Allen, Murtaugh fall short of Hall
Jim Kaat, Buck O’Neil among those selected by MLB veterans committees
As the National Baseball Hall of Fame spent time Sunday catching up on old business, its two veterans committees meeting to debate the candidacy and careers of 20 legendary figures in the sport, there was a strong possibility that Pittsburgh could be popular.
However, Dick Allen, Danny Murtaugh and Vic Harris all came up empty when the Golden Days and Early Baseball Era committees gathered Sunday in Orlando, Fla. — site of what should have been MLB’s Winter Meetings — to decide who should be enshrined in Cooperstown, N. Y., next year.
Allen, known to many as the Wampum Walloper, came the closest, falling one vote short of the 12 needed to gain enshrinement. It was another head-scratcher for someone who was one of the best players in baseball from 1964-74.
Allen had 10 seasons of 20plus homers and an OPS of .850 or higher during that time, the same numbers as Hank Aaron. Allen also had 319 home runs, surpassed only by Aaron (391), Harmon Killebrew (336), Willie Stargell (335) and Willie McCovey (327). Only Aaron had a higher OPS (.941) than Allen (.940).
This particular vote was supposed to happen last year, but it was announced in August 2020 that it would be delayed until December 2021 because of COVID-19. The induction ceremony will take place on July 24, 2022.
Allen’s near-miss came a little more than a year after he died of cancer at age 78 on Dec. 7, 2020.
“I think his passing will now put him in the Hall of Fame,” said Bruce Tanner — Chuck’s son, a New Castle native and current Tigers scout — shortly after Allen’s death.
Tanner’s sentiments were echoed by many around the game, who felt that Allen deserved to be elected.
Although he never received the same attention as some of his power-hitting peers, Allen was one of the best baseball players from the era and enjoyed a stellar MLB career, one that included seven All- Star appearances, plus the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year and 1972 American League Most Valuable Player awards.
Allen played for the Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals and Athletics over 15 seasons.
When the White Sox were 87-67 in 1972 and finished second in the AL West (behind the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics), Allen led the AL in home runs (37), OPS (1.023), OPS+ ( 199), slugging percentage (.603) and walks (99).
“I think he’s deserving,” Allen’s older brother Hank told MLB.com last month. “I feel good about his opportunity to be selected.
“Just take a look at his record and you compare him with some of the other players that are in [the Hall of Fame].”
The news was equally as frustrating for Murtaugh and especially his family, which had waged an impressive campaign of late.
With Murtaugh having come up short in 2008 and 2010, his granddaughter, Colleen Hroncich, hoped that this would be the year, when his induction would align with the 50-year anniversaries of MLB’s all-minority team (which Murtaugh sent out onto the field) and the 1971 World Series champs.
At the same time, Hroncich worried about her grandfather’s volume of wins, which seems to be a sticking point; it’s tough to see what else could be preventing Murtaugh’s induction.
With a record of 1,115-950 in 2,068 big league games, the Chester, Pa., native’s .540 winning percentage is better than that of a dozen Hall of Fame skippers, including Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Whitey Herzog.
Murtaugh’s teams finished .500 or better a dozen times from 1957-76 while winning five league or division titles during that stretch. Of the 22 managers currently in the Hall, just nine have won more World Series titles than Murtaugh.
“Speaking as a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” Bill Mazeroski wrote in one of several op- eds penned by players on those 1960 and 1971 teams, “I strongly believe it’s time for Danny Murtaugh to join us.”
With 16 members on the committee, 12 votes (75%) were required for entry. Among committee members were Rod Carew, Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Torre, Bill DeWitt and Kim Ng, a group of Hall of Famers, major league executives and veteran media members/historians.
The Golden Days Era covers candidates “whose most significant career impact was realized from 1950-69.” The Early Baseball Era applies to before 1950.
Harris played 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues. He hit .305 before managing the Grays for 11 seasons while winning seven Negro National league pennants and the 1948 Negro League World Series.
Because of rotating schedules, the next opportunity for Allen and Murtaugh isn’t until 2027. Harris must now wait until 2032.
As for those elected, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva made it on the Golden Days ballot, while Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil were selected by the Early Baseball Era Committee.