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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-28-2023, 06:03 PM

Two players were inducted into the 1942 MLB Hall of Fame class. Unsurprisingly, 1B Elijah Cashman was a near unanimous first ballot pick at 99.4%. Joining him in the class just past the 2/3s threshold on his third try was closer Paul Leo. Two barely missed at 65.7%, 3B Franz Boldt on his fourth try and SP Ray Biedermann on his 10^th and final try. SP Dee Walters on his fourth ballot was 60.9%.

It was heartbreaking for Biedermann to miss out by less than a percentage point on his last attempt, climbing from the 40% range to start into the 60% range in his last four ballots. The 1918 Pitcher of the Year, he split a 16 year career between Louisville, Denver, and Houston with a 204-146 record, 3.13 ERA, 2533 strikeouts, and 82.7 WAR. Starters with arguably less impressive resumes had made it in, but Biedermann’s reputation as unmotivated and greedy just barely kept him out. He was the only player to get dropped on his 10^th ballot in the 1942 voting.

Elijah Cashman – First Baseman – St. Louis Cardinals – 99.4% First Ballot

Elijah Cashman was a 6’1’’ 200 pound first baseman from Jacksonville, Florida who was a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower. A candidate for MLB’s best-ever position player, Cashman combined incredible power and contact hitting ability. He was also solid at avoiding strikeouts and decent at drawing walks. He wasn’t a great baserunner, but he was incredibly solid defensively at first base, where he played nearly exclusively. Among his accolades were 11 Gold Glove awards.

Cashman played for Boston College and was drafted 45^th overall in the 1917 MLB Draft by Dallas. Only astute baseball historians even realize he was picked by the Dalmatians, as his entire playing career came with St. Louis. Before getting a chance to play for Dallas, he was traded to the Cardinals on March 1 with two other prospects for pitcher Tim Townsend, who finished as a 17 career WAR pitcher. I’d venture to say St. Louis won that trade.

The Cardinals didn’t bring him up right away, as he spent his entire 1918 at the minor league Columbia affiliate, where he earned minor league MVP. He made his MLB debut the next season and earned Rookie of the Year honors on a 6.9 WAR season. His first three years were very good, but year four separated him from very good to elite. 1922 was his first of seven MVP seasons and the first of a four-year MVP streak. He added additional MVPs in, 27, 29, and 30.

He led the National Association in home runs eight straight seasons starting in 1923, which saw him set the MLB record with 61 a season. It would be one of only three 60+ HR seasons in the 20^th Century. In 1927, he became the second MLB batter to earn the Triple Crown on a .353 average, 57 homers, and 150 RBI. In 1929, he did it again with a382 average, 56 HR, and 149 RBI. To date, he is the only MLB player to achieve the feat twice.

Nine times Cashman was a Silver Slugger winner and 11 times a Gold Glover. He was twice a batting champion, led the NA in WAR five times, OPS and wRC+ seven times, RBI five times, hits twice, and runs twice. He had five 10+ WAR seasons and holds two of the five 12+ WAR seasons achieved in MLB. His 12.25 WAR in 1923 held as the single season record until 1955 and would stay second all-time until 2012. The 1923 season had a then-record 1.1519 OPS. His .3819 average in 1929 was the second best season at the time.

The only blemish against Cashman’s record is the lack of playoff statistics as despite his efforts, the Cardinals were a weak franchise during his tenure. Only three times in his 18 seasons did St. Louis make the playoffs and they never advanced out of the first round. Many wondered if he’d leave to try to chase a ring, but #9 was loyal until the end with the Cardinals. Reliably sturdy, he almost never dealt with injuries over the 18 seasons. It wasn’t until his late 30s that his production finally began to falter, retiring after the 1936 season at age 40.

With his prolific power, Cashman was the first player to 700+ career home runs and retired the all-time leader at 750, a distinction he’d hold for 85 years. He was the second to 2000 career RBI and was the leader at 2050 at retirement. He was the 10^th to 3000 hits and retired second at 3455. His .327 career average was best among Hall of Famers at retirement, as was his .977 OPS. And he would retire the hitting WARlord at 136.6, not getting passed for that crown until the 2010s. Whomever the jerk was that prevented him from getting 100% of the vote should be mocked, as Elijah Cashman will forever be remembered not only as the GOAT hitter of the 1920s-30s, but possibly the greatest 1B and position player in MLB history.

Paul Leo – Closer – Chicago Cubs – 69.8% Third Ballot

Paul Leo was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sandusky, Ohio. Leo had strong stuff and good control, hitting upper 90s consistently with his fastball. He mixed it with a curveball that wasn’t outstanding, but solid enough for a one-two punch. Leo went to Auburn to play in college and was picked in the second round of the 1916 MLB Draft, 58^th overall, by the Chicago Cubs. Nine of his 18 MLB seasons would be as a Cub.

Leo took over the closer role in his second season and held it for five years where he did decent, but not outstanding. The outspoken Leo was traded in 1923 to Atlanta and spent two seasons in the back of their bullpen, getting again traded for 1925 to Buffalo. He regained a closer role in his one year with the Blue Sox, then spent 1926 with St. Louis. He signed with Las Vegas in a limited role in 1927, then went back to the Cubs from 1928 to 1930.

His best season of that run came in 1929 where he led the National Association with 36 saves At age 35 for 1931, he signed with Montreal and led the NA in saves with 37, although his ERA was a weak 3.63. He was moved to setup in 1932, then went to Ottawa in 1933 for one last shot as a closer. He had a career year with the Elks with a 1.72 ERA and 34 saves, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. It also gave him only his second shot at the postseason, as he had historically been on weaker teams. Despite the great 1933, Ottawa traded him before the 1934 season to Calgary, where he struggled. He retired at age 39 after that.

The final line: 354 saves, 2.83 ERA, 1254 strikeouts in 1162.2 innings, 436 shutdowns, and 25.3 WAR. His WAR and ERA are generally among the worst of the inducted relief pitchers and his lack of dominance made him a no for a lot of voters. However, there were enough voters who were like the Loch Ness Monster; they just needed about 350. Every closer to that point with 350+ saves was in and Paul Leo at 69.8% continued that trend on his third try on the ballot.

02-28-2023, 06:03 PM	#152
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,652	1942 MLB Hall of Fame Two players were inducted into the 1942 MLB Hall of Fame class. Unsurprisingly, 1B Elijah Cashman was a near unanimous first ballot pick at 99.4%. Joining him in the class just past the 2/3s threshold on his third try was closer Paul Leo. Two barely missed at 65.7%, 3B Franz Boldt on his fourth try and SP Ray Biedermann on his 10^th and final try. SP Dee Walters on his fourth ballot was 60.9%. It was heartbreaking for Biedermann to miss out by less than a percentage point on his last attempt, climbing from the 40% range to start into the 60% range in his last four ballots. The 1918 Pitcher of the Year, he split a 16 year career between Louisville, Denver, and Houston with a 204-146 record, 3.13 ERA, 2533 strikeouts, and 82.7 WAR. Starters with arguably less impressive resumes had made it in, but Biedermann’s reputation as unmotivated and greedy just barely kept him out. He was the only player to get dropped on his 10^th ballot in the 1942 voting. Elijah Cashman – First Baseman – St. Louis Cardinals – 99.4% First Ballot Elijah Cashman was a 6’1’’ 200 pound first baseman from Jacksonville, Florida who was a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower. A candidate for MLB’s best-ever position player, Cashman combined incredible power and contact hitting ability. He was also solid at avoiding strikeouts and decent at drawing walks. He wasn’t a great baserunner, but he was incredibly solid defensively at first base, where he played nearly exclusively. Among his accolades were 11 Gold Glove awards. Cashman played for Boston College and was drafted 45^th overall in the 1917 MLB Draft by Dallas. Only astute baseball historians even realize he was picked by the Dalmatians, as his entire playing career came with St. Louis. Before getting a chance to play for Dallas, he was traded to the Cardinals on March 1 with two other prospects for pitcher Tim Townsend, who finished as a 17 career WAR pitcher. I’d venture to say St. Louis won that trade. The Cardinals didn’t bring him up right away, as he spent his entire 1918 at the minor league Columbia affiliate, where he earned minor league MVP. He made his MLB debut the next season and earned Rookie of the Year honors on a 6.9 WAR season. His first three years were very good, but year four separated him from very good to elite. 1922 was his first of seven MVP seasons and the first of a four-year MVP streak. He added additional MVPs in, 27, 29, and 30. He led the National Association in home runs eight straight seasons starting in 1923, which saw him set the MLB record with 61 a season. It would be one of only three 60+ HR seasons in the 20^th Century. In 1927, he became the second MLB batter to earn the Triple Crown on a .353 average, 57 homers, and 150 RBI. In 1929, he did it again with a382 average, 56 HR, and 149 RBI. To date, he is the only MLB player to achieve the feat twice. Nine times Cashman was a Silver Slugger winner and 11 times a Gold Glover. He was twice a batting champion, led the NA in WAR five times, OPS and wRC+ seven times, RBI five times, hits twice, and runs twice. He had five 10+ WAR seasons and holds two of the five 12+ WAR seasons achieved in MLB. His 12.25 WAR in 1923 held as the single season record until 1955 and would stay second all-time until 2012. The 1923 season had a then-record 1.1519 OPS. His .3819 average in 1929 was the second best season at the time. The only blemish against Cashman’s record is the lack of playoff statistics as despite his efforts, the Cardinals were a weak franchise during his tenure. Only three times in his 18 seasons did St. Louis make the playoffs and they never advanced out of the first round. Many wondered if he’d leave to try to chase a ring, but #9 was loyal until the end with the Cardinals. Reliably sturdy, he almost never dealt with injuries over the 18 seasons. It wasn’t until his late 30s that his production finally began to falter, retiring after the 1936 season at age 40. With his prolific power, Cashman was the first player to 700+ career home runs and retired the all-time leader at 750, a distinction he’d hold for 85 years. He was the second to 2000 career RBI and was the leader at 2050 at retirement. He was the 10^th to 3000 hits and retired second at 3455. His .327 career average was best among Hall of Famers at retirement, as was his .977 OPS. And he would retire the hitting WARlord at 136.6, not getting passed for that crown until the 2010s. Whomever the jerk was that prevented him from getting 100% of the vote should be mocked, as Elijah Cashman will forever be remembered not only as the GOAT hitter of the 1920s-30s, but possibly the greatest 1B and position player in MLB history. *Paul Leo – Closer – Chicago Cubs – 69.8% Third Ballot* Paul Leo was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Sandusky, Ohio. Leo had strong stuff and good control, hitting upper 90s consistently with his fastball. He mixed it with a curveball that wasn’t outstanding, but solid enough for a one-two punch. Leo went to Auburn to play in college and was picked in the second round of the 1916 MLB Draft, 58^th overall, by the Chicago Cubs. Nine of his 18 MLB seasons would be as a Cub. Leo took over the closer role in his second season and held it for five years where he did decent, but not outstanding. The outspoken Leo was traded in 1923 to Atlanta and spent two seasons in the back of their bullpen, getting again traded for 1925 to Buffalo. He regained a closer role in his one year with the Blue Sox, then spent 1926 with St. Louis. He signed with Las Vegas in a limited role in 1927, then went back to the Cubs from 1928 to 1930. His best season of that run came in 1929 where he led the National Association with 36 saves At age 35 for 1931, he signed with Montreal and led the NA in saves with 37, although his ERA was a weak 3.63. He was moved to setup in 1932, then went to Ottawa in 1933 for one last shot as a closer. He had a career year with the Elks with a 1.72 ERA and 34 saves, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting. It also gave him only his second shot at the postseason, as he had historically been on weaker teams. Despite the great 1933, Ottawa traded him before the 1934 season to Calgary, where he struggled. He retired at age 39 after that. The final line: 354 saves, 2.83 ERA, 1254 strikeouts in 1162.2 innings, 436 shutdowns, and 25.3 WAR. His WAR and ERA are generally among the worst of the inducted relief pitchers and his lack of dominance made him a no for a lot of voters. However, there were enough voters who were like the Loch Ness Monster; they just needed about 350. Every closer to that point with 350+ saves was in and Paul Leo at 69.8% continued that trend on his third try on the ballot. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)