Baseball Hall-of-Famers By Team, 2024 Edition

Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

They will be inducted on July 28, at the Clark Sports Center outside Cooperstown, New York, along with Veterans' Committee inductee Jim Leyland.

There have been 23,114 men who have played in Major League Baseball, between the 1st season of 1871 and the most recent season of 2023. There are now 239 of them in the Hall, not counting players who were officially elected in categories other than "Players." That's 1.034 percent -- or 1 out of every 96.7. For those of you who believe the Hall has been "watered down," including too many players who should have stayed in "The Hall of Very Good," 1 out of 97 sounds pretty elite to me.

If we limited it to the top 1.00000000 percent, without going over, that would be 231. Which means we'd only have to kick 8 out. And if there comes a year in which nobody is elected, which has happened a few times, chances are, to keep as close to 1.000 percent without going over, we'd probably have to let 1 of those 8 back in.

For the sake of this list, a player is counted as a Hall-of-Famer with the team if he played at least 4 seasons with them. However, there will be the occasional exception. Teams are ranked in order of most HOFers.

If there is a tie, it will be broken by which team has more players, as opposed to those who were elected in other categories. If there is still a tie, then I go to which has more non-broadcasters. If it's still a tie, which has more players whose contributions were mostly with that club. If it's still a tie, which team has played fewer seasons will be ranked ahead -- since, for example, 5 HOFers is more impressive for a team that's been around since 1977 than it would be for one that's been around since 1961.

Teams that no longer exist in that form will be listed in italics, and will be ranked behind current teams with the same number, regardless of composition.

Players are listed in chronological order of when they arrived at the club, then managers, then broadcasters.

1. New York Yankees, 42: It works out to a little over 1 for every Pennant the team has won:

Clark Griffith (the team's 1st manager, elected as a pitcher and he was still a solid pitcher while he was their manager), Willie Keeler, Jack Chesbro, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Johnny Mize, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Enos Slaughter, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina.

Also, managers Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre; owner Jacob Ruppert; executives Ed Barrow and George Weiss; broadcasters Mel Allen, Red Barber, Joe Garagiola, Jerry Coleman (played for the Yankees but elected as a broadcaster, first for the Yankees, then for the Padres) and Tony Kubek (played for the Yankees but elected as a broadcaster).

Bucky Harris managed the Yankees to the 1947 World Championship, but was only their manager for 2 seasons (1947 & '48), so I'm not counting him with the Yankees. In this case, according to the rule I set, I have to count Rickey Henderson as a Yankee. If Lou Piniella is ever elected as a manager, I wouldn't be able to count him as a Yankee HOFer, since he wouldn't be elected as a player, and only managed them for 3 seasons, none of them a title season.

Rizzuto was also a longtime broadcaster. Lee MacPhail was elected for what he did as American League President, not as Yankee general manager. Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill have dropped off the writers' ballot. They, like Don Mattingly, will, in a few years, become eligible once again, through the Veterans' Committee -- but in all 3 cases, let's not kid ourselves.

And then there's Roger Clemens: Even if he does get in, would you want to count him as a Yankee? George Steinbrenner, being dead, is now eligible through the Veterans' Committee.

Tim Raines was a Yankee for only 3 years, although 2 of them were title seasons. Iván Rodríguez was a Yankee for about 3 minutes. So neither of them can be included here.

Álex Rodríguez and Andy Pettitte are eligible. But because they are Yankees linked to PEDs, they will not get in. The Yankee Doodle Double Standard remains in effect.

2. St. Louis Cardinals, 34: Charlie Comiskey (played for them before managing and owning teams elsewhere), Jake Beckley, Roger Bresnahan, Rogers Hornsby (won a World Series as their player-manager), Jesse Haines, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Jim Bottomley, Charles "Chick" Hafey, Burleigh Grimes, Frankie Frisch (elected as a player, won a World Series as their player-manager), Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Enos Slaughter, Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst (elected as player, also managed them to a title), Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton (7 seasons), Jim Kaat, Ted Simmons, Bruce Sutter, Ozzie Smith, Lee Smith (4 seasons, so he qualifies here), Scott Rolen.

Also, Miller Huggins (manager, also played several years for the Cards), Billy Southworth (manager, also played for them), Whitey Herzog (manager-executive), Tony LaRussa (manager), Branch Rickey (executive), Harry Caray (broadcaster), Jack Buck (broadcaster), Joe Garagiola (broadcaster).

Jesse Burkett won a batting title with the Cards, but only played 3 seasons with them, so he just misses qualifying. On the other hand, Cepeda didn't even play 3 full seasons with the Cards, but his tenure included the 1967 title and the 1968 Pennant, and he, as much as Gibson, was a symbol of that team, and he may be better remembered as a Cardinal than as a Giants, so I'm bending the rule for him. Leo Durocher was a good player for the Cards, but was elected as a manager and never managed them, so he doesn't qualify here.

Larry Walker was only a Cardinal for a year and a half, so, although that time did include the only Pennant he ever won (2004), he doesn't count for the Cards. Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds did not qualify on enough ballots, and won't be eligible again until they qualify under the Veterans Committee. Surprisingly, longtime owner Gussie Busch has never been elected.

3. Chicago Cubs, 28: Adrian "Cap" Anson, Mike "King" Kelly, Clark Griffith (elected as a pitcher for them, later a manager and owner elsewhere), Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Frank Chance (elected as a player but should have been elected as a manager instead), Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, Lewis "Hack" Wilson, Charles "Gabby" Hartnett (also managed them to a Pennant), Rogers Hornsby, Billy Herman, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins, Bruce Sutter, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Andre Dawson, Greg Maddux (spent enough time with them).

Also, Al Spalding (elected as an executive but was also a great pitcher), Frank Selee (manager), Joe McCarthy (manager, managed them to a Pennant before going to the Yankees), Leo Durocher (manager), Jack Brickhouse (broadcaster), Harry Caray (broadcaster).

Sammy Sosa is eligible, but he's not getting in. If Lou Piniella is elected as a manager, I'll have to count him as a Cub HOFer, since he managed them for 4 seasons.

Lou Boudreau was a beloved broadcaster for the Cubs after his playing and managing career, but never played or managed for them, and so I can't count him as a Cub HOFer. Santo was also a longtime broadcaster. Surprisingly, longtime owner Phillip K. Wrigley is not in.

4. Chicago White Sox, 26: Ed Walsh, George Davis, Eddie Collins, Ray Schalk, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Luke Appling, Minnie Miñoso, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Early Wynn, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage (5 years with them), Carlton Fisk, Harold Baines, Frank Thomas, Tim Raines, Jim Thome, Al Lopez (manager), Tony LaRussa (manager), Charlie Comiskey (owner), Bill Veeck (owner), Jack Brickhouse (broadcaster), Bob Elson (broadcaster), Harry Caray (broadcaster), Ken Harrelson (broadcaster).

Although Clark Griffith pitched for them in their 1st 2 seasons and won the 1st American League Pennant as their manager, those 2 seasons are not enough to qualify with the White Sox. Although Tom Seaver notched his 300th victory with the Pale Hose, he pitched for them in just 3 seasons, and can't be counted as one of their HOFers.

Thome was a White Sock for less than 4 full seasons, but did play for them in 4 seasons, so he counts with them.

New York Giants, 26: Roger Connor, Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch, John Montgomery Ward, Roger Bresnahan, Christy Mathewson, Joe McGinnity, George Davis, Richard "Rube" Marquard, Dave Bancroft, Ross Youngs, Frankie Frisch, George "Highpockets" Kelly, Fred Lindstrom, Travis Jackson, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Johnny Mize, Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Hoyt Wilhelm.

Also, John McGraw (manager, also played for them), Leo Durocher (manager), Russ Hodges (broadcaster).

Casey Stengel played for the Giants, but was elected as a manager, so I can't count him as a Giant HOFer.  

Counting all figures who played or managed at least one game for the Giants, in New York and San Francisco, they have 76, more than any other team; however, many of those were with the club only briefly. But even by my definitions, they are ahead of the arch-rival Dodgers.

5. Boston Red Sox, 24: Jimmy Collins (elected as a player but also managed them to the 1st World Series title in 1903), Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, Babe Ruth (6 seasons with Sox before going to Yanks), Herb Pennock (7 seasons before Yanks), Red Ruffing (also 7 seasons before Yanks), Joe Cronin (elected as a player, but also managed them to the 1946 Pennant, though unlike Collins had already retired as a player; was also longtime AL President), Rick Ferrell, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Wade Boggs, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz.

Also, Dick Williams (manager, no relation to Ted), Tom Yawkey (owner), Curt Gowdy (broadcaster), and Ken Harrelson (broadcaster). "Hawk" only played 2 seasons for Boston, though 1 was the 1967 "Impossible Dream" Pennant season; but he broadcast for them for 7 years, so he counts here.

I am bending the rule slightly for Dick Williams, who only managed 3 seasons for the Red Sox, but 1 of them, 1967, was the most important season in the club's modern history. Luis Aparicio played 3 seasons for the Red Sox, so by my rule he is not eligible to be counted with them. Eckersley, however, played 7 seasons with them, so I have to count him with them, and with their living HOFers for as long as he lives.

It was long suspected that owner Jean Yawkey would become the 1st woman elected to the Hall of Fame, but Effa Manley, who owned the Negro Leagues' Newark Eagles, is in, while Mrs. Yawkey is still out.

Manny Ramirez (500 Home Run Club but known steroid cheat, and not as popular as Ortiz), Roger Clemens (300 Win and 3,000 Strikeout Clubs but suspected steroid cheat) and Curt Schilling (3,000 Strikeout Club but possible steroid cheat) are eligible, but not yet in.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates, 24: James "Pud" Galvin, Vic Willis, John "Honus" Wagner, Fred Clarke (elected as a player, also won Pennants as their manager), Jack Chesbro, Jake Beckley, Max Carey, Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, Waite Hoyt (5 seasons with them), Harold "Pie" Traynor (also managed them), Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner ("Big Poison" and "Little Poison," though Lloyd was actually taller), Joseph "Arky" Vaughan, Al Lopez (elected as a manager but was an All-Star catcher for the Pirates), Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bert Blyleven.

Also, Bill McKechnie (manager), Jim Leyland (manager), Barney Dreyfuss (owner), Branch Rickey (executive), Bob Prince (broadcaster).

Blyleven was only a Pirate for 3 seasons, but I'm bending the rule because he was a key cog on their last World Championship team in 1979. Barry Bonds is eligible, but while the stance against steroid cheats is softening, he still, for the moment, falls under the category of, "Who's kidding who?"

Boston Braves, 22: Harry Wright (player and manager), George Wright, Al Spalding, Jim "Orator" O'Rourke, James "Deacon" White, Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourne, Mike "King" Kelly, John Clarkson, Charles "Kid" Nichols, Cy Young, Hugh Duffy, Tommy McCarthy (he and Duffy were known as "the Heavenly Twins"), Billy Hamilton, Vic Willis, Jimmy Collins, Johnny Evers, Walter "Rabbit" Maranville, Dave Bancroft.

Also, Frank Selee (manager), Bill McKechnie (manager, though with no success with the Braves), Casey Stengel (ditto, also played for Braves), Billy Southworth (manager).

Brooklyn Dodgers, 22: Willie Keeler, Joe Kelley, Richard "Rube" Marquard, Zack Wheat, Burleigh Grimes, Charles "Dazzy" Vance, Joseph "Arky" Vaughan, Billy Herman, Joe "Ducky" Medwick, Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Edwin "Duke" Snider, Roy Campanella, Ned Hanlon (manager), Wilbert Robinson (manager), Leo Durocher (elected as a manager but was also a good player), Walter Alston (manager), Branch Rickey (owner), Walter O'Malley (owner), Red Barber (broadcaster), Vin Scully (broadcaster).

Casey Stengel played 6 seasons for the Dodgers, and was good, but not Hall of Fame good.  He managed 3 seasons for them; in spite of their poor performance under him, had he managed them for 1 more season, he would still qualify as one of theirs under my rule.  Dick Williams played 5 seasons for them, but was elected as a manager, and never managed the Dodgers. Owner Charles Ebbets is not in.

7. Philadelphia Phillies, 20: Billy Hamilton, Ed Delahanty, Sam Thompson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Eppa Rixey, Dave Bancroft, Chuck Klein, Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Jim Bunning, Jim Kaat, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Scott Rolen, Jim Thome, Roy Halladay, Harry Wright (manager), Pat Gillick (executive), By Saam (broadcaster), Harry Kalas (broadcaster).

Thome spent 3 seasons with them, then left, then returned for a 4th, so he counts here. Ashburn was also a longtime broadcaster for the Phils. If Curt Schilling gets in, he can be counted with the Phillies. Pete Rose, of course, is ineligible.

8. Detroit Tigers, 19: Sam Crawford, Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Henry "Heinie" Manush, Charlie Gehringer, Goose Goslin, Hank Greenberg (the last 3 nicknamed the "G-Men" in those early days of the FBI), Mickey Cochrane (elected as a player, also managed them to 2 Pennants), Hal Newhouser, George Kell, Al Kaline, Jim Bunning, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Iván Rodríguez, Hughie Jennings (manager, also played for the team), Sparky Anderson (manager), Jim Leyland (manager), Ernie Harwell (broadcaster).

With Trammell getting in through the Veterans Committee, Lou Whitaker's chances of also doing so increase. Kaline and Kell were also longtime broadcasters. Longtime owners Frank Navin, Walter Briggs and John Fetzer are not yet in. Former executive Will Harridge is in, but for what he did as President of the AL, so I can't count him as a Tiger HOFer.

9. Cincinnati Reds, 19: Bid McPhee, Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Sam Crawford, Edd Roush, Eppa Rixey, Ernie Lombardi, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver (6 seasons with Reds), Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Rolen (5 seasons), Bill McKechnie (manager), Sparky Anderson (manager), Red Barber (broadcaster), Marty Brennaman (broadcaster).

Pete Rose, of course, is ineligible. John Franco is not yet in, but if he gets in, he pitched enough seasons with the Reds to qualify for this list. If Lou Piniella is elected as a manager, I'll count him as a Reds HOFer: He only managed them for 3 seasons, but 1 was a World Championship season. Miller Huggins played several years for the Reds, but was elected as a Yankee manager.

Longtime owner Powel Crosley and GM Bob Howsam should be in, but they're not. Waite Hoyt broadcast for the Reds, and was beloved in that role, but has not been given the Ford Frick Award, so I can't count him with the Reds.

And while 2 members of the 1st openly professional baseball team, the 1869-70 Cincinnati Red Stockings, are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Harry and George Wright -- the other Wright Brothers who "invented" something important in American life -- that team was not the same team as the current Reds franchise, which began in the old American Association of 1882 and joined the NL in 1892.

10. Cleveland Guardians, 18: Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, Elmer Flick, Addie Joss, Tris Speaker (elected as player but also managed them to a title), Stan Coveleski, Joe Sewell, Earl Averill, Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Bob Lemon, Larry Doby, Early Wynn, Gaylord Perry, Jim Thome, Al Lopez (manager), Bill Veeck (owner), Jack Graney (broadcaster), Jimmy Dudley (broadcaster).

Barring a major shift in voters' attitudes, Manny Ramirez is probably out of luck. Satchel Paige reached the majors with the Indians, but only pitched 2 seasons for them. So, although I can count him with 3 different Negro League teams on this list, I can't count him with any major league team. Indeed, that fact is the reason I've included the Negro League teams on this list, along with moved and defunct major league teams.

11. Baltimore Orioles, 14: Brooks Robinson, Hoyt Wilhelm, Robin Roberts (4 seasons with O's), Luis Aparicio, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Roberto Alomar, Harold Baines, Mike Mussina, Earl Weaver (manager), Chuck Thompson (broadcaster), Jon Miller (broadcaster).

Although he won his only World Series with the Orioles, we don't usually associate Aparicio with them, but he did play 5 seasons with them, so, by my own rule, I've got to count him here. Same with Robin Roberts, who played 4 seasons in Baltimore. Rafael Palmeiro is eligible, but he's not getting in.

Frank Cashen should be in as an executive. Dick Williams played enough seasons with the O's to qualify, but was elected as a manager and never managed them, so he doesn't qualify as an O's HOFer.

Philadelphia Athletics, 13: Eddie Plank, Rube Waddell, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Herb Pennock, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, George Kell, Connie Mack (owner-manager), By Saam (broadcaster).

13. Los Angeles Dodgers, 12: Gil Hodges, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton, Mike Piazza, Adrián Beltré, Walter Alston (manager), Tommy Lasorda (manager), Walter O'Malley (owner), Vin Scully (broadcaster), Jamie Jarrin (broadcaster).

Snider played 5 seasons after the move, Hodges 4, so both count in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Steve Garvey is not getting in. Pedro Martinez started out with the Dodgers, but only played 2 seasons for them.

13. Atlanta Braves, 11: Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Bobby Cox (manager), Joe Torre (managed them in between Cox's 2 tenures there, also a player), John Schuerholz (general manager), Milo Hamilton (broadcaster).

Andruw Jones will be listed with them if he is elected. Don Sutton broadcast for the Braves, but can't be counted among their HOFers. Former owners Bill Bartholomay and Ted Turner are not in, nor do I ever expect them to be elected, but maybe they should be.

14. New York Mets, 11: Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, Tom Glavine (5 seasons), Pedro Martinez (4 seasons), Casey Stengel (manager, 4 seasons), Joe Torre (manager), Lindsey Nelson (broadcaster), Bob Murphy (broadcaster), Tim McCarver (broadcaster). So that's 3 broadcasters, 2 managers, and 6 players.

Still, you didn't realize the Mets had so many, did you? And that's without counting Ralph Kiner, who was elected as a Pirates' player, not as a Mets' broadcaster. Nor can you count Richie Ashburn, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn or Willie Mays. And, based on what they did while they were Mets, why would you want to count Eddie Murray, Rickey Henderson or Roberto Alomar?

Ryan did appear for the Mets in at least 1 game for 5 different seasons, including the 1969 World Championship season. So I have to count him here.

I had previously counted Yogi Berra, but while he managed them for 4 seasons, including winning a Pennant, he was elected to the Hall as a player, not as a manager, and so I can't count him as a Met HOFer. Nor can we count Gil Hodges: Though he did manage the team for 4 seasons, including their 1st World Series win, he was elected as a player, not a manager, and his playing for them was a painful end to his career.

As for Torre: Yes, he managed in 4 seasons for them. They were awful then, and there wasn't much he could do about it, but he counts as a Met Hall-of-Famer. Although I notice that, unlike Yogi and Willie, he wasn't invited to the farewell ceremony at Shea Stadium in 2008.

Frank Cashen should be in as an executive. If John Franco is ever elected, you can count him.

Washington Senators, 11: Walter Johnson, Stanley "Bucky" Harris (elected as a manager but was also a great player), Sam Rice, Henry "Heinie" Manush, Leon "Goose" Goslin, Joe Cronin (elected as a player but also managed them to a Pennant), Rick Ferrell, Early Wynn, Clark Griffith (owner), Arch McDonald (broadcaster), Bob Wolff (broadcaster).

No, you can't count Ted Williams as a manager.

15. San Diego Padres, 9: Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, Dick Williams (manager), Jerry Coleman (broadcaster), Dick Enberg (broadcaster).

Yes, the Wizard and the Goose each played 4 seasons in Mission Valley. Considering how many they have in a comparatively short history, you shouldn't also count Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry or Roberto Alomar. Longtime owner Ray Kroc, who saved the team from being moved to Washington in 1974, is not in. Steve Garvey, who is not my Padre, is not getting in.

16. Oakland Athletics, 9: Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Dick Williams (manager), Tony LaRussa (manager), Lon Simmons (broadcaster), Bill King (broadcaster).

Mark McGwire is eligible, but he's not getting in. Owner Charlie Finley is eligible, but I don't think he'll ever get in, either. I am bending the rule slightly for Williams, who only managed 3 seasons for the A's, but got them into the postseason in all 3, including 2 World Championships.

Kansas City Monarchs (Negro Leagues), 9: Jose Mendez, Leroy "Satchel" Paige, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Wilber "Bullet" Rogan, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, Andy Cooper (also manager), Hilton Smith, John "Buck" O'Neil (also manager), J.L. Wilkinson (owner).

Bell played 3 seasons for them, but because Negro League players bounced around as much as international soccer players do, and also like club soccer there were often loan deals involved, I'll bend my 4-season rule. 

Jackie Robinson played his first season in professional baseball, 1945, with the Monarchs. They were also the first pro team of Ernie Banks. But neither was elected on the basis of anything he did in Kansas City.

17. Minnesota Twins, 8: Harmon Killebrew, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Kirby Puckett, Joe Mauer, Herb Carneal (broadcaster).

Tom Kelly could be elected as a manager. No, you can't count Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor or Jack Morris: Although hometown heroes, none played 4 seasons with the Twins. Jim Thome played only 2 seasons with them. Founder Calvin Griffith is not in, nor should he be.

Montreal Expos, 8: Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, Dick Williams (manager), Dave Van Horne (broadcaster). Duke Snider cannot be counted for the Expos, although he broadcast for them. He also played in Montreal for the Dodgers' farm team, the Montreal Royals, as did Tommy Lasorda.

Chicago American Giants (Negro Leagues), 8: Andrew "Rube" Foster (also manager and owner), Bill Foster (a.k.a. Willie Foster, Rube's brother), Cristobal Torriente, Pete Hill, George "Mule" Suttles, John Henry "Pop" Lloyd, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, Willie Wells.

18. San Francisco Giants, 7: Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Lon Simmons (broadcaster), Jon Miller (broadcaster).

Barry Bonds is eligible, and his rising percentages suggest that he might get in despite his known cheating. And I'm surprised that longtime owner Horace Stoneham isn't in, and that neither is his son-in-law, Charles "Chub" Feeney, a Giant executive who became President of the NL.

19. Houston Astros, 7: Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Gene Elston (broadcaster), Milo Hamilton (broadcaster), Harry Kalas (broadcast 6 seasons for them before joining the Phillies' broadcast team).

Roger Clemens is eligible, but only played 3 seasons with the Astros, and, even with his legal exoneration, it's not clear that he will ever get in.

Homestead Grays (Negro Leagues), 7: Cumberland "Cum" Posey (pitcher, then manager, then owner), Smokey Joe Williams, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Jud Wilson, Ray Brown.

Oscar Charleston and Judy Johnson each played 2 seasons for them, but I'm not willing to bend the rules THAT much. Gibson was known as the Black Babe Ruth, Leonard as the Black Lou Gehrig, and together they were known as the Thunder Twins or the Dynamite Twins. Williams was sometimes known as Cyclone Joe, sometimes as Smokey Joe (but never as Smokin' Joe, like boxer Frazier).

As for Posey, "Cum" was short for "Cumberland," and it is possible that, like James "Pud" Galvin, his nickname was not considered sexually explicit in his time. As an athlete, he was probably better in football, and Wendell Smith, the leading black sportswriter of the between-the-wars years and a winner of the Hall's Taylor Spink Award for media work, called him "the smartest man in Negro baseball and certainly the most successful."

Newark Eagles (Negro Leagues), 7: George "Mule" Suttles, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, James "Biz" Mackey (also manager), Monte Irvin, Larry Doby, Effa Manley (owner, the only woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame). Don Newcombe also played for the Eagles, and if his service there is counted, I believe that it makes him worthy of election to the Hall, but he hasn't been elected.

20. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6: Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Bert Blyleven, Vladimir Guerrero, Dick Enberg (broadcaster). Jim Edmonds will have to wait for the Veterans Committee. Founder-owner Gene Autry is not in, but should be. All but Guerrero played for them under the "California Angels" name.

21. Texas Rangers, 6: Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Iván Rodríguez, Adrián Beltré, Eric Nadel (broadcaster). Bert Blyleven pitched just 2 seasons for them. Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez are eligible, but who's kidding who? No, you can't count Ted Williams as a manager. And I sure hope former owner George W. Bush is never elected; but, since the team won nothing while he was in control, that seems safe.

22. Milwaukee Brewers, 6: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, Bud Selig (owner), Bob Uecker (broadcaster). No, you can't count Hank Aaron, because, while he played 14 seasons in Milwaukee, only 2 of those were for the Brewers.

23. Toronto Blue Jays, 6: Fred McGriff, Roberto Alomar, Roy Halladay, Pat Gillick (executive), Tom Cheek (broadcaster), Tony Kubek (broadcaster). No, you can't count Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor or Frank Thomas. Or Roger Clemens, if he ever gets in.

Baltimore Orioles, AA & NL 1882-1899, 6: John McGraw, Wilbert Robinson, Hughie Jennings, Willie Keeler, Joe Kelley, Ned Hanlon (manager).

While McGraw, Robinson and Jennings were all elected as managers, all could have been elected on the basis of their playing for the old Orioles. Indeed, to this day, McGraw has the highest lifetime batting average of any 3rd baseman, .334. Dan Brouthers played 2 seasons with them, the 1894 and '95 Pennant seasons, but can't be counted with them.

St. Louis Browns, 6: Bobby Wallace, George Sisler, Rogers Hornsby (also managed them), Rick Ferrell, Branch Rickey (executive), Bill Veeck (owner).

Rube Waddell, Goose Goslin, Heinie Manush and Satchel Paige just miss, each having played 3 seasons for the Browns. That was also the length of time that Veeck owned the team, but since he (and his one-at-bat midget Eddie Gaedel) are now the people most identified with this team, I'm bending the rule for him.

Pittsburgh Crawfords (Negro Leagues), 5: Oscar Charleston, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, James "Cool Papa" Bell, WIlliam "Judy" Johnson.

24. Seattle Mariners, 5: Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Adrián Beltré, Pat Gillick (executive). If Lou Piniella is elected as a manager, I'll have to count him as a Mariner HOFer.

25. Kansas City Royals, 4: George Brett, Whitey Herzog (manager), John Schuerholz (executive), Denny Matthews (broadcaster). Founder-owner Ewing Kauffman, surprisingly, is not in.

Milwaukee Braves, 4: Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, Hank Aaron, Red Schoendienst. Joe Torre began his playing career with them, but can't be counted here.

Buffalo Bisons (NL 1879-1885), 4: Dan Brouthers, Jim "Orator" O'Rourke, James "Deacon" White, James "Pud" Galvin.

Cuban Giants (Negro Leagues, based in New York), 4: Frank Grant, Sol White, Pete Hill, Bud Fowler. Unlike the later Cuban Stars and New York Cubans, both also based in New York, this 1880s-90s team had no Cubans: They were called "Cuban" so their all-black roster would be better accepted. Grant has been called the best black player of the 19th Century.

Lincoln Giants/Brooklyn Royal Giants (Negro Leagues), 3: Louis Santop, Smokey Joe Williams, John Henry "Pop" Lloyd. Imagine that, a Brooklyn team called the Giants. What the heck, from 1944 to 1948, the NFL had a Boston Yanks (defunct); and, in the 1961-62 season, the NBA had a Chicago team called the Packers (today's Washington Wizards).

Detroit Stars (Negro Leagues), 3: Pete Hill, Andy Cooper, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes. Stearnes now has a statue at Comerica Park, alongside several Tiger greats.

Indianapolis ABCs (Negro Leagues), 3: Oscar Charleston, Ben Taylor, James "Biz" Mackey (also managed them). A later team, the Indianapolis Clowns, was the first professional team of Hank Aaron.

Philadelphia Giants (Negro Leagues), 3: Sol White, Pete Hill, John Henry "Pop" Lloyd.

Philadelphila Hilldale (Negro Leagues), 3: Martin DiHigo, James "Biz" Mackey (also managed them), William "Judy" Johnson.

St. Louis Stars (Negro Leagues), 3: George "Mule" Suttles, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Willie Wells.

Cuban Stars (Negro Leagues, based in New York), 3: Jose Mendez, Martin Dihigo, Alex Pompez (owner).

26. Miami Marlins, 3: Jim Leyland (manager), Felo Ramirez and Dave Van Horne (both broadcasters). I'm really bending a rule for Leyland, as he only managed the Marlins for 2 years, but 1 was their 1st Pennant and World Series win. Iván Rodríguez was only a Marlin for 1 season, although it was a World Championship season. If Gary Sheffield gets in, he can be counted as a Marlin, but I don't think he's getting in.

No, you can't count Miami native Andre Dawson, although he did close his career with the club and is now working in their front office. So is Tony Perez, who briefly managed the team, but you can't count him, either.

27. Colorado Rockies, 2: Larry Walker, Todd Helton.

Baltimore Black Sox (Negro Leagues), 2: Jud Wilson, Ben Taylor. This team is not to be confused with the Elite Giants.

Washington/Baltimore Elite Giants (Negro Leagues), 2: James "Biz" Mackey (also manager), Roy Campanella. And that's pronounced EE-light, not the usual Eh-LEET.

Birmingham Black Barons (Negro Leagues), 2: George "Mule" Suttles, Satchel Paige. Willie Mays played his first professional season, 1948, for the Black Barons, but only that 1 season, so he can't be counted here.

Kansas City Stars (Negro Leagues), 2: James "Cool Papa" Bell, Willard Brown.

New York Cubans (Negro Leagues), 2: Martin DiHigo, Alex Pompez. Although DiHigo and Pompez were also involved with the Cuban Stars, and that team was also based in New York, it was not the same team as the New York Cubans. Like several of the Negro League owners, Pompez got some funding from the black organized crime bosses of the era, and eventually turned state's evidence to avoid prison. He later worked as an unofficial scout for the New York/San Francisco Giants, helping to sign Hispanic stars like Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, and the Alou brothers.

Philadelphia Stars (Negro Leagues), 2: James "Biz" Mackey (also manager), Jud Wilson.

Providence Grays (NL 1878-1885), 2: John Montgomery Ward, Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn. Their 1879 Pennant was managed by original 1869 Cincinnati Red Stocking George Wright, but he only played with them for 2 seasons.

Cleveland Spiders (NL, 1887-1899), 2: Cy Young and Jesse Burkett.

Detroit Wolverines (NL, 1881-1888), 2: Sam Thompson, Ned Hanlon (elected as a manager but played 8 seasons for them). Dan Brouthers and Deacon White played 3 seasons for them.

28. Arizona Diamondbacks, 1: Randy Johnson. If Curt Schilling gets in, he can be counted with them.

29. Tampa Bay Rays, 1: Fred McGriff. With his election, every current MLB team now has at least 1 legitimate Hall-of-Famer.

30. Washington Nationals, 1: Frank Robinson, their 1st manager, was already in the Hall long before MLB returned to D.C., but he did manage for them for 5 years, 1 more than my rules require. But you can't count the HOFers from this franchise's previous incarnation, the Montreal Expos. So of the 30 current teams, they're the last team without a legitimate Hall of Fame player.

Bacharach Giants (Negro Leagues), 1: John Henry "Pop" Lloyd.  This team played its home games in Atlantic City, and were named for Harry Bacharach, who was that city's Mayor on and off from 1912 to 1935. He was played by John Rue on the TV series "Boardwalk Empire." Lloyd stayed in Atlantic City after he retired, died there, and a youth baseball facility there is named for him.

Harrisburg Giants (Negro Leagues), 1: Oscar Charleston.

San Antonio Black Bronchos (Negro Leagues, pronounced like Broncos), 1: Smokey Joe Williams. 

Kansas City Athletics, none: No player in the Hall of Fame was with the A's in their K.C. tenure for at least 4 seasons. Ken Harrelson played 5 seasons for them, but he was elected as a broadcaster, not a player, so he doesn't count as one of their Hall-of-Famers.

Analyzing the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

Last night, the Baseball Writers Association of America balloting for the 2024 election to the Baseball Hall of Fame was released. This election was for players who retired between 2009 and 2018.

Players must be retired for 5 full seasons, and may remain on the ballot for up to 10 seasons, before they are moved to one of the committees that replaced the old Committee on Veterans.

Players had to get 75 percent of the vote to be elected. As is usually the case, the vote ended up including at least one obvious selection, at least one questionable selection, at least one questionable denial, and at least one denial that was pure baloney.

Adrián Beltré was elected in his 1st year of eligibility, receiving over 95 percent of the vote. The Dominican 3rd baseman was the obvious selection: 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, 5 Gold Gloves, 4 All-Star Games. He reached the postseason with the 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers; and with the Texas Rangers in 2011 (winning his only Pennant), 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Todd Helton was elected on his 6th try, receiving 79 percent. The 1st baseman is probably the greatest player in the history of the Colorado Rockies, with a .316 lifetime batting average, 2,519 hits including 369 home runs, 3 Gold Gloves and 5 All-Star Games. He helped the Rockies win their 1st Pennant in 2007, and reach the postseason again in 2009.

Joe Mauer was elected on his 1st try, receiving 76 percent. One of the top catchers of his generation before the Minnesota Twins switched him to 1st base, his retirement at age 35 left him with career statistics, which, I thought, made him a borderline case.

Despite a .306 lifetime batting average, he only had 2,123 hits, 143 of them home runs, despite playing most of his early career's home games at the homer-happy Metrodome in Minneapolis. He won 3 Gold Gloves, made 6 All-Star Teams, was selected (over Derek Jeter, dubiously) as the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player; and reached the postseason with the Twins in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2017.

Billy Wagner fell just short, with 73.8 percent. That's 5 votes short. This was his 9th time on the ballot, leaving him with 1 more, next year. The case for Wagner is that he has 422 saves, 2nd-most among all lefthanded pitchers, and a 2.31 ERA, the 2nd-lowest among all pitchers in the post-1920 Lively Ball Era, behind only Mariano Rivera. He was a 7-time All-Star.

Who's kidding who? He's not a Hall-of-Famer. The lefty ahead of him, with 424, is John Franco, and he's not in, and he was a much more reliable pitcher.

The Houston Astros made the Playoffs in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001, but never won a postseason series. The Philadelphia Phillies came close to the Playoffs in 2004 and 2005, but didn't make it either time. The New York Mets came within 1 run of the Pennant in 2006, but didn't make it. The Mets came within 1 win of making the Playoffs in 2007 and 2008, but didn't make it. The Boston Red Sox made the Playoffs in 2009, and the Atlanta Braves did so in 2010, but each was knocked out of the Playoffs in the Division Series.

What did all of those teams have in common? Billy Wagner. His career postseason ERA was 10.03. His career postseason WHIP was 1.971. He was the worst pitcher in postseason history. Armando Benitez looks like Goose Gossage in comparison. Bottom line: If your team needed to win a game, to get into the postseason or win in it, Wagner was not your guy.

Gary Sheffield got 63.9 percent, in his 10th and last year. He now falls to the "Contemporary Baseball Committee." Since he has been credibly accused of using steroids, he should not get in. Nor should the Alex Rodriguez, who got 34.8 percent; or Manny Ramirez, who got 32.5 percent.

On the other hand David Ortiz, who flat-out failed a test, got in. And Sheff, A-Rod and Manny were all far better all-around players. I'll say it again. Either steroid use matters, or it doesn't. If it does, then Ortiz and any other proven steroid user who is in must be kicked out. If it doesn't, then any player who has been credibly accused, but has the stats, has to be let in. If you are in the BBWAA, and you voted for David Ortiz, but you've never voted for Alex Rodriguez, you are intellectually dishonest, and your membership and voting privileges should be revoked.

And Andy Pettitte, in his 6th year on the ballot, got 13.5 percent. They call him a "cheater." What he did can hardly be called cheating. If you refuse to vote for Pettitte because he "cheated," but voted for Ortiz, you're not merely a goddamned liar, you're a blithering idiot.

Carlos Beltrán got 57.1 percent. This was his 2nd time on the ballot. Stat-wise, he should be in. But he is forever tainted by the Houston Astros cheating scandal, and should never get in. Different kind of cheating than steroid use, but cheating is cheating, even if what you did before was enough.

Andruw Jones got 61.6 percent. This was his 7th time. He has never been credibly accused of cheating, but he does have a domestic violence cloud over him. Statistically, he's close, but it's not definitive. Omar Vizquel, also in his 7th go-round, should be in based on performance alone, but also has the taint of domestic violence against him, and he only got 17.7 percent.

Three Philadelphia Phillies stars of the 21st Century were on the ballot and didn't come close. Chase Utley got 28.8 percent, while both Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins got 14.8 percent. Ryan Howard first reached the ballot in 2022, but got less than 5 percent of the vote, and will now have to wait for consideration from the Contemporary Era Committee.

Met "legend" David Wright, in his 1st year on the ballot, got 6.2 percent, barely staying on. He'll never get in.

Among next year's 1st-time eligibles: Ichiro Suzuki is a shoo-in; CC Sabathia should be; Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, Félix Hernández, Troy Tulowitzki and Curtis Granderson are longshots at best; and the rest can forget it.

Minnesota's All-Time Baseball Team

One of the reasons the Milwaukee Braves did so well in terms of attendance from their 1953 arrival until 1960 was that they had a huge, untapped area from which to take fans: An area that had done well with minor league baseball, but was starving for the major leagues.

But in 1961, the "old" Washington Senators moved to the not-quite-aptly-named "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul -- specifically, to Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington, roughly equidistant from the downtowns of both cities but definitely on the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River -- and took the vast majority of the area, and a majority of the population, away from the Braves' fan base. After 5 years, the Braves headed south for Atlanta.

The Twins' "market" includes the entire States of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. I thought of including the westernmost sliver of Wisconsin and the northern tier of Iowa, but decided to leave those to the Brewers and the two Chicago teams, respectively.

This will complete the first half of the updating of my All-Time Regional Teams Project.

16. Minnesota's All-Time Baseball Team
Each of this players is from Minnesota, unless otherwise stated. It's good at the corners, but, except for catcher, not so good up the middle. The pitching should keep them in most games, though.

1B Kent Hrbek of Bloomington. A local boy made good, he lived within walking distance of the Met. He just barely made it to the team before they moved into the Metrodome. (The Mall of America stands on the Met's site now.) He had a career OPS+ of 128, 293 home runs, and starred on the Twins' only 2 World Series winners, 1987 and 1991. Number 14 retired by the Twins.

Honorable Mention to Darin Erstad of Jamestown, North Dakota, easily the best of the 15 players born in that State. (Roger Maris grew up in it, but wasn't born there). He was a 2-time All-Star, a 3-time Gold Glove, and in 2000, he batted .355, led the American League in hits with 240, and had career highs of 25 homers and 100 RBIs. He helped the Angels (having played for them under 3 different names) win the 2002 World Series, and win the AL Western Division in 2004 and '05.

Oddly enough, the 2nd-best North Dakotan-born ballplayer is also a 1st baseman, Travis Hafner of Sykeston. He's been hired as a college coach, so it looks like his awful .202 season (though with 12 homers and 37 RBIs in what amounted to half a season, at age 36) might be his farewell to the majors. But his career OPS+ is 134, he hit 213 homers, and he had a pair of 100-RBI seasons. He led the AL in slugging in 2006, and the next year he helped the Cleveland Indians get to within 1 win of a Pennant.

2B Mark Ellis of Rapid City, South Dakota. Now with the St. Louis Cardinals, his 105 home runs makes him 2nd to Jason Kubel among the 37 MLB players born in South Dakota. (Kubel, though born in Belle Fourche, grew up in California.) He helped the Oakland Athetics reach the postseason in 2002, '03 and '06, and the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

SS Dave Bancroft of Sioux City, Iowa. I almost had to cheat here, as Sioux City is 272 miles from Minneapolis, but 277 miles from Kansas City. But shortstops were slim pickings in the North Plains.

Even so, if the Hall of Fame ever had to drop 10 members, "Beauty" Bancroft might be one of them. But he was the best shortstop in the NL in the late 1910s and the 1920s, playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants and Boston Braves. He appeared in the World Series with the '15 Phils and the '21, '22 and '23 Giants.

3B Paul Molitor of St. Paul. He had one of the best nicknames ever, "the Ignitor." Despite having all kinds of injuries that kept him from a full season in 7 different years, he got 3,319 hits -- that's 9th all-time. Among players who debuted in the Lively Ball Era (1920 to the present), he's 5th behind Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski. Among players who debuted after 1963, he's 1st -- although Derek Jeter enters the 2014 season only 3 behind him. (Put it this way: Fellow St. Paulite Dave Winfield has 3,110 hits, and he's over 200 behind Molitor.)

His lifetime batting average is .306; OPS+, 122. He hit only 234 home runs, but 605 doubles and 114 triples, and Milwaukee County Stadium, where he played most of his home games, was not a great hitters' park, no matter how many homers Aaron and Eddie Mathews hit there. He helped the Brewers win their only Pennant in 1982. He hit .353 in 1987 (and still finished .010 behind Wade Boggs for the batting title), and had the longest AL hitting streak since Joe DiMaggio's 1941 record of 56: 39.

He moved to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, and helped them win the World Series, getting him his only ring. He closed his career with his hometown Twins, batting .341 at age 39, .305 at 40 and .281 at 41 in 1998. Along with Frank Robinson, this Hall-of-Famer is one of the most underappreciated great players ever. Number 4 retired by the Brewers. When The Sporting News announced its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, he came in at Number 99.

LF Dave Winfield of St. Paul. It could have been easy to predict he'd become a Hall-of-Famer, as he was born on a great day in baseball history: October 3, 1951, the day Bobby Thomson hit the You Know What. (Then again, Willie Mays Aikens was born the day Willie Mays made The Catch, and he underachieved.)

Big Dave is a member of the 3,000 Hit Club, and those 3,110 hits include 465 homers and 540 doubles. In 8 seasons, he had 100 or more RBIs, and just missed 2 others. He had a career OPS+ of 130. Think about that: He was, roughly, 30 percent better than the average player in his league for twenty-two freaking years).

He won 7 Gold Gloves, was renowned for having one of the best arms of his era (albeit mainly from right field, but played plenty of left), and in the 1981 AL Championship Series, he reached 2 rows deep into the left-field stands at the old Yankee Stadium to rob Wayne Gross of a home run.

The 1st great player for the San Diego Padres, he should have been the next great player for the New York Yankees, but after an awful 1981 World Series, it seemed as though neither George Steinbrenner (who called him "Mr. May") nor the Yankee Fans (who preferred the Pennantless Don Mattingly) ever gave him a fair shake.

Even today, long after his election to Cooperstown, his Number 31 has not been retired by the Yankees, having been given to great players like Tim Raines and Ichiro Suzuki, but also to lesser lights like Dan Naulty and Javier Vazquez. (The Padres have retired 31 for him.) No Monument Park Plaque for him, either. Hank and Hal, if your father wasn't willing to honor him this way, what are you waiting for?

Dave finally won a World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992, hitting the 10th-inning double that won the clinching Game 6, before going home to the Twins. When The Sporting News announced its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, he came in at Number 94.

Honorable Mention to Walt "Moose" Moryn, also of St. Paul. He briefly played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (including 1955, but not enough to be included on the World Series roster) before becoming a good hitter and a one-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs.

CF Rip Repulski of Sauk Rapids. His real name was Eldon John Repulski. As far as I know, he did not play the piano. He did, however, play all 3 outfield positions, but since I've got Big Dave in left and Mr. 61 in '61 in right, I'm putting Rip in center. He hit pretty well for the 1950s St. Louis Cardinals, before an injury made him turn out to be just a candle in the wind.

Honorable Mention to Dave Collins, a speedster who also played all 3 outfield positions, and might have been the best player ever from South Dakota -- Rapid City. And yet another outfielder ripped by Yankee Fans during his stay in The Bronx, which was briefer than that of Winfield and Maris.

RF Roger Maris of Fargo, North Dakota. Lived the 1st 7 years of his life in Hibbing, Minnesota, also the hometown of Basketball Hall-of-Famer Kevin McHale and (as long as we're talking about musical legends) Robert Allen Zimmerman, who became Bob Dylan.

He's yet another right fielder for the Yankees who was not fully appreciated, and indeed ridiculed, in his time. Roger won the AL's Most Valuable Player award in 1960, hitting 39 home runs. He somehow managed, through all the nonsense hurled at him, to hit 61 in '61, which teammate Mickey Mantle -- himself having hit 54 that season -- called "the greatest feat I ever saw." It broke the record of 60 by Babe Ruth, and it still stands today. Shut up, Mark, Sammy and Barry: You had your chance to do it the right way, and you chose not to.

He was also a great glove man (although they only awarded him 1 Gold Glove) and a tough baserunner. Injuries limited him to 275 home runs and 4 All-Star Games, and he retired at age 34, but played on 7 Pennant winners, 5 in New York and 2 in St. Louis with the Cardinals, winning World Series in 1961, '62 and '67.

The Yankees retired his Number 9 and gave him a Monument Park Plaque in 1984, and it's good that they did, because he died a little more than a year later. There is a Roger Maris Museum in Fargo, at the West Acres Shopping Center. When told of the plans for it, he said, "Put it where people will see it, and where they won’t have to pay for it." His wishes have been respected, far more than they were in 1961.

C Joe Mauer of St. Paul. I don't know what it is about St. Paul that produces great players, for the Twins and otherwise, but the "little brother" of the "Twin Cities" keeps cranking them out. Mauer has done some cranking of his own, having won 3 AL batting titles already (he hit .365 with a 170 OPS+ in 2009 -- as a catcher!).

He currently has 1,414 hits, a career OPS+ of 136, 3 Gold Gloves, 6 All-Star berths, and the 2009 AL MVP award, and he's only turning 31 shortly after Opening Day. At this rate, barring a medical or ethical calamity, he will have his Number 7 mounted at Target Field and his plaque mounted at Cooperstown by the year 2026 or so.

Honorable Mention to Wes Westrum of Clearbrook, the catcher of the New York Giants' 1951 NL Champions and 1954 World Champions, and who also briefly managed the Mets. Also to Terry Steinbach of New Ulm, who backstopped the Oakland Athletics postseason teams of 1988-92, before closing his career with, you guessed it, the Twins. Jason Varitek was born in Rochester, Minnesota, but grew up (for want of a better choice of words) in Altamonte Springs, Florida. And I wouldn't give him an Honorable Mention anyway. He is not honorable, unlike Mauer, Westrum and Steinbach.

SP Charles Albert "Chief" Bender of Crow Wing County. A Hall-of-Famer from the Ojibwa tribe, and like Jim Thorpe a graduate of the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, he would hear fans yell "Indian war whoops" at him, and yell back, "You lousy bunch of foreigners! Why don't you go back where you came from?"

He had a fantastic career won-lost record of 212-127, and an ERA of 2.46, good even for the Dead Ball Era. He helped Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics win 5 Pennants and 3 World Series from 1903 to 1914, and is credited with words that are still true, a century after his prime: "A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything."

SP Bullet Joe Bush of Brainerd. Briefly a teammate of Bender's, he helped the A's win the World Series in 1913 and the Boston Red Sox in '18, before being one of several players Sox owner Harry Frazee sold to the Yankees, where he won the Series in 1923. He also won Pennants with the A's in '14 and the Yanks in '22, going 26-7 as an easy choice for the Cy Young Award -- if there had been one at the time. He played for some bad teams, too, but still won 196 games.

SP Jerry Koosman of Morris. Although overshadowed on the Mets by Tom Seaver, he won Games 2 and 5 (the clincher) of the 1969 World Series, and helped them win the 1973 NL Pennant as well. In 1976, he became the first Met lefty to win 20 games in a season. But in just 2 seasons, went from 21-10 to 8-20 to 3-15. It was painful to watch.

Then the Mets got rid of him, and for his home-State Twins he went 20-13 and 16-13 for a not-very-good team. The trade wasn't a total disaster for the Mets, though: They got Jesse Orosco. How's that for an amazing turn of events: The Mets have won 2 World Series, and they traded the man who got the final out in the 1st for the man who got the final out in the 2nd. Koos won 222 games, 140 of them for the Mets. He's in the Mets' team Hall of Fame, but not the one in Cooperstown.

SP Jack Morris of St. Paul. He won 254 games, including 161 in the 1980s, the most in the decade. He helped not 1, not 2, but 3 teams win World Series. He started the 1984 season by pitching a no-hitter on April 7 (tying him with Ken Forsch of the 1979 Houston Astros for earliest in the calendar year), and ended it with the Detroit Tigers as World Champions.

The Tigers let him go after 1990, and he went to his hometown Twins, and pitched and won Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Going 10 innings. At age 36. Pitching a shutout. At the damn Metrodome. Against a good Atlanta Braves team. The Twins let him go anyway, despite 18 wins -- 22 if you count the postseason -- and he went 21-6 for the Blue Jays as they won the 1992 World Series. I don't care if his career ERA is 3.90: He pitched most of his home games at Tiger Stadium. Like Bullet Joe and Koos, there are lesser pitchers in the Hall of Fame.

SP Rick Helling of Fargo, North Dakota. The best pitcher born in North Dakota, he graduated, as did Maris, from Bishop Shanley High School. He went 20-7 for the Texas Rangers in 1998, and won 93 before injuries ended his career. He won a World Series ring with the 2003 Florida Marlins.

RP Tom Burgmeier of St. Cloud. He was one of several relievers tried by the Red Sox before they settled on Bob Stanley. Maybe they should have settled on Burgmeier, a tough lefty who saved 24 games with a 2.00 ERA for the Sox in 1980.

The relief ace the Sox finally needed, Keith Foulke, was born at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, in the Twins' region, but grew up in Texas.

Honorable Mention to Glen Perkins of Stillwater. Another home-Stater playing for the Twins, he made his first All-Star Game last year, saving 36 games.

MGR Tom Kelly of Graceville. He actually moved to New Jersey when young, graduating from St. Mary's High School (now Cardinal McCarrick) of South Amboy, but went back to Minnesota and managed the Twins to their World Series wins. Terry Francona was born in South Dakota, but he grew up in Pennsylvania, so he doesn't make this team as either a player or a manager.

Minnesota's All-Time Baseball Team

The Yankees begin a 3-game Interleague series in Los Angeles tonight, and I do want to do the all-time team from the Dodgers' region -- most, but not all, of Southern California -- but the fact that nearly 2,000 players from the State of California have reached the major leagues makes that a long task, and I might post it tomorrow.

The Mets begin a 3-game Interleague series with the Minnesota Twins tonight. Yes, I'm doing it for all 30 teams' "markets." For the Twins, this will include the entire States of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. I thought of including the westernmost sliver of Wisconsin and the northern tier of Iowa, but decided to leave those to the Brewers and the two Chicago teams, respectively.

Minnesota's All-Time Baseball Team

1B Kent Hrbek of Bloomington. A local boy made good, having lived within walking distance of the Twins' former home, Metropolitan Stadium. Just barely made it to the team before they moved into the Metrodome. (The Mall of America stands on the Met's site now.) Career OPS+ of 128, 293 home runs, and starred on the Twins' only 2 World Series winners, 1987 and 1991. Number 14 retired by the Twins.

Honorable Mention to Darin Erstad, easily the best of the 15 players born in North Dakota (Jamestown; remember that Roger Maris wasn't born there), also in the Twins' "market." Oddly enough, the 2nd-best North Dakotan-born ballplayer is also a 1st baseman, Travis Hafner.

2B Mark Ellis of Rapid City. A solid performer for the Oakland Athletics since 2002. He and Jason Kubel already have more home runs than any player born in South Dakota, Ellis leading 82-80. (Kubel, though, grew up in California.)

SS Gene DeMontreville of St. Paul. Played more 2B, and went to high school in Washington, D.C., and played over 100 years ago, but pickings for Minnesota-born shortstops were very slim. Best season was 1897, when he batted .341, hit 27 doubles (but only 3 homers -- it was the 19th Century) and had 93 RBIs for the National League edition of the Washington Senators, a team that was contracted out of existence 2 years later. Played on a Pennant-winner with the 1900 Brooklyn Superbas (forerunners of the Dodgers).

3B Paul Molitor of St. Paul. Had one of the best nicknames ever, "the Ignitor." Despite having all kinds of injuries that kept him from a full season in 7 different years, he got 3,319 hits -- that's 9th all-time. Among players who debuted in the Lively Ball Era (1920 to the present), he's 5th behind Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski. Among players who debuted after 1963, he's 1st. (Put it this way: Fellow St. Paulite Dave Winfield has 3,110 hits, and he's over 200 behind Molitor.)

Lifetime batting average, .306; OPS+, 122. Only 234 home runs, but 605 doubles and 114 triples, and Milwaukee County Stadium, where he played most of his home games, was not a great hitters' park, no matter how many homers Aaron and Eddie Mathews hit there. Helped the Brewers win their only Pennant in 1982. Hit .353 in 1987 (and still finished .010 behind Wade Boggs for the batting title). Moved to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 and helped them with the World Series. Closed his career with his hometown Twins, batting .341 at age 39, .305 at 40 and .281 at 41 in 1998.

Along with Frank Robinson, this Hall-of-Famer is one of the most underappreciated great players ever. Number 4 retired by the Brewers.

LF Dave Winfield of St. Paul. Could have been easy to predict he'd become a Hall-of-Famer, as he was born on a great day in baseball history: October 3, 1951, the day Bobby Thomson hit the You Know What. (Then again, Willie Mays Aikens was born the day Willie Mays made The Catch, and he underachieved.) A member of the 3,000 Hit Club, 465 homers, 540 doubles, 8 times had 100 or more RBIs (and just missed 2 others), a career OPS+ of 130 (meaning he was, roughly, 30 percent better than the average player in his league for twenty-two freaking years), 7 Gold Gloves.

The 1st great player for the San Diego Padres, he should have been the next great player for the New York Yankees, but after an awful 1981 World Series, it seemed as though neither George Steinbrenner (who called him "Mr. May") nor the Yankee Fans (who preferred the Pennantless Don Mattingly) gave him a fair shake.

Even today, 9 years after his election to Cooperstown, his Number 31 has not been retired by the Yankees, having been given to a great player like Tim Raines, but also to lesser lights like Dan Naulty -- and now, to Javier Vazquez. (The Padres have retired 31 for him.) No Monument Park Plaque for him, either. Hank and Hal, if your father wasn't willing to honor him this way, what are you waiting for? Finally won a World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992, hitting the 10th-inning double that won the clinching Game 6, before going home to the Twins.

Honorable Mention to Walt "Moose" Moryn, also of St. Paul. He briefly played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (including 1955, but not enough to be included on the World Series roster) before becoming a good hitter and a one-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs.

CF Eldon John "Rip" Repulski of Sauk Rapids. With a name like "Repulski," it's better to be nicknamed "Rip" than "Repulsive." With a name like "Eldon John," maybe his nickname should have been "Captain Fantastic."

Played all 3 outfield positions, but since I've got Big Dave in left and Mr. 61 in '61 in right, I'm putting him in center. Had the nearly-musical real name of Eldon John Repulski, and hit pretty well for the 1950s St. Louis Cardinals before an injury made him turn out to be just a candle in the wind.

Honorable Mention to Dave Collins, a speedster who also played all 3 outfield positions, and might have been the best player ever from South Dakota -- Rapid City. And yet another outfielder ripped by Yankee Fans during his stay in The Bronx, which was briefer than that of Winfield and Maris.

RF Roger Maris of Hibbing. Lived only the 1st 7 years of his life in Minnesota, but grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, which is also (since 1961, anyway) in the Twins' sphere of influence. Yet another right fielder (along with Winfield, who played all 3 outfield positions in Pinstripes) for the Yankees who was not fully appreciated, and indeed ridiculed, in his time.

Roger won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in 1960, hitting 39 home runs. He somehow managed, through all the nonsense hurled at him, to hit 61 in '61, which teammate Mickey Mantle -- himself having hit 54 that season -- called "the greatest feat I ever saw." It broke the record of 60 by Babe Ruth, and it still stands today. Shut up, Mark, Sammy and Barry: You had your chance to do it the right way, and you chose not to. It got him another MVP award.

He was also a great glove man and a tough baserunner. Injuries limited him to 275 home runs, and he retired at age 34, but played on 7 Pennant winners, 5 in New York and 2 in St. Louis with the Cardinals, winning World Series in 1961, '62 and '67.

The Yankees retired his Number 9 and gave him a Monument Park Plaque in 1984, and it's good that they did, because he died a little more than a year later. There is a Roger Maris Museum in Fargo, at the West Acres Shopping Center. When told of the plans for it, he said, "Put it where people will see it, and where they won’t have to pay for it." His wishes have been respected, far more than they were in 1961.

C Joe Mauer of St. Paul. I don't know what it is about St. Paul that produces great players, for the Twins and otherwise, but the "little brother" of the "Twin Cities" keeps cranking them out. Mauer has done some cranking of his own, having won 3 AL batting titles already (he hit .365 with a 170 OPS+ last season -- as a catcher!). He currently has a career OPS+ of 135, 2 Gold Gloves, the 2009 AL MVP award, and he's only 27. At this rate, barring a medical or ethical calamity, he will have his Number 7 mounted at Target Field and his plaque mounted at Cooperstown by the year 2026 or so.

Honorable Mention to Wes Westrum of Clearbrook, the catcher of the New York Giants' 1951 NL Champions and 1954 World Champions, and who also briefly managed the Mets. Also to Terry Steinbach of New Ulm, who backstopped the Oakland Athletics postseason teams of 1988-92, before closing his career with, you guessed it, the Twins. Jason Varitek was born in Rochester, Minnesota, but grew up (for want of a better choice of words) in Altamonte Springs, Florida. And I wouldn't give him an Honorable Mention anyway. He is not honorable, unlike Mauer, Westrum and Steinbach.

SP Albert "Chief" Bender of Crow Wing County. A Hall-of-Famer from the Chippewa tribe, and like Jim Thorpe a graduate of the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, he would hear fans yell "Indian war whoops" at him, and yell back, "You lousy bunch of foreigners! Why don't you go back where you came from?"

He had a fantastic career won-lost record of 212-127, and an ERA of 2.46, good even for the Dead Ball Era. He helped Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics win 5 Pennants and 3 World Series from 1903 to 1914, and is credited with words that are still true, a century after his prime: "A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything."

SP Bullet Joe Bush of Brainerd. Briefly a teammate of Bender's, helped the A's win the World Series in 1913 and and the Boston Red Sox in '18, before being one of several players Sox owner Harry Frazee sold to the Yankees, where he won the Series in 1923. Also won Pennants with the A's in '14 and the Yanks in '22, going 26-7 as an easy choice for the Cy Young Award -- if there had been one at the time. Played for some bad teams, too, but still won 196 games.

SP Jerry Koosman of Morris. Won Games 2 and 5 (the clincher) of the 1969 World Series for the Mets, and helped them win the 1973 National League Pennant as well. In 1976, became the first Met lefty to win 20. But in just 2 seasons, went from 21-10 to 8-20 to 3-15. It was painful to watch.

Then the Mets got rid of him, and, for his home-State Twins, he went 20-13 and 16-13 for a not-very-good team. The trade wasn't a total disaster for the Mets, though: They got Jesse Orosco. How's that for an amazing occurrence: The Mets have won 2 World Series, and they traded the man who got the final out in the 1st for the man who got the final out in the 2nd. Won 222 games, 140 of them for the Mets.

SP Jack Morris of St. Paul. He won 254 games, including 161 in the 1980s, the most in the decade. Helped not 1, not 2, but 3 teams win World Series. Started the 1984 season by pitching a no-hitter on April 7 (tied with Ken Forsch for earliest in the calendar year), and ended it with the Detroit Tigers as World Champions.

The Tigers let him go after 1990, and he went to his hometown Twins, and pitched and won Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Going 10 innings. At age 36. Pitching a shutout. At the damn Metrodome. Against a good Atlanta Braves team. The Twins let him go anyway, despite 18 wins -- 22 if you count the postseason -- and he went 21-6 for the Blue Jays as they won the World Series. I don't care if his career ERA is 3.90: He pitched most of his home games at Tiger Stadium. Put him in the Hall of Fame!

SP Rick Helling of Fargo. The best pitcher born in North Dakota, he graduated, as did Maris, from Shanley High School. He went 20-7 for the Texas Rangers in 1998, and won 93 before injuries ended his career. Won a World Series ring with the 2003 Florida Marlins.

RP Tom Burgmeier of St. Cloud. One of several relievers tried by the Red Sox before they settled on Bob Stanley. Maybe they should have settled on Burgmeier, a tough lefty who saved 24 games with a 2.00 ERA for the Sox in 1980. The relief ace the Sox finally needed, Keith Foulke, was born at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, in the Twins' region, but grew up in Texas.

MGR Tom Kelly of Graceville. Actually moved to New Jersey when young, graduating from St. Mary's High School (now Cardinal McCarrick) of South Amboy, but went back to Minnesota and managed the Twins to their World Series wins. Terry Francona was born in South Dakota, but grew up in Pennsylvania, so he doesn't make this team as either a player or a manager.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Joe Mauer

In the wake of Cornell becoming the first Ivy League school to reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 since the late Chuck Daly took the University of Pennsylvania to the Elite Eight in 1979 (before going on to pro glory with the Detroit Pistons); and the New York Rangers, yet again, sucking when they need to, you know, not suck, losing a big game to one of the team's ahead of them in the race for the last NHL Eastern Conference Playoff spot (and, in the process, losing a New York vs. Boston game, yet another shame on them), came some news that has disturbed some Yankee Fans.

No, I'm not talking about Mariano Rivera appearing in print ads for Canali clothes. He looks great in them, his usual classy self. After all, this is not a 1979 Sasson jeans commercial. (Thought I'd get in another swipe at the Rangers, who suck.)

The Minnesota Twins, desperate to keep catcher Joe Mauer beyond this, their first season at the new Target Field, signed him to a contract extension, $184 million for 8 years, keeping him in the Gopher State until October 2018.

This tells me three things. First, Twins owner Jim Pohlad has decided to not be a cheap team owner like his late father Carl, and also like the man Carl Pohlad bought the Twins from, Calvin Griffith, the man who moved the Washington Senators to Minneapolis-St. Paul (the "Twin Cities," hence the "TC" on the team's caps) in 1961.

The leading joke about Griffith's cheapness was that he went fishing at the beginning of walleye season (apparently a big deal in Minnesota, to the point where the Twins always ask to be scheduled for a roadtrip that weekend so people won't choose fishing over baseball), caught his legal limit, drove his haul to a supermarket, and traded it all for a box of Mrs. Paul's fish sticks, plus cash.

Unlike Calvin Griffith and Carl Pohlad, Jim Pohlad appears to be willing to spend what it takes to win. Therefore, he and his club deserve to win. Not more than the Yankees do, but then, that's my bias talking. I'd sooner take the Twins to win the World Series than about half, maybe even 2/3rds, of the teams in Major League Baseball.

Second, keeping Mauer is big for the Twins, because it shows, along with building Target Field to replace the asinine Metrodome, that they are committed, not just to staying in Minnesota, but to appealing to the State's pride in itself, which is immense (and for some good reasons).

Mauer is not just a great player, but also a hometowner, from St. Paul. It used to be that, except for Kent Hrbek, who grew up in Bloomington, within walking distance of the Twins' (and Vikings') former home of Metropolitan Stadium, the Twins usually only got Minneapolis-area natives who turned out to be great players at or near the ends of their careers: Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris. (Terry Steinbach wasn't a great player, but he was often good, and was another Minnesotan who came to the Twins late in his career.) These men were cheered more than the typical Twins player. Now, for these fans, Mauer is their guy, much more than the similarly talented Justin Morneau (from the Vancouver suburbs) or any of their other current players.

Third, it shows that the Twins are committed to not just playing winning baseball, but seriously competing for the American League Pennant (and, by definition, for the World Championship). You see, both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will need new starting catchers soon. In fact, you could argue that, with Jason Varitek (the Man In the Chicken-Wire Mask) crumbling by the day, the Sox need a new catcher right now. By contrast, Jorge Posada had one of his best seasons last year, and probably has at least one more good year left.

By re-signing Mauer, the Twins are not just keeping their best player, but stopping him from going to one of the AL's other big contenders. The Anaheim Angels (or whatever they're calling themselves this season) are set with Mike Napoli. But the Tampa Bay Rays appear to be sticking with Dioner Navarro, who last year had a hideous OPS+ of just 52 and has never had more than 54 RBIs in a season, so they could use a better catcher. At 25, he no longer seems like the catcher of the future, so how do the Yankees look now for having traded him away? The Detroit Tigers have Gerald Laird, and he's not much better. So the Rays and Tigers both need new catchers.

So should Yankee Fans be upset that they won't get Joe Mauer? Of course not. Posada is still an elite player, he's healthy at the moment, and he's still got that short porch in right field and the ability to switch-hit.

And every single preason baseball magazine seems to be suggesting that 20-year-old Yankee catching prospect Jesus Montero will be ready for the majors in just 1 year. Just in time to replace our beloved Jorge as starting catcher? Maybe, unless Jorge's got more than one good year left. That would only be a good thing, the equivalent of a football team drafting the replacement for their quarterbacking legend before it's necessary.

I just wish the Yanks had the next closer in place before Mariano finally declines... Joba Chamberlain? Phil Hughes? Somebody else? Find him! It's more important than deciding whether Joba or Phil should be the 5th starter!

Jorge has done everything the Yankees could ask of him. He's been a part of 5 World Championships, the regular starting catcher on 3 of them (or 4, depending on how you define it). No Yankee will ever again wear Number 20, and he's destined, if not for the Baseball Hall of Fame, then for Monument Park. I love him.

Actually, it's Laura Posada that I love... And, unlike some of my other hopeless celebrity crushes, I've actually met her. Remember the YES Network series Ultimate Road Trip? In their first season, 2005, they had a promotion at a Subway store on the East Side, with the Roadtrippers working there and raising money for the Posada Foundation, which funds research into childhood cranial malformations like the one that nearly killed Jorge Jr. as an infant. (At last check, he was still fine.)

It was advertised on the previous week's show, and I went there, met host Michelle Beadle and the Roadtrippers, got a sandwich (it was Subway, so it wasn't that good, there's only so much the Roadtrippers could do), and while I was there, Laura walked in. She probably wouldn't remember me, but I'll never forget her: She looks just as good in real life. (Roadtripper Dave called her "the hottest woman on the planet," and he's not far off.) So the good news is, I got to meet Michelle, the Roadtrippers, and Laura. The bad news is, when I watched the show with that scene a week and a half later, I didn't make it onscreen; and, apparently, Jorge walked in shortly after I left. Oh well.

*

So did the Yankees lose much by not getting Joe Mauer? Hard to say, since the Twins had another 7 months to extend him, and there's no guarantee that he wouldn't have been scooped up by the Red Scum.

But think of it this way: With Joe Mauer, the Twins are 2-9 in postseason games against the Yankees -- 6-18 overall. They haven't won a postseason series 2002, and only that one since that epic 1991 World Series. That was during the Bush Administration. The father's, not the son's.

Mauer might be a great player, but the Yankees have handled his teams. The Twins have won 5 AL Central Division Titles in the last 8 years, which is pretty strong. But they haven't won a Pennant since R.E.M. was losing its religion. That's 19 years now. Since then, AL Pennants have gone to the Yankees (7), Toronto (2, and they'd never won one before), Cleveland (2, and they hadn't won one in 41 years before that), Boston (2, and they hadn't won one in 18 years before that), Anaheim (they'd never won one before, 42 years), Tampa Bay (they'd never even had a winning season before, 11 years), Chicago (they hadn't won one in 46 years before that, and just that one in 86 years) and Detroit (they hadn't won one in 22 years before that, and just that one in 38 years).

So unless we start giving Division Titles the same credence we gave Pennants up until 1995 and the beginning of the Wild Card era (Atlanta Braves fans sure have given such credence), the Twins, while interesting, maybe even exciting, have been very disappointing. They've given their fans reason to hope, and their losses haven't exactly been heartbreaking or shocking (unless you count Game 2 of last year's ALDS, A-Rod's equalizer in the 9th and Teix's screaming liner to walk off in the 11th)... but those hopes have not been realized.

Joe Mauer? We don't need no stinkin' Joe Mauer! We've got Hip Hip Jorge, and then... Jesus saves!