TCBA Encyclopedia

Hall of Fame Class 28 –

Whitey Ford is Unanimous Choice!

Five All-Time Greats Enter the TCBA Hall of Fame

Whitey Ford

Bob Feller

Craig Biggio

Chuck Klein

John Smoltz

The voting period for the most recent TCBA Hall of Fame class ended this week despite a record-low voter turnout of less than 80% returning ballots. The voters that did participate honored five former TCBA players with sufficient support to earn Hall of Fame entry. In an unusual result, pitchers outnumbered position players.

Whitey Ford joined Randy Johnson, Early Wynn, and Greg Maddux as the only four pitchers to receive unanimous support. Ford was a staple in the Norfolk Pilots’ rotation for 15 seasons, earning 253 victories with a sparkling 2.42 career ERA, the lowest for a starter in TCBA history.

Bob Feller collected 239 wins in his 18 TCBA seasons, all with Gary Sibley’s Wilderness Wraiths, including 49 shutouts. Feller was named on 92.9% of the returned ballots.

A third pitcher, 18-year veteran John Smoltz, received just under 72% support, but it was enough to exceed the 70% Hall of Fame requirement.

On the batting side, the accomplishments of Craig Biggio (82.7%) and Chuck Klein (74.7%) were sufficient to earn them Hall of Fame honors.

Biggio played for 20 seasons, split among Bethesda, Scranton and Innisfree, finishing his career at #15 on the all-rime hits list, a remarkable achievement for a modern player.

Chuck Klein was a monster in the 1930-1940’s Bradenton lineups for 15 of his 17 seasons.

The low-voter turnout is problematic for the TCBA Hall of Fame. A conclave of Hall officials has discussed at length the implications of the situation, recognizing that the Hall can only remain active if league-members support it.

In a public statement issued by the Hall of Fame following the induction ceremonies, officials spoke of the diverse interests of league members:

“While we recognize that league history is not an important aspect for every member, voter participation in the past has traditionally been in the 90% range. A result of less than 80% is of real concern. The Hall of Fame can exist only if the league supports it. We must be aware if that support is no longer viable.”

Despite the low voter turnout, Hall officials plan to continue the voting process in the future.

Voting for Class 29 will be held in January. The vote totals for Class 28 are listed below:

Class 28 Voting Totals:

Player

70% Needed

Whitey Ford	100%
Bob Feller	92.9%
Craig Biggio	82.7%
Chuck Klein	74.7%
John Smoltz	71.9%

Heinie Manush	53.6%
Barry Bonds	44.9%
Alex Rodriguez	42.5%
Ichiro Suzuki	42.4%
Carlos Beltran*	27.6%
Nellie Fox*	23.7%
Billy Herman*	14.6%
Bobo Newsome*	7.2%
Charlie Grimm*	7.2%

· Appeared on the list for the final time.

Source: TCBA Encyclopedia