Future Candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Pre-Integration Committee, Part II

Part 1 of my analysis of future candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Pre-Integration Committee detailed 20 of the most deserving players from baseball's first several decades. Now, I will take a look at some overlooked executives, pioneers and umpires from this era. Many of these names have been relegated to brief mentions in books, and I'm sure some have never been seriously been considered for Hall of Fame election before. However, baseball's long history has seen its fair share of legends fall through the cracks, and the Hall of Fame should continue its' mission to honor the game's greatest figures. Honoring some of these figures would certainly help with that.

I previously detailed the major qualifications for baseball pioneer Doc Adams and St. Louis Cardinals owner Samuel Breadon, both of whom were on this past year's Pre-Integration Committee ballot. I support both Adams and Breadons' elections. The other two executives on that ballot, Gary Herrmann, owner of the Cincinnati Reds and president of the National Commission, and Chris von der Ahe, longtime owner of the St. Louis Browns (now the Cardinals), have interesting candidacies, though I have not yet decided on them.

Instead, here is a look into 10 pioneers, executives, and umpires, excluding Adams, Breadon, Herrmann and von der Ahe, who should seriously be considered for future election for the Baseball Hall of Fame:

Henry Killilea

Henry Killilea: Hall of Famer Ban Johnson often gets most of the credit for his role in building the American League into a Major League at the turn of the 20th century, and he should. Johnson is one of the most influential executives in baseball history. However, several other individuals were responsible for the rise of the Junior Circuit. One is Charles Somers, who will be addressed later in this post. Another is Henry Killilea.

Killilea accomplished many things in a relativity short period of time. An investor in the Milwaukee Brewers club of Ban Johnson's Western League in the 1890s, Killilea was at the forefront in the leagues' transition into the American League in 1900. In fact, it was at his Milwaukee home that Johnson, Connie Mack, and Charles Comiskey began to plan to enter the Chicago market, in the form of the White Sox, and arrange their assault on the National League. Killilea ran the Brewers during their lone major league season in the AL in 1901, before the franchise shifted to St. Louis to become the Browns. He later purchased the Boston Americans from Charles Somers, and was their owner when the team won the 1903 World Series. Earlier that year, he was the main negotiator in the peace agreements between the two leagues, which set the stage for stability, and the annual World Series. He later worked with the National Commission, the ancestor of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, and was a close confidant of Ban Johnson until Johnson's retirement in 1927.

Charles Somers: We've already addressed Henry Killilea, one of the forgotten builders of the American League. Now it's Charles Somers' time. His SABR biography starts off like this:

"Charles Somers was much more than one of the league’s founding members; he was also its principal financier. A shy, unassuming man who made his fortune in the coal business, Somers brought major-league baseball back to Cleveland in 1901, and also helped the junior circuit establish clubs in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston."

That seems mighty impressive. Somers was a key financial backer of several of the American League's early clubs, and served as the first owner of the Boston Americans and Cleveland Blues/Bluebirds/Naps/Indians. He loaned or spent about $1 million on other American League teams, and helped Connie Mack and Ben Shibe build the Philadelphia Athletics. The AL didn't just need great baseball to succeed, it needed great baseball men, and Charles Somers worked to make the AL thrive. Although he later gained a less than flattering reputation for his handling of the Cleveland club, ultimately selling his shares, he was an important cog in the emergence of the American League. Ban Johnson once said that Somers helped make “the American League’s ambitious dreams become actual realities." Perhaps it's time for Killilea and Somers' roles to be recognized in Cooperstown.

Al Reach

Al Reach: Reach, like the previously chronicled Dickey Pearce, played over 10 years before the National Association's first year. However, his playing career is not the main source of his Cooperstown candidacy. The founder and longtime owner of the Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies, Reach also created the A. J. Reach Company in Philadelphia. A.J. Reach and Co. made the official baseball of the American Association, along with the Reach Guide, a baseball booklet which existed for decades. His business eventually merged with A. G. Spalding's company, which still exists today.

Cy Rigler: Umpire Hank O'Day's Hall of Fame induction in 2013 may bode well for someone like Cy Rigler. A professional football player early in his life, Rigler became a National League umpire in 1906, despite never playing pro baseball. He would rank among the greatest umpires of his era, working in 10 World Series over a 29 year career. In fact, he is tied with O'Day for most Fall Classic assignments, behind only Bill Klem and his outrageous 18 World Series. Rigler's 62 World Series games are second most, behind Klem, and he worked in the first All-Star Game in 1933. Most accounts indicate that Rigler was a well-respected arbiter, who should someday join O'Day, Klem, and eight other umpires in Cooperstown.

The next four men were early pioneers of baseball, and by early, I mean pretty much as early as it gets. All were associated with the Knickerbocker Baseball Club, the most important of all the early baseball clubs during the middle of the 19th century. Hall of Famer Alexander Cartwright is in the Hall of Fame as a Knickerbocker, and Doc Adams (covered in part I), will hopefully join him soon. There are several other important figures from this era, and four I will address are Duncan Curry, William H. Tucker, Louis F. Wadsworth, and William Wheaton. Much of their accomplishments can be found in the work of Major League Baseball's official historian, John Thorn. That includes work on his "Our Game" blog, and his book Baseball in the Garden of Eden. 

A 1862 reunion photo of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. Included here is Duncan Curry (top row, far left), William H. Tucker (top row, far right) and Doc Adams (bottom row, second from left).

Duncan Curry was the first president of the Knickerbockers, and was key member of their rules committee.

William H. Tucker also worked with the rules committee, and was the club's first secretary.

Louis F. Wadsworth played a major role in establishing nine players per team, and nine innings per game during his tenure with the Knicks.

William Wheaton was a member of both the Gotham Club of New York and the Knickerbockers, who helped formulate rules.

According to John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, this picture from the mid-1870s is the only known image of baseball pioneer Louis F. Wadsworth. He appears to be the tall man standing on the porch. 

It can be argued that many of the game's early players and figures deserve the title "Father of Baseball," with that fictional crown already handed out to figures like Abner Doubleday (who had nothing to do with baseball), Alexander Cartwright, and Doc Adams. Curry, Tucker, Wadsworth, and Wheaton all helped develop baseball into America's pastime, and should all be celebrated for their various contributions.


The final two men on the list split their careers as great pitchers and then accomplished umpires. This makes their elections unlikely, as the Hall of Fame requires inductees to have only one primary position or role. When Joe Torre was elected a few years ago, it was based entirely on his managerial career, which was legendary in its self, but no emphasis was placed on his successful playing career. This black and white approach to inductees over complicates things unnecessarily. A person should be a Hall of Famer based on what they did over their entire career in baseball. If someone was a great player, and then later a great manager or executive or umpire, the totality of their accomplishments should be judged, not just one segment of their career.

Someone like Hughie Jennings is in the Hall of Fame, and I have no problem with it. Jennings was a very good player, who from 1894 to 1898 was perhaps the best player in the game. He also notability holds the record for most career hits by a pitch. His playing career is short on totals like at bats and hits, because while he played in parts of 18 seasons, he only had seven seasons in which he played in over 100 games. It is because of this that he probably had a borderline Hall of Fame playing career. Jennings, however, managed the Detroit Tigers for 14 years, winning three American League pennants in a row. This managerial stint bumps him comfortably above the Hall of Fame standard. That is why I believe Jennings is a legitimate Hall of Famer. The problem is that he is in the Hall of Fame as a shortstop, not as a shortstop/manager. This distinction clouds history. Jennings is just one example.

Frank Chance is in the Hall of Fame as a first baseman. Was Frank Chance a good player? Yes. In fact, he was even great for few years, as one of the best handful of National League players from 1903 to 1907. Chance should be in the Hall of Fame, but not solely on his playing career. His 11 seasons as a player/manager or full-time manager with two World Series titles, along with his playing career, is what makes him a legitimate Hall of Famer. The same goes for Charles Comiskey and Clark Griffith, who are both in the Hall of Fame as executives, but who both had long careers as players and managers. Just get rid of the positional designations.

It is time for the Hall of Fame to take the totality of a person's accomplishments into consideration. Success at multiple positions or roles should be taken into account. That would certainly help many figures, especially Bill Dinneen and Eddie Rommel.

Bill Dinneen

Bill Dinneen: Bill Dinneen began his playing career in 1898 as a pitcher with the National League's Washington Senators. After moving to the Boston Beaneaters in 1900, he became one of the premier pitchers in the game, winning 20 games for the first time. It was only after he jumped to the American League's Boston club in 1903 did he truly become a star. After a stellar regular season, he pitched four games in the first ever World Series of 1903, twirling two shutouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and striking out 20 hitters in 35 innings, and winning three games overall. He finished his playing career with the St. Louis Browns in 1909, ending with a 170-177 win-loss record, a 3.01 ERA, and a 41.1 career WAR, ranking in the top seven in pitching WAR in five years. A good playing career, one better than some actual Hall of Famers, but not worthy of enshrinement by itself.

Dinneen's baseball life didn't stop after he stopped playing, however. In fact, his second career began even before his final game on the mound. For three games in September 1907, Dinneen worked as a substitute American League umpire. Two years later, following his final career game as a pitcher on August 26, 1909, he umpired 20 more games. Beginning the following season, he would join the AL umpiring staff full time, remaining there until 1937. He was assigned eight World Series, becoming the first person to play and umpire in the Fall Classic. He also worked the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933, umpiring behind home plate at Comiskey Park.

Eddie Rommel

Eddie Rommel: Rommel, like Dinneen, began his Major League career as a successful pitcher. Spending his entire 13 year playing career with the Philadelphia Athletics, Rommel was among the better pitchers in the American League for the first seven years of his career. His best year was 1922, when he led the league with 27 wins, and finished second in the MVP voting, behind George Sisler, who hit .420 with 246 hits. Rommel won 171 games, one more than Dinneen, with a .590 winning percentage, and earned a World Series title with the 1929 A's. Like Jim McCormick before him, Rommel was hurt by bad teams. For the first four years of his career, the Athletics were abysmal, finishing 8th, 8th, 6th, and 6th in the American League. This is why he twice led the league in losses, while remaining one of the best pitchers in the game. He also was one of the first pitchers to regularly throw a knuckleball.

His final season was 1932, but he transitioned into umpiring in the minor leagues a few years later. By 1938, he had made the American League staff, where he would stay until 1959. He called World Series games in 1943 and 1947, and worked six All-Star games, working three as the home plate umpire.

Rommel may have not have had as celebrated an umpiring career as Dinneen, but it can be argued that he was the better pitcher. Neither belongs in the Hall based on their playing career alone, both their work as longtime umpires should help their cases significantly. It would be a great display of recognition for two men who devoted much of their lives to the game.

Part III will address the Hall of Fame's decision to hold off on not just electing, but considering, any players, managers or executives from the Negro Leagues, and will cover several figures still waiting on recognition from Cooperstown.