163	35	195	56
Walsh.....	265	124	177	67	172	52
McGinnity	269	117	162	64	190	50
Willis.......	293	101	138	25	204	43
Waddell....	240	100	145	46	158	47
Bender.....	231	70	100	17	158	51
Chesbro....	209	103	143	27	130	40
Joss........	191	88	131	19	143	47

Matty can't beat Cy Young or Walter Johnson. McGinnity and Walsh had slightly higher peaks, but not nearly enough to overcome Matty's huge career edges. Three Finger Brown managed to eke by Matty's best 5 consecutive in win shares, but he loses everywhere else. Brown, McGinnity and Walsh were fine pitchers, but they were bested by Mathewson. Similarly, Christy loses to two of the best ever in Walter Johnson and Cy Young--but he was one hell of a pitcher.

[jalbright]

Walter Johnson

He won 2 MVPs despite the fact the award wasn't given during much of his career;
He's 49th in MVP shares despite the same issue;
he won 5 ERA titles;
led the league in wins 6 times;
won 3 Pitching Triple Crowns;
won 12 strikeout titles;
won 9 strikeout to walk ratio titles;
won six ERA+ titles;
has the best Black ink total of all pitchers;
has the second best gray ink total of all pitchers;
and has the second best HOF standards score of all pitchers.

If you still need more, look at this chart of Cooperstown and BBF HOF pitchers who pitched at least 2000 innings during his career:

Pitcher....	career 	best 3 	5consec	bl ink	gr ink	HOF stds
W Johnson	564	143	217	150	420	82
Alexander	477	127	180	126	339	77
Mathewson	426	115	161	92	352	84
Plank.......	360	89	133	15	291	71
M Brown.....	296	105	163	35	195	56
Walsh.....	265	124	177	67	172	52
Rixey.......	315	76	118	10	175	35
Faber.......	292	93	118	22	161	37
Grimes.....	286	91	122	38	213	38
W Cooper	266	85	133	17	173	33
Coveleski...	245	90	142	22	193	38
C Mays.....	256	92	140	23	172	41
Pennock...	240	73	108	13	157	36
Bender....	231	70	100	17	158	51
Marquard.........208	78	93	11	150	31

There's only one measure in which any of this excellent group of pitchers can beat Johnson, and that's Mathewson in HOF standards by a mere two points, 84-82. Frankly, it's not one of the method's best moments. Walter Johnson was the best pitcher of his time, and that is clearly a HOF-caliber player.

[jalbright]

Pete Alexander

Another inner circle pitcher, who:

won 3 pitching Triple Crowns;
4 ERA titles;
led the league in wins 6 times;
won six strikeouts crowns;
had 4 ERA+ titles;
is 2d among pitchers in Black ink;
is 5th among pitchers in Gray ink; and
is 4th among pitchers in HOF standards.

If you still need more, here's a comparison of Alexander to other Cooperstown or BBF HOF pitchers who pitched at least 2000 innings during Alexander's career:

Pitcher.....	career	best 3	5consec	bl ink	gr ink	HOF stds
W Johnson	564	143	217	150	420	82
Alexander	477	127	180	126	339	77
Rixey......	315	76	118	10	175	35
Faber......	292	93	118	22	161	37
Grimes.....	286	91	122	38	213	38
W Cooper	266	85	133	17	173	33
Coveleski.....	245	90	142	22	193	38
C Mays....	256	92	140	23	172	41
Vance.....	241	94	124	66	171	35
Pennock...	240	73	108	13	157	36
Hoyt.......	252	69	100	7	182	35
Marquard...	208	78	93	11	150	31

This is a strong group of pitchers, but Alexander is clearly better than all but Walter Johnson, who is clearly better than him. If the only guy better than you is Walter Johnson, you're one heck of a pitcher, as Alexander clearly was.

[jalbright]

Mordecai Brown

He was on the dominant team of his time, the 06-10 Cubs, and was a star pitcher for that club. He also:

was in the top 5 in ERA eight times;
was in the top 5 in wins five times;
led the league in WHIP 3 times and was second three more;
was in the top 4 in strikeout to walk ratio six times;
was in the top 5 in ERA+ eight times;
was 43rd in black ink among all pitchers;
was 44th in gray ink among all pitchers;
and was 24th in HOF standards among all pitchers.

That's definitely a HOF resume, but if we compare him to the HOF pitchers who pitched at least 2000 innings during his career, he demonstrates he belongs that way as well:

Pitcher....	career 	best 3 	5consec	bl ink	gr ink	HOF stds
W Johnson	564	143	217	150	420	82
Cy Young..	635	127	200	100	472	82
Alexander	477	127	180	126	339	77
Mathewson	426	115	161	92	352	84
Plank.......	360	89	133	15	291	71
M Brown...	296	105	163	35	195	56
Walsh.....	265	124	177	67	172	52
Willis.......	293	101	138	25	204	43
Waddell....	240	100	145	46	158	47
Bender.....	231	70	100	17	158	51
Joss........	191	88	131	19	143	47

He's not among the four best of his time, as Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Pete Alexander and Christy Mathewson were. He bests Willis, Waddell, Bender and Joss rather cleanly. If you prefer peak, you'll prefer Brown to Plank. If not, you probably prefer Plank. Walsh has a higher peak, but not as much career. Regardless, he's comfortably in the middle of this group of Hall of Famers

[jalbright]

Ed Walsh

Walsh is:
the leader in career ERA;
was in the top 3 in ERA and ERA+ 5 times;
is #2 in career WHIP;
was in the top 5 in WHIP 7 times;
led in saves 5 times;
was in the top 3 in strikeouts 6 times;
was in the top 5 in strikeout to walk ratio 7 times;
was 13th in pitcher black ink;
was 66th in pitcher gray ink; and
was 31st in HOF standards.

That's a clear HOF resume in my book. If you want to compare him to his contemporary pitchers, he holds up as well (using HOF pitchers who pitched at least 2000 innings during his career):

Pitcher....	career 	best 3 	5consec	bl ink	gr ink	HOF stds
W Johnson	564	143	217	150	420	82
Cy Young..	635	127	200	100	472	82
Alexander	477	127	180	126	339	77
Mathewson	426	115	161	92	352	84
Plank.......	360	89	133	15	291	71
M Brown...	296	105	163	35	195	56
Walsh.....	265	124	177	67	172	52
McGinnity	269	117	162	64	190	50
Willis.......	293	101	138	25	204	43
Waddell....	240	100	145	46	158	47
Chesbro....	209	103	143	27	130	40
Bender.....	231	70	100	17	158	51
Joss........	191	88	131	19	143	47
Marquard...	208	78	93	11	150	31

Walsh doesn't stay in there with Walter Johnson, Alexander or Cy Young, but how many could? He can best Mathewson in peak, though he gets passed because Matty continued his excellence for quite a bit longer. If you're a real big career value guy, you might prefer Plank, but otherwise, it's hard to say that any of the other HOFers from this time don't finish behind Walsh.