On November 5th, the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Golden Day’s Era and Early Baseball Committee were released. Chicago White Sox players are well represented on the Golden Days Era Ballot. Five of the ten players played for the White Sox and four were regular stars for them. Those players are Minnie Minoso, Dick Allen, Jim Kaat, and Billy Pierce.
The Golden Days Era takes place from 1950-1969, so it’s unsurprising that a ballot from that year would be loaded with Chicago White Sox players. From 1951-1967, the White Sox had an impressive 17 straight winning seasons and even won a rare American League Pennant.
1950-1969 was one of the best eras for White Sox baseball, along with 1901-1920 and 1990-2010. Hopefully, we are in the early stages of another great era from 2020 to at least the 2030s. With all the success the Sox had in the ’50s and 60’s, it makes sense to honor those teams with induction for Minnie Minoso.
Though the ballot is loaded with players who had great careers, Minnie Minoso is in my opinion – and the opinion of many others – the worst snub. If he doesn’t get in this time it will be a crime. After Minnie Minoso, the most deserving player is probably Dick Allen, who won an MVP with the White Sox in 1972.
Allen isn’t the perfect Hall of Fame candidate – he failed to reach the important mark of 2000 hits and was sometimes considered a bad teammate. On the other hand, he has a career OPS+ of 156, one of the highest by a player not in the Hall, highlighting just how good of a hitter he was. All things considered, Dick Allen would have my vote.
There are two White Sox pitchers on the ballot, Jim Kaat and Billy Pierce. Both are similar to Mark Buehrle and could help with Buehrle’s case going forward. I’d actually rather have Buehrle in than either of them but between Kaat and Pierce, Kaat is probably more deserving of induction. He’s come close several times so maybe 2021 will be the year for him, as he just turned 83 years old.
Another player on the ballot worth mentioning is Roger Maris. Though he has no connection to the White Sox, I’d definitely root for him to make the Hall of Fame as he broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in 1961 when he hit 61 home runs. To this day, no player not connected to steroid use has managed to break that record.
It is always nice to see Chicago White Sox players have a chance at the Hall.
For some reason, each member of the committee is only allowed to vote for four players. If I had a vote, I’d pick Minnie Minoso, Dick Allen, Jim Kaat, and Roger Maris. While I’ll be rooting for all four to make the Hall of Fame, the most obvious selection is Minnie Minoso who better make it this time.
The Early Baseball Ballot, on the other hand, does not feature any White Sox players. There are a lot of interesting players on that ballot but the most deserving is Bill Dahlen, a forgotten 19th-century star shortstop who compiled over 75 bWAR for Chicago’s NL team and others. Regrettably, Shoeless Joe Jackson is not on this ballot even though he should be, as baseball seems not quite ready to forgive him after 100 years.
As for the writer’s ballot, many White Sox players will be included on the 2021-22 ballot but none are going to make it, so we’ll have to get a veteran’s committee induction. Hopefully, Minnie Minoso and at least one other White Sox player will make it this year.