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Josh Davis – Starting Pitcher – Cleveland Cobras – 95.4% (First Ballot)


Josh Davis was born in Ewa Beach, Hawaii in 1884, long before Hawaii was a state or had been officially taken over by the United States. Davis came stateside to pursue baseball, playing collegiately at Indiana University. The 5’11’’, 200 pound left made a big impression with the Hoosiers and caught the eye of many teams, getting drafted fourth overall in the 1904 draft by the Cleveland Cobras.


Davis had three pitches and was a master at coaxing groundballs with a sinker that topped out in the upper 90s. Along with a filthy changeup and solid curveball, Davis immediately was successful, posting a 2.86 ERA as a rookie in 1905. He would lead the National Association in WAR and strikeouts the next three seasons, winning Pitcher of the Year in 1907 and 1908. He’d win it again in 1910 and 1911 with the Cobras, posting a career-best 1.98 ERA in 1910. In 1911, he was the first Triple Crown winning pitcher with the NA’s best mark in wins (19), ERA (2.43), and strikeouts (256)


Despite his personal success, Cleveland did not make the playoffs during his entire tenure. Although they posted a couple winning seasons, they never cracked the 90-win mark. When his contract expired at the end of 1911, Davis decided to leave the Cobras in search of playoff glory and of course, big money.


Houston had established themselves as the first dynasty by then and their success gave them money to spend, which they used in December 1911 on Davis in the tune of seven years, $33,900. He seamlessly transitioned to the American Association, winning AA Pitcher of the Year in 1913 and 1914 (and barely missed in in 1912 due to teammate Jeremy Frechette). Davis had two 10+ WAR seasons in 1913 and 1914 and posted a career high 305 strikeouts in 1914. In 1912, he got his lone World Series ring.


1915 started well enough, throwing his only no-hitter in April against Las Vegas. But in May, disaster struck the then 31-year old lefty with an ulnar nerve entrapment in his elbow. The injury and a setback put him out for the year and led to Houston cutting ties. No Major League team wanted to take a chance on Davis, fearing the injury meant the end of his career. But he was determined to continue on and found a buyer, the Santiago Sailfish of CABA. He signed a five-year, $21,600 deal and moved to the Dominican.


The Sailfish were rewarded for their signing as Davis posted a 6.5 WAR season and Santiago claimed the CABA championship in 1916. However, more injuries would plague Davis after that, including radial nerve compression in the elbow in July 1918. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t one he could bounce back from and Davis retired at age 35.


His final MLB numbers are impressive: six Pitcher of the Year Awards, 196-109, 2.53 ERA over 2862 innings, 2763 strikeouts, and 90.1 WAR. Combining his CABA numbers, Davis had 225 wins, 3201 strikeouts, and a 98.6 WAR. Even with injury ending his MLB run at age 31, Davis certainly earned his place among the all-time great arms.


Adam “Ripper” Boehm – Outfielder - Houston Hornets – 92.3% (First Ballot)


Adam Boehm was one of baseball’s first star players and would later be known for his incredible longevity. Born May 16, 1870 in Newark, OH; Boehm ended up a 5’8’’, 205 pound left handed outfielder. He’d become known as an all-time great contact hitter with solid power, an elite eye, and nice quickness. In his 20s, he bounced around barnstorming in the Midwest and his “sparkplug” personality earned him respect and the nickname “Ripper.”


Oddly enough, his entire 20s came in the pre-MLB era, leading to his early day stats not counting towards leaderboards. But his efforts led to being picked fifth in the inaugural MLB Draft by the Ottawa Elks.

Boehm played centerfield primarily in his six seasons in Ottawa, earning two Silver Sluggers and five All-Star game invites. Approaching age 37 towards 1907 though, the Elks decided it was time to move on, trading Boehm to Dallas for three prospects. With the Dalmatians and now in left field, Boehm had a career-best and American Association leading 128 runs scored. But he hadn’t gotten a taste of postseason play yet and didn’t think he’d find it in Dallas.


He did stay in Texas, signing a three-year, $12,720 deal with Houston, who had been the AA champ and World Series runner-up in 1905 and 1906. There, at age 38, he began what became his signature run in eight seasons with the Hornet dynasty. In 1908, he won his lone career MVP with 137 runs scored, a 1.105 OPS, and a 9.8 WAR. He was batter of the month in three straight months and was first round and World Series MVP as Houston claimed their first MLB ring.


Boehm wouldn’t post league-leading numbers quite the same again, but he was a reliable starter in left and part of four MLB champion teams. He signed a three-year extension in 1912 and started up until age 45; one of a very small group ever to make it that long. Eventually age caught up to him in 1915 and he retired following that season.


Had his 20s come only a few years later, there’s no doubt that Boehm would be at the top of many all-time leaderboards. Even so, he was the first player ever to reach 1000 and 1500 runs scored and the second to reach 2500 career hits. His final line was 2542 hits, 1579 runs, 399 home runs, 1435 RBI, 1302 walks drawn, a .301/.397/.503 slash and 89.3 WAR. Pretty remarkable for a guy whose official MLB career began at age 31.


Adam Tucker –Left Fielder – Baltimore Orioles – 79.2% (First Ballot)

Adam Tucker was born January 20, 1876 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. A 6’0’’, 200 pound lefty, Tucker was known as a team leader and excellent contact hitter. While many outfielders bounce around over their career, Tucker was very firmly a left fielder, playing 2125 of 2133 career games in left.


He began playing on various teams in the pre-MLB days throughout Florida, earning the attention of the Jacksonville Gators once MLB started up. At age 25, he was picked in the inaugural MLB Draft in the 3^rd round, 117^th overall, by Jacksonsville. In four years with the Gators, Tucker twice earned Silver Slugger and led the American Association in RBI in 1903 with 129. That year, Jacksonville won the AA championship with Tucker knocking in 14 and hitting five homers in 11 postseason games.


Tucker decided to test free agency after the 1904 season and signed a very rich deal with Baltimore; the team he’d become best known for playing with. He signed an eight-year, $32,280 deal with the Orioles and would play seven of those years. In 1906, he led the National Association in hitting overall with the triple slash .380/.433/.614, finishing second in MVP voting. He was a four-time All-Star and twice a Silver Slugger winner with Baltimore, but couldn’t lift the Orioles to a postseason appearance.


In 1910, Tucker finished with a league best 8.2 WAR, matching his career high from 1906. But he’d drop off a bit the next year and before the 1912 at age 36, he was traded to Detroit for three prospects. After a respectable year with the Tigers, he signed a two-year deal with Calgary. He played one with the Cheetahs, then was traded to Miami for the 1914 campaign. With the Mallards, he became the first player to 2500 career hits.


At age 39 in 1915, Tucker signed with Seattle but only played 14 games due to numerous injuries. That would mark the end of his MLB career, but he’d play two more professional seasons after in CABA with Honduras and Santiago.


Tucker finished his MLB career with 2549 hits, 1270 runs, 407 home runs, 1319 RBI, a .323 batting average, .380 OBP, 156 OPS+, and 84.0 career WAR. He wasn’t the flashiest or more dominant player, but a reliable leader and starter for 14 years makes Tucker a solid Hall of Fame selection.