The Deadball Era Committee honors fifty players of the Era, judged by their 1901-19 contributions. There was a two-stage election. First, each voter submitted a free-form ranking; that yielded the Top 24 players and nominated many also-rans to the second ballot. Second, each voter selected 26 of the listed players (or write-ins); that yielded the next 26 players by a simple count of votes.
Within fielding position, players are ranked by number of votes, and those elected in the first stage are named in bold.
Pitcher First base Outfield
Walter Johnson Frank Chance Ty Cobb
Christy Mathewson Jake Daubert Tris Speaker
Grover Alexander Stuffy McInnis Sam Crawford
Mordecai Brown Hal Chase Joe Jackson
Cy Young Sherry Magee
Ed Walsh Second base Fred Clarke
Eddie Plank Gavy Cravath
Rube Waddell Nap Lajoie Zack Wheat
Addie Joss Eddie Collins Harry Hooper
Chief Bender Johnny Evers Max Carey
Joe McGinnity Larry Doyle Elmer Flick
Joe Wood Tommy Leach (listed twice)
Eddie Cicotte Shortstop Cy Seymour
Ed Reulbach
Jack Chesbro Honus Wagner
Babe Ruth Bobby Wallace
Hippo Vaughn Joe Tinker
Sam Leever George Davis
Doc White
Third base
Catcher
Frank Baker
Roger Bresnahan Jimmy Collins
Johnny Kling Heinie Groh
Chief Meyers Tommy Leach (listed twice)
Era. Some of the best players of the Deadball Era are not on the Honor Roll. Rogers Hornsby and Carl Mays were not nominated; George Sisler was nominated but not elected. The focus on the Deadball Era demanded that survey participants compare full careers of some players with part careers of others --at two stages, nomination and election. People differ concerning full careers and part careers; that is well known from debates about the merit of long careers and high peaks. The outcome here? Babe Ruth had the shortest Deadball-Era career among our Honorees.
(No one played in every season, 1901-1919. Bobby Wallace played in all but 1919. Eddie Plank, Sam Crawford and Honus Wagner, but not Wallace, were regulars 1901-1917. Red Ames and Terry Turner also played in 17 of the 19 seasons.)
Fielding Position. Right and left handed pitchers were distinguished in the first round; left, center, and right fielders in the second round. Here all pitchers and all outfielders are listed together. Except in the number of pitchers (19 of 50, and 11 of the 24 men elected in the first round), the Honor Roll is well balanced by fielding position, perhaps because some participants deliberately voted for balance.
Playing Time. The Honor Roll players are identified on each list of Era-leaders, games played by fielding position. Most of the Honorees are among those leaders.
Acknowledgments. Steve Constantelos conducted the survey, in consultation with a subcommittee at the nominating stage. Notes by Paul Wendt.