Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B
I'm definitely just judging by the way their contemporaries whom I knew spoke (or didn't speak) of them. When I visited all these players many years ago, I would tend to listen more than talk, letting them discuss whatever and whoever they wished for as long as they wished. I never wanted to interrupt the conversational flow. Heilmann was a man the older players would bring up on their own, and his talent was universally recollected with a great deal of respect. Vaughan was from the next generation down, and I got to know even more players from this era, including a significant number of his teammates. His name was barely mentioned, so perhaps he was overlooked by his own colleagues as well.
I certainly agree with your other point that there are a great deal of HOFers mentioned in this thread. Musial, Frank Robinson and Spahn have been brought up a lot. These guys were considered among the elite by those who saw them play. I'm not sure why anyone considers them overlooked based on their caliber of play. I'd agree on your assessment that this pertains more to card values.
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Heilmann was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952 along with Paul Waner. The class before him was Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott. Of those elected by the BBWAA before him, only Herb Pennock stands out as a worse player, although there are some others that I would rate slightly behind him. I have him at #66 on my list of top 100 players of all time. Maybe it is just me, but I think he is appriciated among true baseball fans along with many other HOFers mentioned in this thread.
After the original class of 5, the next first ballot HOFers were Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson, followed by Ted Williams,
Stan Musial, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente,
Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Al Kaline, Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron and
Frank Robinson. It seems like that is a pretty elite group of players.