The BBF HoF All-Timeline

[J W]

It's the year 1901, and the National League Rules Committee is in the midst of revamping the game. Meanwhile, eight franchises have just collectively declared Major League status, calling themselves the "American League" under former Western League president Ban Johnson. In an act of good faith between the two rival leagues, National League president Nicholas Young has initiated a shrine to the greats of the sport, calling it a "Hall of Fame". He turns to a select panel of baseball historians to select them.

Hello all, and welcome to this particular corner of the Baseball Fever Hall of Fame. Here are the rules as posted on the website, which I will update here as the language is inevitably tweaked:

- Ballots will be done "annually" as per the BBWAA, starting with the "1901" ballot.

- Each "year" will encompass approximately one week of real time.

- The following leagues will be considered "major leagues" for our purposes:
National Association (1871-1875)
National League (1876-present)
American Association (1882-1891)
Union Association (1884)
Players League (1890)
American League (1900-present)
Federal League (1914-1915)

- Voters are allowed a ballot of 0 (zero) to 10 (ten) eligible players.

- Voters will be allowed one ballot per IP address. If multiple ballots are caught originating from the same IP address, only the first will be counted. Family members or associates using the same computer should PM the manager (as of now, me) for special clearances.

- Eligible players include any major leaguer whose last season ended before the current "year", dating back 25 (twenty five) years.
(Ex: by "1945", the eligibility window will be "1920-1944". Those who retired before 1920 will no longer be eligible.)

- Players whose last season ended before 1901 will all be eligible until the year "1925" to ensure 25 opportunities for everyone.

- There is no 5% rule, nor 10-year rule for eligibility.

- Players are to be evaluated based solely on their contribution on the field. (Ex: John McGraw doesn't get credit for managing.)

- For special circumstances where players are banned from the sport, we will follow history year-by-year.
(Ex: Pete Rose will be eligible between the time he retired, and the time he was banned from baseball.)

- Special exemptions to eligibility must be agreed upon by the constituency, and announced before voting commences.

- An eligible player must clear 75% of the vote any given year to be enshrined.

- There is no VC.

- Ballots are to be sent privately to the management. Results will not be announced until a) all ballots are in, or b) the deadline passes for a given "year"

"1901" WILL END SUNDAY, APRIL 10th, 2005 @ 12:00 PM. Subsequent years will begin sometime Sunday afternoon/night and end at 12 pm the following Sunday. Ballots may be stretched for more time to accomodate voters.

Anything that wants to be discussed--any stumping, any questions, any other signees--here's the place. I'm closing the signup thread for this one.

:gt

-------------------------------------------------------------

INDUCTEES

P Pete Alexander - 1st, 100%
1B Dan Brouthers - 1st, 100%
P Mordecai Brown - 1st, 100%
OF Ty Cobb - 1st, 100%
2B Eddie Collins - 1st, 100%
OF Ed Delahanty - 1st, 100%
P Walter Johnson - 1st, 100%
2B Nap Lajoie - 1st, 100%
P Christy Mathewson - 1st, 100%
P Kid Nichols - 1st, 100%
OF Tris Speaker - 1st, 100%
SS Honus Wagner - 1st, 100%
P Cy Young - 1st, 100%

1B Cap Anson - 1st, 95.65%
OF Sam Crawford - 1st, 95.24%
P Ed Walsh - 1st, 95.24%
3B Frank Baker - 1st, 90.48%
OF Jesse Burkett - 1st, 90.48%
P Eddie Plank - 1st, 90.48%
OF Billy Hamilton - 1st, 89.47%
P Amos Rusie - 1st, 89.47%
OF Zack Wheat - 1st, 89.47%
P John Clarkson - 1st, 86.96%
C/UT Buck Ewing - 1st, 86.96%
P Stan Coveleski - 1st, 85.00%
OF Max Carey - 1st, 84.21%
P Joe McGinnity - 1st, 84.21%
1B George Sisler - 1st, 83.33%
OF Edd Roush - 1st, 76.47%
OF Fred Clarke - 1st, 75.00%

OF/UT Jim O' Rourke - 2nd, 85.71%
P Tim Keefe - 2nd, 84.21%
SS Bill Dahlen - 2nd, 83.33%
OF Sherry Magee - 2nd, 78.95%
SS George Davis - 2nd, 75.00%

1B Roger Connor - 3rd, 90.91%
OF Willie Keeler - 3rd, 88.89%
P Charles Radbourn - 3rd, 86.36%
P Rube Waddell - 3rd, 83.33%
P Carl Mays - 3rd, 76.47%

P Pud Galvin - 4th, 90.91%
C/OF King Kelly - 4th, 90.91%
P Al Spalding - 4th, 77.27%
3B/C Deacon White - 4th, 77.27%
OF Sam Thompson - 4th, 76.19%

OF Hugh Duffy - 5th, 85.00%
OF Elmer Flick - 5th, 85.00%
P/UT John Ward - 5th, 76.19%
P Addie Joss - 5th, 75.00%

3B Jimmy Collins - 6th, 84.21%
SS Hughie Jennings - 6th, 75.00%

OF Joe Kelley - 7th, 85.00%
OF/1B Harry Stovey - 7th, 84.21%

2B/SS Ross Barnes - 8th, 76.19%
SS George Wright - 8th, 76.19%

OF George Van Haltren - 9th, 77.78%
P Clark Griffith - 9th, 76.19%

2B Bid McPhee - 10th, 76.19%

OF Gavvy Cravath - 11th, 77.78%
2B Larry Doyle - 11th, 76.47%
SS Bobby Wallace - 11th, 75.00%

C Roger Bresnahan - 13th, 78.95%
1B Frank Chance - 13th, 78.95%

OF Paul Hines - 14th, 78.95%

1B Jake Beckley - 15th, 75.00%
OF George Gore - 15th, 75.00%
P Mickey Welch - 15th, 75.00%

P Bob Caruthers - 20th, 75.00%

SS Jack Glasscock - 21st, 84.21%

OF Pete Browning - 22nd, 85.00%

P Tony Mullane - 23rd, 76.19%
SS Hardy Richardson - 23rd, 76.19%

OF Jimmy Ryan - 24th, 89.47%
C Charlie Bennett - 24th, 75.00%

3B John McGraw - 25th, 77.78%

[leecemark]

--Ballot submitted privately. Interested in hearing about some players who I considered but didn't put on my ballot; Levi Myerle, Mike Tiernan and Dave Orr I think were the best eligible hitters who didn't make it. Myerle was the best hitter of the formative years that I passed on, but his sample size is small and its questionable to even call his leagues MLB. Thoughts, pro or con, on his candidacy?
--Most of what I know about the early days is just stats, which mostly means hitters. Anybody who has studied the earlier days want to campaign for some all around type players who maybe weren't great pure hitters?

[J W]

ERRATA

Here are the names and dates of those banned:

George Bechtel, 1876-present
Bill Craver, December 5, 1877-present
Jim Devlin, December 5, 1877-present
George Hall, December 5, 1877-present
Al Nichols, December 5, 1877-present
Oscar Walker, December 5, 1877-present

Richard Higham, 1882-present (umpire)
Joseph Creamer, 1908-present (team doctor)
Horace Fogel, 1912-present (owner)

Hal Chase, 1919-present
Heinie Zimmermann, 1919-present
Lee Magee, 1920-present
Bill Burns, 1921-present
Eddie Cicotte, 1921-present
Happy Felsch, 1921-present
Ray Fisher, 1921-1980 (reinstated as "retired player in good standing")
Chick Gandil, 1921-present
Joe Gedeon, November 3, 1921-present
Heinie Groh, April 1921-June 1921
Joe Jackson, 1921-present
Benny Kauff, 1921-present
Fred McMullin, 1921-present
Eugene Paulette, 1921-present
Swede Risberg, 1921-present
Buck Weaver, 1921-present
Lefty Williams, 1921-present
Phil Douglas, August 16, 1922-present
Jean Dubuc, 1922-present
Dickie Kerr, 1923-August 1925 (reinstated)
Cozy Dolan, October 1, 1924-present
Jimmie O'Connell, October 1, 1924-present

William Cox, November 22, 1943-present (owner)

Willie Mays, 1979-March 18, 1985 (reinstated)
Ferguson Jenkins, September 8, 1980-September 22, 1980 (overturned)
Mickey Mantle, 1983-March 18, 1985 (reinstated)
Pete Rose, August 24, 1989-present
George Steinbrenner, July 30, 1990-July 24, 1992 (reinstated)
Steve Howe, July 24, 1992-November 1992 (overturned by arbitrator)

oooooooooooooooooooooo

[J W]

SELECT ELIGIBLES

Here's a list of most of the names you may consider for the All-Timeline. Note that these are not ALL the eligible players; just those who meet the minimum AB or GP requirements and fall in the eligible time window.

They are listed by the last year they played--therefore the last year listed should be one year prior to election eligibility. Enshrined players are included and listed in red.

1876-1877

1878
P Al Spalding

1879-1880

1881
2B/SS Ross Barnes

1882
SS George Wright

1883-1889

1890
C/3B Deacon White

1891
OF Paul Hines
P Charley Radbourn

1892
P Pud Galvin
OF George Gore
UT Hardy Richardson
P Mickey Welch

1893
C Charlie Bennett
P/OF Bob Caruthers
P Tim Keefe
C/OF King Kelly

1894
OF Pete Browning
P John Clarkson
P Tony Mullane
P/UT John Ward

1895
SS Jack Glasscock

1896

1897
1B Cap Anson
1B Roger Connor
C/UT Buck Ewing

1898

1899
2B Bid McPhee

1900

1901
OF Billy Hamilton
P Amos Rusie

1902

1903
OF Ed Delahanty
OF Jimmy Ryan
OF George Van Haltren

1904
1B Dan Brouthers
OF/UT Jim O' Rourke

1905
OF Jesse Burkett

1906
OF Hugh Duffy
3B John McGraw
P Kid Nichols
OF Sam Thompson

1907
1B Jake Beckley

1908
OF/1B John Anderson
OF Jimmy Barrett
OF/1B Shad Barry
OF Harry Bay
3B/SS Dave Brain
3B Jimmy Collins
3B Bill Coughlin
1B John Ganzel
OF Emmet Heidrick
UT Charlie Hickman
OF Joe Kelley
OF Billy Maloney
C Ed McFarland
1B Dan McGann
P Joe McGinnity
P Case Patten
OF Ollie Pickering
C Ossee Schreckengost
OF Socks Seybold
OF Spike Shannon
OF Jimmy Slagle
UT Sammy Strang
P Dummy Taylor
C John Warner

1909
C Frank Bowerman
P Jack Chesbro
SS/3B George Davis
P Bill Dineen
1B Jiggs Donahue
2B Hobe Ferris
P Chick Fraser
OF Bob Ganley
2B Billy Gilbert
1B/2B Frank Isbell
3B Arlie Latham
P Al Orth
C Doc Powers
2B Claude Ritchey
2B Jimmy Williams

1910
2B/SS Ed Abbaticchio
OF Ginger Beaumont
C Harry Bemis
OF Elmer Flick
OF Ed Hahn
P Harry Howell
SS Rudy Hulswitt
1B Tom Jones
P Addie Joss
OF Willie Keeler
P Sam Leever
OF Harry Lumley
OF/2B Harry Niles
C/UT Jack O' Connor
P Tully Sparks
OF George Stone
1B Bob Unglaub
P Rube Waddell
P Vic Willis

1911
C Bill Bergen
1B Kitty Bransfield
OF Al Burch
UT Wid Conroy
SS Bill Dahlen
OF Patsy Dougherty
OF Doc Gessler
OF Topsy Hartsel
OF Charlie Hemphill
OF Danny Hoffman
SS Freddy Parent
P Deacon Phillippe
3B Harry Steinfeldt
P Jesse Tannehill
1B Fred Tenney
OF Roy Thomas
P Cy Young

1912
OF George Browne
C Lou Criger
P Bob Ewing
2B/P Kid Gleason
C Deacon McGuire
OF Marty McIntyre
P Barney Pelty
P Jack Powell
C Joe Sugden
3B/SS Lee Tannehill
3B Harry Wolverton

1913
OF/3B Nixey Callahan
3B Art Devlin
P Tom Hughes
C Johnny Kling
UT John Knight
OF Bris Lord
P Orval Overall
C Heinie Peitz
C Jack Ryan
OF Cy Seymour
OF Jimmy Sheckard
1B Jake Stahl
OF John Titus
P Doc White

1914
OF Johnny Bates
OF Joe Birmingham
1B Frank Chance
OF Mike Donlin
SS/3B Kid Elberfeld
P Clark Griffith
OF Mike Mitchell
P Earl Moore
C Pat Moran
2B/3B Bill Sweeney

1915
1B/OF Fred Beck
OF Beals Becker
3B Bill Bradley
C Roger Bresnahan
SS Al Bridwell
P Howie Camitz
OF Vin Campbell
OF Fred Clarke
OF Birdie Cree
UT Jim Delahanty
UT Tom Downey
OF Steve Evans
3B Eddie Grant
OF Davy Jones
OF Fielder Jones
2B/3B Frank LaPorte
3B Harry Lord
C Larry McLean
OF Herbie Moran
P George Mullin
2B/OF Danny Murphy
OF Rebel Oakes
P Frank Smith
1B George Stovall
P Ed Willett
P Hooks Wiltse

1916
P Mordecai Brown
C Red Dooin
2B Dick Egan
UT Clyde Engle
UT Roy Hartzell
OF Solly Hofman
2B Miller Huggins
2B Otto Knabe
2B Nap Lajoie
P Christy Mathewson
OF Danny Moeller
3B George Moriarty
P Nap Rucker
OF Fred Snodgrass
C Billy Sullivan
SS Joe Tinker
OF Chief Wilson
2B/SS Steve Yerkes

1917
3B Bobby Byrne
OF Sam Crawford
1B Harry Davis
P Cy Falkenberg
3B Hans Lobert
C Chief Meyers
OF Ward Miller
3B Mike Mowrey
OF Red Murray
P Eddie Plank
P Ed Reulbach
P Jim Scott
SS Honus Wagner
P Ed Walsh

1918
C Jimmy Archer
OF Bob Bescher
P Bill Donovan
SS Mickey Doolan
C George Gibson
OF Wilbur Good
P Bob Groom
P Bob Harmon
1B Dick Hoblitzel
UT John Hummel
SS/1B Hughie Jennings
3B/OF Tommy Leach
3B/2B Fritz Maisel
OF Armando Marsans
2B Ray Morgan
2B/3B Burt Niehoff
OF Rube Oldring
UT Germany Schaefer
OF Frank Schulte
P Jeff Tesreau
SS Heinie Wagner
SS Bobby Wallace
UT Rollie Zieder

1919
P Red Ames
SS/2B Jack Barry
P Larry Cheney
OF Sherry Magee
1B Vic Saier
2B Dave Shean
3B Red Smith
SS/3B Terry Turner

1920
3B Doug Baird
SS Ray Chapman
P Jack Coombs
OF Gavvy Cravath
2B Larry Doyle
P Claude Hendrix
UT Buck Herzog
OF Bill Hinchman
P Lefty Leifield
1B Fred Luderus
SS George McBride
3B Bill McKechnie
C Bill Rariden
2B Morrie Rath

1921
OF Ping Bodie
P Ray Caldwell
3B Charlie Deal
C Bill Killefer
1B Ed Konetchy
OF Duffy Lewis
1B/2B Dots Miller
OF Dode Paskert
OF Braggo Roth
P Slim Sallee
P Lefty Tyler
3B Ossie Vitt
P Hippo Vaughn

1922
3B Frank Baker
P Phil Douglas
SS Art Fletcher
OF Jack Graney
UT Hal Janvrin
1B Doc Johnston
OF Clyde Milan
C Otto Miller
OF Dave Robertson
SS/2B Zeb Terry
OF/3B Possum Whitted
2B Ralph Young

1923
P Jim Bagby
3B Tony Boeckel
SS Donie Bush
2B George Cutshaw
3B Eddie Foster
SS Larry Kopf
OF Mike Menosky
OF Burt Shotton
OF Tilly Walker

1924
C Eddie Ainsmith
OF Walton Cruise
1B Jake Daubert
OF Pat Duncan
3B Larry Gardner
P Earl Hamilton
SS Charlie Hollocher
SS Doc Lavan
OF Greasy Neale
SS Ivy Olson
P Jeff Pfeffer
OF Ray Powell
2B Del Pratt
OF Amos Strunk

1925
P Chief Bender
P Rube Benton
OF George Burns
OF Shano Collins
OF Max Flack
OF Tommy Griffith
1B Walter Holke
OF Harry Hooper
OF Nemo Leibold
P Dutch Leonard
P Rube Marquard
OF Hy Myers
UT Howie Shanks
OF Elmer Smith
C Oscar Stanage
OF Casey Stengel
OF Bobby Veach

1926
P Babe Adams
OF Carson Bigbee
P Wilbur Cooper
P Hooks Dauss
UT Jimmy Johnston
1B Fred Merkle
2B/SS Johnny Rawlings
SS Everett Scott
C Hank Severeid
3B Milt Stock
2B Bill Wambsganss
OF/SS Whitey Witt
OF Ross Youngs

1927
P Jesse Barnes
1B Jack Fournier
3B Heinie Groh
OF Baby Doll Jacobsen
P Walter Johnson
1B Stuffy McInnis
OF Irish Meusel
P George Mogridge
SS Roger Peckinpaugh
P Dick Rudolph
P Dutch Ruether
P Bob Shawkey
C Frank Snyder
OF Jack Tobin
OF Zack Wheat

1928
P Joe Bush
OF Ty Cobb
P Stan Coveleski
SS Chick Galloway
1B/OF Joe Harris
OF Les Mann
C Steve O' Neill
1B Wally Pipp
P Jimmy Ring
SS Heinie Sand
P Urban Shocker
OF Tris Speaker

1929
3B Jimmy Austin
1B George H. Burns
OF Max Carey
P Bill Doak
2B Johnny Evers
SS Wally Gerber
OF George Harper
P Carl Mays
OF Johnny Mostil
P Art Nehf
C Ray Schalk
OF Jack Smith
OF Billy Southworth
OF Ken Williams
C Ivey Wingo

1930
P Pete Alexander
SS Dave Bancroft
2B Eddie Collins
P Howard Ehmke
OF Ira Flagstead
OF Bob Meusel
1B George Sisler
OF Homer Summa
OF Curt Walker
OF Cy Williams

1931
3B Les Bell
P Rip Collins
3B Joe Dugan
OF Bibb Falk
2B Bucky Harris
UT Frank O' Rourke
OF Edd Roush
C Wally Schang
1B Earl Sheely
1B Phil Todt

1932
OF Rube Bressler
P Pete Donohue
OF Cliff Heathcote
OF/1B Harry Heilmann
OF Charlie Jamieson
1B George Kelly
OF Freddy Leach
P Jake May
P Clarence Mitchell
P Eddie Rommel
P Bill Sherdel

* enshrinees in red *

[catcher24]

JW - Does your list of players encompass ALL of the players meeting your eligibility requirements for enshrinement for each year, or are there others to consider as well? If there are others, could you explain again for those of us not paying attention the first time :o how to get the yearly list from baseball-reference.com? Thanks!

BTW, shouldn't the second league listed under the guidelines be the National LEAGUE?

[J W]

There are others. You could theoretically vote for a player with one career AB--however, though I won't disclose who votes for whom, I will list everyone who receives a vote.

My lists are going to include 99% of all viable candidates I'm sure, as well as a bunch of others. I'm just going to post them for reference.

Also, I've made the "National League" change as noted.

[catcher24]

JW - I will just use your lists then. I won't be voting for or supporting someone that is unheard of, or that no one would consider a realistic candidate.

[Dudeman]

I would like to see a sample ballot if possible to make sure I understand the process.

[Freakshow]

I would like to see a sample ballot if possible to make sure I understand the process.

It's just like the Hall of Fame voting. From among those eligible, list up to ten names you think are hall of famers. If nobody is worthy, cast a blank ballot.

My 1901 ballot, alphabetically, is:

Anson C.-1B
Clarkson J.-P
Connor R.-1B
Ewing B.-C
Glasscock J.-SS
Hines P.-CF
Kelly K.-RF/C
Spalding A.-P
White D.-C/3B
Wright G.-SS

Also receiving serious consideration were:

barnes
gore
keefe
start
sutton
ward
richardson
radbourn

This being the first ballot, I think there is quite a backlog of worthy players and will have no probelm filling all ten spots for many years.

[leecemark]

--I think anybody who can't come up with a full ballot for the first few rounds probably should have skipped thsi project. The best thing about it for me is that it forces me to consider guys who I am years away from considering for for my BBFHoF ballot. Ross Barnes and King Kelly are nowhere near consideration for that ballot, but made my first ballot here.
--Relieved of timeline considerations and competing only with their peers it is more clear who stands out. I'm probably going to have to restrain myself from voting from too many of these guys. I'm thinking of a ceiling (for myself only, not as a rule for the project or anything) of one player per year of 19th century MLB.

[julusnc]

Fun project.Thank You for deciding to put the time in to make it happen JW.

My Ballot has been sent.

[AG2004]

--Most of what I know about the early days is just stats, which mostly means hitters. Anybody who has studied the earlier days want to campaign for some all around type players who maybe weren't great pure hitters?

I'll do some short write-ups about various positions.

Today: SS
Tuesday: C, 3B
Wednesday: 2B, CF
Thursday: LF, RF
Friday: 1B, Some Multi-position
Saturday: P

NOTES ABOUT SHORTSTOPS
*George Wright is considered the premier shortstop of the NA era, and the leading defensive shortstop of the 1870s. Davy Force had good numbers in the NA, but his hitting dropped off substantially once the NL started.

*The following are Bill James' National League GG winners at shortstop from 1880 to 1895.
Arthur Irwin 1880, 1889
Jack Glasscock 1881, 1882, 1883, 1889
Davy Force 1884
Monte Ward 1885, 1886, 1887
Bob Allen 1890
Herman Long 1891
Germany Smith 1892, 1893
Hughie Jennings 1894
Bill Dahlen 1895.
However, James named Germany Smith his GG shortstop of the 1880s; Smith played in the AA during that decade. Smith was a terrible hitter, though. McKean was a good hitter, but was extremely poor defensively.

*The following page has a discussion on early shortstops.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/primer/discussion/shortstops/

*Finally, there's one very interesting candidate who isn't on the eligibles list.

DICKEY PEARCE
Brooklyn Atlantics, 1856-70 and 1873-74; New York (NA) 1871-72, St. Louis (NA/NL) 1876-77

(a) When Pearce started in the game, SS was considered the least valuable position defensively. Pearce transformed it into a key defensive position, inventing most of the strategies used at that position today.

(b) Pearce was also an above-average hitter, and is credited by historian David Seymour with inventing the bunt.

(c) Depending on the source, Pearce was either the first or second professional in baseball history (Creighton was the other).

(d) He was arguably the best player in baseball during the 1860; Harry Wright and Joe Start would be his main competitors. He was the key player for the undefeated Atlantics teams in 1864 and 1865. According to the St. Louis Times on June 30, 1868, "Pearce has been noted as a superior shortstop for ten years and to-day has no equal in the base ball field. He bats with great judgment and safety." (see http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...rce_Dickey.stm for details).

(e) He was elected to baseballthinkfactory's Hall of Merit, although in the 1931 election.

However, given the state of baseball in the 1860s, it's pretty hard to say how good Pearce really was.

[catcher24]

AG2004: Thanks for the info on the early SS. I don't think I will be considering Pearce, and perhaps no one should, since this project begins with the NA in 1871, and Pearce's best years were behind him. Sounds like he might be worth considering as a contributor in the BBFHOF, though, and you might want to post the same info over there.

One player I would like everyone to look at and consider is Harry Stovey. He played in the NL, AA, and PL from 1880 to 1893. During that time frame he was one of the best sluggers in the game. He compiled a .289 career average, but had a .361 OBP and .461 SP. He collected 347 doubles, 174 triples and 122 homeruns. 36% of his career hits were for extra bases. His CAREER OPS+ was an excellent 143 (61st all time). He led the league in HR four times, and was the all-time HR leader when he retired.
Top 10 slugging - 8 times (led 3).
Top 10 runs - ten times (led 4).
Top 10 total bases - 8 times (led 3).
Top 10 doubles - 9 times (led once)
Top 10 triples - 7 times (led 4 times).
Top 10 homeruns - 11 times (led 5 times).
Top 10 EBH - 10 times (led 5 times).
Please give him some consideration for a spot on your pre-1900 ballot.

[AG2004]

Moving to my next position ...

NOTES ABOUT CATCHERS

*During the 1870s, Pop Snyder was considered the top defensive catcher, but wasn't that great on offense. Looking at the decade as a whole, Deacon White was considered the top catcher; he went on to play 3B during the 1880s.

*In the 1880s, Buck Ewing and Charlie Bennett were the top defensive catchers. James gives Chief Zimmer, not yet eligible here, his 1890s Gold Glove at catcher.

*Jack Clements was about average defensively. He's best known for being the only left-handed-throwing catcher to have a long major league career.

*I have to refer to Cal McVey somewhere in these comments. He played only 9 seasons in the NA and NL; 4 of those were at catcher. During the NA years, many considered him superior to Deacon White. He played more at 1B in the late 1870s, and leads all 1B in total win shares from 1876-79. Cal McVey also played for the 1869 and 1870 Cincinnati Red Stockings.
However, evaluating his career in the 1880s is a problem. He apparently hated the East, and really hated the reserve clauses, so he played in what we now consider minor leagues during that decade. I don't know how he did, or what leagues he played in.
The distance between the bottom of the National League and the best minor league teams wasn't that far when McVey left the NL. In 1878, for example, the Buffalo IA team went 10-7 in matchups against NL teams. Buffalo joined the NL for the 1879 season, and finished third out of eight teams, with a 46-30 record.

[AG2004]

AG2004: Thanks for the info on the early SS. I don't think I will be considering Pearce, and perhaps no one should, since this project begins with the NA in 1871, and Pearce's best years were behind him. Sounds like he might be worth considering as a contributor in the BBFHOF, though, and you might want to post the same info over there.

You're welcome.

In general, I'll be posting short write-ups on some people who had good years were in the NA or before, partly because James' win shares data only starts with 1876. I probably should have pointed out that George Wright had a couple of good years in the late 1860s, pre-NA era; his career with top teams started in 1866, as far as I can tell.

According to the rules, Pearce can be considered, since he did play in the NL. It's unclear, however, if pre-NA performance may be considered. Would JW offer a clarification on this point?