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fkwThe knock on O'Doul is the total ABs. He chose to play most of his career in the PCL (a league almost as good as the ML at the time). He was a San Francisco man (born lived died), he chose to play on the West coast and probably made more money playing right here at home. Why not?
With that said, he also wasted his first 4 years in the Major Leagues as a pitcher (like Ruth), then became one of the better hitters of his time (.319, .398, .383, .336, .368), and had the season hit record for many decades until Ichiro broke it.
But, he should be in the HOF mainly because of his contributions to baseball period. He basically started pro baseball in Japan (he is a Japanese HOFer), and managed and coached for many many years.
There is a reason that O'Doul cards bring more $$ than some HOFers. Collectors know what type of person he was and how important he was to baseball as a sport.
Im right here in the Bay Area, and after DiMaggio, no one is more famous in SF than Lefty. When I was young, my grandma and grandpa only spoke of 2 players, Babe Ruth and Lefty O'Doul and as a kid I though both were equals.