Jack Glasscock

[Cowtipper]

Jack Glasscock played 17 seasons, from 1879 to 1895. In that time, he hit .290 with 372 (known) steals and 2040 hits. A shortstop by trade, Glasscock led the league in batting average in 1890, in games in 1881, in hits in 1889 and 1890, in singles in 1889 and AB/K in 1886, 1887 and 1890.

Statistically similar to two Hall of Famers - Dave Bancroft and Monte Ward - Pebbly Jack is the 42nd best shortstop all time according to The Baseball Page and in 1936 he received a whopping two votes for the Hall of Fame.

What do you think? Should Glasscock be in the Hall of Fame?

[Paul Wendt]

Jack Glasscock played until the early 1900s, organizing teams in Wheeling, Fort Wayne, and Iowa(?). That is, he found roles as player/field manager/GM maybe also President/owner of minor league clubs.

Some players and probably some writers never forgave Glasscock for going with the National League in 1890.

Before his 1879 NL debut Glasscock played in the International Association but he was closer to a prospect than a star, in modern lingo.

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For the veterans committee elections of 2003, 2005, and 2007 Glasscock was the second-earliest among the 200 players nominated by the Historical Oversight Committee (after pitcher Will White whose "wins" dazzle modern eyes). In the big picture that is somewhere between unfortunate and shameful but in the little picture it is a big endorsement for Glasscock.

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About 15 years ago a Blue Ribbon Panel appointed by the NBHOFM in consultation with SABR advised the veterans committee on 19th century candidates. IIRC it urged the election of six players McPhee and Davis (the two elected after institution of a special ballot), Dahlen, Glasscock, Stovey, and Browning.
(Chair, Bob Davids, the founder of SABR. John Thorn, David Nemec, Fred Ivor-Campbell, A, and B. IIRC there were six panelists and afaik it is the only time NBHOFM consulted scholars about candidates for membership. Three years ago, as everyone knows, the institution went a lot further and empowered scholars to elect "Negro Leagues" members.)

[Paul Wendt]

most similar HOF member: Bobby Wallace
most similar famous candidate: Alan Trammell

Glasscock played 14.9 full seasons (fse game) including 13.7 at shortstop. That was the longest career at shortstop until Bill Dahlen or Tommy Corcoran. Today(2006) Glasscock ranks twelfth between Alan Trammell and Barry Larkin.
add: Dahlen and Corcoran, about ten years younger, rank fourth and seventh

Here is a chronological layout of the debut dates covering the sixteen 13-season shortstops (fse).

debut dates of longest-career shortstops (16 @ thirteen or more fse shortstop games)
1880, 1884,
1890, 1891,

1910, 1912,

1930,

1956,
1964,
1970, 1970, 1977, 1978,
1981, 1986, 1989

Glasscock played more than a full season at other fielding positions and some shortstops played much more at other positions. Honus Wagner and earlier shortstops, like Cal Ripken in our time, commonly moved from third to short. George Davis, Bobby Wallace and Wagner all played long enough, mainly at third, they do not qualify as "longest-career shortstops".

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Today Jack Glasscock ranks 58th in the major leagues with 14.94 seasons in the field at all positions (1871-2006).

[GaryL]

We've got a real nice picture of Jack Glasscock over on the Vintage Panoramic Pictures thread.

Click on the link below and then scroll down to picture #290 to see a beautiful picture of Glasscock with his 1886 St. Louis Maroons.

http://baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=75607&page=12

[BlueBlood]

Arguably the best of his era at his position. An easy "yes" for me.

[Fuzzy Bear]

One thing I wonder about is why Glasscock wasn't elected at the very beginning of the HOF. If Glasscock were the great shortstop of his day, as some say here, why, then, wouldn't he be remembered as such, and appropriately honored in the late 30s and 40s?

George Wright was the great SS of the 1870s and he was inducted in 1938. Bobby Wallace, whose career began in 1894, was inducted in 1953. I don't understand how the HOF electors could enshrine the great SS of the 1870s and the great SS of the 1890s-1900s, but not the great SS of the 1880s, unless those people who were alive at the time Glasscock was active did not recognize him to be one of the big stars of his day. George Davis was the great SS of the 1890s, and it took him long after his death to be recognized, so Glasscock may be in the same boat, but I also believe that Davis is CLEARLY superior to Glasscock.

I say "maybe" to Pebbly Jack. "Maybe" he's as good as Wright and Wallace. But he's far from a no-questions-asked HOFer. He's in the gray area, and the best I can say for him is that he's probably better than Rizzuto, Tinker, and Bancroft. The worst I can say for him is that he's probably wasn't as good as Concepcion, Stephens, and Trammell.

[Paul Wendt]

George Wright was selected (Jan 1937?) as a builder of baseball.
Any important particular reason?
- for his sporting goods business? He was a builder of golf, tennis, and hockey.
- for his brother's work, because some confused or conflated them?
- because he was alive and known to be alive, with builder only a convenient label for whomever the committee would select?


Prior to the Blue Ribbon Panel and special ballots, the Hall of Fame recognized almost no infielders except firstbasemen and some whom it classified as Managers or Pioneers and Executives.
Here is everyone elected and classified as "Players" from three generations before Cobb, Collins, and Speaker.

1.

p: Galvin, Radbourn, Welch, Keefe, Clarkson (the five 300-game winners)
p-ss-2b-of: John Ward
c: Buck Ewing (c-3b-u)
1b: Anson, Brouthers, Connor
2b:
ss: (Ward, in part)
3b:
of: Jim O'Rourke (lf-cf-u), Mike Kelly (rf-c-u)

Some others not classified as players:
H.Wright, G.Wright, Spalding, Cummings, Hanlon, Comiskey

2.

p: Rusie, Nichols, Young
c:
1b: Beckley
2b:
ss: Jennings
3b:
of: McCarthy, Duffy, Thompson, Hamilton, Delahanty, Burkett, Kelley, Keeler

Some others not classified as players: Mack, Robinson, McGraw, Griffith
From behind the color line: Frank Grant, Sol White

3.

p: Waddell, Chesbro, McGinnity, Mathewson, Plank, Joss, Brown, Bender, Walsh
c: Bresnahan (c-of-u)
1b: Chance
2b: Lajoie, Evers
ss: Wallace (ss-3b-p), Wagner (ss-3b-of), Tinker
3b: Collins
of: Clarke, Flick, Crawford

Some others not classified as players: Huggins