“On the other hand, what of Doc Adams? The long-overlooked pioneer led the charge to standardize and refine the rules of the game in the mid-19th century, including nine-man lineups and nine-inning games — innovations inaccurately credited to Alexander Cartwright on his Hall of Fame plaque — as well as the 90-foot distance between the bases, the “fly rule” (eliminating balls caught on one bounce from being automatic outs), and the shortstop position (which helped to differentiate the game from rounders). On the 2016 Pre-Integration ballot, from which no candidate was elected, Adams had the highest share at 62.5%, but he was conspicuously absent from the 2022 Early Baseball ballot, and he now faces additional competition for space and attention from candidates who came along more than a century later. A cynic might wonder if the Hall simply wanted to spare itself the scrutiny of contradicting one of its existing plaques in the face of more modern research — and focus more upon drawing fans to Cooperstown to celebrate living honorees of more debatable merits.”

Jay Jaffe, The Hall of Fame Shakes Up its Era Committee System Yet Again, FanGraphs (4/26/2022)

“Well, you know Doc saved Base Ball.”

Frederick Ivor-Campbell, noted baseball historian and author, to Marjorie Adams

I was asked this on the panel at the SABR Conference, too. I went with Doc Adams because his contributions to early baseball were far more significant and impactful than the playing careers of anyone still on the outside. 

Adam Darowski, A Q & A with Adam Darowski of the Hall of Stats, The Hall of Miller and Eric

“It’s a steep mountain to climb, but Adams’ record and the importance of historical accuracy make it worth the effort.  No one has any illusions about the difficulty of the task, but perhaps this time credit will be given where credit is long overdue!”

John Zinn, Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Historical Society

“Near the end of the SABR bio he wrote on Adams, Thorn writes, “For his role in making baseball the success it is, Doc Adams may be counted as first among the Fathers of Baseball.” While Adams would be far from the first Father of Baseball in Cooperstown it’s, as the Berenstain Bears would say, never too late to correct a mistake. Here’s hoping that Adams gets his Hall of Fame plaque in the foreseeable future and that the story of his contributions to baseball continues to become more widely known.”

Graham Womack, Writer and Baseball Historian

“Adams was the glue that baseball needed during its nascent stages from 1845 to 1860 until Henry Chadwick, a British-born sports journalist, took the baton as president of the rules committee and promotor of baseball with his pen. It’s time to put Doc Adams in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

Andrew Schiff, Author and SABR Member

“Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams as a significant pioneer of baseball deserves to be voted in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is truly a father of the modern game of baseball.”

Gary Schiappacassee, Former President, Vice-president of the Vintage Base Ball Association

Doc Adams wasn’t a Hall of Fame baseball player.  He didn’t hit 500 home runs or win 300 games.  He is a Hall of Fame baseball pioneer—the leader of the group that produced the first set of rules, the leader of the most important club of baseball’s first years, and the man who created the position of shortstop.  No existing member of the Hall of Fame equaled Doc Adams’ contributions to the growth and establishment of baseball.  His induction would fill a gap in the Hall roster larger than the gap Adams filled between second and third base. 

William Ryczek, Author

“Simply put, the legacy of Doc Adams is one which should be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Our understanding of the history of the game has evolved, and it would be fitting to include one of the fathers of the game in the Hall, as a reflection of this remarkable and important  period of evolution, progress, and enlightenment in baseball knowledge.”

Jacob Newcomb, Baseball Historian

“Daniel Adams, equipped with degrees from Yale and Harvard, played baseball for exercise almost 200 years ago and refined the game that would become our national pastime. He set down his ideas in a document called The Laws of Baseball, an outline for the sport which became the game’s Bible. His contributions were lost in the archives of history but now baseball can correct that error by inducting Doc Adams in the Hall of Fame, where he can be celebrated alongside the game he helped refine.”

Hal Bock, Former Associated Press Baseball Writer and Hall of Fame Voter

“Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams is, for reasons passing understanding, without tangible recognition in Cooperstown. This is despite being a highly significant contributor to baseball’s genesis. “

David Krell, The Sports Post (1/3/2017)

“Baseball was not invented by Doc Adams, of course. It was not invented by anybody. But if the Hall of Fame is about honoring those people who gave us this great game of baseball — and it very much is — then Doc is a pretty big oversight.”

Joe Posnanski, The Outsiders: No. 28, Doc Adams, The Athletic (12/15/2020)

“Someday soon, the average baseball fan will answer the question, ‘Who is the founding father of baseball’ with the name Doc Adams.”

Dan Imler, Managing Director, SCP Auctions

“He [Doc Adams] is baseball’s most important figure not in the Hall of Fame… With the recent discovery of his “Laws of Base Ball” we have tangible primary evidence of his genius. More than anyone else, he created our game of nine innings, nine men, and ninety-foot base paths.“

John Thorn, Official Historian of MLB, “5 Inventors”, Our Game (July 26, 2021)