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Adam Lewis – Outfielder – Baltimore Orioles – 91.4% First Ballot

Adam Lewis was a 5’7’’, 200 pound left-handed outfielder from New Carrollton, Maryland; a town of around 14,000 located 10 miles east of Washington, D.C. Lewis was an outstanding contact hitter who was the master at putting the ball in play, striking out in only 5.5% of his career at bats. He wasn’t a prolific slugger, but had strong gap power and good pop in his bat, reliably hitting around 30 doubles, 10 triples, and 20-25 home runs when healthy. The stocky Lewis had above average to good speed and unlike a lot of other high contact/low strikeout guys, he still drew walks fairly solidly. The first half of his career was spent primarily in center field with a shift to the corners as he aged, much more so in left than right. Lewis was generally viewed as an above average to good defender. The biggest critique about him was he was perceived to lack loyalty and work ethic.

Lewis went west and played college baseball with UCLA, earning a Silver Slugger in left field as a sophomore. In 146 college games, he had 188 hits, 98 runs, 31 home runs, a .325 average, and 8.7 WAR. He was a top draw for the 1945 MLB Draft and was picked third overall by Baltimore, sending him back to his home state of Maryland. Lewis had an excellent rookie season worth 6.6 WAR and a .353 average, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, he earned his first of six Silver Sluggers and took second in MVP voting with 31 home runs and 110 RBI and 7.7 WAR.

1948 saw a major setback with a torn ligament in his thumb putting Lewis out almost the entire year. Lewis bounced back with a mostly healthy and solid 1949, but lost a large chunk of 1950 to a knee sprain. Still, Baltimore was impressed and signed him to an eight-year, $305,400 deal. 1950 marked Lewis’ debut in the World Baseball Championship for the United States team and he’d play on the squad from 1950-58. Lewis became the first person to win tournament MVP twice, doing it in 1950 and 1951. He won rings with the US team in 1951, 52, 55, 57, and 58; finishing with 268 hits, 173 runs, 52 home runs, 144 RBI, a .331 average, and 11.7 WAR. He was the tournament leader in hits four time and runs thrice.

The 1950s were Lewis best years with eight seasons worth 7+ WAR, as well as the National Association lead in runs twice. In 1952, he won his first MVP. His remaining Silver Sluggers came in 1951, 52, 53, 54, and 55. It was the 1955 season that put Lewis into the record books as he became MLB’s first hitter to have a .400+ average in a season. He hit .402 and was MLB’s only guy to reach the mark until 2026. The season was also worth 12.26 WAR, narrowly beating Elijah Cashman’s 12.25 WAR in 1923 for the best season by a MLB hitter. That remained the top WAR mark until 2012. His 241 hits was one back Sebastian Lunde’s single-season record. Naturally, this year earned him his second MVP.

The Orioles weren’t a contender in his run with only three postseason berths in his tenure and no deep runs. He had a good 1956, but again had injury put him out a month or two. Now 32 years old, Lewis was traded before the 1957 season to Las Vegas for multiple prospects. He had a strong year with the Vipers, who also went one-and-done in the playoffs. Most notably, he hit for the cycle in an April game against Calgary. In total with Baltimore, he had 1876 hits, 930 runs, 267 doubles, 103 triples, 230 home runs, 920 RBI, a .344/.394/.558 slash and 80.1 WAR. The Orioles would go onto retire his #10 uniform as well.

Lewis entered free agency for 1958 and got a big payday from Hartford worth $550,000 over five years. Lewis had a very solid first year with the Huskies, but suffered a torn ACL in September of 1958. This ultimately ended his 1958 and cost him almost all of 1959. Lewis bounced back for the next three years and was a solid starter still, but no longer viewed as elite. He signed with 1963 with Phoenix but struggled, getting cut in late May. Lewis was unsigned until April 1964 with a final season for Tampa, ending his career at age 40.

The final stats for Lewis: 2822 hits, 1419 runs, 393 doubles, 151 triples, 330 home runs, 1365 RBI, a .331/.384/.528 slash and 109.8 WAR. At retirement, he was eighth best among all MLB hitters in career WAR and only John Roberts at .342 had a better batting average to that point. His slugging numbers don’t look out of place at all even with a much smaller home run total than many of his contemporaries. All of this, plus the legendary 1955 season with the .402 average made Lewis a slam dunk with his 91.4% actually seeming a bit low when looking at his resume.



Robert “Renegade” Pimental – Third Base – Las Vegas Vipers – 83.3% First Ballot

Robert Pimental was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from San Diego, California. Nicknamed “Renegade,” he was solid to occasionally great at most facets of hitting. Solid contact, could draw walks respectably and didn’t strike out often, and could get you around 30 home runs and 25-30 doubles consistently. Pimental was fairly durable at a tough position like third base, where he spent the vast majority of time. He was viewed as a very capable, but average defender at third. His speed was merely average and he was considered a very intelligent and loyal player.

Pimental attended Oregon State and played shortstop there, winning Silver Sluggers as a sophomore and junior. In his freshman year, he became the tenth college player to have a four home run game, all solo shots against Central Michigan. With the Beavers in 145 games, he had 160 hits, 93 runs, 37 home runs, and 8.6 WAR. When the 1944 Major League Baseball Draft came along, Pimental was picked 14^th overall by Las Vegas.

Pimental started most of his rookie year and was a full-time starter for his entire career from there on when healthy. He wasn’t a league-leading type, with his only time as a leader was getting 7.5 WAR in 1952. That year had a career high 42 home runs and 116 RBI, giving him one of two Silver Sluggers. The other came in 1949 and he was never a top three finalist for the MVP. Still, Pimental could be counted on to get the job done consistently in the first nine years of his career with Las Vegas.

The Vipers started to be a playoff team at the start of the 1950s, although 1952 were his only payoff appearances with them thanks to late season injuries. Pimental also was a regular for the United States in the World Baseball Championship from 1947-60, starting 210 games with 176 hits, 114 runs, 58 home runs, and 133 RBI. He was a part of world title American teams in 1947, 48, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, and 60; giving him a chance on the big stage despite missing it almost entirely in his MLB run. Pimental entered free agency at age 30 and joined Baltimore for 1954 on a seven-year, $840,000 deal.

Pimental played six years ultimately with the Orioles, posting 983 hits, 538 runs, 177 home runs, 544 RBI, and 37.6 WAR; giving them the same reliable consistency throughout. Baltimore voided the team option final year of the contract and Pimental went back to Las Vegas for 1960. He just missed out on the Vipers 1959 World Series run, as they regressed to mid-tier for the rest of his run. Pimental struggled in 1960, but bounced back with respectable 1961 and 1962 seasons. He continued as the starter in 1963 and 1964 with les sluck, suffering a torn quad late in his final season. Pimental retired at age 40 and had his #3 retired by Las Vegas, finishing up with 2137 hits, 1198 runs, 298 doubles, 402 home runs, 1349 RBI, and 62.8 WAR between his two runs. Fittingly, he crossed the 3000 hit, 1500 run, 500 home run, and 1500 RBI marks with the Vipers.

Pimental’s final total stats saw 3120 hits, 1736 runs, 579 home runs, 1893 RBI, a .291/.357/.499 slash and 100.4 WAR. Despite never being considered an MVP-level guy, he was the 19^th MLB batter to 100+ career WAR and the 33^rd to reach 3000 hits. His RBI total was sneaky high, placing him seventh all-time at retirement and still top 20 as of 2037. A true testament to sustained excellence, but even with the tallies, the lack of accolades meant his first ballot Hall of Fame nod came at only 83.3%. Still, plenty votes to give him his rightful spot.



Eric Lay – Closer/Reliever – Miami Mallards - 78.4% First Ballot

Eirc Lay was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Spartanburg, South Carolina; a city of 40,000 in “The Upstate” and home of Wofford College. Lay was a fireballer with an excellent 98-100 mph fastball mixed with a good slider. His movement was considered solid, but his control was at times erratic. Lay had terrific stamina and durability, meaning he was always ready for whatever role was given.

Lay attended Northern Illinois and was a starter in his college days, posting a 17-17 record over 294.2 innings with a 2.72 ERA, 313 strikeouts, 117 walks, and 8.2 WAR. Despite his stamina, having only two pitches meant MLB teams saw him purely as a potential reliever. Lay was picked in the second round of the 1942 MLB Draft by Miami, 59^th overall. His five years with the Mallards was statistically his strongest run as he was a closer for most of it, posting 124 saves, a 1.92 ERA, and 12.7 WAR. Lay finished second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1946, the closest he got to the award.

Lay pitched in the first World Baseball Championship with the United States in 1947, as well as the 1948 and 1950 editions with a 2.75 ERA in 19.2 innings. He won world titles in 1947 and 1948. After the 1947 season, the bottom-rung Miami squad traded Lay for three players to Jacksonville. His longest tenure was with the Gators going five years and change, holding the closer role initially and a setup role later. He had a 2.48 ERA, 367 strikeouts, 62 saves, and 5.9 WAR. Using him less as his run progressed, Jacksonville traded the now 31-year old Lay midway through 1953 to Toronto.

He spent 1954 as the Timberwolves closer and led the National Association in saves, taking third in Reliever of the Year voting. He joined a small group to have led in saves in both the NA and American Association, having done it in 1945 and 46 with Miami. He left Toronto and signed with Ottawa for 1955 and posted his best season by WAR with 4.6. That was his only year as the closer during the five year stint with the Elks, although he posted a 1.89 ERA and 7.3 WAR. In 1956, he had his lone opportunity pitching in the World Series with Ottawa ultimately dropping the series to San Diego.

In 1960, the 38-year old became the closer for Indianapolis, but had a weak 4.00 ERA. The Racers traded him to Los Angeles for 1961, followed by a 1962 with Washngton. The Admirals traded him to Omaha for 1963 and he was used one last time as a closer, crossing 350 saves with the Hawks. In 1964, he spent part of the year with Louisville, but was cut in the summer. Lay closed 1964 and his career in minor league Lafayette, retiring at age 42.

Lay’s final stats: 356 saves and 471 shutdowns, 2.27 ERA, 995 games, 1234 innings, 1496 strikeouts, 497 walks, a FIP- of 71, and 34.0 WAR. As of 2037, he has the fourth most games pitched in MLB history and logged more innings than any other Hall of Fame reliever. His strikeout and ERA numbers aren’t out of place compared to some of the other relievers that eventually got in, although he didn’t have any major awards or was ever viewed as particularly dominant like some of the others. Still, 350 saves seemed to be a magic number in the eyes of many of the voters and Lay not only made it in, but did so on the first ballot at 78.4%.