10 names on Hall's Pre-Integration Era ballot
Hall of Fame season is nearing, with the Pre-Integration Era ballot to be reviewed and voted upon Dec. 7 at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
Six former players, three executives and one of the game's earliest organizers are among the 10 names the 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee will consider.
Finalists were selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America-appointed Historical Overview Committee for their impact on the game from baseball's origins through 1946. To be eligible, players need to have played at least 10 seasons and not appear on Major League Baseball's ineligible list, while managers, umpires and executives need to have spent 10 or more years in baseball.
Any candidate receiving at least 75 percent of the vote will earn induction into the Hall of Fame and be inducted in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 24, 2016, along with those voted in via the 2016 BBWAA election, which will be announced on Jan. 6, 2016.
The 10 candidates are:
• Daniel "Doc" Adams was a pioneering force in baseball's nascent years who became a member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845. He helped standardize the game's tools and contributed to the establishment of the shortstop position.
• Sam Breadon first bought interest in the St. Louis Cardinals in 1917 before taking control of the club in 1920. He presided over nine pennant winners and six World Series championships while also hiring Branch Rickey and helping implement the modern farm system.
• Bill Dahlen hit .272 with 84 home runs and 1,234 RBIs in 21 seasons, playing almost 90 percent of his games at shortstop. He scored at least 100 runs in his first six seasons and recorded more than 120 hits 15 times. He retired in 1911 as the active home run leader (84) and the all-time leader in games played (2,444).
• Wes Ferrell was 193-128 with a 4.04 ERA in 15 seasons from 1927-1941. He won at least 20 games six times and is the only pitcher from the 20th century to win at least 20 games in each of his first four full seasons. He was runner-up for the 1935 American League Most Valuable Player Award.
• August "Garry" Herrmann was the Reds president from 1902-1927 and chairman of baseball's ruling National Commission from 1903-1920. He was among those who helped bring peace between the National and American Leagues while also helping organize the modern World Series.
• Marty Marion hit .263 with 36 homers and 624 RBIs in 13 seasons (1940-50, 1952-53) at shortstop. He won the 1944 NL MVP and is considered one of the best fielding shortstops of his era.
• Frank McCormick was the 1940 NL MVP and an eight-time All-Star who led the NL in hits three straight years from 1938-40. He was a .299 career hitter in 13 seasons.
• Harry Stovey hit .289 with 347 doubles, 174 home runs and 509 stolen bases in 14 seasons in the NL and American Association in the 1880s and '90s. A standout outfielder, he led his league in homers five times.
• Chris von der Ahe owned the original St. Louis Browns franchise -- now the Cardinals -- from 1881-99. His team won the championship of the American Association, which was then recognized as a major league, from 1885-88.
• Bucky Walters was 198-160 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 seasons. The 1939 NL MVP won the pitching Triple Crown that season and was named to five All-Star teams.
The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate who will review the ballot includes Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Bobby Cox, Pat Gillick and Phil Niekro; Major League executives Chuck Armstrong (Mariners), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Gary Hughes (Red Sox) and Tal Smith (Astros); and veteran media members/historians Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris, Jack O'Connell, Claire Smith, Tim Sullivan, T.R. Sullivan, Gary Thorne and Tim Wendel.
The Pre-Integration Era ballot was determined by the Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran historians: Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun), Jim Henneman (formerly Baltimore Sun), Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau), Bill Madden (formerly New York Daily News), Jack O'Connell (BBWAA), Jim Reeves (formerly Fort Worth Star-Telegram), Tracy Ringolsby (MLB.com); Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle), Dave Van Dyck (formerly Chicago Tribune) and Mark Whicker (Los Angeles News Group).