The 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Election, Part 2 Early Baseball Era Candidates 1-5
The Greater the Obstacle, the more Glory in Overcoming it. Moliere
November 25, 2021
For 2022, there are 10 men eligible to be elected by the Hall of Fame’s Early Baseball Era Committe. These Committee members will cast their ballots on December 5, 2021; and the results will be announced that night. These new members, if any, will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 24th of 2022 in Cooperstown, New York.
The candidacies of the 7 Negro League related players will be examined first with the 3 White Major League players eligible evaluated last. The 10 players are scrutinized in this sequence to acknowledge that the Negro Leaguers have had far fewer opportunites for induction than their White peers. The players themselves will be listed in the following order:
- The Favorite: John “Buck” O’Neil
- The Most Qualified: Grant “Home Run” Johnson and Dick Redding
- The Wild Cards: John Donaldson and John “Bud” Fowler
- The Managers: Victor “Vic” Harris and George Scales
- The Oddity: Allie Reynolds
- The Leftovers: William “Bill” Dahlen and Frank “Lefty” O’Doul
In this post, I will examine the credentials of the first 5 of these 10 select men; and pass judgment on whether I would: 1) advocate for their election [a YES vote]; 2) not advocate for their election but am not against it either [a MAYBE vote]; or 3) oppose their election [a NO vote]. In my next post, I will examine candidates 6 through 10.
After each candidate’s name will be the following information: 2) His primary fielding position; 2) Year born; 3) First and last full year of their Black or White Major League career; and 4) His career OPS+ and/or ERA+ stat. Also, if they played in the White Major Leagues, their WAR [Wins Above Replacement stat] will be listed last. All statistics are from the website baseballreference.com [BR] for the White Major Leagues and/or the website seamheads.com [SH] from their Negro League database* for those players who toiled behind the Color Line.
*Seamheads’ Negro Leagues Statistical database current to 11/19/2021.
1) John “Buck” O’Neil [1B], b. 1911 [Career 1937-1948], 104 OPS+ [SH]
Buck O’Neil has to the absolute favorite of the 10 Candidates who are being considered by the Early Baseball Era Committee for induction in 2022. The last time that the Hall of Fame inducted anyone from the Negro Leagues was 2006. In that induction, seventeen members of the Negro Leagues went into the Hall of Fame all at once. Reportedly, Buck O’Neil missed election with the class of 2006 by a single vote. To his credit, O’Neil did not shed a tear of pity for himself. On July 29, 2006, he gave the induction speech for all the Negro Leaguers who did make it that year. Buck O’Neil passed away shortly after on October 6, 2006. All of this has led to a distinct feeling that a miscarriage of justice was done when his election was denied. A betting man would have to put his money down on Buck O’Neil to be elected in 2022.
That being said: Buck O’Neil does not deserve induction for his playing career. His career as a first baseman in the Negro Major Leagues has some superficial similarities to the career of Mickey Vernon in the White Majors. Even so, it is pretty obvious that O’Neil was not as good as Vernon. No one is clamoring to put Mickey Vernon into the Hall of Fame. But then there is the rest of O’Neil’s resume. Buck managed the Kansas City Monarchs to multiple pennants from 1948 to 1955. Starting in 1956, he was a Major League scout for the Chicago Cubs and then the Kansas City Royals. In 1962, Buck O’Neil was the very first African American coach in the Major Leagues. For years, Buck was one of the strongest and best voices keeping the memory of the Negro Leagues alive. In 1981, he joined the Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame. In 1990, Buck O’Neil was one of the founders of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The pinnacle of O’Neil’s long life was probably the previously mentioned 2006 election of 17 members of the Negro Leagues to the Hall of Fame. A life well lived, to say the least.
One of the many odd things about the Baseball Hall of Fame is that there is no category for a Baseball Renaissance Man. Baseball Hall of Fame members are chosen from the distinct categories of players, executives, managers, and umpires. They do not have a category for coaches or scouts or the composer of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” And there is no category for anyone who qualifies under multiple categories, perhaps merits election for the totality of their contribution to the game of Baseball, but absolutely does not deserve election under any single category. The career of Buck O’Neil would certainly fit this description. While we do not advocate the election of Buck O’Neil to the Hall of Fame under any of the present categories, we do advocate that the Baseball Hall of Fame create such a combination or meritorious category. It would allow the Hall of Fame to do justice to Buck O’Neil and maybe some other candidates. Of course, great injustice is often done by simply waiting for justice to occur. With that in mind, we do advocate that John “Buck” O’Neil be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2) Grant “Home Run” Johnson [SS], b. 1872 [Career 1894-1914], 158 OPS+ [SH]
If you were trying to determine the greatest player or pitcher that has been passed over and forgotten by the Hall of Fame, you would probably not go wrong by starting your search with the African-American players and pitchers who played primarily before the Negro Leagues even started in 1920. Such a search would quickly lead you to Grant “Home Run” Johnson. The greatest Negro hitter of his time, Johnson’s entire career on major Negro teams had been over for years when Andrew Foster (a former teammate) founded the Negro Leagues. A shortstop in his prime, he was not without defensive value. The direct contemporary of both Honus Wagner and Napoleon Lajoie, Grant Johnson is the missing member of this elite triad.
The Seamheads Negro Leagues database, put together by Gary Ashwill and a raft of other Negro League researchers, credits Grant Johnson with an OPS+ of 158 over his long career. Careful analysis of these Negro Leagues statistics shows that the quality of the Negro Leagues [1920-1948] in the database was usually between the highest classification of the Minor Leagues (currently classified as Triple-A) and the Major Leagues itself. Of course, this varied over time. At some points, the quality was as low and perhaps a touch lower than Triple-A. But, at other times, the quality was actually close to equal or maybe even [sacrilege] a touch higher than the Major Leagues. Evaluating these statistics must be done very very carefully; but the compiled database of box scores in the Seamheads Negro League database has been a godsend to Negro League researchers.
The quantity of the statistics in the database also fluctuates. In the 1920s, the statistical record is much better, sometimes complete or all but complete. In the early 1930s, the record gets much worse because of the Great Depression. But then it improves as the years roll on. In the early 1940s, the record once again begins to get quite good and the Negro Leagues themselves actually begin to compile the statistics. Full statistics were actually published for both the 1944 and 1945 seasons for both the NAL and NNL. But then the compiled statistical record once again falls apart as the Negro Leagues disintegrate and the Press, both black and white, stops covering them. Interestingly, published statistics for the Negro Leagues are much better well into the 1950s. At this point, the remaining Negro League teams were hanging on by selling players to Organized Baseball. Probabaly because the published stats were helpful to promote these player sales, the statistics become more plentiful.
Of course, Grant “Home Run” Johnson finished his career with the major Negro teams of his time many years before the foundation of the Negro Leagues themselves. The Seamheads database also contains statistics going far back before 1920. But these statistics dwindle over time. By the 1890s, the statistics are merely a trickle. And these stats are even more unreliable than the statistics from the actual Negro Leagues. The obvious question is: how can you compare Johnson’s reported 158 career OPS+ in this receding record to the career Major League OPS+ of his contemporaries Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner? The career OPS+ of Lajoie was 150 and Wagner was slightly higher at 151. Would not discounting the quality of the games making up Johnson’s Seamheads’ record for not being Major League caliber bring Johnson’s OPS+ down well below the career OPS+ of both Lajoie and Wagner?
But there is an obvious answer to this question. The Seamheads’ database statistics for Grant Johnson are much more plentiful in his 30s than they are in his 20s. Johnson turned 30 in 1902. Of the 1790 plate appearances [PA] listed for Johnson, only 64 of them came in the year 1902 or earlier. From 1903 to the year 1909, Johnson registered 1,017 PAs. From 1910 to 1914, he had 709 more PA. The median age for Grant Johnson per PA is 36 years old. In other words, if you normalized Johnson’s OPS+ for his age and career path, it would rise significantly. There is no way around the conclusion that Grant Johnson was one absolute whale of a hitter. John Henry Lloyd [141 OPS+] and Pete Hill [171 OPS+] would probably be considered the greatest Black hitters of the next generation. Grant Johnson played with both in the fading years of his career and the flowering of their talent. The evidence available suggests that Grant Johnson was just as great a hitter (or an even greater hitter) then either Lloyd or Hill.
If he had been allowed to play his whole career in the White Major Leagues, Grant “Home Run” Johnson would have surely amassed over 3000 hits. If he had played in a park that did not unreasonably suppress his home runs (like Honus Wagner did), Johnson would have probably held the career HR record until Babe Ruth came along to annihilate it. Grant Johnson would have been a legend. Of course, this would also make Johnson one of the 100 greatest Baseball players of all-time. And it is more probable that he was in the top 50. It is our contention that Grant “Home Run” Johnson is the answer to the question: Who is the greatest Baseball player passed over by both the BBWAA and the various Veteran’s Committees of the Hall of Fame? Because of this, we strongly advocate that the great Grant “Home Run” Johnson be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
3) Richard “Dick” Redding [P], b. 1890 [Career 1911-1936], ERA+ 129 [SH] aka “Cannonball”
Richard “Dick” Redding is the flip side of the Grant “Home Run” Johnson coin. Dick Redding is probably the greatest African-American pitcher who has been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Like Grant Johnson, Redding’s best years came before the formation of the Negro Leagues. In his prime, Redding and his rival Smokey Joe Williams [147 SH ERA+] were considered the peers of their white counterparts, Walter Johnson [147 BR ERA+] and Grover “Pete” Alexander [135 BR ERA+]. By his Seamheads career statistics [129 SH OPS+], Redding would seem to be a slightly lesser pitcher than his direct peers. The Major League pitcher who probably best compares to Dick Redding was Rube Waddell [135 BR ERA+] of the previous generation. Like the great Waddell, Redding threw extremely hard but without pinpoint control; was celebrated for his durability; and often pitched both games of double-headers. And also like Waddell, Redding was the main character in a number of odd, humorous, or simply strange stories. Of course, Dick Redding was nowhere near as odd an individual as Rube Waddell. Very few people were.
In the Seamhead’s database, Dick Redding is assigned a Negro Leagues won-loss record of 109-80 [.577%] with an ERA+ of 129. But these stats include a 2-5 record in the winter Florida Hotel All-Star League. Dick Redding’s stats in just summer time Negro League play are 107-75 [.588]. These statistics, while not unimpressive, are also not over-whelming. But his statistics [like Grant Johnson’s stats above] are suffering from a statistical doppler’s effect. There are less statistics from his prime (the 1910s) than there should be and more stats from the years of his decline (the 1920s and 1930s). By decade, Dick Redding’s summer statistics are: the 1910s 62-27 [.697%] in 794.0 innings; the 1920s 44-46 [.489%] in 757.1 innings; and the 1930s 1-2 [.333%] in just 22.1 innings. The 109-80 compiled record understates Redding’s dominance. In his prime from 1914 to 1919, Dick Redding went 46-12 [.793] against the top Negro teams during the summer season. During this same time frame, Joe Williams went 45-15 [.750] against the best Black clubs. In other words, Dick Redding was possibly much greater at his peak than the Seamheads database 129 ERA+ indicates.
In the 1910s, Dick Redding, in the Major Leagues, would have probably been throwing up to 400 innings per year, maybe even more. But, by the 1920s, his incredible cannonball was clearly losing its thunder. Redding was still a good pitcher, and (absent discrimination) he would have continued to pitch in the Majors late into the 1920s and even into the 1930s . But his innings pitched per year would have plummeted. Of course, the 1920s lively ball offense, all by itself, reduced how many innings a top hurler could throw. It is probable that Redding himself would have been forced to limit his innings just to retain his viability as a Major League pitcher [i.e more quality innings by reducing quantity]. A comparison between Dick Redding and his contemporary Pete Alexander is interesting. Alexander was pitching 350 or so innings during the 1910s but was down to 250 innings or so in the 1920s. Of course, Alexander was still a dominant pitcher in the 1920s who compensated for the loss of his best fastball with uncanny control. But Redding simply continued to throw as hard as he could. In this way, Dick Redding was similar to Nolan Ryan, the greatest strikeout pitcher of all-time. All indications are that the bulk of Dick Redding’s career would have been in the 1910s.
In our opinion, Dick Redding belongs in a discussion with Walter Johnson, Joe Williams, and Grover Alexander as the best pitchers of the 1910s. Careerwise, Redding is probably inferior to these three pitchers. But his best seasons may have been another story. There is a very good chance that Redding, in one year or perhaps in multiple years, would have pitched an absolutely insane amount of innings like Jack Chesbro in 1904 [454 IP] or Ed Walsh in 1908 [464 IP]. Without discrimination, Dick Redding would have certainly won over 300 games just like his contemporaries. Of course, he would have probably lost well over 200 games also. Although he was almost surely not quite as good a pitcher as the trio of Alexander, Johnson, and Williams, Redding was probably a not too far distant fourth. This would still make Dick Redding one of the 100 greatest baseball players who have ever lived and a much more worthy candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame than dozens of other pitchers who have already been inducted. For this reason, we also strongly advocate that the great Dick Redding be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
4) John Donaldson [P-OF], b. 1891 [1916-1932], ERA+ 114 [SH], OPS+ 100 [SH]
John Donaldson, even far more than Dick Redding, shows the limitations of the current statistical database of Negro League players. The great majority of John Donaldson’s career was spent entirely outside of the Negro Leagues. This is documented extensively on the wonderful John Donaldson Network website [johndonaldson.bravehost.com]. This website has tons of information documenting the entirety of his career from 1908-1940. The stated mission of the website is to get John Donaldson elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. So the obvious questions are: 1) What does the statistical evidence, including the lack thereof, say about Donaldson; and 2) Does this evidence support John Donaldson’s candidacy for the Baseball Hall of Fame?
The Early Career of John Donaldson
Early in his career [1908-1915], John Donaldson played on the prairies of the Midwest, barnstorming against white semi-pro teams. He played primarily for J.L. Wilkinson’s novelty All Nations team (the team used it’s make-up of many different ethnicities, even women, to attract curious customers). Wilkinson, of course, would later be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame for being the long time owner of the Kansas City Monarch’s Negro Leagues franchise. By 1912, John Donaldson had reportedly developed into the best Negro pitcher in the country. Observers from 1912 to 1915 claimed that John Donaldson was a sure 30-game-winner in the Major Leagues. Blindingly fast with an incredible curve ball, Donaldson tore through the white semi-pro teams in the Midwest like a hurricane through a field of wheat. There is certainly evidence during this time that John Donaldson was an incredible pitcher. Just how incredible is uncertain.
After the 1915 summer season ended, the Seamheads database begins to document John Donaldson’s career against the best of the nation’s African-American players and teams. An analysis of what is available on Seamheads is fascinating. In the winter of 1915-1916, he played in the (so-called) Florida Hotel League. Basically, teams representing two hotels in Palm Beach, Florida, spent the winter playing a series against each other. At this time, these two teams were staffed with the absolute elite of Negro baseball. Playing for the Royal Poinciana Hotel, Donaldson went 0-4. He pitched 30 innings, giving up 31 hits, while walking 13 and striking out 24 with a 3.82 ERA. Three of these defeats were against Joe Williams, the greatest African-American pitcher of that generation. Late in 1916, John Donaldson pitched games against both the Chicago American Giants and the Indianapolis ABCs, the two best Negro Teams in the Midwest. Against these teams, Donaldson went 2-0, pitching 15 innings, giving up 12 hits, walking 6 and striking out 19. The question would be: “What do these staistics, a mere glimpse of Donaldson in his actual prime, or just after his prime, tell us?”
In the statistics from his prime (or near prime), John Donaldson went 2-4 in 45.2 innings, giving up 43 hits and 19 walks, while striking out 43 with a 3.74 ERA. At first glance, these stats do not seem to be very impressive. Just two wins against four losses? But, as stated, Donaldson was playing these games against only the very best Negro players and teams of this time. This was also Donaldson’s first exposure to entire line-ups made of Major League caliber hitters, and he probably needed to make some adjustments. But 43 strikeouts in just 45.2 innings against the very cream of that era’s best Negro hitters is incredibly impressive despite the small sample size. It is pretty obvious that Donaldson was a hard day’s night for even the best African-American hitters at that point. The evidence, properly evaluated, seems to indicate that John’s reputation was well deserved. On the other hand, it is just 45 and two/thirds innings, barely enough to make a reliable judgment. However, there is even more evidence that John Donaldson was a great pitcher
The Middle Career of John Donaldson
From 1917 to 1919 in the Seamheads database, John Donaldson went 15-15 over 259.1 innings while giving up 221 hits and also 74 walks. He struck out 140 batters and registered an ERA of 2.15. Once again, the won/loss record is not all that impressive. But again this is deceiving. Donaldson’s ERA+ from 1917 to 1919 was approximately 151. An ERA+ of 151 in 30 decisions should have resulted in a record of 21-9 or 20-10. His winning percentage says more about the caliber of his competition than it does about John Donaldson. But even this analysis understates just how good a pitcher Donaldson was at that point. Because of his fame, Donaldson was usually used as a feature pitcher from 1917 to 1919. In other words, he pitched in very well-publicized games versus the best pitchers from the best teams. In 1918, while pitching for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, John Donaldson once again matched up multiple times against Smokey Joe Williams. What this means is that he was actually a much greater pitcher than his 1917-1919 stats indicate. John Donaldson’s legend certainly is not being debunked by this additional evidence.
But the statistics from 1917 to 1919 also document the decline of Donaldson’s fastball. In 1917, Donaldson struck out 45 in 60.0 innings [6.75 strikeouts per nine innings]. In 1918, he struck out 57 in 114.1 innings [4.49]. Then, in 1919, Donaldson struck out just 38 in 85.0 innings [4.02]. Despite this decline, John Donaldson was still a formidable front line starting pitcher from 1917 to 1919. Then, in 1920, John Donaldson was no longer primarily a pitcher. Playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in their first year of existance, Donaldson’s primary position was center field. Donaldson played in 75 of the Monrach’s compiled 78 games. He started 63 in centerfield. As a pitcher, Donaldson compiled a 6-6 record in 95.1 innings with an ERA OF 3.78 [ERA+ of just 91]. His strikeout percentage did increase to 5.11 per 9 innings [54 SO]. But this increase in his strikeout rate is almost surely related to pitching less often. Pro-rated to a full season (at that time) of 154 games, John Donaldson’s innings pitched would have fallen from 319.1 in 1919 [85.0 IP in 41 games] to just 188.1 in 1920 [95.1 IP in 78 games]. In 1919, John Donaldson was an ace pitcher. In 1920, he was a fourth starter.
In 1921, John Donaldson’s arm apparently reached the end of the line. John Donaldson played in all 101 games compiled that season for the Kansas City Monarchs by the Seamheads database. He played in centerfield for 100 of those 101 games. He pitched in only 8 games, starting three. Donaldson’s 1921 pitching record was a poor 0-3 in 41.2 innings [pro-rated to 154 games, this works out to just 62.2 innings]. He finished the 1921 season with an ERA of 4.97 [ERA+ of just 74]. Early in the 1922 season, Donaldson continued as the Kansas City Monarchs’ centerfielder. He did not pitch any games at all in the Negro National League. His career as a pitcher seemed over. That same year, J.L. Wilkinson reformed his All Nations team as a farm team for his K.C. Monarchs. But there are also indications that J.L. Wilkinson reformed the All Nations hoping to capitalize on John Donaldson’s fame [shades of Satchel Paige in 1939]. From mid-1922 and through 1923, Donaldson was playing on this All Nations club, drawing good crowds while barnstorming all across the Midwest. By 1924, his actual Negro League career was effectively over.
The Later Career of John Donaldson
While playing on the All Nations team in 1922 and 1923, John Donaldson’s arm evidently recovered. By late 1922, Donaldson was once again a featured pitcher for the All Nations club. In both 1923 [9 games] and 1924 [2 games], Donaldson did make a few appearances for the Monarchs. But his primary team was the All Nations. After leaving the All Nations in 1924 until his career ended in 1940, John Donaldson would pitch primarily on either white semi-pro teams or for teams put together by himself throughout the Midwestern States. John Donaldson effectively spent the rest of the 1920s and the 1930s selling his arm to the highest bidder amongst the mid-western white semi-pros. If no bidder was available, he would then put togther his own team and barnstorm against the same teams. Every once and awhile, John Donaldson would still play a little with J.L. Wilkinson’s Monarchs.
John Donaldson’s decision to play out his career in this fashion was surely financial. He made more money, possibly much more, than he would have playing in the Negro Leagues. But, for this reason, there are virtually no stats covering this period of Donaldson’s career in the Seamheads Negro Leagues database. Of course, the question of how good John Donaldson was while pitching during the later 1920s and early 1930s is very important for a proper evaluation of his Baseball Hall of Fame case. In our opinion, after carefully considering the available evidence, it seems that John Donaldson was once again a Major League caliber pitcher during the 1920s and even into the 1930s. He was also probably once agan a potential Major League 20 game winner in the mid to late 1920s. But the evidence is slim. John Donaldson may have also just been a bulk innings-eating starter in the Majors Leagues until age ended his career as it does for all players. Or perhaps Donaldson would have finished out his career in the Minor Leagues. Probably the only true conclusion is that more evidence is needed.
John Donaldson in the Batting Box
Of course, this is just the pitching side of the ledger for John Donaldson. He was also, by reputation, a very good hitter and fine fielder. The Seamheads database lists his OPS+ as exactly 100 [an average Negro League hitter] over 1287 plate appearances. Almost all of these plate appearances are from the years 1920 to 1922 when Donaldson was 28 to 30 years old [928 PA]. From 1920 until early 1923, John Donaldson played centerfield for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1920, his Seamheads OPS+ was 116 in 338 plate appearances. In 1921, it was 88 in 458 PA. In 1922, his OPS+ was 125 in 132 PA. In 1923, John Donaldson had a 112 OPS+ in just 45 plate appearances. Interestingly, the 1921 season sticks out. In that year, John Donaldson’s pitching career reached its nadir. His sore arm or shoulder certainly limited his pitching. But it also very likely affected his hitting, especially his power. In fact, the biggest difference between his 1920 and 1921 batting was very good power in 1920 and almost a complete lack of power for the 1921 season.
Because of this, John Donaldson’s Seamheads compiled batting statistics may unfairly represent his hitting skill. His 458 plate appearances during the 1921 season make up an unnaturely large chunk of his career batting statistics. In other words, his OPS+ for that year may be unnaturally depressing his career OPS+ quite a bit. Outside of his 1921 injury year, Donaldson appears to have been a fine centerfielder who hit 20 percent or so better in his prime than the average Negro League player at that time. This is a very fine player. Even if he had never pitched, John Donaldson would have almost surely had a long career in the Negro Leagues as a position player. Going all the way down the rabbit hole, Donaldson would have almost surely been an even better hitter if he had just concentrated on batting rather than pitching. If John Donaldson had not been the victim of discrimination (and the beneficiary of a lightning bolt of a left arm that made him more valuable as a pitcher), I believe that he could have played regularly as a centerfielder in the White Major Leagues.
John Donaldson Conclusion
By reputation and legend, John Donaldson was one of the greatest African-American pitchers of All-Time. A close examination of the evidence that is available does not contradict this assumption. In my view, Donaldson was exactly what has been presented. I believe that, from at least 1912 to 1916, John Donaldson was capable of winning well over 20 games (and possibly 30) a year in the Major Leagues (unless he wound up trapped on some horrible team such as the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics). Donaldson was still a fine Major League starting pitcher from 1917 to 1919 with his career having a crisis in 1920 and 1921. But Donaldson’s pitching arm came back in 1922. After 1923, I believe that Donaldson was once again a Major League caliber pitcher, perhaps even capable of winning 15 to 20 games a year in the Major Leagues. On top of this, John Donaldson was also capable of being a starting position player in the Major Leagues as a good hitting centerfielder. This is certainly a Hall of Fame player.
Going into this analysis of John Donaldson’s career, I did not believe that a close inspection of his career would quite match the legend. However, even taking it all still with a grain of salt, I believe it is apparent that the legend is more true that false. Even with a very steep discount, it would appear that John Donaldson would have had a career probably at least as good as Richard “Rube” Marquard, his direct contemporary [1908-1925]. Marquard is already in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, there are many who would argue that Marquard does not deserve to be in the Hall. But this would be the floor for Donaldson. He was almost surely a much greater pitcher than Marquard. On the other hand, the most optimistic projections of his career would make John Donaldson the second greatest African-American pitcher of his era, behind only Joe Williams, and probably better than Cannonball Dick Redding. I firmly believe that John Donaldson is much closer to the second evaluation than the first. Because of this, we advocate that John Donaldson be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
5) John “Bud” Fowler [2B-P], b. 1858 [No Major/Negro League Service at all]
John “Bud” Fowler is an eclectic choice as a candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud Fowler was, for all intents and purposes, the first African-American professional baseball player. Beginning his career in 1876, Bud made a brief appearance in the 1878 International Association. This made Fowler the first African American to play in the minor leagues. From that point on, Fowler’s career path looks like it was planned by a completely crazy travel agent. Bud would stay in one place for just a year or two before moving on. Bud Fowler continued to play in the white minor leagues until 1895. No African-American player from the 19th Century can even remotely compete with the number of White teams who hired Fowler to play for them. Like some Baseball version of Johnny Appleseed, John “Bud” Fowler spread the news to every corner of the country that African Americans could excel at the National Pastime too.
As a player, Bud Fowler started as a pitcher in 1876. There is some evidence that Fowler was a good enough pitcher that he would have at least deserved a tryout in the National League (the only Major League at that time) in the 1870s. He pitched until his arm gave out in 1884. However, this did not end his career because he was also a Major League caliber second baseman. His playing career continued on until a rib injury in 1904 finally stopped it at the ripe old age of 46. Although Fowler surely would have played in the Major Leagues absent discrimination as a second baseman, there are no indications that Fowler would have forged a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher or player. Or as a manager. Or as an executive. Unlike Buck O’Neil, his fellow possible 2022 inductee, Bud Fowler does not combine all or even any of the current Baseball Hall of Fame categories to make a compelling case. Fowler is, one would say, pretty much in a category all his own.
In 1895, the same year as his last appearance in the white minor leagues, Bud Fowler was also one of the founders of the Page Fence Giants. This team was the first truly great Negro barnstorming team in the Midwest. From then until his death in 1911, Fowler organized and promoted his own African-American barnstorming teams. Virtually every year brought a new team, a new scheme, a new city or town. These teams and schemes got Negro baseball percolating in many different locations. Bud Fowler was an incredible character. If Fowler had been allowed to remain in White Baseball, he would have probably left an incredible minor league legend as a manager, promoter and possibly owner. Baseball historians of today would still be telling stories about him. Does all this add up to merit an induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame? As already stated, he does not fit under any current category. But the Baseball Hall of Fame used to have a category for “Pioneers” [now lumped together with the Executive cagetory]. Using a broad interpretation of pioneer, Fowler would seem to fit quite well under this forgotten category. Your mileage may vary, but we do not advocate or oppose John “Bud” Fowler’s enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
[Update 12/31/2021: Bud Fowler was elected and will be inducted with the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Class. Various sources have listed his election as being under the either the “Player” or “Pioneer” category. The Hall of Fame website itself lists Fowler under the “Executive” category.]
NEXT:
We will evaluate the remaining 5 candidates (6 through 10) potentially being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the year 2022 by the Early Baseball Era Committee.