[FuzzyRussianHat]

Pitcher Samuel Dao was the lone addition in 1994 into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Dao earned the spot in his ballot debut at 84.5%. Catcher Russ Spratt was the closest to joining him, falling short of the 66% requirement with 60.8% on his ninth try. Four others were above 50% with SP Joseph Ashcraft at 55.7% in his tenth try, 1B Kymani Massey at 54.1% for his second, 1B Jonah Mabile at 52.2% in his debut, and LF Xiandong He at 51.6% for his second go.



For Ashcraft, he typically was in the 40-50% range for his tries, although he was as high at 57.9% in 1993. He had a 17-year career between Washington and Montreal, posting a 156-130 record, 2.77 ERA, 2785 innings, 2636 strikeouts, 77 FIP-, and 70.5 WAR. Ashcraft had the rate stats, but injury woes dented his accumulations and longevity severely. While his best years were quite good, he also never won the top award or had playoff opportunities. Thus, Ashcraft was banished to the Hall of Very Good.

Two others fell off the ballot following ten attempts. Closer Mason Huntsberry peaked at 49.1% in his eighth ballot and ended at 38.6%. For his MLB run, he had 338 saves, 2.46 ERA, 970.2 innings, 1015 strikeouts, and 26.2 WAR. There are arguably guys who got the nod with weaker resumes, but Huntsberry also never won Reliever of the Year of had any notably dominant seasons.

Also dropped was LF Hideo Hosoya, who peaked at 35.7% in 1990 and was as low as 10.4%. He led the league in hits three times and doubles twice, posting 2572 hits, 1148 runs, 496 doubles, 260 home runs, 1252 RBI, a .322/.355/.491 slash, 125 wRC+, and 46.7 WAR. Hosoya picked up a lot of hits in only a 14 year run, but he lacked the power numbers expected from a corner outfielder and only won Silver Slugger once.



Samuel “Dangerous” Dao – Starting Pitcher – Tampa Thunderbirds – 84.5% First Ballot

Samuel Dao was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Shreveport, Louisiana; the state’s third-most populous city with around 185,000 people. He was known as “Dangerous Dao” for his impressive ability to get strikeouts. Dao was graded as having 10/10 stuff in his peak despite having only 93-95 mph peak velocity. Still, he had an incredible fastball and curveball, along with a strong forkball and occasional changeup. His movement and control were considered above average. Dao was quite durable and had an incredible work ethic.

Dao attended the University of Tennessee and was part of their 1970 National Championship season. In three years as a Volunteer, Dao had an 18-6 record, 2.02 ERA, 236.1 innings, 304 strikeouts, and 9.4 WAR. His strikeout ability and knack for changing speeds and fooling hitters made him one of the premier pitching prospects for the 1972 MLB Draft. Dao would get picked 10^th overall by Tampa and pitched 190.2 innings with very solid results as a rookie. He’d throw 225+ innings each year for the remaining 15 years of his career.

Dao was a solid starter in his Thunderbirds run, leading the American Association four times in strikeouts and in three consecutive years from 1976-78. He won Pitcher of the Year once, taking the award in 1977 with 284 strikeouts, a 19-7 record, 2.71 ERA, and 6.6 WAR. You could argue it wasn’t even his best season with six Tampa seasons seeing 6+ WAR. Dao was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 1981 and 1982.

The Thunderbirds had some success with a wild card in 1976 and the Southern League title in 1977. Both years ended with first round playoff exits. With Dao, they were also a division champ in 1982, but did nothing in the postseason. His playoff numbers were decent with a 3.64 ERA over four starts, 29.2 innings, and 30 strikeouts. 1982 would be his final season in Florida, although he left enough of an impression to later see his #9 uniform retired. With Tampa, Dao had a 164-103 record, 3.21 ERA, 2538.2 innings, 2535 strikeouts, 765 walks, and 61.7 WAR.

At age 31, Dao was a free agent for the first time. New York signed him to a six-year, $6,960,000 deal. While still a respectable part of the rotation, he was never quite as good with the Yankees as his prime days in Tampa. Dao spent four seasons ultimately in the Bronx, posting a 45-56 record, 3.39 ERA, 992 innings, 940 strikeouts, and 19.3 WAR. The Yankees were middling at this point and decided to trade Dao with two years left on his big deal. He was shipped to Philadelphia in November 1986 for veteran RF Benny Frankel and two prospects.

Dao didn’t pitch an inning with the Phillies, who were underwhelmed with his spring training efforts. He was cut in late March and looking for work at age 35. Dao signed a one-year, $1,460,000 deal with Winnipeg in early April and became the 19^th MLB pitcher to reach 3500 career strikeouts while with the Wolves. He had again respectable stats, but the expansion Winnipeg team were sellers at the trade deadline. Dao was sent to Montreal in a four-player deal.

The Maples were in the playoff hunt and Dao gave them another arm to go to. He was average, but played a small role in Montreal winning the National Association pennant. They fell to Calgary in the World Series, but Dao would make six starts in the playoff run with a 4.04 ERA over 42.1 innings, 2-3 record, and 37 strikeouts.

Dao was 36 years old at this point and again a free agent. Las Vegas saw some long-term hope in him, inking a three-year, $4,720,000 deal. Dao still reliably ate innings, but posted career lows in most statistical categories. He was still just decent enough to probably maintain a roster spot if he wanted, but Dao opted to retire at age 36.

Dao’s final stats: 244-181 record, 3.33 ERA, 4027.2 innings, 3931 strikeouts, 1191 walks, 330/517 quality starts, 84 FIP-, and 88.4 WAR. He wasn’t generally considered among the absolute elite as an all-around pitcher, but his longevity and strikeout ability gave him a solid career. As of 2037, Dao is still 12^th all-time in MLB strikeouts. His 88.3 WAR ranks 67^th among all of MLB’s pitchers. This was enough for the voters to place Dao in with a solid 84.5% as the lone member of the 1994 MLB Hall of Fame class.