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"Gray Ink" is a toy statistic, the sum of points awarded to the top ten league leaders in about 12 batting categories and 12 pitching categories. It is popular, perhaps because baseball-reference puts it at the fingertips of everyone with an internet connection.
These two lists give all of the highest-Gray Ink players not in the Hall of Fame down to the top twelve eligible batters and top twelve eligible pitchers. For example Paul Hines now ranks tie for 49th in career gray ink with 186 points. The 48 players ahead of Hines and permanently ineligible include
- three who are eligible but not in the Hall of Fame: Magee, Stovey, and Minoso
- three who are not yet eligible: Bonds, Thomas, and Rodriguez
- one permanently ineligible: Pete Rose
- by simple arithmetic, 41 Hall of Fame members
Gray Ink leaders not in the Hall of Fame
Batters
eligible ---------------- not eligible (with rank among recent and active batters)
----------------------- 1. Barry Bonds
----------------------- permanently ineligible Pete Rose
33t 210 Sherry Magee
33t 210 Harry Stovey
48. 189 Minnie Minoso
----------------------- 2. Frank Thomas
----------------------- 3. Alex Rodriguez
49t 186 Paul Hines ------ tie with permanently ineligible Joe Jackson
----------------------- 4. Rafael Palmeiro
56. 178 Deacon White
57. 176 Jim Rice
61. 170 Bobby Veach
65. 165 George J. Burns
67. 164 Andre Dawson
68t 162 Charley Jones ------ tie with 5t. Manny Ramirez and 5t. Ken Griffey
71t 161 Bob Johnson
74t 159 Dick Allen
bold marks four players on the current "Progressive 1903" ballot, whose coordinator today called for us to speak in favor of Deacon White. Fifth place in gray ink is one thing.
Five 19th century pitchers on the second list are not players of the same quality as the 19th century batters in the first list. All of them scored their gray ink before 1893 when the modern pitching distance was established. At that time, the team workload was divided among only two or three pitchers (one in some Mathews and Bond seasons). Top ten in a pitching statistic means only about top half of the league. Contemporary batters shared team workload almost as they do in the National League today.
Pitchers
eligible ---------------- not eligible (with rank among recent and active pitchers)
----------------------- 1. Greg Maddux
----------------------- 2. Roger Clemens
----------------------- 3. Randy Johnson
14. 274 Bobby Mathews
24t 237 Bert Blyleven ------ tie with 4. Mike Mussina
29. 220 Jim McCormick
42t 198 Bobo Newsom
----------------------- 5. Pedro Martinez
----------------------- 6. Curt Schilling
----------------------- 7. Tom Glavine
42t 198 Tony Mullane
47t 193 Jack Morris ------ tie with 8. John Smoltz
51. 187 Billy Pierce
52. 184 Tommy Bond
57. 180 Tommy Bridges
58t 179 Urban Shocker
61. 177 Paul Derringer
62. 176 Gus Weyhing
These two lists give all of the highest-Gray Ink players not in the Hall of Fame down to the top twelve eligible batters and top twelve eligible pitchers. For example Paul Hines now ranks tie for 49th in career gray ink with 186 points. The 48 players ahead of Hines and permanently ineligible include
- three who are eligible but not in the Hall of Fame: Magee, Stovey, and Minoso
- three who are not yet eligible: Bonds, Thomas, and Rodriguez
- one permanently ineligible: Pete Rose
- by simple arithmetic, 41 Hall of Fame members
Gray Ink leaders not in the Hall of Fame
Batters
eligible ---------------- not eligible (with rank among recent and active batters)
----------------------- 1. Barry Bonds
----------------------- permanently ineligible Pete Rose
33t 210 Sherry Magee
33t 210 Harry Stovey
48. 189 Minnie Minoso
----------------------- 2. Frank Thomas
----------------------- 3. Alex Rodriguez
49t 186 Paul Hines ------ tie with permanently ineligible Joe Jackson
----------------------- 4. Rafael Palmeiro
56. 178 Deacon White
57. 176 Jim Rice
61. 170 Bobby Veach
65. 165 George J. Burns
67. 164 Andre Dawson
68t 162 Charley Jones ------ tie with 5t. Manny Ramirez and 5t. Ken Griffey
71t 161 Bob Johnson
74t 159 Dick Allen
bold marks four players on the current "Progressive 1903" ballot, whose coordinator today called for us to speak in favor of Deacon White. Fifth place in gray ink is one thing.
Five 19th century pitchers on the second list are not players of the same quality as the 19th century batters in the first list. All of them scored their gray ink before 1893 when the modern pitching distance was established. At that time, the team workload was divided among only two or three pitchers (one in some Mathews and Bond seasons). Top ten in a pitching statistic means only about top half of the league. Contemporary batters shared team workload almost as they do in the National League today.
Pitchers
eligible ---------------- not eligible (with rank among recent and active pitchers)
----------------------- 1. Greg Maddux
----------------------- 2. Roger Clemens
----------------------- 3. Randy Johnson
14. 274 Bobby Mathews
24t 237 Bert Blyleven ------ tie with 4. Mike Mussina
29. 220 Jim McCormick
42t 198 Bobo Newsom
----------------------- 5. Pedro Martinez
----------------------- 6. Curt Schilling
----------------------- 7. Tom Glavine
42t 198 Tony Mullane
47t 193 Jack Morris ------ tie with 8. John Smoltz
51. 187 Billy Pierce
52. 184 Tommy Bond
57. 180 Tommy Bridges
58t 179 Urban Shocker
61. 177 Paul Derringer
62. 176 Gus Weyhing
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