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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-15-2024, 03:40 AM

Two players picked up inductions into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame class for 1997. 1B Joziah Perry was a no-doubter, getting 97.9% in his debut. Joining him was closer Devin Ivey, who barely crossed the 66% requirement with 68.2% for his third attempt. LF Aiden Hertlein missed out by about as thin of a margin possible at 65.8% in his third ballot. 1B Aranha Carlos also came very close at 64.3% for his second try. Three others were above 50% with 1B Kymani Massey at 59.5% in his fifth ballot, 2B Cade Parker at 57.7% for his debut, and 1B Jonah Mabile at 52.3% for his fourth attempt.

RF Bentlee Fleming was the lone player to fall off the ballot after ten tries, ending at 41.7%. The Winnipeg native stayed in the low 40% range consistently during his ballots. A 16-year veteran primarily with Vancouver, he won Silver Slugger once and posted 2559 hits, 1442 runs, 338 doubles, 471 home runs, 1427 RBI, a .282/.351/.485 slash, and 63.1 WAR. Fleming was never a top guy though and mostly played on weaker teams, thus the banishment to the Hall of Very Good.

Joziah “Mirror” Perry – First Base/Designated Hitter – San Francisco Gold Rush – 97.9% First Ballot

Joziah Perry was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Hawthorne, California; a city of around 88,000 within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Perry was one of the best pure hitters in his prime, combining great contract, power, and eye. He was great at avoiding strikeouts and always made very hard contact, averaging around 40 home runs and another 40 doubles/triples per year. Perry was faster than you’d think with his big frame, but he was a lackluster baserunner. His career was split almost evenly between first base and designated hitter, as he was a mediocre defender. Perry was very durable and stayed loyal to San Francisco in his career, becoming extremely popular in the Bay.

Perry stayed in California for his entire baseball career and attended college close to home at UCLA. As a Bruin in three seasons, he had 143 starts, 206 hits, 131 runs, 30 doubles, 71 home runs, 164 RBI, a .367/.439/.820 slash, and 14.7 WAR. Perry was the seventh player in college baseball history to win NCAA MVP twice, doing it as a freshman in 1972 and as a junior in 1974. He also won Silver Sluggers in both years. Naturally, this made Perry a big prize for the 1974 MLB Draft. With the ninth overall pick, San Francisco selected Perry and immediately gave him a four-year, $1,860,000 major league deal; a rare get for a prospect.

Perry was immediately a full-timer and started all 162 games in his rookie year of 1975, running away with Rookie of the Year and leading the American Association in total bases. He’d be a starter his entire run with the Gold Rush, only occasionally missing time to injury. Perry led the AA in runs scored thrice, hits four times, doubles twice, triples once, home runs thrice, RBI twice, total bases seven times, average once, slugging five times, OPS four times, wRC+ six times, and WAR thrice.

Perry also was a dominant force in the World Baseball Championship from 1977-86 for the United States team. He was the 1981 Tournament MVP with 25 runs, 29 hits, 12 home runs, and 28 RBI over 23 starts. Perry picked up five world title rings with the American team (1977, 81, 82, 84, 85), making him a very popular player throughout the country.

Although San Francisco was a weak team in the 1970s, Perry earned plenty of attention. 1976 saw his first Silver Slugger at DH and a third place finish in MVP voting. Then in 1978, he scored 147 runs, setting a single-season MLB record that stood until 1994. His 238 hits was also only four short of the single-season record, plus he added 45 doubles, 49 home runs, and a .372 average. With that, Perry was named AA MVP for the first time.

The next year, he led in home runs for the first time at 56, helping him to his second MVP and a third Silver Slugger. After the 1979 season, the Gold Rush gave Perry an eight-year, $7,570,000 contract extension. He won SS again in 1980, but was second in MVP voting. In 1981, Perry became a three-time MVP and five-time Slugger winner. He wouldn’t be an MVP finalist again, but one SS again in 1982 and 1989. Unlike the previous ones, those two came as a first baseman and not a DH.

As the 1980s dawned, San Francisco returned to relevance. In the decade, they had nine winning seasons and five playoff appearances. In 1984, the Gold Rush finally broke through and won the American Association pennant, falling in the World Series to Chicago. Sadly for Perry, he missed the entire postseason run and a good chunk of the season to a broken hand. SF never made it beyond the second round in his other playoff chances, leaving Perry with 14 starts, 19 hits, 10 runs, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI in his postseason career.

Perry’s stats were no longer world class in his 30s, but he was still a very good starter. The Gold Rush gave him a five-year, $7,900,000 extension in the spring of 1987. He struggled in 1988, but bounced back to lead in home runs in 1989 to win his final Silver Slugger. That season also saw Perry join the 600 home run club. 1990 was his last year as a starter, as San Francisco moved him to a bench role for most of 1991.

With one year left on his deal, the Gold Rush traded Perry after the 1991 season to Quebec City for LF Elroy Golub. Perry was unremarkable in spring training and was cut by the Nordiques before the regular season. He wanted to play still, but went unsigned that season and retired in the winter at age 38. San Francisco immediately brought him back to retire his #14 uniform as one of the franchise’s favorite icons.

Perry’s career stats saw 2885 hits, 1731 runs, 458 doubles, 141 triples, 660 home runs, 1830 RBI, a .306/.374/.594 slash, 156 wRC+, and 91.2 WAR. Not many had reached 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and 650+ home runs in MLB history. At induction, Perry was tied for sixth all-time in homers, 16^th in RBI, and 27^th in runs scored. Few guys were more proficient with their bat in their prime than Perry, earning him the first ballot induction at 97.9%.

Devin Ivey – Closer – New York Yankees – 68.2% Third Ballot

Devin Ivey was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Lochearn, Maryland; a small town of around 25,000 just west of Baltimore. Ivey had incredible stuff with a 99-101 mph fastball and a great slider which featured very good movement. He also had above average control along with excellent durability and good stamina for a relief pitcher. Ivey was very outspoken, which made him a polarizing figure with teammates and fans. His spicy hot takes were part of the reason he ended up bouncing between 11 teams in his career.

Ivey went west for his college days with Stanford. As a freshman, he took third in Reliever of the Year voting. The Cardinal moved him to the rotation and he won NCAA Pitcher of the Year as both a sophomore and junior. Ivey was only the third pitcher in college baseball history to win the award twice. Over 40 appearances and 24 starts in his college career, Ivey had a 1.08 ERA, 18-5 record, 7 saves, 209 innings, 252 strikeouts, and 11.3 WAR. With this dominance, many teams were interesting in Ivey, but some didn’t want to commit to a big deal. With only two (albeit great) pitches and lower stamina, scouts didn’t think he would be a starter and relievers had a much lower value. Still, New York would use the 12^th overall pick in the 1972 MLB Draft on Ivey, signing him to a four-year, $1,360,000 deal.

Ivey was thrown into the closer role as a rookie and held that role more often than not in his six years and change with the Yankees. In his second season, he won Reliever of the Year with 5.8 WAR, a 1.30 ERA, and 139 strikeouts over 97 innings. That was Ivey’s only time winning the top award, although he took second in 1977 with New York. He didn’t rack up big save totals, as the Yankees generally stunk in that era. With the Yankees, he had 187 saves and 231 shutdowns, 1.95 ERA, 521 innings, 687 strikeouts, and 22.4 WAR.

Ivey was set to enter free agency for the first time after the 1979 season. NY didn’t expect to keep him and traded him to Detroit at the deadline for two pitchers. He was outstanding with 24.1 scoreless innings and 14 saves with the Tigers, giving him a bump entering free agency at age 28. Even with his talent, some teams were leery of his obnoxious nature. He would get signed right at the end of free agency on a one year, $870,000 deal with Montreal, the defending National Association champ.

From the very end of his Yankees run in July 1979 to August 1980, Ivey had a 41 save streak. He took second in Reliever of the Year voting with the Maples, although he was iffy in the postseason with a 4.35 ERA in 10.1 innings. Montreal fell in the NACS to Chicago and Ivey became a free agent yet again. He signed a one-year deal with Calgary in early 1981. He was alright with the Cheetahs, who traded him to Las Vegas at the deadline for three pitchers. Ivey had a great postseason for the Vipers with a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings, although LV fell in the AACS.

Ivey signed with Oakland in 1982, but was used in only 21.1 innings despite being effective when he pitched. He went to Washington in 1983 and reclaimed the closer role, taking third in Reliever of the Year voting. Ivey had a 29 inning scoreless streak during his Admirals tenure. That run led to Montreal bringing Ivey back for an actual contract of length at three years, $3,300,000. He was a respectable closer in 1984, but was reduced to middle relief in 1985. Between three seasons with Montreal, he had 80 saves, a 2.16 ERA, 204.1 innings, 245 strikeouts, and 7.4 WAR.

Before the 1986 season, the 34-year old Ivey was cut by Montreal. Looking to find a home somewhere, Ivey ended up in West African Baseball and spent the season with Kumasi. He returned to MLB with Nashville in 1987 with limited use. The Knights traded him to Cincinnati for 1988, which was his last year as an actual closer. That got him to 350 career saves, the 16^th to do so. Ivey spent one final season with Omaha and struggled, opting to retire after the 1989 campaign at age 38.

For his MLB career, Ivey had 367 saves and 468 shutdowns, 2.25 ERA, 1098.1 innings, 1324 strikeouts, a 61 FIP-, and 39.6 WAR. His ERA, strikeout, and WAR totals were relatively in line with some other guys that had gotten the MLB Hall of Fame nod. It wasn’t easy to get big attention as a reliever and Ivey’s personality worked against him. Still, he got close at 62.2% and 61.5% on his first two ballots. The third attempt in 1997 got him just across the line at 68.2%, making Ivey the second member of the 1997 class.

03-15-2024, 03:40 AM	#1062
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,884	1997 MLB Hall of Fame Two players picked up inductions into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame class for 1997. 1B Joziah Perry was a no-doubter, getting 97.9% in his debut. Joining him was closer Devin Ivey, who barely crossed the 66% requirement with 68.2% for his third attempt. LF Aiden Hertlein missed out by about as thin of a margin possible at 65.8% in his third ballot. 1B Aranha Carlos also came very close at 64.3% for his second try. Three others were above 50% with 1B Kymani Massey at 59.5% in his fifth ballot, 2B Cade Parker at 57.7% for his debut, and 1B Jonah Mabile at 52.3% for his fourth attempt. RF Bentlee Fleming was the lone player to fall off the ballot after ten tries, ending at 41.7%. The Winnipeg native stayed in the low 40% range consistently during his ballots. A 16-year veteran primarily with Vancouver, he won Silver Slugger once and posted 2559 hits, 1442 runs, 338 doubles, 471 home runs, 1427 RBI, a .282/.351/.485 slash, and 63.1 WAR. Fleming was never a top guy though and mostly played on weaker teams, thus the banishment to the Hall of Very Good. Joziah “Mirror” Perry – First Base/Designated Hitter – San Francisco Gold Rush – 97.9% First Ballot Joziah Perry was a 6’6’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Hawthorne, California; a city of around 88,000 within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Perry was one of the best pure hitters in his prime, combining great contract, power, and eye. He was great at avoiding strikeouts and always made very hard contact, averaging around 40 home runs and another 40 doubles/triples per year. Perry was faster than you’d think with his big frame, but he was a lackluster baserunner. His career was split almost evenly between first base and designated hitter, as he was a mediocre defender. Perry was very durable and stayed loyal to San Francisco in his career, becoming extremely popular in the Bay. Perry stayed in California for his entire baseball career and attended college close to home at UCLA. As a Bruin in three seasons, he had 143 starts, 206 hits, 131 runs, 30 doubles, 71 home runs, 164 RBI, a .367/.439/.820 slash, and 14.7 WAR. Perry was the seventh player in college baseball history to win NCAA MVP twice, doing it as a freshman in 1972 and as a junior in 1974. He also won Silver Sluggers in both years. Naturally, this made Perry a big prize for the 1974 MLB Draft. With the ninth overall pick, San Francisco selected Perry and immediately gave him a four-year, $1,860,000 major league deal; a rare get for a prospect. Perry was immediately a full-timer and started all 162 games in his rookie year of 1975, running away with Rookie of the Year and leading the American Association in total bases. He’d be a starter his entire run with the Gold Rush, only occasionally missing time to injury. Perry led the AA in runs scored thrice, hits four times, doubles twice, triples once, home runs thrice, RBI twice, total bases seven times, average once, slugging five times, OPS four times, wRC+ six times, and WAR thrice. Perry also was a dominant force in the World Baseball Championship from 1977-86 for the United States team. He was the 1981 Tournament MVP with 25 runs, 29 hits, 12 home runs, and 28 RBI over 23 starts. Perry picked up five world title rings with the American team (1977, 81, 82, 84, 85), making him a very popular player throughout the country. Although San Francisco was a weak team in the 1970s, Perry earned plenty of attention. 1976 saw his first Silver Slugger at DH and a third place finish in MVP voting. Then in 1978, he scored 147 runs, setting a single-season MLB record that stood until 1994. His 238 hits was also only four short of the single-season record, plus he added 45 doubles, 49 home runs, and a .372 average. With that, Perry was named AA MVP for the first time. The next year, he led in home runs for the first time at 56, helping him to his second MVP and a third Silver Slugger. After the 1979 season, the Gold Rush gave Perry an eight-year, $7,570,000 contract extension. He won SS again in 1980, but was second in MVP voting. In 1981, Perry became a three-time MVP and five-time Slugger winner. He wouldn’t be an MVP finalist again, but one SS again in 1982 and 1989. Unlike the previous ones, those two came as a first baseman and not a DH. As the 1980s dawned, San Francisco returned to relevance. In the decade, they had nine winning seasons and five playoff appearances. In 1984, the Gold Rush finally broke through and won the American Association pennant, falling in the World Series to Chicago. Sadly for Perry, he missed the entire postseason run and a good chunk of the season to a broken hand. SF never made it beyond the second round in his other playoff chances, leaving Perry with 14 starts, 19 hits, 10 runs, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI in his postseason career. Perry’s stats were no longer world class in his 30s, but he was still a very good starter. The Gold Rush gave him a five-year, $7,900,000 extension in the spring of 1987. He struggled in 1988, but bounced back to lead in home runs in 1989 to win his final Silver Slugger. That season also saw Perry join the 600 home run club. 1990 was his last year as a starter, as San Francisco moved him to a bench role for most of 1991. With one year left on his deal, the Gold Rush traded Perry after the 1991 season to Quebec City for LF Elroy Golub. Perry was unremarkable in spring training and was cut by the Nordiques before the regular season. He wanted to play still, but went unsigned that season and retired in the winter at age 38. San Francisco immediately brought him back to retire his #14 uniform as one of the franchise’s favorite icons. Perry’s career stats saw 2885 hits, 1731 runs, 458 doubles, 141 triples, 660 home runs, 1830 RBI, a .306/.374/.594 slash, 156 wRC+, and 91.2 WAR. Not many had reached 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and 650+ home runs in MLB history. At induction, Perry was tied for sixth all-time in homers, 16^th in RBI, and 27^th in runs scored. Few guys were more proficient with their bat in their prime than Perry, earning him the first ballot induction at 97.9%. Devin Ivey – Closer – New York Yankees – 68.2% Third Ballot Devin Ivey was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Lochearn, Maryland; a small town of around 25,000 just west of Baltimore. Ivey had incredible stuff with a 99-101 mph fastball and a great slider which featured very good movement. He also had above average control along with excellent durability and good stamina for a relief pitcher. Ivey was very outspoken, which made him a polarizing figure with teammates and fans. His spicy hot takes were part of the reason he ended up bouncing between 11 teams in his career. Ivey went west for his college days with Stanford. As a freshman, he took third in Reliever of the Year voting. The Cardinal moved him to the rotation and he won NCAA Pitcher of the Year as both a sophomore and junior. Ivey was only the third pitcher in college baseball history to win the award twice. Over 40 appearances and 24 starts in his college career, Ivey had a 1.08 ERA, 18-5 record, 7 saves, 209 innings, 252 strikeouts, and 11.3 WAR. With this dominance, many teams were interesting in Ivey, but some didn’t want to commit to a big deal. With only two (albeit great) pitches and lower stamina, scouts didn’t think he would be a starter and relievers had a much lower value. Still, New York would use the 12^th overall pick in the 1972 MLB Draft on Ivey, signing him to a four-year, $1,360,000 deal. Ivey was thrown into the closer role as a rookie and held that role more often than not in his six years and change with the Yankees. In his second season, he won Reliever of the Year with 5.8 WAR, a 1.30 ERA, and 139 strikeouts over 97 innings. That was Ivey’s only time winning the top award, although he took second in 1977 with New York. He didn’t rack up big save totals, as the Yankees generally stunk in that era. With the Yankees, he had 187 saves and 231 shutdowns, 1.95 ERA, 521 innings, 687 strikeouts, and 22.4 WAR. Ivey was set to enter free agency for the first time after the 1979 season. NY didn’t expect to keep him and traded him to Detroit at the deadline for two pitchers. He was outstanding with 24.1 scoreless innings and 14 saves with the Tigers, giving him a bump entering free agency at age 28. Even with his talent, some teams were leery of his obnoxious nature. He would get signed right at the end of free agency on a one year, $870,000 deal with Montreal, the defending National Association champ. From the very end of his Yankees run in July 1979 to August 1980, Ivey had a 41 save streak. He took second in Reliever of the Year voting with the Maples, although he was iffy in the postseason with a 4.35 ERA in 10.1 innings. Montreal fell in the NACS to Chicago and Ivey became a free agent yet again. He signed a one-year deal with Calgary in early 1981. He was alright with the Cheetahs, who traded him to Las Vegas at the deadline for three pitchers. Ivey had a great postseason for the Vipers with a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 innings, although LV fell in the AACS. Ivey signed with Oakland in 1982, but was used in only 21.1 innings despite being effective when he pitched. He went to Washington in 1983 and reclaimed the closer role, taking third in Reliever of the Year voting. Ivey had a 29 inning scoreless streak during his Admirals tenure. That run led to Montreal bringing Ivey back for an actual contract of length at three years, $3,300,000. He was a respectable closer in 1984, but was reduced to middle relief in 1985. Between three seasons with Montreal, he had 80 saves, a 2.16 ERA, 204.1 innings, 245 strikeouts, and 7.4 WAR. Before the 1986 season, the 34-year old Ivey was cut by Montreal. Looking to find a home somewhere, Ivey ended up in West African Baseball and spent the season with Kumasi. He returned to MLB with Nashville in 1987 with limited use. The Knights traded him to Cincinnati for 1988, which was his last year as an actual closer. That got him to 350 career saves, the 16^th to do so. Ivey spent one final season with Omaha and struggled, opting to retire after the 1989 campaign at age 38. For his MLB career, Ivey had 367 saves and 468 shutdowns, 2.25 ERA, 1098.1 innings, 1324 strikeouts, a 61 FIP-, and 39.6 WAR. His ERA, strikeout, and WAR totals were relatively in line with some other guys that had gotten the MLB Hall of Fame nod. It wasn’t easy to get big attention as a reliever and Ivey’s personality worked against him. Still, he got close at 62.2% and 61.5% on his first two ballots. The third attempt in 1997 got him just across the line at 68.2%, making Ivey the second member of the 1997 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)