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Hall of Fame members
from 19th Century Base Ball

See at a glance in the same format, 19th century baseballists in the Hall of Fame after 1939 inductions and after 1949 inductions.


The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY inducted 19th century baseballists in 1937-1953, 1961-1977, and 1995-2000. That includes 19th century players who were honored principally as 20th century managers and owner-executives, such as Connie Mack and Clark Griffith. Those honored wholly or mainly as 19th century players were inducted 1937-49, 1961-77, and 1998-2000. The second and third batches were elected by the 1953-2001 "Veterans Committee", the second routinely and the third by special ballot and special arrangement with SABR.

This table includes all Hall of Fame members with major baseball roles before 1897. The "youngest" players included are Fred Clarke and Jimmy Collins who "arrived", or first played regularly and well in the majors, with Louisville in 1895. They faced each other as player-managers in the 1903 World Series and they are famous mainly for 20th century achievements, but they pass under the bar I have imposed here. The "oldest" players excluded are Nap Lajoie, Honus Wagner, and Bobby Wallace, who arrived with Philadelphia, Louisville, and Cleveland in 1897. Joe McGinnity was an older man but he arrived later as a ballplayer and the criterion here is baseball "arrival". Several other Hall of Fame players arrived 1898-1900.

20th century managers and owner-executives are listed here by their 19th century fielding positions: Charles Comiskey, Connie Mack, John McGraw, Hugh Jennings, Wilbert Robinson, and Clark Griffith. Longterm stints as managers and owner-executives are noted for all players; many others served briefly as managers, commonly while they were active players.

Notes continue below the table.


Class
    Name      Induction Date
(* honored mainly for 20th century activity (seven))

Pioneers and Executives who did not play professionally
    Morgan Bulkeley     1937
    Henry Chadwick      1938
    Alexander Cartwright1938
    William Hulbert     1995

Managers (20c managers are listed at 19c playing positions)
    Harry Wright        1953 (p, cf)
    Ned Hanlon          1996 (cf)
    Frank Selee         1999

Pitcher
    Cy Young            1937
    Charles Radbourne   1939
    Candy Cummings      1939
    Albert Spalding     1939 (executive)
 *  Clark Griffith      1946 (20c manager, executive)
    Kid Nichols         1949
    John Clarkson       1963
    Tim Keefe           1964
    John Monte Ward     1964 (shortstop, player organizer)
    Pud Galvin          1965
    Mickey Welch        1973
    Amos Rusie          1977

Catcher
 *  Connie Mack         1937 (20c manager, owner/executive)
    Buck Ewing          1939 (multi-position)
    Mike King Kelly     1945 (multi-position)
 *  Wilbert Robinson    1945 (20c manager)

First Base
    Cap Anson           1939 (multi-position, manager)
 *  Charles Comiskey    1939 (manager, 20c owner/executive)
    Dan Brouthers       1945
    Jake Beckley        1971
    Roger Connor        1976

Second Base
    Bid McPhee          2000

Shortstop (J.M. Ward listed at pitcher)
    George Wright       1937
    Hugh Jennings       1945 (20c manager)
    George Davis        1998

Third Base
 *  John McGraw         1937 (20c manager)
 *  Jimmy Collins       1945

Outfield
    Willie Keeler       1939
 *  Fred Clarke         1945 (19-20c player-manager)
    Ed Delahanty        1945
    Hugh Duffy          1945
    Jim O'Rourke        1945 (multi-position)
    Jesse Burkett       1946
    Tom McCarthy        1946
    Billy Hamilton      1961
    Joe Kelley          1971
    Sam Thompson        1974

Classification of Hall of Fame members. The Hall of Fame classifies members as Players, Managers, Pioneers and Executives, Umpires, and Negro Leagues figures. It does not classify players by fielding position. Many others have done so, and there is little disagreement among them, but all of the disagreement concerns 19th century players. Playing positions were relatively fluid in the 19c, especially thru the 1880s.

The official classes "Umpires" and "Negro Leagues" include no one from the 19th century.

The official "Pioneers and Executives" include the four whom I have listed as such and six whom I have listed otherwise: Harry Wright (here a Manager), Cummings (p), Spalding (p), Griffith (p), Comiskey (1b), and George Wright (ss).

The official "Managers" include Hanlon and Selee whom I have listed as such and three whom I have listed otherwise: Mack (c), Robinson (c), and McGraw (3b). Jennings (ss) is officially honored as a player. I suspect that he and Robinson needed twin credentials for election. McGraw, Jennings, and Griffith were Hall of Fame quality players, but only for a few years.

The 29 officially classed as "Players" compose a team that is poorly-balanced by position

  P  C  1B 2B SS 3B OF
  9  2  4  1  2  1  10
but much better balanced than it was for twenty years, before the elections of George Davis (ss) in 1998 and Bid McPhee (2b) in 2000. Before Davis and McPhee(*), the only left and middle infielders classed as "Players" were Jennings and Collins, who arrived in the 1890s. (It may be reasonable to count official "Pioneers" Candy Cummings (p) and George Wright (ss) as players, since they are certainly honored as pioneer players.)

Among the 19c "Players" there is some bias by position and epoch, which is most notable in the outfield.

  P  C  1B 2B SS 3B OF
  6  2  3  1  0  0  2 : 1871-1892, the old pitching distances
  3  0  1  0  2  1  8 : stars of the 1890s

Teammates.
1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings: H.Wright, G.Wright
1873-75 Boston Red Stockings: H.Wright, Spalding, G.Wright, O'Rourke
1884-85 Chicago White Stockings: Anson, Clarkson, Kelly
1885-88 St. Louis Browns: Comiskey
1885-89 New York Giants: Keefe, Welch, Ewing, Connor, Ward, O'Rourke
1892 Boston Beaneaters: Selee, Nichols, Clarkson, Kelly, Duffy, McCarthy (Clarkson and Kelly on last legs)
1892-93 Philadelphia Phillies: H.Wright, Keefe, Delahanty, Hamilton, Thompson (Wright on last clipboard and Keefe on last legs)
1894 Baltimore Orioles: Hanlon, Robinson, Brouthers, Jennings, McGraw, Keeler, Kelley (Brouthers on last legs)
1898 Boston Beaneaters: Selee, Nichols, Collins, Duffy, Hamilton (and young Vic Willis)


2001-06-08
Last modified: 2003-05-11 (more notes)
Paul Wendt
© Society for American Baseball Research, 2003