Some of those were long overdue. I regret that the Hall overlooked Lefty O’Doul, and it is long past time to waive the 10-year rule to induct Ross Barnes, the greatest player of his day (lifetime .360 batting average), whose career was cut short to nine seasons because of illness. He was considered not only the best hitter in those years, but the best fielder and the best base-runner as well. There were two years where he essentially led the league in every major category but homers. At 145 pounds, he wasn’t much of a long-ball threat, but he did hit the first home run in the history of the National League! He was the best player on the best teams in early baseball. Many of Barnes’s less-talented teammates are in, but the star of those teams is not.
I made my case for Lefty O’Doul here. He batted .349 lifetime and made many other contributions to the game.
Barnes and O’Doul are 4th and 9th of all time in lifetime batting average.