[VanillaGorilla]

48 years into the league, the first "Once in a Generation" player is inducted.

Willie McCovey is the best player, by far, to have played in this universe.

McCovey shattered the career HR and RBI marks. He won 6 MVPs (no one else has won more than 4). He won two triple crowns. He holds the single season record for HRs and RBI. He has the highest VORP and highest OPS for a single season, also.

Chosen as the 4th player overall in the 2004 draft by the A's. He collected exactly 200 hits and hit 57 HRs in his rookie season to win ROY honors. A broken finger cost him the final weekend of his rookie season. Playing in that hitting Hades of Oakland, he slashed 330/428/673 for a npa OPS+ of 190 in his rookie season. Then he started to develop.....

When he called it a career in 2024 he was, without question, the greatest player in League history. He hit 1022 HRs in his career. That's nearly 300 more than the old record held by Mark McGwire (who is now 3rd on the All-Time HR list). He drove in 2613 runs, which is nearly 500 more than the old record held by Gary Sheffield (who is now 3rd on that list....the same active player holds both 2 spots).

He also broke Sheffield's all-time Run record (Sheffield is still second on that list), retiring with 2091 touches of home.

McCovey had 3208 hits (8th), 451 doubles (tied for 52nd), 1705 walks (1st), and slashed 307/409/651 for an absolutely freaking astounding career npa OPS+ of 183. He is also the career leader in strikeouts with 2563....this upset exactly 0% of his managers during his career.

5 times he had 200 or more hits in a season. 10 times he hit 50+ HRs in a season. 15 times he hit 40+.

In 2009, one of his 6 MVP seasons, still playing in freaking Oakland, he set the all time HR record by bashing 89 and driving in 204. Both of these records still stand. The league is currently playing a 158 game regular season. He doesn't get an asterisk for setting these marks in a 162 game environment. Unless the schedule expands to something like 200 games, these records will stand until the end of this world arrives.

His 2009 slash line was 346/456/836. The OBP and SLG (and therefore, OPS) are all career highs. This line creates a npa OPS+ of 240.

After winning the MVP for the third time in three years in 2010 season, he left Oakland for Texas. There he won 3 more MVPs.

He was left unprotected in the expansion draft of 2018. The newly formed Jacksonville Tribunes happily acquired him. Though he was no longer the hitting monster of Ruthian proportions who had posted 7 npa OPS+ seasons above 200, he was still real freaking good. Losing half of the 2019 season to injury, he bounced back to hit 47 HRs in 2020. That mark is still 3rd best for Jax player.

McCovey went to 12 post seasons and hit 33 HRs in 323 career ABs. He appeared in 2 WS. About the only thing, other than Gold Glove, that McCovey doesn't have from his playing days is a WS ring.

McCovey was named to 13 All Star teams. Only Gary Sheffield's 14 appearances is more for any HOFer.

McCovey was not inducted in his first year of eligibility (there were no inductions to be had) but does enter on the First Ballot Standard, with his numbers in the Black Ink and HOFm categories double that of the Hall averages.

McCovey's entrance, even as one of 67 players, has a massive impact on the Hall numbers for future selections.

McCovey is the 16th RL HOFer to be inducted here.

Black Ink: 103 (31)
Gray Ink: 287 (126)
HOFm: 528.5 (110)
HOFs: 75 (44)

Gorilla Composite: 10.8 (3.6)

ADD: McCovey won 2 batting titles. Both times he won a batting title he won the Triple Crown. He led the league in HRs 8 times. He led the league in RBI 7 times. He has the most TB in history (6791). He bested the old mark, held by Gary Sheffield (currently 4th) by nearly 1000.