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The 1934 MLB Hall of Fame class was an all-time great class with five inductees, four on the first ballot, and three inner-circle picks above 95%. Pitcher Newton Persaud’s 99.0% was the highest tally anyone has gotten. DH Troy O’Brien and 2B Archie Meredith were close behind at 97.6% and 96.9%, respectively. First baseman Joseph Green also made on the first try, although barely passing the threshold at 69.2%. Pitcher Duke Mercedes on his second try just got the 2/3s mark as well at 67.8%.



Two players were dropped after 10 tries on the ballot. Pitcher Casey Esnault was notably the first MLB pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts, picking up 254 wins and 71.8 WAR with 3776 strikeouts with Calgary, Louisville, Brooklyn, and Omaha. Despite some good raw numbers, his 3.89 ERA and lack of awards led to Esnault never crossing 50% of the vote. Another pitcher, Garrett Hayes, never got more than a 1/3 of the vote despite a very solid 89.9 WAR. He had 225 wins and a 3.36 ERA with Jacksonville and St. Louis, but he wasn’t a league-leader and didn’t get the attention he perhaps warranted.

In CABA, two men were inducted into the 1934 class. Closer Wagner Jimenez on his first try got in at 74.7%, while starting pitcher Matt Determan made it at 71.6% on his fourth go. Another closer, Ramiro Aguero, came close on his first attempt at 62.8%. No one was inducted in EAB with the highest mark being closer Ga-On Ko at 43.6%.




Newton “Broadway” Persaud – Pitcher – Houston Hornets – 99.05 First Ballot

Newton Persaud was a 5’11’’, 175 right handed pitcher born in the tiny town Arima in Trinidad. One of the all-time fan favorites and legendary pitchers, Persaud had a 99-101 mph fastball, a stellar curveball, solid changeup, and a forkball. He had elite stuff with solid movement and control, eventually leading to superstardom. He was also an ironman who dodged injury for basically his entire career.

Persaud left Trinidad for America in his late teens and played college baseball for Oklahoma University. He excelled with the Sooners, leading to New Orleans picking Persaud with the first overall pick in the 1909 draft. In his rookie season, he led the American Association in innings pitched and posted a 7.9 WAR season in his debut.

The Mudcats remained a bottom-tier team throughout the 1910s, but Persaud was a reliable top starter. In his eighth season at age 27, Persaud earned his first Pitcher of the Year in 1917. He would lead the AA in WAR each year from 1917-1922 and led in strikeouts from 1918-1923.

Tired of New Orleans’ struggles, Persaud left for free agency and for the 1919 season, signing for seven years and $49,140 with Houston. His signing helped kick off the second Hornets dynasty, as they’d win the World Series in 1920 and 1922. Persaud won his second Pitcher of the Year in his Houston debut in 1919 at age 29. He won his third in 1921, fourth in 1922, and fifth in 1923.

Persaud pitched for a decade with Houston. In 1925, he became the first MLB pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts and in 1927, the first to 300 career wins. At age 38 in 1928 after 19 seasons of reliable production, he finally started to fall off and retired at the end of the year.

With the Hornets, Persaud had 194 wins, 76.6 WAR, and 2357 strikeouts. With New Orleans, he had 134 wins, 2298 strikeouts, and 69.2 WAR. His final tally was 328-241, 3.41 ERA, 392 quality starts in 656, 4655 strikeouts, 330 complete games, and a total of 145.9 WAR.

He retired the all-time leader in wins, starts, innings, strikeouts, and WAR. A century later, Persaud was still second all-time in WAR, third in strikeouts, and fifth in wins. Any conversation about MLB’s best all-time pitcher includes Newton Persaud, a true inner-circle Hall of Fame selection.



Troy O’Brien – Designated Hitter – San Antonio Oilers – 97.6% First Ballot

Troy O’Brien was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed batter born in Irvington, New Jersey. He technically was an outfielder, but O’Brien spent basically his entire career as a designated hitter. He was known as a stellar contact hitter with solid power. Despite lacking speed or any sort of fielding ability, his bat alone made O’Brien a hot commodity.

After a college career with Iowa, O’Brien was picked third overall by the San Antonio Oilers. O’Brien spent 11 years with the Oilers, earning three Silver Sluggers at DH. He was second in Rookie of the Year voting his debut. His career year came in 1917, where he led the American Association in hits (227), doubles (46), and WAR (7.5). He finished second in MVP voting, and also finished second in 1923 and third in both 1914 and 1925.

Despite his personal success with more than 2000 hits and 1000 runs and RBI, San Antonio was a perennial bottom-tier team. At age 32 in 1923, O’Brien went into free agency and signed a four-year deal with Charlotte. His first year with the Canaries, he helped them to their first American Association title, with Charlotte losing to Baltimore in the World Series. In his only postseason, he put up 20 hits, five home runs, and 10 RBI.

Charlotte fell off the next season and O’Brien opted out of his contract, signing for his remaining four MLB seasons with Tampa. In 1925, he had his fourth and final Silver Slugger, posting 7.2 WAR. But his production fell off and the Thunderbirds didn’t re-sign him after the 1928 season. He spent one year as a backup in CABA with Chihuahua, then retired from baseball.

O’Brien finished with 3168 hits, the seventh MLB player to hit 3000. He was the sixth to 500 home runs, finishing with 590 in his career. His 573 career doubles was the most all-time at retirement and held for about 20 years. His 1721 runs and 1798 were among the top at the time of retirement as well. O’Brien finished with a .304 average and a relatively low 77.6 WAR due to his lack of defensive value. His #23 was the first number retired by San Antonio. Few batters of the 1910s and 20s match Troy O’Brien’s production, earning him a well-deserved spot in the Hall of Fame.



Archie “Rash” Meredith – Second Baseman – Kansas City Cougars – 96.9% First Ballot

Archie Meredith was a 5’10’’, 200 pound second baseman from Littlefield, a small town in northwest Texas, born on New Year’s Day of 1888. A left-handed batter but right-handed thrower, Meredith was a multi-skilled player. He was a very solid contact and power hitter. Although not a quick baserunner, he was an excellent defender who played all but his twilight years at second base.

Meredith had a storied college career with Boston College. He helped the Eagles win the 1907 College World Series and was a college MVP finalist twice. Unsurprisingly, this made him one of the top prospects in the 1908 Draft, where he was picked second overall by Kansas City.

Meredith was immediately a success for the Cougars, earning 1909 Rookie of the Year honors. He spent 11 seasons with Kansas City, racking up three Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and the 1912 MVP when he led the National Association in RBI (125) and WAR (10.4). He led the NA in WAR four times with KC thanks to his reliable bat and great fielder.

In 1912 and 13, Kansas City made it to the NACS, but they never had a deeper postseason run in his tenure. Overall with the Cougars, he had 1830 hits, 1038 runs, 373 home runs, 1106 RBI, a .290 average, and 82.1 WAR. His #30 uniform was retired in 1932, the first Cougar to earn the honor.

In 1919 at age 31, Meredith’s production fell sharply. Fearing he was washed, Kansas City traded him to Denver that offseason. He regained his form in his season with the Dragons, then spent the next six seasons with Toronto. He managed to get sixth Silver Slugger at age 37 with the Timberwolves and was a solid starter, posting 27.9 WAR, 855 hits, and 197 homers. In 1926, he finally got to play in the World Series, with the Timberwolves falling to Albuquerque. That season as well, Meredith became the second MLB player to 600 career home runs.

He became a free agent and at age 39, signed with Cincinnati for the 1927 season. His two seasons with the Reds were plagued with injury and his MLB run ended after the 1928 season. He went south to Santiago in 1929, but a bad concussion kept him out almost that entire year.

Determined to finish on a strong note, he signed with Mexico City at age 42 in 1930 and had a resurgence, even winning a CABA Silver Slugger at first base in 1931. He retired after three seasons with the Aztecs.

Between MLB and CABA, Meredith compiled 135.6 WAR, 695 home runs, 3405 hits, 1972 RBI, and 1938 runs. His MLB numbers alone are impressive, 2964 hits, 1674 runs, 626 homers, 1752 RBI, and 119.8 WAR. Great numbers at any position, but even a century later, he has a prominent spot in the debate for the best second baseman ever. Certainly an inner-circle member of the Hall of Fame.



Joseph Green – First Baseman – Pittsburgh Pirates – 69.2% First Ballot

Joseph Green was a 6’0’’, 200 pound switch hitter from Charlotte, North Carolina. Green was known as a very solid slugging first baseman who hit for solid power and average. He was a slow baserunner who played almost his entire career at first base, where he was considered an average fielder.

Green played college baseball for Oklahoma State and earned the ninth overall pick in the 1911 draft by Pittsburgh. Green immediately contributed, picking up the 1912 Rookie of the Year and leading the National Association in doubles. In his sophomore season, he was a big piece of the Pirates winning the NACS for the first time, getting 23 hits, 14 runs, five homers, and 18 RBI in the postseason. He was a Silver Slugger winner in his junior season and seven years with Pittsburgh, picked up 37.9 WAR, 1253 hits, 185 home runs, and 683 RBI.

With the Pirates struggling later in the 1910s, Green opted for free agency and signed for five years on the other side of the state with Philadelphia, who had just won back-to-back World Series titles. He earned his second Silver Slugger in his Phillies debut in 1919 and was third in MVP voting. He had five solid numbers with Philadelphia, but he missed out on their postseason run and left after the 1923 season.

At age 33, he signed with Denver and spent four seasons there. He was a solid starter for the 1925 Dragons who won the World Series. While in Denver, he achieved his 2500^th hit, 400^th home run, and 1500^th RBI. At age 37 in 1928, he signed with Brooklyn, but struggled in his one year with the Dodgers. They cut him at the end of the year and he signed a minor league deal with San Francisco late in 1929, but never saw the field, retiring that winter.

He wasn’t generally the top hitter in a bat-heavy position, but put up very solid hitting numbers. 2882 hits, 1483 runs, 450 homers, 1616 RBI, a .310 average, and 86.2 WAR. He also had 516 doubles, one of a handful of guys at the time to have cracked 500. His resume seems weak compared to the loaded 1934 class he’s a part of, but Green’s production warrants his spot in the Hall of Fame.



Duke “Hit Squad” Mercedes – Pitcher – Las Vegas Vipers – 67.8% Second Ballot

Duke Mercedes was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left handed pitcher from San Miguelito, part of greater Panama City. The first Panamanian elected into the MLB Hall, he threw 95-97 mph with four pitches; a fastball, curveball, changeup, and cutter. The latter two pitchers were considered particularly strong, serving him well in a successful career.

Mercedes came to the United States as a teenager and pitched in college at Baylor. He dominated the NCAA ranks, finishing second in 1908 for college pitcher of the year and winning the award in 1909. As a junior in 1910, he helped the Bears win the College World Series. This made him a very desired prospect and in the 1910 draft, Las Vegas selected him second overall.

His rookie season, he twice earned rookie of the month and ended finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting with an American Association best 26 quality starts. In 1915, his fifth season, he won PotY with the AA lead in strikeouts (254) and WAR (9.5). It was his only time winning the top award, but he also was the runner-up in 1913.

Mercedes was a bright spot for a generally unsuccessful Viper franchise, picking up 180 wins, 68.8 WAR, and 2381 strikeouts in his decade in the desert. His #12 and Ripley Goldstein’s #1 were the first numbers retired by the Vipers, both in 1927.

Mercedes’ best production was with Las Vegas by far, although he’d continue as a respectable starter into his 30s. In 1920, he signed a five-year deal with Montreal, where he picked up his 200^th career win. He’d be traded in his fourth season with the Maples to San Francisco, where he finished 1924 and played in 1925. With the Gold Rush in 1924, he was part of an American Association champion, with San Fran dropping the World Series to Ottawa. He’d make his only postseason starts in this run with a 3.73 ERA and 3-0 record in four starts.

Mercedes achieved his 3000^th strikeout with the Gold Rush, although a bad elbow injury ended his tenure there. Denver took a flier on the 35-year old Mercedes midway through the 1926 season, where he still showed some life. That offseason, he returned to Las Vegas and was used in long relief for part of the 1927 season. He was cut in the summer and after a brief try with minor league Lexington, Mercedes retired.

His final stats: 243-187, 3.53 ERA, 284 quality starts of 499, 3112 strikeouts, and 85.6 WAR. Early in his Vipers run, he was a legitimate staff ace. He put together enough of a resume to just make the cut on his second time on the ballot.