I’m far less bothered by their omissions than I am that of an additional SABR Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legend, Daniel “Doc” Adams, whom Major League Baseball official historian John Thorn has called “first among the Fathers of Baseball” and “the most significant figure in the early history of baseball.” Adams’ contribution actually predates that 1871 date. Via his 1857 rulebook, “The Laws of Base Ball”, he bears the true responsibility for setting the bases 90 feet apart; for creating the shortstop position; for proposing the standardization of nine-man lineups and nine-inning games; and for helping to standardize the construction of balls and bats, innovations that helped to make baseball a national game. Some of his contributions have been inaccurately credited to Alexander Cartwright on his Hall of Fame plaque, and while you’d think the institution would desire to set the record straight, it’s worth remembering that the Hall’s very presence in Cooperstown is based upon the myth of General Abner Doubleday drawing up the rules in a cow pasture there in 1839 — but I digress. What really chafes is that Adams led all candidates on the 2016 Pre-Integration ballot with 62.5% of the vote — nobody was elected from that slate — but hasn’t gotten another shot.

“The 2025 Classic Baseball Ballot Is Long on Familiarity”, Short on Imagination, Jay Jaffe, FanGraphs

Brooklyn-based Jay Jaffe is a senior writer for FanGraphs, the author of The Cooperstown Casebook (Thomas Dunne Books, 2017) and the creator of the JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score) metric for Hall of Fame analysis. He founded the Futility Infielder website (2001), was a columnist for Baseball Prospectus (2005-2012) and a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated (2012-2018). He has been a recurring guest on MLB Network and a member of the BBWAA since 2011, and a Hall of Fame voter since 2021