Next up on the "Hall of Fame" thread is second baseman Billy
Herman, who put in 15 solid seasons as a Major League star. Check out my
card design:
Inducted to Cooperstown by the Veteran's Committee in 1975, Herman wad a worthy pick in my eyes.
A 10-time all-star, he put in some some stellar seasons both
offensively and defensively playing for the Cubs, Dodgers, Pirates and
Boston Braves between 1931 and 1947 (he lost two seasons to military
duty duty in 1944/1945).
After playing 25 games with the Cubbies in 1931, he busted out the
following season, batting .314 with 206 hits, while collecting 102 runs
scored, 42 doubles and seven triples.
And over the course of the rest of his career he would not
disappoint, topping .300 six more times (with a high of .341 in 1935),
top 200 hits another two times (with two more seasons of 190+ hits as
well), while leading the league in hits, doubles and
triples once each.
In 1935 and 1936 he slapped 57 doubles each year, and in 1943, now
with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he managed to drive home 100 runs (for the
only time in his career), with a scant TWO home runs, while hitting .330
with 193 hits and 41 doubles.
By the time he retired in 1947, Herman had 2345 hits, 486 doubles,
1163 runs scored and a .304 career average, with three top-5 MVP
finishes (1935, 1936 and 1943).
Defensively, Herman led his league in assists three times, turning
double-plays four times, putouts seven times and fielding percentage
three times, with numerous second and third place finishes for all
categories.
He never did get much support from the BBWA when it came to Hall of
Fame election between 1948 and 1967, so as I stated earlier, he'd have
to wait until 1975 to get voted in, thus closing out a very nice career
as a ballplayer.
