Should Lefty O'Doul be in the Hall of Fame?
I believe he should be in for all of his contributions to the game. What do you guys think?
I believe he should be in for all of his contributions to the game. What do you guys think?
el Águila
Favorite Answer
Lefty O'Doul is one of those handful of people who I think 'should' be in the HOF, but didn't really do enough 'in any one category' to justify induction.
If the HOF had an 'overall contributions' category, he'd be in.
But it doesn't.
He wasn't really any good as a pitcher, but was great when he came back as an outfielder. Unfortunately, that translates to seven great seasons, but then four seasons where he never appeared in more than 36 games.
He was an extraordinarily successful manager- in the PCL, which is not considered a major league.
And he was incredibly instrumental in popularizing baseball- in JAPAN, which is not covered by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
If the Baseball Hall of Fame ever decides to induct incredibly important pioneers and the like from the minor leagues and foreign leagues, O'Doul would be on the very short list.
But they don't.
Robert David M
Yes he should.
Great baseball man.