Who are your Inner Circle Hall of Famers?

[Topnotchsy]

If your angle is the hobby, there are some other names that warrant mentioning.

I have an interesting vantage point because I collect game-used lineup cards of just about every player. I have bought collections from umpires and managers, and often look to sell some of them to recoup a portion of the cost.

Admittedly the vast majority are from 1980's on so it is skewed towards more recent times, but there are two names who come up all the time: Don Mattingly and Nolan Ryan.

For every mention of Griffey, Bonds, McGwire, etc there are 10 requests for Mattingly and Ryan. Next behind those two are probably Mariano Rivera, Jose Canseco and Ivan Rodriguez. Frank Thomas as well.

It's not remotely the list of the best players, but they seem to be the most popular and then ones that people are the most interested in.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

If your angle is the hobby, there are some other names that warrant mentioning.

I have an interesting vantage point because I collect game-used lineup cards of just about every player. I have bought collections from umpires and managers, and often look to sell some of them to recoup a portion of the cost.

Admittedly the vast majority are from 1980's on so it is skewed towards more recent times, but there are two names who come up all the time: Don Mattingly and Nolan Ryan.

For every mention of Griffey, Bonds, McGwire, etc there are 10 requests for Mattingly and Ryan. Next behind those two are probably Mariano Rivera, Jose Canseco and Ivan Rodriguez. Frank Thomas as well.

It's not remotely the list of the best players, but they seem to be the most popular and then ones that people are the most interested in.

Mattingly strength makes sense to me - was the Yanks main guy during some tough times for people now in their 40s. Do Doc and Straw get similar love or not from what you’ve seen?

[Touch'EmAll]

I like Satchell Paige. Nolan Ryan. Aaron & Mays. The first 5 into HOF. Cy Young. Ted Williams. Mantle. Maybe Dimaggio. I feel Lefty Grove & Foxx are somewhat under appreciated in the card collecting world. Oh, yeah, for sure put in Gehrig.

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Mattingly strength makes sense to me - was the Yanks main guy during some tough times for people now in their 40s. Do Doc and Straw get similar love or not from what you’ve seen?

The 80's Mets have a big following as a team, including Doc and Strawberry. They might have the most rapid fanbase of any team. For some reason, Mets lineup cards also seem to show up less than any other team in my experience.

[oldjudge]

I believe that the inner circle is Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Mays and Aaron. I don’t think a pitcher can be in the inner circle. Next group would include DiMaggio, Williams, Hornsby, Mantle, Jackson, Lajoie, Delahanty, Gehrig, Foxx and Trout.
I think the pitchers have to be grouped separately. Their inner circle would be Young, Johnson and Mathewson.

[Mungo Hungo]

Kid Nichols seems to be unjustly forgotten. Nine straight years of 27 wins or more. Yes, this was 19th Century, but he was still the best pitcher of his time, aside from Cy Young.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Mungo Hungo

Kid Nichols seems to be unjustly forgotten. Nine straight years of 27 wins or more. Yes, this was 19th Century, but he was still the best pitcher of his time, aside from Cy Young.

Cy Young had the better career ultimately, but Kid Nichols really was the better (best) pitcher in the 19th century, which is really saying something.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

I believe that the inner circle is Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Mays and Aaron. I don’t think a pitcher can be in the inner circle. Next group would include DiMaggio, Williams, Hornsby, Mantle, Jackson, Lajoie, Delahanty, Gehrig, Foxx and Trout.
I think the pitchers have to be grouped separately. Their inner circle would be Young, Johnson and Mathewson.

I struggle with the idea that just 25% of the inner circle HOF have played in the last 85+ years. Major league baseball is 146 years old but 75% of the best players played their entire careers in the first 40% of its lifetime? And just one player in the inner circle or next group debuted in the last 65+ years?

[oldjudge]

The list would be different if steroid users were included. Then Bonds would have made the inner circle and Aroid the next level.

[RCMcKenzie]

My inner sanctum players are the guys I rooted for as a kid. TP Terry Puhl, Jose Cruz, Bob Watson, JR Richard, Cesar Cedeno, etc. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio are not in my inner circle, because they are my age, and I view them as peers, and not heroes.

Here's the top 10 in WAR...(the inner circle)
Ruth
Johnson
Young
Bonds
Mays
Cobb
Aaron
Clemens
Speaker
Wagner

The problem with Bonds, Aaron and Clemens is that they don't have any cool cards to collect.


The story at the gym where no-one knew who Walter Johnson was, was the point I was trying to make about Doncic in the other thread, not that he's not good, he's not famous. George Washington is famous, and even he has a Q-rating of about 44.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

The list would be different if steroid users were included. Then Bonds would have made the inner circle and Aroid the next level.

Ruth and Aaron both used PEDs.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

The list would be different if steroid users were included. Then Bonds would have made the inner circle and Aroid the next level.

How is ARod not first tier?

[LincolnVT]

I would agree with this, but would put Jackson (non-HOF) in the inner outer circle collectibility wise.

Originally Posted by oldjudge

I believe that the inner circle is Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Mays and Aaron. I don’t think a pitcher can be in the inner circle. Next group would include DiMaggio, Williams, Hornsby, Mantle, Jackson, Lajoie, Delahanty, Gehrig, Foxx and Trout.
I think the pitchers have to be grouped separately. Their inner circle would be Young, Johnson and Mathewson.