Nap Rucker was a really good pitcher who played on some really bad teams. Despite a 132-132 lifetime record for a Brooklyn team that only finished over .500 his last two seasons (when he was no longer a full-time starter), he received Hall of Fame votes in seven elections. He peaked at 6.4% in 1942 when he finished 31st, which doesn't sound that impressive, except when you consider all 30 players who finished above him are now in the Hall (as well as 15 players who got fewer votes, including pitchers Kid Nichols, Amos Rusie, Red Faber, and Waite Hoyt). Not to say that he was a Hall of Fame player, just that he was still remembered 25 or so years after he retired as being a better player than his record would indicate.
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Last edited by molenick; 11-21-2021 at 07:57 AM.
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