[Westheim]

The Hall of Fame got flooded with new players with the Class of ’19 including five new players to join the hallowed place, including three pitchers and two position players.

With 87.3% of the vote and the highest in the voting process, CL Scott Hood (67-56, 2.07 ERA, 427 SV) was inducted into the Hall as a Gold Sock. Picked a modest 79th in the Amateur Draft, Hood made his debut for the Gold Sox in 1999 and wrestled his way into the closer’s role by 2001, continuing to pitch for the Gold Sox for six more years, becoming Reliever of the Year in 2004, before joining the Crusaders as a free agent for 2007 just in time for their first 3-peat to award him with the only three rings he won in his career. Hood was an All Star five times and led the league in saves twice, ending his career with the Titans in 2013.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 1990 draft by the Crusaders, it took a while for SP Javier Cruz (256-177, 3.78 ERA, 1 SV) to see his star rise. It took him five years and getting released by the team that drafted him, after which he hooked up with the Blue Sox, to reach the major leagues, which he then conquered in a real hurry. After leading the league in losses in his first full season in ’96, he would lead the league in wins the next two years, and took home Pitcher of the Year honors in both years. He also led the FL in ERA in ’97, missing the triple crown by eight strikeouts compared to SAC David Castillo. He settled into consistency mode after that, posting ERA’s in the 3-range in all but four of his last 14 seasons. He would win 20 games a third time in ’02, pitching for the consistently decent, but not good enough Blue Sox through 2006 before alighting on the long-sunk Raccoons’ ship on a free agent deal in 2007. Spending three more years with them and then two in Cincinnati before retiring after the 2019 season. In an 18-year career that saw him strike out 3,164 batters, he posted a losing record only four times, and he still ranks in the career top 10 in both wins (8th) and strikeouts (9th).

While Bartolo Hernandez debuted with the Loggers as a 20-year old in 1995 after being drafted #3 overall in 1993, he didn’t break out until 1997, quickly becoming part of group of players that helped the Loggers be relevant for the only not-quite-decade of their existence. Hernandez was an elite contact hitter that piled up 2,849 base knocks in his career, of which less than 500 went extra bases. He made up for that with his feet, stealing 344 bases in his career, and leading the league in steals once while leading in hits three times. The 3-time All Star, who also won five Gold Gloves in his career, stuck with the Loggers for 15 years total before finishing out his career with five teams in the last four years. A player of remarkable consistency, Hernandez hit .310 or better nine times, and .290 or better 13 times in his career, with a high water mark of .353 in the 2005 season, but never won a batting title. He is the second player of the Loggers’ semi-dynasty to be enshrined in the Hall, joining Martin Garcia, and he is the only player to connect for six base hits in an ABL game twice, having both big days as a Logger.

Whit Reeves (209-124, 3.38 ERA) from the Sunfish Capital of the World, Onalaska, Wisconsin, split his 16 year-career equally between the Scorpions and Crusaders, but chose to be inducted with the insignia of the team that drafted him 10th overall and had him debut as a 20-year old in the 1995 season. The right-handed Reeves was the FL Pitcher of the Year in 2000 and was an All Star five times, but led the league in a major category only once, posting the best FL ERA in his POTY season in which he also won a career-high 19 games. Joining the Crusaders as free agent for the 2003 season, Reeves initially posted two losing seasons before catching fire again. He also won three rings like Scott Hood, participating in the Crusaders’ 2007-09 3-peat before retiring after a partial 2010 season.

Switch-hitting middle infielder Juan Barrón (.303, 35 HR, 950 RBI) played for more teams than any other of the inductees after making his major league debut as a tender 18-year old all the way back in 1991 with the Falcons, batting .289 in 44 games for them. Although the #6 pick in the 1990 draft never led the league in anything else than in doubles in 1994 (but hitting a whoppin’ 60 of them that season), his high-average, high-OBP presence at the plate, coupled with strong defense that would yield four Gold Gloves for him eventually, and – in his early years – a propensity to steal 20+ bases, made him a much vaunted top-of-the-order batter. He spent his first 16 seasons all in the CL South, playing for the Condors and Bayhawks after his Falcons stint ended after the 1998 season, before signing with the Stars prior to the 2007 season, but he would be traded twice over the course of the 2-year contract, first to the Capitals in mid-season of ’07, and then to the Raccoons the following winter. He played two seasons as a backup with the Indians before retiring after the 2010 season. Barrón chose to be inducted with the Falcons, his first team and the one he spent the most time with.

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Complete voting results:

DEN CL Scott Hood – 1st – 87.3 – INDUCTED
NAS SP Javier Cruz – 2nd – 86.6 – INDUCTED
MIL 2B Bartolo Hernandez – 1st – 79.0 – INDUCTED
SAC SP Whit Reeves – 4th – 77.0 – INDUCTED
CHA 2B Juan Barrón – 4th – 76.3 – INDUCTED
??? SP Chris York – 1st – 58.8
??? LF Bakile Hiwalani – 2nd – 42.3
SFB CL William Henderson – 8th – 23.0
??? CF Jerry Fletcher – 2nd – 22.7
BOS CL John Bennett – 1st – 11.7
BOS 3B Mark Austin – 1st – 9.3
SFW 2B Dave Heffer – 1st – 8.6
NYC SP Anibal Sandoval – 5th – 7.2
IND SS Ramón Garza – 1st – 6.5
PIT SP Henry Becker – 1st – 3.8 – DROPPED
NAS CL Jose Escobar – 2nd – 3.8 – DROPPED
OCT 2B Bruce Boyle – 1st – 3.4 – DROPPED
IND 3B David Lopez – 4th – 2.7 – DROPPED
PIT CL Paco Barrera – 2nd – 2.4 – DROPPED
BOS RF Gonzalo Munoz – 1st – 1.4 – DROPPED
NAS SP Dave Crawford – 1st – 1.0 – DROPPED
BOS MR Ramiro Román – 1st – 0.3 – DROPPED