Here's another one of those "head-scratcher" Hall of Fame inductees from the era: former outfielder Harry Hooper.
Now, while he wasn't a former teammate of Frankie Frisch, you have
to wonder if cronyism was involved with this Veteran's Committee
selection in 1971, as Hooper's career wasn't exactly screaming
"INDUCTION".
Then again, Hooper was an important cog in those Boston red Sox
champion teams during their dynasty of the teens (1912,1915,1916,1918),
and was one of the premier fielding outfielders of the day, so maybe I
have it wrong.
It's just curious to me since when he was eligible for BBWA voting he never garnered more than 3.0% of the vote.
Over the course of 17-years Hooper collected 2466 hits with a .281 average, 1429 runs scored, 160 triples and 375 stolen bases.
But it was in the field where he really made his mark, leading the
American League in fielding six times as a right fielder, while pacing
the league in assists three times and putouts six times.
He finished off his career with five solid seasons as a member of
the Chicago White Sox, even posting a career high .328 average in 1924
at the age of 36.
Nevertheless, there sure are a bunch of Hall of Fame inductions
involving players that don't seem to stand the test of time these days
huh?
