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The 1921 MLB Hall of Fame class enshrined four players with three of them receiving more than 92% of the votes. Pitchers Jeremy Frechette and Josh Davis, along with outfielders Adam Boehm and Adam Tucker, hold up as a very strong class even looking more than 100 years later. Three of the four played a big role in the early Houston Hornets dynasties.


Jeremy Frechette – Starting Pitcher – Houston Hornets – 96.1% (First Ballot)

The ace pitcher of the Houston Hornets dynasty, Jeremy Frechette was born on July 7, 1880 in Fayetteville Arkansas. At 5’7’’, 170 pounds, the right-handed pitcher wasn’t physically imposing. But his fastball would top out in the upper 90 mph range, along with a filthy sinker, strong slider, and eventually excellent control.


Frechette played collegiately at Stanford, where he was used as a closer. Despite being known as a Houston legend, he was actually drafted in 1901 by New Orleans in the 5^th round as the 200^th overall pick. As a rookie in 1902, he had a few lackluster relief appearances before being traded in July with a few prospects to Houston for a rental of second baseman Taylor Robbins.


In 1903, he started to show promise as a starter, splitting his time between the bullpen and starting. The next year, he emerged as one of the most reliable inning eaters in the game, leading the American Association with 295 innings and a very solid 8.2 WAR.


In 1905, he set a record still untouched more than a century later with 29 wins. Along with a league-best 2.45 ERA and 11.5 WAR, Frechette earned his first of five Pitcher of the Year Awards. He also posted a 1.60 ERA in 39.1 playoff innings, leading the Hornets to their first American Association title and World Series appearance.


As great as he was in the regular season, he’d become one of the best postseason pitchers of all-time. During his tenure, Houston made the World Series six times and won it four; and made it to the AACS nine times. His postseason line: 16-7, 2.92 ERA, 34 starts, 256 innings, 223 strikeouts. It wasn’t until the postseason expanded years later that anyone even approached his totals, still holding the WAR mark (7.74) more than a century later and sitting second in strikeouts, innings, and third in wins.


Frechette posted nine consecutive 20+ win seasons from 1904 to 1912, led the AA in strikeouts from 1907-1909, and led in WAR five times with three seasons above 10 WAR. The Hornets won the World Series in 1908, 10, 11, and 12. In 1912, Frechette was the first pitcher to reach 200 career wins and in 1914, the third to hit 2500 career strikeouts. He won Pitcher of the Year in 1905, 08, 09, 11, and 12.


At age 33 in 1914, Frechette surprisingly fell off quickly and was released in July 1915, retiring that winter. The end of his run also marked the end of that Houston dynasty, posting their first losing season in 1915 since 1902. He finishes with a 233-104 record, 3.32 career ERA of 3080.1 innings, 2522 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP, 128 ERA+, and 92.5 WAR. Five PotYs and a playoff legend make Jeremy Frechette an inner-circle Hall of Famer of the early era.