OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 09-27-2023, 06:49 PM

The 1978 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot saw three players earn induction. Two of them were no-doubt first ballot selections with SP Parker Harpaz at 99.3% and 1B Herve Bouchard at 98.7%. Joining them in the class was 1B Ric Campbell, who gained enough on his third ballot to get to 73.2% and cross the 66% threshold. Seven other players were above 50%, but still below 60%.

Among the players dropped after ten failed attempts on the ballot were closer Cameron Gatley. In 17 years mostly with Boston, he had 351 saves, 2.76 ERA, 1106 strikeouts, 1057 innings, and 24.6 WAR with one Reliever of the Year. The save number has gotten others into MLB’s Hall, but Gatley’s lack of relative dominance meant he peaked at 29.6% on his second ballot before ending at 9.1%.

Catcher Robin Peyerk also was dropped, ending at 9.1% after peaking at 40.5% on his second try. In 18 years mostly with New York and Calgary, he won two Silver Sluggers and had 1821 hits, 938 runs, 244 home runs, 932 RIB, a .272/.347/.436 slash and 57.0 WAR. A solid run, but the bar is so tough for catchers with even stronger resumes getting ignored, so Peyerk didn’t have a chance. Elliot Manning also fell off ending at 3% after peaking at 22.4%. He had a 22 year career with 18 years in MLB, posting 2198 hits, 1480 runs, 536 home runs, 1455 RBI, a .261/.356/.499 slash and 77.3 WAR. He ended up with nice totals, but he was an accumulator with only one Silver Slugger.

Parker Harpaz – Starting Pitcher – Miami Mallards- 99.3% First Ballot

Parker Harpaz was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from White Hall, Arkansas, a small town of around 5,000 people in the southeast of the state. Harpaz was a flamethrower who also had excellent control with decent movement. He only had three pitches, but a 99-101 mph cutter, curveball, and changeup was more than enough for him to dominate. Harpaz was also an ironman who almost never missed a start in his 20 year career, starting in 32+ games in all but one season. Not only did Harpaz rarely miss starts, he also regularly went deep into games and averaged around 15-20 complete games each season.

Harpaz went to Northwestern University for his college career and as a junior, won NCAA Pitcher of the Year with a 1.21 ERA and 7.0 WAR over 112 innings with 148 strikeouts. He posted a 2.03 ERA over 318.2 innings with 353 strikeouts and 15.0 WAR in his college career. This made Harpaz a prized prospect in the 1952 Major League Baseball Draft and Miami selected him first overall. He became a full time starter immediately with 263 innings and 6.8 WAR in his debut season, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting.

The Mallards were a bottom tier franchise throughout most of the 1950s, never sniffing the postseason. Harpaz was steady, leading the American Association in strikeouts twice, innings pitched twice, complete games twice, and WAR twice. Despite a career best 10.0 WAR and 301 strikeout season in 1957, he wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist. He’d finally get noticed and win the award in 1960, leading the AA with 8.0 WAR and seven shutouts.

This came in the final season of his first tenure in Miami, as Harpaz opted out of his contract and entered free agency at age 29. He cashed in with Calgary on a seven-year, $1,070,000 deal. The Cheetahs were a contender in the early 1960s and Harpaz was an ace for them, winning Pitcher of the Year for the second time in 1963 and finishing second in 1962’s voting. However, Calgary had early exits each year and Harpaz stunk in the playoffs, posting an 8.61 ERA in 23 innings. In four regular seasons though, he had an 84-34 record, 3.20 ERA, 1164 innings, 991 strikeouts, and 32.2 WAR.

Harpaz’ playoff struggles were a bit of a surprise considering he had been a very successful pitcher for the United States in the World Baseball Championship. He was a part of ten championship teams from 1954-68 and posted a 42-9 record and 3.04 ERA over 470.2 innings with 670 strikeouts and 12.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s the tournament’s all-time leader in wins, starts, and innings pitched. This run in particular made Harpaz very well known, even if had somewhat been overlooked during his years on bad Miami teams early on.

After four seasons with Calgary, he opted out of the contract and became a free agent for the 1965 season. Now 33-years old, Harpaz signed a five-year, $1,030,000 deal with Las Vegas. He ultimately played four years with the Vipers and helped them to the playoffs twice, although they also had early exits and his postseason numbers were unremarkable. He led the American Association in WAR in 1966, but wasn’t an awards finalist in the run. Harpaz posted a 70-53 record, 3.44 ERA, 1135.2 innings, 906 strikeouts, and 28.1 WAR. While there, he became MLB’s sixth pitcher to reach 300 career wins.

His last season with Las Vegas saw fairly middling stats and the Vipers traded him for the 1969 to San Diego. Harpaz spent one okay season with the Seals, even getting relegated out of the main rotation. A free agent again at age 38, he signed back with Miami for the 1970 season. That first year back with the Mallards saw a resurgence with his first sub-three ERA season in almost a decade. This earned him second place voting in Pitcher of the Year voting and Miami made the playoffs, although he struggled in one start. His final playoff numbers saw a lousy 6.84 ERA in 50 innings.

Still, his steady innings had allowed him to compile impressive numbers in his run with 15 seasons worth 6+ WAR and all but one season with 250+ innings. Harpaz’s Miami return lasted three solid seasons and allowed him to pass Ned Giles’ mark of 356 for the most wins by a MLB pitcher and to make him the world leader. His final tally of 361 remains MLB’s all-time mark as of 2037 and only would finally get passed for a combined pro career in 2025.

Having crossed the major milestone, Harpaz retired after the 1972 season at age 40. He had considered coming back to chase the strikeout record of Newton Persaud (4655), but opted to end second at 4586. Miami decided to retire his #35 uniform soon after with his combined Mallards run seeing a 195-151 record, 3.41 ERA, 3103 innings, 2547 strikeouts and 77.6 WAR.

Harpaz’s final overall stats: 361-247 record, 3.38 ERA, 688 games and 686 starts, 5606 innings, 4586 strikeouts to 1053 walks, 410 quality starts, 355 complete games, 58 shutouts, a FIP- of 78, and 141.8 WAR. He also retired and remains MLB’s leader in complete games. He was first in innings pitched at retirement and second as of 2037. As of 2037, Harpaz is fourth in pitching WAR and fifth in strikeouts. The longevity also means he allowed more hits (5465) than any other professional pitcher, but he managed to retire outside of the MLB top ten in losses. Harpaz isn’t considered by many as MLB’s most dominant pitcher ever, but his tenure makes him an all-time great and an easy first ballot pick at 99.3%.

Herve Bouchard – First Base – Ottawa Elks – 98.7% First Ballot

Herve Bouchard was a 6’6’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Richmond Hill, Ontario; a city of around 200,000 people within the greater Toronto area. At his peak, he was one of the most complete hitters ever with great contact skills, solid power, and an elite eye. Bouchard was an all-timer at drawing walks and working counts in his favor. He had consistent home run power, averaging around 35-45 dingers when healthy. Bouchard also got you around 20-30 doubles per year, although he didn’t have much speed to leg out additional bases. He spent his entire career at first base and was viewed as a fairly average defender. Bouchard was considered a hard working spark plug, making him a very popular player in his tenure.

Bouchard came to America and played college baseball for Washington. He had an amazing debut for the Huskies, winning the NCAA MVP award. He took third in 1951 and won Silver Sluggers both seasons. In 149 games for Washington, he had 175 hits, 111 runs, 59 home runs, 128 RBI, a .340/.461/.733 slash and 13.1 WAR. In the 1951 Major League Baseball Draft, Bouchard was selected 35^th overall by Ottawa. He’d ultimately spend his entire professional career with the Elks.

Ottawa knew they made a great choice immediately, as Bouchard posted 5.6 WAR in only 110 starts as a rookie, winning National Association Rookie of the Year. In his third season, he led the NA in runs (123), home runs (47), and RBI (120), earning his first Silver Slugger and a third place finish in MVP voting. He’d win additional Sluggers in 1956, 58, 62, 66, and 68. Bouchard led in runs scored four times, home runs thrice, and walks drawn four times. 1956 was his banner season as the WARlord (9.7) and leader in the triple slash (.343/.443/.620). This earned him the MVP, ultimately his only time winning the big ward. He’d take third in 1966, but would be just outside the race the rest of his run.

The Elks became a regular contender soon after Bouchard’s arrival, making the playoffs seven times between 1954-61. Ottawa would be plagued by early exits most of the years, but in 1956, they made it all the way to the World Series before falling to the San Diego dynasty. They missed the field from 1962-64, but got back in four more times between 1965-70. In 1965, Ottawa won it all by beating Memphis in the Fall Classic. This gave Bouchard his lone World Series ring. In 64 playoff starts in his career, he had 62 hits, 35 runs, 18 home runs, 41 RBI, a .265/.365/.526 slash and 2.6 WAR.

Bouchard also became a popular figure in Canadian baseball due to his 292 games and 252 starts in the World Baseball Championship from 1952-71. He was a MVP finalist three times (1954, 59, 67) and won tournament MVP in 1959 with 15 home runs, 32 hits, and 23 runs in 26 games. Canada won three world titles with Bouchard, who posted 271 hits, 198 runs, 40 doubles, 98 home runs, 203 RBI, 174 walks, a .297/.411/.668 slash and 17.2 WAR in the tournament. At retirement, he was the WBC home run career leader and is still third as of 2037. Bouchard remains fifth in hits, runs, and WAR; plus fourth in walks. Unsurprisingly, he’s Canada’s all-time leader in each of those stats.

Bouchard was fairly durable in the front half of his career, but had some major injuries slow him down at points. Hand breaks kept him out half of 1961 and a fractured knee knocked him out much of 1964. He bounced back in the late 1960s, including a 48 home run, 120 RBI, 117 run season with a career best 112 walks in 1968 at age 36. This was his last great year as he declined a bit in 1969, then couldn’t stay healthy in the three remaining years. 1971 saw a ruptured MCL derail him most of the season. He attempted a comeback in 1972 but only made 15 plate appearances before being released by Ottawa that summer. Bouchard would go unsigned the rest of the season, retiring that winter at age 41. There was no hard feelings though with the franchise with the Elks immediately retiring his #13 uniform.

The final stats for Bouchard: 2614 hits, 1560 runs, 416 doubles, 583 home runs, 1632 RBI, 1470 walks, a .298/.398/.551 slash, wRC+ of 177 and 107.0 WAR. At retirement, he was one of 21 MLB hitters with 100+ career WAR and sits 35^th on the leaderboard as of 2037. He’s not at the tip top of the statistical leaders, but has very solid numbers across the board. Most notably, his .398 career OBP was third best among MLB Hall of Famers at retirement and is still top ten years later. Bouchard was certainly an obvious Hall of Fame pick, getting the induction with 98.7% of the vote.

Ric Campbell – First Baseman – Montreal Maples – 73.2% Third Ballot

Ric Campbell was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Norman, Oklahoma; a city of around 128,000 best known as the home of the University of Oklahoma. Campbell was known as a great contact hitter who was solid at avoiding strikeouts and decent at drawing walks. He had consistent reliable power for around 35 home runs and 25-30 doubles in his full seasons. Campbell was a slow baserunner and a career first baseman with poor defense. He was a team captain though, known for great leadership skills and work ethic, making him a very popular player in his signature run.

Campbell was viewed as having excellent upside out of Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City and received attention by scouts. Some thought the Norman-native might play for the Sooners in college, but he was selected out of high school ninth overall by Kansas City in the 1949 MLB Draft. Campbell was a rare teenager in the minor leagues and struggled in his first year for the Topeka affiliate, but he showed his potential in the next two seasons and got called up at age 20 in 1952. Campbell’s first five years with the Cougars was in a reserve and pinch hitting role primarily.

Campbell finally became a full-time starter in 1957 at age 25 and posted a career-best 41 home runs. He started one more year with Kansas City, finishing his time there with 622 hits, 339 runs, 115 home runs, 331 RBI, a .317/.393/.543 slash and 19.3 WAR. He was now up for free agency and signed an eight-year, $1,019,000 deal with Montreal. His time with the Maples would be his signature run.

With Montreal, he was a steady starter for eight seasons, starting 148+ games each year with 5+ WAR and 30+ home runs every season. His best year saw 7.8 WAR and a National Association best 120 RBI in 1961. Campbell was never an MVP finalist though and rarely a league leader. He did win three Silver Sluggers (1960, 61, 63), not an easy task at a position like first base with competition from fellow Hall of Fame classmate Herve Bouchard and others.

The Maples made the playoffs thrice in his tenure, but never made a deep run. In total with Montreal, Campbell had 1434 hits, 778 runs, 228 home runs, a .307/.377/.548 slash and 49.0 WAR. He was well liked enough that this eight year tenure led to his #23 uniform being retired by the Maples. When his contract came up in 1967, the now 35-year old Campbell signed a three-year deal with Omaha.

His power dropped a bit with the Hawks, but he was still a respectable starter there with 438 hits, 245 runs, 70 home runs, 200 RBI, a .285/.360/.475 slash and 12.3 WAR. He also got to play the only time in his career in the NACS in 1967. At age 38, Campbell signed with Las Vegas for the 1970 season. He was still decent when healthy, but missed half the season to various injuries. The Vipers let him go just before the start of the 1971 season and Campbell retired that winter after going unsigned at age 40.

Campbell’s final stats: 2583 hits, 1401 runs, 396 doubles, 486 home runs, 1405 RBI, a .305/.377/.532 slash, wRC+ of 163, and 82.1 WAR. Very solid, but not eye-popping. Similar stats hadn’t been a guarantee of induction in the past, especially at first base where big batting numbers especially are expected. Campbell also lacked big awards or a signature playoff run. This hurt him in his first two ballots, although he still received respectable tallies of 62.85% and 63.5%. In his third go, he got the bump above the 66% threshold, earning his spot among MLB’s greats at 73.2%.

09-27-2023, 06:49 PM	#609
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,925	1978 MLB Hall of Fame The 1978 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot saw three players earn induction. Two of them were no-doubt first ballot selections with SP Parker Harpaz at 99.3% and 1B Herve Bouchard at 98.7%. Joining them in the class was 1B Ric Campbell, who gained enough on his third ballot to get to 73.2% and cross the 66% threshold. Seven other players were above 50%, but still below 60%. Among the players dropped after ten failed attempts on the ballot were closer Cameron Gatley. In 17 years mostly with Boston, he had 351 saves, 2.76 ERA, 1106 strikeouts, 1057 innings, and 24.6 WAR with one Reliever of the Year. The save number has gotten others into MLB’s Hall, but Gatley’s lack of relative dominance meant he peaked at 29.6% on his second ballot before ending at 9.1%. Catcher Robin Peyerk also was dropped, ending at 9.1% after peaking at 40.5% on his second try. In 18 years mostly with New York and Calgary, he won two Silver Sluggers and had 1821 hits, 938 runs, 244 home runs, 932 RIB, a .272/.347/.436 slash and 57.0 WAR. A solid run, but the bar is so tough for catchers with even stronger resumes getting ignored, so Peyerk didn’t have a chance. Elliot Manning also fell off ending at 3% after peaking at 22.4%. He had a 22 year career with 18 years in MLB, posting 2198 hits, 1480 runs, 536 home runs, 1455 RBI, a .261/.356/.499 slash and 77.3 WAR. He ended up with nice totals, but he was an accumulator with only one Silver Slugger. Parker Harpaz – Starting Pitcher – Miami Mallards- 99.3% First Ballot Parker Harpaz was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from White Hall, Arkansas, a small town of around 5,000 people in the southeast of the state. Harpaz was a flamethrower who also had excellent control with decent movement. He only had three pitches, but a 99-101 mph cutter, curveball, and changeup was more than enough for him to dominate. Harpaz was also an ironman who almost never missed a start in his 20 year career, starting in 32+ games in all but one season. Not only did Harpaz rarely miss starts, he also regularly went deep into games and averaged around 15-20 complete games each season. Harpaz went to Northwestern University for his college career and as a junior, won NCAA Pitcher of the Year with a 1.21 ERA and 7.0 WAR over 112 innings with 148 strikeouts. He posted a 2.03 ERA over 318.2 innings with 353 strikeouts and 15.0 WAR in his college career. This made Harpaz a prized prospect in the 1952 Major League Baseball Draft and Miami selected him first overall. He became a full time starter immediately with 263 innings and 6.8 WAR in his debut season, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. The Mallards were a bottom tier franchise throughout most of the 1950s, never sniffing the postseason. Harpaz was steady, leading the American Association in strikeouts twice, innings pitched twice, complete games twice, and WAR twice. Despite a career best 10.0 WAR and 301 strikeout season in 1957, he wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist. He’d finally get noticed and win the award in 1960, leading the AA with 8.0 WAR and seven shutouts. This came in the final season of his first tenure in Miami, as Harpaz opted out of his contract and entered free agency at age 29. He cashed in with Calgary on a seven-year, $1,070,000 deal. The Cheetahs were a contender in the early 1960s and Harpaz was an ace for them, winning Pitcher of the Year for the second time in 1963 and finishing second in 1962’s voting. However, Calgary had early exits each year and Harpaz stunk in the playoffs, posting an 8.61 ERA in 23 innings. In four regular seasons though, he had an 84-34 record, 3.20 ERA, 1164 innings, 991 strikeouts, and 32.2 WAR. Harpaz’ playoff struggles were a bit of a surprise considering he had been a very successful pitcher for the United States in the World Baseball Championship. He was a part of ten championship teams from 1954-68 and posted a 42-9 record and 3.04 ERA over 470.2 innings with 670 strikeouts and 12.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s the tournament’s all-time leader in wins, starts, and innings pitched. This run in particular made Harpaz very well known, even if had somewhat been overlooked during his years on bad Miami teams early on. After four seasons with Calgary, he opted out of the contract and became a free agent for the 1965 season. Now 33-years old, Harpaz signed a five-year, $1,030,000 deal with Las Vegas. He ultimately played four years with the Vipers and helped them to the playoffs twice, although they also had early exits and his postseason numbers were unremarkable. He led the American Association in WAR in 1966, but wasn’t an awards finalist in the run. Harpaz posted a 70-53 record, 3.44 ERA, 1135.2 innings, 906 strikeouts, and 28.1 WAR. While there, he became MLB’s sixth pitcher to reach 300 career wins. His last season with Las Vegas saw fairly middling stats and the Vipers traded him for the 1969 to San Diego. Harpaz spent one okay season with the Seals, even getting relegated out of the main rotation. A free agent again at age 38, he signed back with Miami for the 1970 season. That first year back with the Mallards saw a resurgence with his first sub-three ERA season in almost a decade. This earned him second place voting in Pitcher of the Year voting and Miami made the playoffs, although he struggled in one start. His final playoff numbers saw a lousy 6.84 ERA in 50 innings. Still, his steady innings had allowed him to compile impressive numbers in his run with 15 seasons worth 6+ WAR and all but one season with 250+ innings. Harpaz’s Miami return lasted three solid seasons and allowed him to pass Ned Giles’ mark of 356 for the most wins by a MLB pitcher and to make him the world leader. His final tally of 361 remains MLB’s all-time mark as of 2037 and only would finally get passed for a combined pro career in 2025. Having crossed the major milestone, Harpaz retired after the 1972 season at age 40. He had considered coming back to chase the strikeout record of Newton Persaud (4655), but opted to end second at 4586. Miami decided to retire his #35 uniform soon after with his combined Mallards run seeing a 195-151 record, 3.41 ERA, 3103 innings, 2547 strikeouts and 77.6 WAR. Harpaz’s final overall stats: 361-247 record, 3.38 ERA, 688 games and 686 starts, 5606 innings, 4586 strikeouts to 1053 walks, 410 quality starts, 355 complete games, 58 shutouts, a FIP- of 78, and 141.8 WAR. He also retired and remains MLB’s leader in complete games. He was first in innings pitched at retirement and second as of 2037. As of 2037, Harpaz is fourth in pitching WAR and fifth in strikeouts. The longevity also means he allowed more hits (5465) than any other professional pitcher, but he managed to retire outside of the MLB top ten in losses. Harpaz isn’t considered by many as MLB’s most dominant pitcher ever, but his tenure makes him an all-time great and an easy first ballot pick at 99.3%. Herve Bouchard – First Base – Ottawa Elks – 98.7% First Ballot Herve Bouchard was a 6’6’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Richmond Hill, Ontario; a city of around 200,000 people within the greater Toronto area. At his peak, he was one of the most complete hitters ever with great contact skills, solid power, and an elite eye. Bouchard was an all-timer at drawing walks and working counts in his favor. He had consistent home run power, averaging around 35-45 dingers when healthy. Bouchard also got you around 20-30 doubles per year, although he didn’t have much speed to leg out additional bases. He spent his entire career at first base and was viewed as a fairly average defender. Bouchard was considered a hard working spark plug, making him a very popular player in his tenure. Bouchard came to America and played college baseball for Washington. He had an amazing debut for the Huskies, winning the NCAA MVP award. He took third in 1951 and won Silver Sluggers both seasons. In 149 games for Washington, he had 175 hits, 111 runs, 59 home runs, 128 RBI, a .340/.461/.733 slash and 13.1 WAR. In the 1951 Major League Baseball Draft, Bouchard was selected 35^th overall by Ottawa. He’d ultimately spend his entire professional career with the Elks. Ottawa knew they made a great choice immediately, as Bouchard posted 5.6 WAR in only 110 starts as a rookie, winning National Association Rookie of the Year. In his third season, he led the NA in runs (123), home runs (47), and RBI (120), earning his first Silver Slugger and a third place finish in MVP voting. He’d win additional Sluggers in 1956, 58, 62, 66, and 68. Bouchard led in runs scored four times, home runs thrice, and walks drawn four times. 1956 was his banner season as the WARlord (9.7) and leader in the triple slash (.343/.443/.620). This earned him the MVP, ultimately his only time winning the big ward. He’d take third in 1966, but would be just outside the race the rest of his run. The Elks became a regular contender soon after Bouchard’s arrival, making the playoffs seven times between 1954-61. Ottawa would be plagued by early exits most of the years, but in 1956, they made it all the way to the World Series before falling to the San Diego dynasty. They missed the field from 1962-64, but got back in four more times between 1965-70. In 1965, Ottawa won it all by beating Memphis in the Fall Classic. This gave Bouchard his lone World Series ring. In 64 playoff starts in his career, he had 62 hits, 35 runs, 18 home runs, 41 RBI, a .265/.365/.526 slash and 2.6 WAR. Bouchard also became a popular figure in Canadian baseball due to his 292 games and 252 starts in the World Baseball Championship from 1952-71. He was a MVP finalist three times (1954, 59, 67) and won tournament MVP in 1959 with 15 home runs, 32 hits, and 23 runs in 26 games. Canada won three world titles with Bouchard, who posted 271 hits, 198 runs, 40 doubles, 98 home runs, 203 RBI, 174 walks, a .297/.411/.668 slash and 17.2 WAR in the tournament. At retirement, he was the WBC home run career leader and is still third as of 2037. Bouchard remains fifth in hits, runs, and WAR; plus fourth in walks. Unsurprisingly, he’s Canada’s all-time leader in each of those stats. Bouchard was fairly durable in the front half of his career, but had some major injuries slow him down at points. Hand breaks kept him out half of 1961 and a fractured knee knocked him out much of 1964. He bounced back in the late 1960s, including a 48 home run, 120 RBI, 117 run season with a career best 112 walks in 1968 at age 36. This was his last great year as he declined a bit in 1969, then couldn’t stay healthy in the three remaining years. 1971 saw a ruptured MCL derail him most of the season. He attempted a comeback in 1972 but only made 15 plate appearances before being released by Ottawa that summer. Bouchard would go unsigned the rest of the season, retiring that winter at age 41. There was no hard feelings though with the franchise with the Elks immediately retiring his #13 uniform. The final stats for Bouchard: 2614 hits, 1560 runs, 416 doubles, 583 home runs, 1632 RBI, 1470 walks, a .298/.398/.551 slash, wRC+ of 177 and 107.0 WAR. At retirement, he was one of 21 MLB hitters with 100+ career WAR and sits 35^th on the leaderboard as of 2037. He’s not at the tip top of the statistical leaders, but has very solid numbers across the board. Most notably, his .398 career OBP was third best among MLB Hall of Famers at retirement and is still top ten years later. Bouchard was certainly an obvious Hall of Fame pick, getting the induction with 98.7% of the vote. Ric Campbell – First Baseman – Montreal Maples – 73.2% Third Ballot Ric Campbell was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Norman, Oklahoma; a city of around 128,000 best known as the home of the University of Oklahoma. Campbell was known as a great contact hitter who was solid at avoiding strikeouts and decent at drawing walks. He had consistent reliable power for around 35 home runs and 25-30 doubles in his full seasons. Campbell was a slow baserunner and a career first baseman with poor defense. He was a team captain though, known for great leadership skills and work ethic, making him a very popular player in his signature run. Campbell was viewed as having excellent upside out of Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City and received attention by scouts. Some thought the Norman-native might play for the Sooners in college, but he was selected out of high school ninth overall by Kansas City in the 1949 MLB Draft. Campbell was a rare teenager in the minor leagues and struggled in his first year for the Topeka affiliate, but he showed his potential in the next two seasons and got called up at age 20 in 1952. Campbell’s first five years with the Cougars was in a reserve and pinch hitting role primarily. Campbell finally became a full-time starter in 1957 at age 25 and posted a career-best 41 home runs. He started one more year with Kansas City, finishing his time there with 622 hits, 339 runs, 115 home runs, 331 RBI, a .317/.393/.543 slash and 19.3 WAR. He was now up for free agency and signed an eight-year, $1,019,000 deal with Montreal. His time with the Maples would be his signature run. With Montreal, he was a steady starter for eight seasons, starting 148+ games each year with 5+ WAR and 30+ home runs every season. His best year saw 7.8 WAR and a National Association best 120 RBI in 1961. Campbell was never an MVP finalist though and rarely a league leader. He did win three Silver Sluggers (1960, 61, 63), not an easy task at a position like first base with competition from fellow Hall of Fame classmate Herve Bouchard and others. The Maples made the playoffs thrice in his tenure, but never made a deep run. In total with Montreal, Campbell had 1434 hits, 778 runs, 228 home runs, a .307/.377/.548 slash and 49.0 WAR. He was well liked enough that this eight year tenure led to his #23 uniform being retired by the Maples. When his contract came up in 1967, the now 35-year old Campbell signed a three-year deal with Omaha. His power dropped a bit with the Hawks, but he was still a respectable starter there with 438 hits, 245 runs, 70 home runs, 200 RBI, a .285/.360/.475 slash and 12.3 WAR. He also got to play the only time in his career in the NACS in 1967. At age 38, Campbell signed with Las Vegas for the 1970 season. He was still decent when healthy, but missed half the season to various injuries. The Vipers let him go just before the start of the 1971 season and Campbell retired that winter after going unsigned at age 40. Campbell’s final stats: 2583 hits, 1401 runs, 396 doubles, 486 home runs, 1405 RBI, a .305/.377/.532 slash, wRC+ of 163, and 82.1 WAR. Very solid, but not eye-popping. Similar stats hadn’t been a guarantee of induction in the past, especially at first base where big batting numbers especially are expected. Campbell also lacked big awards or a signature playoff run. This hurt him in his first two ballots, although he still received respectable tallies of 62.85% and 63.5%. In his third go, he got the bump above the 66% threshold, earning his spot among MLB’s greats at 73.2%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)