A Biographical Dictionary
of the Baseball Hall of Fame
In memory of my brother,
D
R. JAMES K. SKIPPER, JR.,
who would have enjoyed the book and
understood and appreciated
the research it took to bring it to fruition.
A Biographical
Dictionary of the
Baseball Hall of Fame
SECOND EDITION
John C. Skipper
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Skipper, John C., ¡945–
A biographical dictionary of the Baseball Hall of Fame /
John C. Skipper.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-3803-7
illustrated case binding: 50# alkaline paper
¡. Baseball players—United States—Biography—Dictionaries.
2. Baseball players—United States—Statistics.
3. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum—History.
I. Title.
GV865.A1S516 2008
796.357092'2—dc22 2008024177
British Library cataloguing data are available

Preface
1
Introduction
3
THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
7
Bibliography
341
Index
343
v
Acknowledgments
In compiling the information for this book, the author rediscovered what
he learned long ago—that a project like this is not only an exercise in writing
and research but a living, breathing example of a math formula: The whole is
equal to the sum of its parts.
The book, in its whole, could not have been accomplished without the
parts contributed by a great many people.
The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Bruce Markuson of
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; author Rich Marazzi;
baseball historian Lloyd Johnson; Mark Alvarez, former editor of National Pas-
time; WGN radio and television in Chicago; the Society for American Base-
ball Research; Retrosheet; baseballlibrary.com; many former ballplayers but in
particular the late Hank Sauer; and a special thanks to a support team who
continue to provide encouragement, including Bob Link, Michael Grandon,
Lorris and Myrna Long, Ray and Darlene Boehlje, Dean and Bonnie Jacobs,
Dan and Kay Bjerke, Frank and Judy Smillie, Rick and Kim Bendickson, the
Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim, the Rev. Craig Pinley, Jim Collison and Ted
Savas.
As always, a special thanks to a special person: my wife, Sandi Skipper.

the Giants—not the Yankees—would have won the World Series. The “this way, that way”
uncertainty of baseball is one of the things that keeps the game interesting and is certainly
one of the delights of the game for its fans.
In contrast, the fascination of baseball for the researcher is the precision of its record-
keeping for well over a century. Henry Chadwick, a native of Great Britain, was a journalist
1
in New York when he became fascinated with the American game of baseball. In 1857, he
watched a game in Brooklyn between two local teams—the Excelsiors and the Stars—and
wrote an account of it for a weekly paper, the New York Clipper. Along with his account, he
included a listing of the names and positions of each player as well as several columns that
gave a numerical breakdown of what each player had done during the game. He is credited
with creating the “box score.’’
Chadwick’s little chart to help readers of a weekly newspaper 140 years ago is the embryo
from which all of baseball research has evolved. The box score is precise and concise and tells
specifically what players and teams accomplish on a game-to-game basis. Collectively, box
scores provide the statistics that preserve the history of the game and are the basis for indi-
vidual honors such as the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, all
of which are recognized as credentials for the Hall of Fame.
Included in this work are the biographies of players, managers, coaches, umpires, exec-
utives, sportswriters and broadcasters who have been elected to the Hall of Fame, followed,
when applicable, by statistical summaries of their careers—information that was compiled
because of the diligence of writers and researchers for more than 100 years, following up on
Chadwick’s charts.
Statistics, then, are necessarily an important part of this work. More than anything else,
they are the documentation—the overriding reasons for the election of players to the Hall of
Fame.
The bibliography at the end of this work is acknowledgment of one of the essential tools
of research: the careful work of others—contemporaries and those who wrote and recorded
accounts of events in another era. Their goal was the same as mine in A Biographical Dictio-
nary of the Baseball Hall of Fame—to provide the serious researcher as well as the casual reader

“Town ball” was a game in which teams of 20 or 30 ran around hitting a round ball with
a stick. Doubleday, according to Graves, cut the teams down to a more workable number,
put in a pitcher and a catcher and, to create a more concrete objective than just hitting and
chasing a ball, added bases.
The committee was impressed. Taking Graves’ account as gospel when it reported its
findings in 1907, the committee concluded that the first plan for “baseball’ was invented by
Doubleday in 1839 on that playground in his “hometown” of Cooperstown. The committee’s
findings are fraught with errors—Doubleday wasn’t born in Cooperstown; he was a West Point
3
cadet in 1838 and was not in Cooperstown a year later. He was a prolific writer, yet there is
no mention of baseball in anything he ever wrote, nor is there any mention of baseball in his
New York Times obituary which summarizes accomplishments in his life. Nonetheless, the
enduring notion of Doubleday as the father of baseball was born.
In 1932, some people rummaging through a farmhouse attic near Cooperstown came
across some belongings of the late Abner Graves. Among these was a tattered baseball. When
the discovery was made known, Stephen Clark, a Cooperstown businessman, purchased the
ball for $5 with the idea of displaying it, as well as other baseball relics, in a room at a social
club in Cooperstown. His idea was an immense success. The old ball drew crowds of inter-
ested onlookers.
Clark was inspired to do more. With the help of a business associate, Alexander Cle-
land, he decided to take the idea a step further—to establish a National Baseball Museum in
Cooperstown. The two men got the backing of National League president Ford Frick. Frick
enthusiastically approached American League president Will Harridge and commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and they, too, supported the idea.
At about the same time Clark and Cleland were pushing their museum idea, Major
League baseball officials were starting to make plans for a baseball centennial celebration in
1939—100 years after Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the game. Frick suggested that
a Hall of Fame be established at the museum to honor the best ballplayers—an idea that was
heartily accepted.
The Baseball Writers Association of America was called upon to elect the Hall of Fame

McGwire is now retired. Though his numbers show him to be one of the greatest power
hitters in baseball history, he was snubbed in his first two years of eligibility for the Hall of
Fame, obviously because those voting thought his performance was enhanced by drug use.
Despite the recent controversies, the Hall of Fame remains a hallowed shrine for base-
ball fans throughout the world. There is an irony about this place that cherishes the facts and
figures of the people it honors. Research done long after the blue-ribbon commission issued
its report in 1907 calls into question whether Doubleday actually invented baseball and whether
Cooperstown should be closely identified with the history of baseball in the same way that
Gettysburg is associated with the Civil War or Detroit with Henry Ford. The Hall of Fame
itself, in its literature, says contradictory theories about Doubleday are well documented.
Chadwick, who wrote the story about “rounders,” and Spalding, who questioned the
story, are both in the Hall of Fame, as are Bulkeley, who served on the original study com-
mission, Frick, who suggested the Hall of Fame, and Landis and Harridge, baseball officials
who helped it come to pass. Doubleday is not.
5 Introduction
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The Hall of Fame Members
Henry Louis Aaron
Born February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. 6', 190 lbs., bats right, throws right. Years in
minor leagues: 2; Major League debut: April 13, 1954; years in Major Leagues: 23. Elected to
Hall of Fame: 1982. Nickname: Hammerin’ Henry—bestowed upon him by the news media
because of his hitting ability.
Henry (Hank) Aaron’s 755 career home runs would surely be enough to earn him a spot in
the Hall of Fame—but his accomplishments aside from his home runs also add up to Hall of Fame
credentials. In 23 seasons with the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, he
twice led the league in runs scored and tied for the lead once. He also led the league in hits twice,
runs batted in four times and batting average twice. He finished with 3,771 career hits and a life-
time batting average of .305. He played in the World Series in 1957 and 1958 and hit .364 in 14
games.
As for home runs, he led the league three times and tied for the lead once. He hit 40 or more

1967 Atl 155 600 113 184 37 3 39 109 .307
1968 Atl 160 606 84 174 33 4 29 86 .287
1969 Atl 147 547 100 164 30 3 44 97 .300
1970 Atl 150 516 103 154 26 1 38 118 .298
1971 Atl 139 495 95 162 22 3 47 118 .327
1972 Atl 129 449 75 119 10 0 34 77 .265
1973 Atl 120 392 84 118 12 1 40 96 .301
1974 Atl 112 340 47 91 16 0 20 69 .268
1975 Mil (A) 137 465 45 109 16 2 12 60 .234
1976 Mil 85 271 22 62 8 0 10 35 .229
23 years 3298 2364 2174 3771 624 98 755 2297 .305
Transactions: November 2, 1974: Traded from Atlanta Braves to Milwaukee Brewers for
Dave May and Roger Alexander.
WORLD SERIES
Year Team G AB R H D T HR RBI AVE.
1957 Mil. 7 28 5 11 0 1 3 7 .393
1958 Mil. 7 27 3 9 2 0 0 2 .333
2 years 14 55 8 20 2 1 3 9 .364
Bob Addie
Sportswriter. Received J.G. Taylor Spink Award: 1981.
Bob Addie covered the Washington Senators for 37 years, writing for the Washington Times-
Herald and the Washington Post. During that time, he literally saw them come and go—the orig-
inal Senators moved to Minnesota and were replaced by an expansion team in Washington that
eventually moved to Texas. It was during Addie’s tenure that Washington developed the reputa-
tion of being first in war, first in peace and last in the American League.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, one year before his death.
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Born February 26, 1887, in Elba, Nebraska; died November 4, 1950, in St. Paul, Nebraska.
6'1", 185 lbs., bats right, throws right. Years in minor leagues: 2; Major League debut: April
15, 1911; years in Major Leagues: 20. Elected to Hall of Fame: 1938. Nickname: Pete—believed

Yankees. He struck out Tony Lazzeri
with the bases loaded and then held the Yankees hitless the rest of the way to preserve a 3–2 Car-
dinal victory, one day after he started and won a 10–2 decision over the Yankees. Alexander gave
fans a hint of what was to come in his great career when, in his rookie season in 1911, he beat Cy
Young in 12 innings in Young’s last start of his Major League career. Young had to settle for a life-
time total of 511 wins—still the all-time record.
Alexander’s career accomplishments were achieved despite the pitcher’s constant battle with
alcoholism and epilepsy. When he won his 373rd game while playing for the Cardinals in 1929,
he thought he had become the winningest pitcher in the National League, topping Christy Math-
ewson’s total by one. He celebrated by going out on a bender and wound up being suspended for
the rest of the season for breaking training rules. He never won another Major League game. Years
later, statisticians credited Mathewson with one more victory, tying him with Alexander, whose
excessive drinking had cost him the opportunity to win more games. Alexander’s epilepsy further
hindered his brilliant career.
Year Team W–L ERA G IP H BB SO
1911 Phil (N) 28–13 2.57 48 367 285 129 227
1912 Phil 19–17 2.81 46 310.1 289 105 195
1913 Phil 22–8 2.79 47 306.1 288 75 159
1914 Phil 27–15 2.38 46 355 327 76 214
1915 Phil 31–10 1.22 49 376.1 253 64 241
1916 Phil 33–12 1.55 48 388.2 323 50 167
1917 Phil 30–13 1.86 45 387.2 336 58 201
1918 Chi (N) 2–1 1.73 3 26 19 3 15
9 Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Year Team W–L ERA G IP H BB SO
1919 Chi 16–11 1.72 30 235 180 38 121
1920 Chi 27–14 1.91 46 363.1 335 69 173
1921 Chi 15–13 3.39 31 252 286 33 77
1922 Chi 16–13 3.63 33 245.2 283 34 48

Variety, the newspaper of the entertainment industry, rated Allen’s voice as one of the 25 most
recognizable in the world. Allen the Alabaman never lost the Southern twang that punctuated his
speech. On the air, he was enthusiastic and he brought many now-popular phrases into the base-
ball lexicon, including “going going gone” on a home run and his trademark “How about
that!” Though he was the voice of the Yankees in the days long before coast-to-coast cable broad-
casts, Allen was known all over the country because he broadcast 20 World Series and 24 All-Star
games in his long career.
In 1978, Allen and Red Barber, who at one time were partners in the broadcast booth, became
the first broadcasters inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Allen 10
Walter Emmons Alston
Born December 1, 1911, in Venice, Ohio; died October 1, 1984, in Oxford, Ohio. 6'2", 195 lbs.,
bats right, throws right. Years in minor leagues: 13 as manager; Major League debut: Septem-
ber 27, 1936; years in Major Leagues: 1 game as player; 23 years as manager. Elected to Hall
of Fame: 1983. Nickname: Smokey—which stuck with him from elementary school when he
had a pretty good fastball and word got around that he could really “smoke” it.
After the 1953 baseball season, veteran Brooklyn Dodger manager Chuck Dressen asked for
a long-term contract. He and his Dodgers had been in the World Series two years in a row, though
they lost both times to the New York Yankees. Dodger owner Walter O’Malley didn’t believe in
long-term contracts. So instead of rehiring Dressen, he dumped him and introduced the world to
his new manager: Walter Alston, a bald, soft-spoken man whose Major League experience totaled
exactly one game, a game in which he struck out in his only at-bat and made an error in the field
as a first baseman.
This unknown newcomer took the helm of the two-time defending National League cham-
pions in 1954, the year the Giants won the pennant and then stunned the Cleveland Indians with
a four-game sweep of the World Series. But in 1955, Alston’s Dodgers won the National League
pennant and then beat the Yankees in the World Series—the Dodgers’ first World Series champi-
onship ever. Brooklyn won the pennant again in 1956. In 1958, the Dodgers moved to Los Ange-
les, and one year later, Alston led his troops to another World Series championship. Under Alston,
the Dodgers won the pennant again in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1974 and World Series titles in 1963

1970 Los Angeles 87–74 Second
1971 Los Angeles 89–73 Second
1972 Los Angeles 85–70 Third
1973 Los Angeles 95–66 Second
1974 Los Angeles 102–60 First
1975 Los Angeles 88–74 Second
1976 Los Angeles 90–68 Second
23 years 2040–1613
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
1974 Los Angeles 3–1
WORLD SERIES
1955 Brooklyn 4–3
1956 Brooklyn 3–4
1959 Los Angeles 4–2
1963 Los Angeles 4–0
1965 Los Angeles 4–3
1966 Los Angeles 0–4
1974 Los Angeles 1–4
7 years 20–20
George Lee Anderson
Born February 22, 1934, in Bridgewater, South Dakota. 5' 9", 170 lbs., bats right, throws
right. Years in minor leagues: 6; Major League debut: April 10, 1959; Years in Major Leagues:
1 year as a player, 26 as manager. Elected to Hall of Fame: 2000. Nicknames: Sparky, given
to him in the minor leagues because he was thought to be a sparkplug on his team; also Cap-
tain Hook, for his tendency as a manager to yank starting pitchers quickly.
Sparky Anderson was one of the most successful and popular baseball managers of all-time.
His 2,194 wins managing the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers rank him fifth all-time (as of
the end of the 2007) season. When he retired, he was third on the all-time list, behind only Con-
nie Mack and John McGraw. Both Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox have since surpassed him. His
Reds teams won National League championships in 1970 (his first year), 1972, 1975 and 1976, an

1973 Cincinnati 99–63 First
1974 Cincinnati 98–64 Second
1975 Cincinnati 108–54 First
1976 Cincinnati 102–60 First
1977 Cincinnati 88–74 Second
1978 Cincinnati 92–69 Second
1979 Detroit 56–49 Fifth
1980 Detroit 84–78 Fourth
1981 Detroit 31–26 Fourth (split season)
1981 Detroit 29–23 Second
1982 Detroit 83–79 Fourth
1983 Detroit 92–70 Second
1984 Detroit 104–58 First
1985 Detroit 84–77 Third
1986 Detroit 87–75 Third
1987 Detroit 98–64 First
1988 Detroit 88–74 Second
1989 Detroit 59–103 Seventh
1990 Detroit 79–83 Third
1991 Detroit 84–78 Second
1992 Detroit 75–87 Sixth
1993 Detroit 85–77 Fourth
1994 Detroit 53–62 Fifth
1995 Detroit 60–84 Fourth
27 years 2194–1834
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
1970 Cincinnati 3–0
1972 Cincinnati 3–2
13 Anderson
1973 Cincinnati 2–3

He had a thick handlebar moustache made famous
100 years later by another Hall of Famer, Rollie
Fingers. Standing with his heels together and car-
rying a heavy bat, Anson displayed amazing dex-
terity and lightning quick reflexes. Despite the
stiff, awkward batting stance, he was never hit by
a pitch in his long career because of how quickly
he could duck or back away from errant pitches.
He was one of the most versatile fielders of
all time. Anson was most comfortable at first base
where he appeared in 2,058 games and was the
first player to accomplish two unassisted double
plays at that position in the same game. He also
Anson 14
Adrian Constantine (Cap) Anson
appeared in 118 games at third base, 83 games at shortstop, 49 as an outfielder, 13 games at sec-
ond base, 3 games as a catcher and three as a pitcher. In 20 years as a manager—19 with Chicago
and one with New York—Anson’s teams finished first five times, second four times and third
twice. His teams won 1,297 games while losing 957, a percentage of .575. Before playing profes-
sional baseball, Anson attended the University of Notre Dame where he is credited with forming
the school’s first baseball team.
A blemish on his career is his reputation as a racist, sparked by an incident in which he refused
to have his Chicago team play an exhibition game against Toledo unless Toledo removed its black
catcher, Moses Fleetwood Walker. That and similar incidents helped lead to the “unwritten rule”
of banning black players from the Major Leagues until Jackie Robinson broke the “color line” in
1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Year Team G AB R H D T HR RBI AVE.
1876 Chi (N) 66 309 63 110 13 7 1 59 .356
1877 Chi 59 255 52 86 19 1 0 32 .337
1878 Chi 60 261 55 89 12 2 0 40 .341

ground ball through.
15 Aparicio
Aparicio’s fielding statistics are impressive but they don’t begin to demonstrate his range in
the field—and there was nobody better in his day. Aparicio consistently took base hits away from
hitters and stopped rallies by racing onto the outfield grass to spear ground balls and then throw
the runners out at first.
He broke in with the White Sox in 1956 and was the American League’s Rookie of the Year.
He led the American League in stolen bases nine years in a row—his first nine years in the Majors—
and stole more than 50 bases in four different seasons. In 1959, the only season since 1919 that the
White Sox have won the American League championship, Aparicio was the leadoff man and stole
56 bases on a team that came to be known as the “Go-Go White Sox.” He then played for the
Orioles and the Boston Red Sox before retiring after the 1973 season. Aparicio holds the record
for most games at shortstop, 2,581; assists, 8,016; chances, 12,564; and double plays, 1,553. Apari-
cio’s father was a great shortstop in Venezuela when Luís was growing up, retiring only when his
son came along and replaced him.
Year Team G AB R H D T HR RBI AVE.
1956 Chi (A) 152 533 69 142 19 6 3 56 .256
1957 Chi 143 575 82 148 22 6 3 41 .257
1958 Chi 145 557 76 148 20 9 2 40 .266
1959 Chi 152 612 98 157 18 5 6 51 .257
1960 Chi 153 600 86 166 20 7 2 61 .277
1961 Chi 156 625 90 170 24 4 6 45 .272
1962 Chi 153 581 72 140 23 5 7 40 .241
1963 Balt 146 601 73 150 18 8 5 45 .250
1964 Balt 146 578 93 154 20 3 10 37 .266
1965 Balt 144 564 67 127 20 10 8 40 .225
1966 Balt 151 659 97 182 25 8 6 41 .276
1967 Balt 134 546 55 127 22 5 4 31 .233
1968 Chi (A) 155 622 55 164 24 4 4 36 .264
1969 Chi 156 599 77 168 24 5 5 51 .280

ages of 41 and 42 respectively, he hit .314 and .301. Appling is perhaps best remembered for two
things. One was his ability to foul off pitches, often spoiling seven or eight in a row until he either
walked or got the pitch he wanted and stroked it for a hit.
The other memorable circumstance occurred long after his playing days were over. In an
Old-Timers contest prior to the 1982 All-Star Game at RFK Stadium in Washington, Appling hit
a 275-foot home run over a temporary left field fence. He was 75 years old. The homer is even
more amazing in light of the fact that Appling hit only 48 home runs in his entire career of two
decades and nearly 9,000 at-bats. The pitcher who gave up the gopher ball was Hall of Famer
Warren Spahn.
Year Team G AB R H D T HR RBI AVE.
1930 Chi (A) 6 26 2 8 2 0 0 2 .308
1931 Chi 96 297 36 69 13 4 1 28 .232
1932 Chi 139 489 66 134 20 10 3 63 .274
1933 Chi 151 612 90 197 36 10 6 85 .322
1934 Chi 118 452 75 137 28 6 2 61 .303
1935 Chi 153 525 94 161 28 6 1 71 .307
1936 Chi 138 526 111 204 31 7 6 128 .388
1937 Chi 154 574 98 182 42 8 4 77 .317
1938 Chi 81 294 41 89 14 0 0 44 .303
1939 Chi 148 516 82 162 16 0 6 56 .314
1940 Chi 150 566 96 197 27 13 0 79 .348
1941 Chi 154 592 93 186 26 8 1 57 .314
1942 Chi 142 543 78 142 26 4 3 53 .262
1943 Chi 155 585 63 192 33 2 3 80 .328
1945 Chi 18 58 12 21 2 2 1 10 .362
1946 Chi 149 582 59 180 27 5 1 55 .309
1947 Chi 139 503 67 154 29 0 8 49 .306
1948 Chi 139 497 63 156 16 2 0 47 .314
1949 Chi 142 492 82 148 21 5 5 58 .301
1950 Chi 50 128 11 30 3 4 0 13 .234

1949 Phil 114 662 84 188 18 11 1 37 .284
1950 Phil 151 594 84 180 25 14 2 41 .303
1951 Phil 154 643 92 221 31 5 4 63 .344
1952 Phil 154 613 93 173 31 6 1 42 .282
1953 Phil 156 622 110 205 25 9 2 57 .330
1954 Phil 153 559 111 175 16 8 1 41 .313
1955 Phil 140 533 91 180 32 9 3 42 .338
1956 Phil 154 628 94 190 26 8 3 50 .303
1957 Phil 156 626 93 186 26 8 0 33 .297
1958 Phil 152 615 98 215 24 13 2 33 .350
1959 Phil 153 564 86 150 16 2 1 20 .266
1960 Chi (N) 151 547 99 159 16 5 0 40 .291
1961 Chi 109 307 49 79 7 4 0 19 .257
1962 NY (N) 135 389 60 119 7 3 7 28 .306
15 years 2189 8365 1322 2574 317 109 29 586 .308
Transactions: January 11, 1960: Traded to Chicago Cubs for pitcher John Buzhardt, infielder
Alvin Dark and outfielder Jim Woods. December 8, 1961: Sold to New York Mets as part
of expansion draft.
Ashburn 18