HOF releases pre-Integration ballot today.

[Joe_G.]

Peter, your vision of early baseball, circa 1870s, is flawed. Many pitchers were finding success by throwing as hard as they could muster, often side-arm or even slightly overhand (pitchers constantly pushed the envelope and would use as high an arm angle as the umps would allow). Pitchers were starting to throw curve balls (Candy Cummings), try that without significant pitch speed. Granted, Deacon did catch a fair number of Spaldings games and he was a softer thrower but he then became a pioneer by catching close behind the batter to keep runners from advancing on base. This led to more errors but ultimately reduced the number of runs the opposing team would score. Moving up close behind the batter was a dangerous proposition.

Deacon White was considered the best catcher of the 1870s, a decade in which catching was deemed the most valuable position on the field. His defensive skills alone made him extremely valuable and he improved his worth by being amongst League leaders in many offensive categories as well.

Deacon has everything going for him. Solid play during the 1870s, catching more games than anyone (catching put many promising careers to bed early). He then re-invented himself and played another decade at 3rd base with enough success for James to rank him among the 100 best at that position.

Deacon White is a clear stand-out for me and many others. I would recommend the book "Cather - How the Man Behind the Plate Became an American Folk Hero" by Peter Morris. This book has helped many people understand the brillance of Deacon White's play during the 1870s.