2067 Hall of Fame Presser
The 2067 Hall of Fame Ballot includes thirteen new names, so predictions will be limited to one prediction for each the batters and the pitchers.
Batters
LF Angel Perez – Kentucky Bootleggers (2050-2059), DC Eagles (2061)
Gold Gloves – 6 (‘51 and ‘52 in the Bronze League, ‘54, ‘55, ‘57, ‘58 in the Silver League)
Silver Sluggers – 3 (‘51 and ‘52 in the Bronze League, ‘55 in the Silver League)
League Championships: 1 (2052, BL)
ToC Championships: 0
Spending almost his entire career in Kentucky, you are forgiven if you’ve never heard of the great career Perez had for the Bootleggers. Amassing 31.5 total WAR in his 11 seasons, Perez was an absolute force in Kentucky’s lineup for almost an entire decade. An excellent fielder and batter, Perez always found a way to contribute to his team’s success. The Hall of Fame metrics are fairly kind to Perez (his Gray Ink score of 37 is well above the Hall Average of 21), but it’s hard to ignore that Black Ink score of 0, signifying Perez never led his league in any offensive category.
1B Victor Garcia – Toronto Mythics (2054-2056), Seattle Steelheads (2057-2060), Carolina Reapers (2061), San Diego Steam (2062)
No Individual Awards
League Championships: 0
ToC Championships: 0
Not much to say about Garcia. He had a very solid Hall of Pretty Damn Good career in which he slugged 172 home runs, amassed a career OPS+ of 120, and will almost certainly fall off the Hall of Fame ballot after 1 season.
3B Preston Freeman – Cleveland Bobcats (2050-2053, 2057-2061, 2063), Galveston Gremlins (2054-2056), Vancouver Titans (2061)
BL MVP – 2052
Gold Gloves – 3 (‘53 – BL, ‘54, ‘60 – PL)
Silver Sluggers – 4 (‘51-’53, BL / ‘54 PL)
League Championships: 2 (2054 and 2055, PL)
ToC Championships: 1 (2054, with Galveston)
With an MVP award, 3 gold gloves, 4 silver sluggers, 2 League championships, and 1 Tournament of Champions Ring, Preston Freeman ended his career as one of the most decorated players in league history. An early MVP with Cleveland, Freeman then became an essential cog in the wheel for a dominant Galveston squad, winning it all in 2055. Eventually traded back to Cleveland, Freeman led the Bobcats to their first and only Premiere League berth in his first season back. With Ridley Hill still waiting for the call, it will be interesting to see what happens with Freeman.
CF Jose Alvarez – Miami Warriors (2050-2061), Toronto Mythics (2051*), Carolina Reapers (2062), Seattle Steelheads (2063)
Gold Gloves – 2 (‘54 and ‘55)
Silver Sluggers – 2 (‘52 and ‘53)
League Championships: 1 (2051 – PL)
ToC Championships: 1 (2051* with Toronto)
* – Alvarez played 66 games with the Mythics as an EOS loan
Despite never being the absolute best player in his league, Alvarez nevertheless put together an impressive career that included a Tournament of Champions ring with Toronto when he was on loan from the Warriors in 2051. Traditional stats are impressive, highlighted by a .338 career batting average and 302 doubles, but Hall of Fame metrics tell a much more complete story. His black ink (16) and gray ink (38) are well above the average numbers for the Hall (9 and 25, respectively). The only question is whether his relative anonymity in Miami will come back to hurt him with the voters.
C Joel Mackey – Kentucky Bootleggers (2053-2059), Cleveland Bobcats (2060), Galveston Gremlins (2060-2061, 2063), Detroit Motors (2062)
Gold Gloves – 3 (‘53, ‘54, ‘58)
Silver Sluggers – 5 (‘53, ‘54, ‘56, ‘58, ‘61)
League Championships: 0
ToC Championships: 0
Catchers are a notoriously difficult position to evaluate for the Hall of Fame. Mackey’s 20.4 career WAR would not be impressive at any other position, but easily puts him in the upper echelon of catchers. Mackey’s claim to fame was his above-average bat: a career OPS+ of 106 for a backstop is almost unheard of. Defensively, Mackey also left his mark with three gold gloves, though his defense fell off dramatically after his 30th birthday.
Prediction: At least two of these five players enter the Hall on the first ballot. I could see four of these guys getting in someday, but I think only three of them ultimately make it.
Pitchers
SP Daniel Cordova – Miami Warriors (2051-2051), Detroit Motors (2051-2056), Galveston Gremlins (2057-2061), Minnesota Freeze (2062), Tampa Bay Palms (2064)
Cy Young Award: 2 (2050 – SL / 2052 – SL)
League Championships: 3 (2057, 2058, 2059 – PL)
ToC Championships: 2 (2053 with the Motors, 2062 with the Freeze)
One of Cordova’s claims to fame is that he was the centerpiece of the first blockbuster trade in the history of CBA 2.0. In just the second year of the league’s existence, the Warriors traded Cordova to the Motors [on 4/20 in real life, because of course] for two first round picks and six prospects. Those six prospects went on to combine for over 60 career WAR, but Cordova was consistently one of the best starters across the CBA. His career WAR of 44.5 and two ToC rings speak for themselves.
SP Jayden Foney – DC Eagles (2050-2056), Galveston Gremlins (2057-2059, 2060), Mexico City Chupacabras (2060), Minnesota Freeze (2060-2063)
League Championships: 4 (2057, 2058, and 2059 with the Gremlins, 2063 with Minnesota)
ToC Championships: 1 (2062 with Minnesota)
More than just your average innings eater, Foney was legitimately one of the best pitchers in the Premier League for more than half a decade. He was an absolute force on some very good Eagles teams as well as a Gremlins team that won the PL three years running. Some voters might be dissuaded by the fact he was never the best pitcher in a given league (or even the 3rd best, for that matter), it’s hard to discount the consistent excellence at the highest level.
CL Pat “Wall” Roberts – Salt Lake City Stormbirds (2050-2059), Austin Gauchos (2060-2061), Las Vegas Lightning (2063)
League Championships: 1 (2054 – BL)
ToC Championships: 0
Roberts had an excellent career with the Stormbirds, recording 202 saves with his first team, and amassing 17.2 WAR for his career. His career, unfortunately, measures unfavorably to Sean Johnson who became the first closer in the Hall of Fame last season, and as such Roberts is unlikely to join him.
SP John Turnbull – Minnesota Freeze (2052-2054), Toronto Mythics (2054), Vancouver Titans (2055), Charlotte Knights (2056), Denver Wolves (2058)
No Individual Awards
Another solid candidate for the Hall of Very Good, it’s tough to justify enshrinement for the journeyman with a career ERA+ of 101.
SP Jesse Phillips – Miami Warriors (2050-2054), Phoenix Sundogs (2055), Toronto Mythics (2056-2062), Kentucky Bootleggers (2063)
League Championships – 2 (2060 and 2061 with the Mythics)
ToC Championships: 1 (2060 with the Mythics)
Phillips is a part of the increasingly-shrinking class of players who had previous history wiped out by the beginning of CBA 2.0, starting his career history at the age of 29. Amazingly, Phillips managed to pitch in a staggering 14 seasons, finally hanging it up at the age of 42. With 27.9 career WAR, Phillips likely falls short of the Hall of Fame, but he will always be an interesting case of what if?
SP Dave Mesa – New York Empire (2055-2061), Toronto Mythics (2059-2060, on loan), Detroit Motors (2061-2062), Cleveland Bobcats (2063), Galveston Gremlins (2063)
Cy Young: 3 (2055 – SL, 2057 – PL, 2058 – PL)
League Championships: 1 (2060 with the Mythics)
ToC Championships: 1 (2060 with the Mythics)
A stark contrast to the longevity of Jesse Phillips, Mesa’s career seemingly ended too soon. Mesa’s career started with a bang; his first four seasons saw him finish with three Cy Young awards, and he finished the decade with a ToC championship while on loan with the Mythics. That career ended as quickly as it began, however, as Mesa was out of the league before his 33rd birthday. Hall voters will have to decide if an 8-year career is enough for enshrinement.
SP/RP John Marsh – Phoenix Sundogs (2050-2057, 2061), Charlotte Knights (2058-2059), Minnesota Freeze (2062), Detroit Motors (2063)
Cy Young Awards: 2 (2050 – BL / 2051 – SL)
Reliever of the Year Award: 2 (2058-2059 – BL)
League Championships: 2 (2050 – BL / 2053 – SL)
ToC Championships: 1 (2062 with the Minnesota Freeze)
There’s really two players to evaluate here, because Marsh’s career win total (92) and WAR (25.8) just don’t tell the whole story. There’s the Starting Pitcher who helped elevate Phoenix from the BL to the PL in just a few short seasons, winning two Cy Young awards in the process. There’s also the Closer who won two reliever of the year awards after a torn labrum robbed him of his stamina. Ultimately, the whole package might not be enough.
Prediction: There are some huge names entering the ballot this year – but ultimately I think only Cordova makes it. If anyone else gets the call it will be Foney and Marsh, in that order.