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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-07-2023, 12:33 PM

The 1951 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four first-ballot inductees. The star was LF Andrei Tanev at 98.7%, followed by 1B Kent Price (92.0%), SP Randy Trainor (91.0%), and 3B Isaac Epperson (89.1%). SP Andy Cowan was close to making it a five-person class on the second ballot at 61.7%. Two closers; Otto Thurston and Cliff Bettis, made it above 50% along with C Elijah Watson.

One player was dropped after a 10^th ballot. SP Wyatt Maman had 15 seasons with Cincinnati and was the 1928 Pitcher of the Year. He had a 171-190 record, 3.21 ERA, 2505 strikeouts, and 81.1 WAR. He peaked at 37.6% on his first go on the ballot.

Andrei “Frisky” Tanev – Left Fielder – New Orleans Mudcats – 98.7% First Ballot

Andrei Tanev was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder born in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River in Russia. Tanev was one of the best all-around batters of the 1930s and 40s, combining very good contact ability, power, eye, and speed. He was a career left fielder and considered a good to sometimes great defender, winning three Gold Gloves early in his career. Tanev was also a team captain and tremendous leader, beloved in every clubhouse he played in.

Tanev left the Soviet Union as a teenager and played college baseball at Wichita State, In the 1927 MLB Draft, he was drafted 157^th overall in the fourth round by Memphis. Tanev immediately found success with the Mountain Cats, winning the 1928 Rookie of the Year with 37 home runs, 118 RBI, and 6.3 WAR. In 1932 and 1933, he won the American Association MVP, leading both of those seasons in runs, home runs, RBI, and OPS. He helped Memphis get wild card berths in 1933 and 34 after struggles throughout the 1920s. In seven years with the Mountain Cats, Tanev had 1165 hits, 732 runs, 278 home runs, 830 RBI, .301 average, and 49.1 WAR.

Tanev left for free agency for the 1935 season and at age 28, signed an eight-year, $159,600 contract with New Orleans. In their prior 34 seasons, the Mudcats had never made the playoffs, but in his first year there, Tanev led New Orleans to their first World Series title. He won his third MVP, again leading in runs, home runs, RBI, and OPS. In the postseason, he had 17 hits, 8 runs, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI. Instantly, “Frisky” became beloved by the Mudcats fans as a hero.

New Orleans made the playoffs thrice more in his tenure, but didn’t again make a big run. Still, Tanev was a beast, winning MVPs in 1936, 1940, and 1941; giving him six for his career. Four of his six Silver Sluggers came with New Orleans, including a career-best 10.7 WAR in 1941. In his run, Tanev had 1384 hits, 814 runs, 287 home runs, 855 RBI, a .318 average, and 51.1 WAR. Late in his run with the Mudcats, he earned his 2500^th hit, 1500^th RBI, and 1500^th run scored. His #7 jersey was the first retired by the franchise.

The 36-year old Tanev became a free agent again and signed with Seattle in 1943, where he spent his final three MLB seasons. Injuries and age started to catch up, including a torn PCL that put him out almost all of 1944. He did cross 600 home runs with the Grizzlies, the 6^th player to do so. Tanev spent his final two seasons in CABA with Monterrey. After going unsigned in 1948, Tanev retired from professional baseball at age 42.

The final MLB line for Tanev: 2842 hits, 1719 runs, 372 doubles, 208 triples, 616 home runs, 1869 RBI, 966 walks, 380 stolen bases, a .309/.376/.595 slash and 110.1 WAR. He was one of four with 200+ triples at retirement and at retirement, his was fourth all-time in RBI. His .595 slugging percentage was the all-time top mark of the 21^st century. Tanev was well deserving of a near-unanimous first ballot induction.

Kent Price – First Baseman – Baltimore Orioles – 92.0% First Ballot

Kent Price was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed first baseman from Sea Cliff, a small town on Long Island New York. Price was a terrific contact hitter who added solid reliable home run power with a pretty good eye. He was a poor baserunner and a career first baseman, considered an average to decent defender. Price played college baseball at Western Michigan and was selected second overall in the 1927 MLB Draft by Baltimore. He’d spend his entire 18-year pro career with the Orioles, where he’d become a fan favorite.

Price saw an impressive debut by winning Rookie of the Year in 1928 with 35 home runs and 6.1 WAR. He’d win two Silver Sluggers spread out, one in 1933 and the other in 1943. Price never won MVP, but did finish third in 1933. He very rarely was a league leader, but he was an iron man who reliably hit 30-40 home runs, around 100 RBI, and roughly 5-6 WAR. In 1943, he had a career-best 50 home run season at age 36 and in 1932, led the National Association in 142.

He became the face of the Orioles, who were almost always above .500 but had trouble breaking through. They finally did in 1939, winning the Eastern League title and ultimately the World Series. In the postseason, he had 20 hits, 7 runs, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI. Unsurprisingly, his #11 uniform would be retired by Baltimore. After his huge 1943 at age 36, he fell off in 1944 and spent 1945 as a bench player. Price was released after the 1945 season and after going unsigned in 1946, retired at the age of 40.

The final statistics: 2940 hits, 1604 runs, 418 doubles, 577 home runs, 1707 RBI, 949 walks, a .309/.378/.540 slash and 96.4 WAR. He almost quietly built the Hall of Fame resume by being a consistently solid performer for almost two decades. Any Baltimore fan though would tell you that he was a Hall of Fame talent and indeed he was, picked on the first ballot at 92.0%.

Randy Trainor – Staring Pitcher – Kansas City Cougars – 91.0% First Ballot

Randy Trainor was a 5’8’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from the small town of Choctaw, part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Despite his smaller stature, Trainor threw hard with velocity in the 98-100 mph range. His movement was good, but his great control was his calling card. Trainor had a six-pitch repertoire with a slider, curveball, forkball, changeup, cutter, and circle change. He was a solid defensive pitcher and for a pitcher, a decent batter with a .198 average and 98 hits. He earned a Silver Slugger in 1937.

Trainor played college baseball at Iowa and earned the 11^th overall pick by Kansas City in the 1930 MLB Draft. After limited relief as a rookie, he became a full-time starter for the rest of his career. He finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 1935 and 1936 for the Cougars and in 1937, won the award for the only time in his career. That season finally saw KC break through a more than decade-long playoff drought, winning the National Association title. He had a 2.10 ERA over 30 playoff innings. With Kansas City, he had a 108-63 record, 3.02 ERA, 1392 strikeouts over 1623.1 innings, and 38.3 WAR.

Fresh off an award-winning season, Trainor left for free agency and signed a seven-year, $156,800 contract with Calgary at age 28. He finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1939 and twice led the American Association in WAR with the Cheetahs. In 1940, Calgary won the AA title and Trainor had a 3.27 ERA over 41.1 innings for 1.6 WAR. Although inducted as a Cougar, his Cheetah run was arguably better. In seven seasons, he had a 120-77 record, 3.35 ERA, 1888 innings, 1227 strikeouts, and 50.9 WAR. Trainor began to struggle in his last year at age 34 in 1944. He was briefly rostered by Houston and San Diego before eventually spending most of the year with Cincinnati’s affiliate in Dayton. At that point, he was washed and retired at age 35.

The final line for Trainor: 228-140, 3.20 ERA, 3513.1 innings, 2620 strikeouts and 611 walks, 282/435 quality starts, 179 complete games, and 89.2 WAR. Trainor was a reliably solid starting pitcher for two franchises and perhaps a bit underappreciated in his time. The Hall of Fame voters appreciated him though, adding Trainor on the first ballot to the 1951 class at 91.0%.

Isaac Epperson – Third Baseman – Detroit Tigers – 89.1% First Ballot

Isaac Epperson was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Lebanon, a small town in central Indiana. Epperson was an excellent contact hitter who regularly put the ball in play, as he rarely walked but also rarely struck out. He had solid gap power and was an excellent doubles hitter who also could get you 15-20 home runs per season. He wasn’t a particular fast baserunner and was exclusively a third baseman defensively, considered an above average to good defender. Epperson was also thought of as an ironman, very rarely missing games due to injury.

He stayed in the Midwest by playing college baseball at Akron, then was picked 15^th overall in the 1925 MLB Draft by Detroit. The Tigers were his longest stay of his lengthy career, becoming a full-time starter after his rookie year for the next seven seasons. He won his first Silver Slugger at 1929 and led the National Association in hits with 221 in 1932. That season, the Tigers were NA champs with Epperson getting 26 hits, 12 runs, and 0.7 WAR over their postseason run, falling in the World Series to Jacksonville. With Detroit, he had 1446 hits, 621 runs, 136 home runs, a .325 average, and 42.1 WAR. He was well liked enough in this run that his #2 jersey was the first to be retired by the Tigers.

Epperson left for free agency and signed at age 28 with Calgary. He spent 1934-36 with the Cheetahs, winning Silver Sluggers in 1935 and 36. In 1935, Epperson had his highest MVP voting finish at third, winning the batting title at .339. The Cheetahs made it to the American Association Championship series in 1935. Despite his success, Epperson opted out two years early from his Calgary contract, signing with San Diego at age 31 for the 1937 season.

His fourth and final Silver Slugger came in his first year with the Seals. Epperson ultimately spent four years with San Diego, struggling immensely in 1940. Fearing his was washed, the Seals traded him to Louisville for the 1941 season. He bounced back with a solid 5.8 WAR year with the Lynx, his last great season. He also spent 1942 with Louisville, where he picked up his 3000^th career hit.

Epperson signed with Memphis in 1943 at age 43 and was traded the next year to New Orleans. He spent one season with the Mudcats, then signed for his final year in 1945 with the New York Yankees. In that last season, he crossed 1500 runs scored and 1500 RBI. He became the third player to pass 3500 career hits, retiring third all-time. He also ended with 579 doubles; second most all-time at retirement.

The final stats for Epperson: 3551 hits, 1519 runs, 579 doubles, 333 home runs, 1557 RBI, a .310/.338/.457 slash and 86.7 WAR. Epperson was one of the most dependable players in Major League Baseball for 20 seasons and was generally liked by each team and fanbase he met. Even in a loaded four-person Hall of Fame class, Epperson earned a first ballot selection with 89.1% of the vote.

04-07-2023, 12:33 PM	#227
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,644	1951 MLB Hall of Fame The 1951 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class was an impressive one with four first-ballot inductees. The star was LF Andrei Tanev at 98.7%, followed by 1B Kent Price (92.0%), SP Randy Trainor (91.0%), and 3B Isaac Epperson (89.1%). SP Andy Cowan was close to making it a five-person class on the second ballot at 61.7%. Two closers; Otto Thurston and Cliff Bettis, made it above 50% along with C Elijah Watson. One player was dropped after a 10^th ballot. SP Wyatt Maman had 15 seasons with Cincinnati and was the 1928 Pitcher of the Year. He had a 171-190 record, 3.21 ERA, 2505 strikeouts, and 81.1 WAR. He peaked at 37.6% on his first go on the ballot. Andrei “Frisky” Tanev – Left Fielder – New Orleans Mudcats – 98.7% First Ballot Andrei Tanev was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed left fielder born in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River in Russia. Tanev was one of the best all-around batters of the 1930s and 40s, combining very good contact ability, power, eye, and speed. He was a career left fielder and considered a good to sometimes great defender, winning three Gold Gloves early in his career. Tanev was also a team captain and tremendous leader, beloved in every clubhouse he played in. Tanev left the Soviet Union as a teenager and played college baseball at Wichita State, In the 1927 MLB Draft, he was drafted 157^th overall in the fourth round by Memphis. Tanev immediately found success with the Mountain Cats, winning the 1928 Rookie of the Year with 37 home runs, 118 RBI, and 6.3 WAR. In 1932 and 1933, he won the American Association MVP, leading both of those seasons in runs, home runs, RBI, and OPS. He helped Memphis get wild card berths in 1933 and 34 after struggles throughout the 1920s. In seven years with the Mountain Cats, Tanev had 1165 hits, 732 runs, 278 home runs, 830 RBI, .301 average, and 49.1 WAR. Tanev left for free agency for the 1935 season and at age 28, signed an eight-year, $159,600 contract with New Orleans. In their prior 34 seasons, the Mudcats had never made the playoffs, but in his first year there, Tanev led New Orleans to their first World Series title. He won his third MVP, again leading in runs, home runs, RBI, and OPS. In the postseason, he had 17 hits, 8 runs, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI. Instantly, “Frisky” became beloved by the Mudcats fans as a hero. New Orleans made the playoffs thrice more in his tenure, but didn’t again make a big run. Still, Tanev was a beast, winning MVPs in 1936, 1940, and 1941; giving him six for his career. Four of his six Silver Sluggers came with New Orleans, including a career-best 10.7 WAR in 1941. In his run, Tanev had 1384 hits, 814 runs, 287 home runs, 855 RBI, a .318 average, and 51.1 WAR. Late in his run with the Mudcats, he earned his 2500^th hit, 1500^th RBI, and 1500^th run scored. His #7 jersey was the first retired by the franchise. The 36-year old Tanev became a free agent again and signed with Seattle in 1943, where he spent his final three MLB seasons. Injuries and age started to catch up, including a torn PCL that put him out almost all of 1944. He did cross 600 home runs with the Grizzlies, the 6^th player to do so. Tanev spent his final two seasons in CABA with Monterrey. After going unsigned in 1948, Tanev retired from professional baseball at age 42. The final MLB line for Tanev: 2842 hits, 1719 runs, 372 doubles, 208 triples, 616 home runs, 1869 RBI, 966 walks, 380 stolen bases, a .309/.376/.595 slash and 110.1 WAR. He was one of four with 200+ triples at retirement and at retirement, his was fourth all-time in RBI. His .595 slugging percentage was the all-time top mark of the 21^st century. Tanev was well deserving of a near-unanimous first ballot induction. Kent Price – First Baseman – Baltimore Orioles – 92.0% First Ballot Kent Price was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed first baseman from Sea Cliff, a small town on Long Island New York. Price was a terrific contact hitter who added solid reliable home run power with a pretty good eye. He was a poor baserunner and a career first baseman, considered an average to decent defender. Price played college baseball at Western Michigan and was selected second overall in the 1927 MLB Draft by Baltimore. He’d spend his entire 18-year pro career with the Orioles, where he’d become a fan favorite. Price saw an impressive debut by winning Rookie of the Year in 1928 with 35 home runs and 6.1 WAR. He’d win two Silver Sluggers spread out, one in 1933 and the other in 1943. Price never won MVP, but did finish third in 1933. He very rarely was a league leader, but he was an iron man who reliably hit 30-40 home runs, around 100 RBI, and roughly 5-6 WAR. In 1943, he had a career-best 50 home run season at age 36 and in 1932, led the National Association in 142. He became the face of the Orioles, who were almost always above .500 but had trouble breaking through. They finally did in 1939, winning the Eastern League title and ultimately the World Series. In the postseason, he had 20 hits, 7 runs, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI. Unsurprisingly, his #11 uniform would be retired by Baltimore. After his huge 1943 at age 36, he fell off in 1944 and spent 1945 as a bench player. Price was released after the 1945 season and after going unsigned in 1946, retired at the age of 40. The final statistics: 2940 hits, 1604 runs, 418 doubles, 577 home runs, 1707 RBI, 949 walks, a .309/.378/.540 slash and 96.4 WAR. He almost quietly built the Hall of Fame resume by being a consistently solid performer for almost two decades. Any Baltimore fan though would tell you that he was a Hall of Fame talent and indeed he was, picked on the first ballot at 92.0%. Randy Trainor – Staring Pitcher – Kansas City Cougars – 91.0% First Ballot Randy Trainor was a 5’8’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from the small town of Choctaw, part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Despite his smaller stature, Trainor threw hard with velocity in the 98-100 mph range. His movement was good, but his great control was his calling card. Trainor had a six-pitch repertoire with a slider, curveball, forkball, changeup, cutter, and circle change. He was a solid defensive pitcher and for a pitcher, a decent batter with a .198 average and 98 hits. He earned a Silver Slugger in 1937. Trainor played college baseball at Iowa and earned the 11^th overall pick by Kansas City in the 1930 MLB Draft. After limited relief as a rookie, he became a full-time starter for the rest of his career. He finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 1935 and 1936 for the Cougars and in 1937, won the award for the only time in his career. That season finally saw KC break through a more than decade-long playoff drought, winning the National Association title. He had a 2.10 ERA over 30 playoff innings. With Kansas City, he had a 108-63 record, 3.02 ERA, 1392 strikeouts over 1623.1 innings, and 38.3 WAR. Fresh off an award-winning season, Trainor left for free agency and signed a seven-year, $156,800 contract with Calgary at age 28. He finished third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1939 and twice led the American Association in WAR with the Cheetahs. In 1940, Calgary won the AA title and Trainor had a 3.27 ERA over 41.1 innings for 1.6 WAR. Although inducted as a Cougar, his Cheetah run was arguably better. In seven seasons, he had a 120-77 record, 3.35 ERA, 1888 innings, 1227 strikeouts, and 50.9 WAR. Trainor began to struggle in his last year at age 34 in 1944. He was briefly rostered by Houston and San Diego before eventually spending most of the year with Cincinnati’s affiliate in Dayton. At that point, he was washed and retired at age 35. The final line for Trainor: 228-140, 3.20 ERA, 3513.1 innings, 2620 strikeouts and 611 walks, 282/435 quality starts, 179 complete games, and 89.2 WAR. Trainor was a reliably solid starting pitcher for two franchises and perhaps a bit underappreciated in his time. The Hall of Fame voters appreciated him though, adding Trainor on the first ballot to the 1951 class at 91.0%. Isaac Epperson – Third Baseman – Detroit Tigers – 89.1% First Ballot Isaac Epperson was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Lebanon, a small town in central Indiana. Epperson was an excellent contact hitter who regularly put the ball in play, as he rarely walked but also rarely struck out. He had solid gap power and was an excellent doubles hitter who also could get you 15-20 home runs per season. He wasn’t a particular fast baserunner and was exclusively a third baseman defensively, considered an above average to good defender. Epperson was also thought of as an ironman, very rarely missing games due to injury. He stayed in the Midwest by playing college baseball at Akron, then was picked 15^th overall in the 1925 MLB Draft by Detroit. The Tigers were his longest stay of his lengthy career, becoming a full-time starter after his rookie year for the next seven seasons. He won his first Silver Slugger at 1929 and led the National Association in hits with 221 in 1932. That season, the Tigers were NA champs with Epperson getting 26 hits, 12 runs, and 0.7 WAR over their postseason run, falling in the World Series to Jacksonville. With Detroit, he had 1446 hits, 621 runs, 136 home runs, a .325 average, and 42.1 WAR. He was well liked enough in this run that his #2 jersey was the first to be retired by the Tigers. Epperson left for free agency and signed at age 28 with Calgary. He spent 1934-36 with the Cheetahs, winning Silver Sluggers in 1935 and 36. In 1935, Epperson had his highest MVP voting finish at third, winning the batting title at .339. The Cheetahs made it to the American Association Championship series in 1935. Despite his success, Epperson opted out two years early from his Calgary contract, signing with San Diego at age 31 for the 1937 season. His fourth and final Silver Slugger came in his first year with the Seals. Epperson ultimately spent four years with San Diego, struggling immensely in 1940. Fearing his was washed, the Seals traded him to Louisville for the 1941 season. He bounced back with a solid 5.8 WAR year with the Lynx, his last great season. He also spent 1942 with Louisville, where he picked up his 3000^th career hit. Epperson signed with Memphis in 1943 at age 43 and was traded the next year to New Orleans. He spent one season with the Mudcats, then signed for his final year in 1945 with the New York Yankees. In that last season, he crossed 1500 runs scored and 1500 RBI. He became the third player to pass 3500 career hits, retiring third all-time. He also ended with 579 doubles; second most all-time at retirement. The final stats for Epperson: 3551 hits, 1519 runs, 579 doubles, 333 home runs, 1557 RBI, a .310/.338/.457 slash and 86.7 WAR. Epperson was one of the most dependable players in Major League Baseball for 20 seasons and was generally liked by each team and fanbase he met. Even in a loaded four-person Hall of Fame class, Epperson earned a first ballot selection with 89.1% of the vote. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)