The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will inaugurate its Class of 2022 on Sunday, adding seven players to its baseball sanctuary roster.
Entering the Hall of Fame will be David Ortiz, elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America; Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva, elected by the Golden Days Era Committee; and Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil, selected by the Early Baseball Era Committee.
The Class of 2022 Introduction Ceremony begins Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CDT. MLB Network will broadcast the event.
Ortiz was the only player to receive 75 percent of the vote out of 30 on the BBWAA’s Class of 2022 ballot. The vote included former Glenwood School, Chattahoochee Valley and Auburn standout Tim Hudson and St. Paul’s Episcopal School standout Jake Peavy.
Though Hudson and Peavy didn’t make it this time around, the Baseball Hall of Fame has players with Alabama roots — stars who, depending on the era, transitioned into professional baseball from state sandlots, industrial leagues, high schools and colleges, and three others who were native. are in Alabama, but have started their careers from other states.
Hank Aaron attends the induction ceremony on July 28, 2013 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY(AP Photo/Mike Groll)
The Baseball Hall of Fame players with Alabama roots (presented in order of introduction) include:
Heinie Manush, left fielder, Detroit Tigers 1923-27, St. Louis Browns 1928-30, Washington Senators 1930-35, Boston Red Sox 1936, Los Angeles Dodgers 1937-38, Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-39
Native to Tuscumbia: Manush was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964 after being elected to enshrinement by the Veterans Committee. A career batter of .330, he led the American League with a .378 batting average in 1926 and finished in the top five of the MVP voting four times.
Satchel Paige, pitcher, Birmingham Black Barons 1927-30, Cleveland Cubs 1931, Pittsburgh Crawfords 1933-34, 1936, New York Black Yankees 1941, Kansas City Monarchs 1942-43, 1944-47, Memphis Red Sox 1943, Cleveland Indians 1948- 49, St. Louis Browns 1951-53, Kansas City Athletics 1965
Mobile native: Paige was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 after being elected to enshrinement by the Negro League Committee, becoming the first player to enter the Hall that way. A legend in segregated baseball, Paige was 42 years old when he reached the American League, but still represented the St. Louis Browns at the All-Star Games in 1952 and 1953.
Early Wynn, pitcher, Washington Senators 1939, 1941-44, 1946-48, Cleveland Indians 1949-1957, 1963, Chicago White Sox 1958-62
Native to Hartford, high school in the province of Geneva: Wynn was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 in his fourth year of eligibility. The nine-time All-Star and 300-game winner received the Cy Young and Sporting News MLB Player of the Year awards in 1959.
Joe Sewell, Short Stop, Cleveland Indians 1920-30, New York Yankees 1931-33
Native to Titus, Wetumpka High School, Alabama: The former University of Alabama player and coach was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 after being elected to enshrinement by the Veterans Committee. Sewell, a .312 career hitter, is the hardest player to hit in baseball history, having ever played 115 consecutive games without strikeouts.
Willie Mays, center fielder, Birmingham Black Barons 1948, New York/San Francisco Giants 1951-1952, 1954-1972, New York Mets 1972-1973
Native to Westfield, Fairfield Industrial High School: Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 in his first year of eligibility. The midfielder was named at 94.7 percent of the vote, the highest since the inaugural 1936 Hall of Fame election, when Ty Cobb drew 98.2 percent, Honus Wagner 95.1 percent and Babe Ruth 95.1 percent of the vote. possible votes. Mays, a 24-time All-Star, won 12 Golden Gloves, two MVP Awards and a Rookie of the Year Award.
Hank Aaron, rightfielder, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 1954-74, Milwaukee Brewers 1975-76
Mobile Native, Central High School in Mobile: The outfielder was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 in his first year of eligibility and was named on 97.8 percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America ballots, the second-best in history at the time. The 25-time All-Star is best known for breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run record, but he remains baseball’s all-time leader in runs batted in and total bases.
Willie McCovey, first baseman, San Francisco Giants 1959-1973, 1977-1980, San Diego Padres 1974-1976, Oakland Athletics 1976
Mobile Native, Central High School in Mobile: McCovey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility. “Stretch”, a six-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 1969, was seventh in baseball history in home runs when he retired.
Billy Williams, leftfielder, Chicago Cubs 1959-1974, Oakland Athletics 1975-1976
Native to Whistler, Mobile County Training School: Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 in his sixth year of eligibility. The six-time All-Star was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1961 and The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year in 1972.
Mule Suttles, First Baseman, Birmingham Black Barons 1924-25, St. Louis Stars 1926-29, 1930-31, Chicago American Giants 1929, 1933-1935, Detroit Wolves 1932, Washington Pilots 1932, Newark Eagles 1936-1940, 1942- 44, New York Black Yankees 1941
Native to Blocton: Suttles was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 after being elected to anchorage by the Negro League Committee. Suttles played his last Negro National League game in 1944, three years before Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in the National or American League in the 20th century.
Frank Thomas, first baseman, Chicago White Sox 1990-2005, Oakland Athletics 2006, 2008, Toronto Blue Jays 2007-08
Maroon: Thomas was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 in his first year of eligibility. The Columbus, Georgia native was the MVP of the American League in 1993 and 1994 — the first two of his six consecutive All-Star selections — hitting 521 home runs, the same number as Willie McCovey.
The other Alabama-born Baseball Hall of Fame members include:
Monte Irvin, leftfielder, Newark Eagles 1938-1943, 1945-1948, New York Giants 1949-1955, Chicago Cubs 1956
Native to Haleburg: Irvin was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 after being elected to anchorage by the Negro League Committee. Irvin, who played high school baseball in New Jersey, was 30 years old when he reached the National League, but was still leading the circuit in RBIs in 1951, just as he had the Negro National League 10 years earlier.
Don Sutton, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers 1966-1980, 1988, Houston Astros 1981-82, Milwaukee Brewers 1982-84, Oakland Athletics 1985, California Angels 1985-87
Native to Clio: Sutton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 in his fifth year of eligibility. Sutton played high school baseball in Pensacola for his 23-season MLB career, winning 324 games and striking out 3,574. Only Cy Young and Nolan Ryan started more games on the mound than Sutton.
Ozzie Smith, Short Stop, San Diego Padres 1978-81, St. Louis Cardinals 1982-96
Mobile native: Smith was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility. Smith played high school and college baseball in California before becoming a 15-time MLB All-Star and earning 13 gold gloves for excellence in the field.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
0 Comments