[FuzzyRussianHat]

The idea of a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame came to fruition fairly quickly, but it wouldn’t be until 1919 that a player would be enshrined. The rules were induction were receiving 66% of the vote with a maximum of 10 years on the ballot if you received 5% or greater. You were eligible five years after retiring from the league.


The early voting was an interesting discussion as many of the earliest players started their officially recorded MLB careers in their late 20s or 30s. The disorganized and chaotic nature of professional baseball prior to MLB’s 1901 inaugural season meant some early players got punished by their lack of accumulated stats; accomplishments from the 19^th century were largely ignored or dismissed. But in 1919, the first player to receive the honor was starting pitcher Franklin Carro.


Franklin Carro: Starting Pitcher, New York Yankees (76.3%, first ballot)


Franklin “Stumpy” Carro was born on October 19, 1874 in McPherson, Kansas, which was only founded two years prior. At 5’6’’, 160 pounds, the lefty earned the name “Stumpy” for his short and stocky frame. While not physically intimidating, Carro was a hard worker who learned how to get ground balls and strikeouts with great efficiency. His pitches topped out in the lower 90 mph range, but his sinker, forkball, slider, and changeup was elite stuff and served him well as he took up the fledgling game in his 20s, despite having at times shaky control.


At the time Major League Baseball was founded, Carro was already 26-years old, but had become known among the baseball world as a great pitcher. So much so that in the inaugural draft, he was the 19^th overall pick of the Houston Hornets.


Carro pitched his first three MLB seasons with the Hornets, leading the American Association in strikeouts in 1902. The following year, his 21-6 record, 2.91 ERA, and 291 strikeouts earned him the Pitcher of the Year award. In a game that year against Phoenix, he hit a then-MLB record with 19 strikeouts in a game.


Late in 1903, Carro signed a one-year contract extension for $1,860 with the Hornets, but the team was worried they wouldn’t be able to keep him long-term. In January 1904, Houston traded Carro to Milwaukee for three ultimately unsuccessful prospects.


With the Mustangs, Carro had perhaps his best career season. He led the National Association and had a career-best 1.92 ERA and 308 strikeouts at age 29. Milwaukee led the NA at 103-59 won their only World Series title of the 20^th century. Carro won his second PotY and joined a small list of winners in both the NA and AA.


It proved a valuable one-year rental for the Mustangs, but Carro wouldn’t stick around. On December 2, 1904, he signed one of the richest contracts to date with the New York Yankees of seven years, $25,160. He played all seven years of the deal and became known as an all-time great Yankee.


The contract paid off right away as in 1905, Carro led the NA in strikeouts (296) and WAR (9.8) en route to a third Pitcher of the Year. He pitched 40 innings with a 2.68 ERA in the 1905 postseason as the Yankees won their first World Series, defeating his first team Houston in seven games.


He remained a strong starter for the Yankees after that, but started to see age and injuries catch up. In Austin 1907, Carro suffered a torn flexor tendon in his throwing elbow and then a torn rotator cuff in May 1909, leading to partial seasons. He pitched full seasons in 1910 and 1911 and even led the NA in WAR (7.4) in 1911 at age 36. But after that season, the Yankees elected to part ways with Carro.


He signed a two-year, $8,160 deal with San Diego and while still a quality pitcher, was no longer an ace by 1912. After a year with the Seals, he was traded for prospects to the Cleveland Cobras. He only made eight starts with the Cobras but one was special, his lone no-hitter against Minneapolis on April 16.


At age 38, he had more elbow issues and again suffered a torn flexor tendon, effectively ending his run with Cleveland. In late 1914, the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal, but he never took the field. One month later, he officially announced his retirement from professional baseball.


Carro notably was the first MLB player to reach the 2000 and 2500 strikeout threshold, finishing with 2740. His final record as 177-118 with a 2.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 79.2 career WAR over 2866 innings. For Stumpy, an excellent career and a fine player to end up as the first MLB Hall of Famer.