ESPNs 2015 Hall of 100

ESPNs latest Hall of 100 is here.

My most recent work was a tiered Hall of 200 here.  I'm not going to do a ranking beyond that, at least not this year.  Anyone in either my inner or middle circles would probably go on my top 100 list.

Here's the ESPN list with my accompanying tiering.

1. Babe Ruth RF (inner circle)
2. Willie Mays CF (inner circle)
3. Barry Bonds LF (inner circle, the Hall of Fame sucks)
4. Ted Williams LF (inner circle)
5. Hank Aaron RF (inner circle)
6. Ty Cobb CF (inner circle)
7. Roger Clemens SP (inner circle, the Hall of Fame sucks)
8. Stan Musial RF (inner circle)
9. Mickey Mantle CF (middle circle)
10. Honus Wagner SS (inner circle)

-I have the Big Train as the best ever pitcher, Clemens second.  Speaker was better than Mantle, that ranking is error.

11. Lou Gehrig 1B (inner circle)
12. Walter Johnson SP (inner circle)
13. Greg Maddux SP (inner circle)
14. Rickey Henderson LF (inner circle)
15. Rogers Hornsby 2B (inner circle)
16. Mike Schmidt 3B (inner circle)
17. Cy Young SP (inner circle)
18. Joe Morgan 2B (middle circle)
19. Joe DiMaggio CF (middle circle)
20. Frank Robinson RF (middle circle)

I've got Maddux below both Young and Pete Alexander; Morgan's ranking his error, he should be below both Collins and Lajoie.  Like Mantle, DiMaggio has mistakenly jumped over Speaker.

21. Randy Johnson SP (inner circle)
22. Tom Seaver SP (inner circle)
23. Alex Rodriguez SS (inner circle)
24. Tris Speaker CF (inner circle)
25. Steve Carlton SP (middle circle)
26. Johnny Bench C (inner circle)
27. Jimmie Foxx 1B (inner circle)
28. Christy Mathewson SP (inner circle)
29. Albert Pujols 1B (inner circle)
30. George Brett 3B (middle circle)

I've got Johnson/Seaver behind Alexander; Carlton's overly ranked, Alexander and Spahn need to slot before he does.  Eddie Mathews should be ranked ahead of both Brett and I've got Boggs ahead too.  I'd flip Pujols/Foxx.

31. Derek Jeter SS (outer circle)
32. Cal Ripken SS (inner circle)
33. Bob Gibson SP (middle circle)
34. Roberto Clemente RF (middle circle)
35. Ken Griffey CF (middle circle)
36. Nolan Ryan SP (middle circle)
37. Mel Ott RF (middle circle)
38. Pete Rose LF (middle circle)
39. Eddie Mathews 3B (inner circle)
40. Carl Yastrzemski LF (middle circle)

Not surprising that Jeter is massively over ranked.  I've got a dozen shortstops not yet ranked (once we get past Ripken) who I'd slot above Jeter.  He'd be in the 200 best players ever, but not the 100.  Still waiting on Alexander/Spahn, both of whom should slot above Gibson/Ryan.  I have Kaline ahead of Clemente and Ott ahead of both.  I have Yaz, Delahanty, Raines, Ramirez all ahead of Rose.

41. Pedro Martinez SP (middle circle)
42. Eddie Collins 2B (inner circle)
43. Brooks Robinson 3B (outer circle)
44. Sandy Koufax SP (not inducted)
45. Warren Spahn SP (inner circle)
46. Al Kaline RF (middle circle)
47. Miguel Cabrera 3B (outer circle)
48. Lefty Grove SP (middle circle)
49. Nap Lajoie 2B (inner circle)
50. Chipper Jones 3B (middle circle)

Still waiting for Alexander as we see Martinez/Grove; Koufax is the most over ranked we'll see, he isn't in my Hall of 200, he's the starting pitcher who was my last elimination. So, he'd be in my top 225 of all time.  Once we get Chipper included, I've still got six third basemen ahead of Cabrera and 8 ahead of Robinson (included in that list are Edgar Martinez and Paul Molitor).  5 members of my inner circle (there are 34 total in my inner circle) still haven't appeared on the list.

51. Pete Alexander SP (inner circle)
52. Mariano Rivera RP (inner circle)
53. Ernie Banks SS (outer circle)
54. Jackie Robinson 2B (middle circle)
55. Rod Carew 2B (middle circle)
56. Wade Boggs 3B (inner circle)
57. Reggie Jackson RF (outer circle)
58. Yogi Berra C (middle circle)
59. Willie McCovey 1B (outer circle)
60. Robin Yount SS (outer circle)

We knock off three of my final five inner circle members, leaving only 2 catchers (Carter/Rodriguez) both of whom, therefore, should be ahead of Yogi.  I've got Banks just after Jeter, so there are still plenty of shortstops being passed over unfairly, one of those is Yount, but there are still 8 shortstops I'd slot ahead of him.  I've got Grich/Gehringer ahead of Carew and Whitaker ahead of Robinson.  I've got 8 right fielders still not ranked who are ahead of Jackson and still to be seen are 8 more first basemen ahead of McCovey.

61. Bob Feller SP (outer circle)
62. Ozzie Smith SS (middle circle)
63. Tony Gwynn RF (middle circle)
64. Ferguson Jenkins SP (middle circle)
65. Hank Greenberg 1B (outer circle)
66. Harmon Killebrew 3B (not inducted)
67. Eddie Murray 1B (outer circle)
68. Gaylord Perry SP (middle circle)
69. Jeff Bagwell 1B (middle circle)
70. Frank Thomas 1B (middle circle)

Besides Jenkins/Perry I've got 20 pitchers still unnamed ahead of Feller; 5 middle circle shortstops left after Smith comes down; Waner's the only right fielder from the middle still waiting; four middle circle first basemen left after Bagwell and Thomas hit the list; Killebrew's the last third baseman who didn't make my list - but he didn't make it, meaning he's leapt over 7 better players to get that spot.

71. Juan Marichal SP (outer circle)
72. Ivan Rodriguez C (inner circle)
73. Bert Blyleven SP (middle circle)
74. Roberto Alomar 2B (outer circle)
75. Barry Larkin SS (middle circle)
76. John Smoltz SP (middle circle)
77. Carlton Fisk C (middle circle)
78. Paul Molitor 3B (middle circle)
79. Mike Piazza C (middle circle)
80. Robin Roberts SP (middle circle)

3 middle circle arms and Marichal come down; I still have 8 middle circle starting pitchers.  Pudge (the younger) means that Gary Carter is the only player in my inner circle still waiting.  I have six second basemen still waiting ranked ahead of Alomar.  Larkin means that 4 middle circle shortstops still wait; Fisk and Piazza mean 3 middle circle catchers are still available.

81. Charlie Gehringer 2B (middle circle)
82. Duke Snider CF (outer circle)
83. Kid Nichols SP (middle circle)
84. Mark McGwire 1B (outer circle)
85. Willie Stargell LF (outer circle)
86. Manny Ramirez LF (middle circle)
87. Gary Carter C (inner circle)
88. Frankie Frisch 2B (outer circle)
89. Cap Anson 1B (middle circle)
90. Jim Palmer SP (outer circle)

Grich and Whitaker remain as second basemen in the middle circle; Billy Hamilton, Jim Edmonds, Reggie Smith are middle circle center fielders still remaining; Dan Brothers/Roger Connor and Johnny Mize are the middle circle first basemen left; Delahany/Raines/Fred Clarke are the left fielders from the middle circle still on the board; Gary Carter means the inner circle is finally clear; and there are still 7 middle circle starting pitchers yet to be heard from.

91. Craig Biggio 2B (outer circle)
92. Paul Waner RF (middle circle)
93. Tom Glavine SP (middle circle)
94. Jim Thome 1B (outer circle)
95. Sammy Sosa RF (not inducted)
96. Tim Raines LF (middle circle)
97. Ron Santo 3B (middle circle)
98. Joe Cronin SS (outer circle)
99. Al Simmons LF (outer circle)
100. Phil Niekro SP (middle circle)

That's the Hall of 100.  Grich and Whitaker are left on the board with Biggio going in ahead of them. Waner means all of the middle circle right fielders make the list.  Glavine/Neikro help clear some middle circle starters, leaving Plank/Schilling/Walsh and Kevin Brown as unranked.  The 19th century first basemen, Connor/Brouthers and, weirdly, Johnny Mize are passed over for Thome.  Sosa's my last right fielder out of my Hall of 200, I've got Heilmann/Crawford/Sheffield/Joe Jackson/Dwight Evans/Flick/Guerrero all ranked ahead of Sosa.  Raines leaves the board leaving Delahanty and Clarke as the middle circle left fielders. Santo makes this list, I've still got Rolen and the DH, Edgar Martinez, as middle circle third basemen.

ESPN added a 25 person honorable mention.


101. Luke Appling SS (outer circle)
102. Joe Jackson RF (outer cicle)
103. Eddie Plank SP (middle circle)
104. Dave Winfield RF (not inducted)
105. Curt Schilling SP (middle circle)
106. Whitey Ford SP (outer circle)
107. Johnny Mize 1B (middle circle)
108. Rafael Palmeiro 1B (outer circle)
109. Don Sutton SP (outer circle)
110. Harry Heilmann RF (outer circle)
111. Pud Galvin SP (not inducted)
112. Ryne Sandberg 2B (outer circle)
113. Roy Halladay SP (outer circle)
114. Felix Hernandez SP (not inducted)
115. Bill Dickey C (middle circle)
116. George Sisler 1B (not inducted)
117. Tim Keefe SP (not included)
118. Dennis Eckersley RP (middle circle)
119. Sam Crawford RF (outer circle)
120. Lou Boudreau SS (middle circle)
121. Rube Waddell SP (outer circle)
122. Billy Williams LF (outer circle)
123. Ed Delahanty LF (middle circle)
124. Edgar Martinez DH (middle circle)
125. Don Drysdale SP (outer circle)

Here's the rest of my middle circle, unclaimed on the ESPN list, but they shouldn't be.

Gabby Hartnett
Mickey Cochrane
Dan Brouthers
Roger Connor
Bobby Grich
Lou Whitaker
Arky Vaughan
George Davis
Bill Dahlen
Scott Rolen
Fred Clarke
Billy Hamilton
Jim Edmonds
Reggie Smith
Mike Mussina
Ferguson Jenkins
Ed Walsh
Kevin Brown
Hoyt Wilhelm

Forever Giants:1943 New York Giants(Year 61)

1942 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1943 63-99

C Gus Mancuso -1.3

1B Joe Orengo -.65

2B Mickey Witek 3.2 

SS Billy Jurges -.5

3B Dick Bartell 2.7 

LF Buster Maynard -2.45

CF Johnny Rucker -.1

RF Mel Ott 2.85

Uti Sid Gordon .75

OF Ducky Medwick .6

C Ernie Lombardi 1.4

OF Charlie Mead .1

1B Nap Reyes -.8

OF Babe Barna -.45

SS Buddy Kerr .4

SP Cliff Melton 2.8 

SP Johnnie Wittig .2

SP Rube Fischer 1.1

SP Ken Chase .3

RP Ace Adams 3.6

RP Van Lingle Mungo 1.55

RP Harry Feldman -.05

-A catastrophe.  40 years before the Giants had a 100+ pythagorean loss season, McGraw got installed midway through and really ever since the Giants had been contenders, 90+ pythagorean wins nearly every season.  And now, this, our first last place finish since 1900.  Mize, Danning, Schumacher are all in the military in this disastrous season.  We say goodbye to Hubbell, who retires as the second greatest Giant pitcher ever.  Dick Bartell's gone again, but will come back again.  I don't know if this is true, but it could be that this was the first year in Giants history without a 3.5 win position player or starting pitcher.  All the sub replacement guys in the lineup.  It's a really bad club.