Hall Welcomes 4 More

Jacen Solo, Stuart Johnson, George Kird, and Jerry Tugwell have been elected to the hall of fame.  Tugwell received 75% of the votes, the others were unanimous.

Finishing with 50%, the following players will remain on the ballot for next year:

Sammy Swopa
Jake Decker
Leon Wolf
Kimba Bartee

Also remaining with 25% are:

Gerald White Sr.
Marcel Johnson
Troy Everett
Jason Baret

Hall of Fame candidates

Here are the Hall of Fame candidates for the second election of 2019:

The following candidates have appeared on previous ballots:

1B/3B Jerry Tugwell


The sweet swinging Tugwell hit .317 for the 1995 Penguins.  He was a disciplined hitter who drew his share of walks, and later developed power.  In 2000, the year of the Penguin, Tugwell was moved to the leadoff spot despite hitting more like a middle of the order hitter.  That season Tugwell hit .271, hit 23 homers with 66 RBI, and thanks to a .368 on base percentage scored 117 runs as the Penguins went to the first of back to back World Series.

The following season Tugwell moved back to the middle of the order and broke out with an MVP season, hitting .312 with 39 homers, 126 RBI, 53 doubles, a .416 OBP and .601 slugging.  The following season Tugwell had an even better season for the Louisville Sluggers, hitting .336/39/139.  He remained a strong force in the middle of the order for the LA Shockers for four more seasons.  In his late 30s Tugwell was a productive platoon 1B/DH for Mars, Miami, Baltimore, and Las Vegas.  In 2011 he was traded to the Miami Stars at the trade deadline and went on a tear, hitting 10 homers in only 114 at bats, with a .434 OBP and .596 slugging as he helped the Stars win their first world championship since 1993.  He had another productive season in 2012 as a platoon player, and retired at age 41.

OF Sammy Swopa

Sammy Swopa hit 445 homeruns, including 6 seasons of 40 or more.  In 1999 he became one of 6 players to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season.  In 2002 Sammy hit 50 homeruns.  In 2003 Sammy hit 49 homers, drove in 147 runs, and won the Superior League MVP award.  A fine defender, Sammy won 4 gold glove awards.  Sammy did not have a long career, fading in his 30's and retiring at age 35.

OF Leon Wolf

Leon Wolf started his career with the Charlotte Hawks.  He was not expected to excel defensively, or show great speed or power, but make a living with his bat.  He only hit .214 his first year, and .269 his second, and was let go to look for another job.  He improved to a .303 average in his third year for the El Paso Devils, but only hit 3 homers in nearly 400 at bats.  Once again he was looking for the job, and found a great opportunity with the 1994 Utah Utes.

Wolf won a job as a platoon left fielder and thanks to a team culture that embraced advanced hitting theory, improved to .348 and drove in 66 runs in only 374 at bats.  The Utes went on to win the first of 3 consecutive championships.  In 1997 Wolf hit .382.  Despite such lofty stats, Wolf was never a fulltime player in Utah due to a talented roster, however he did win 4 rings in his 5 seasons there.

After the breakup of the Utes in 1999 he spent one year in Portland, then went to Hollywood where he became a fulltime player and had the most productive seasons of his career.  In 2000 he hit .335 with 22 homers.  The next two years he won batting titles (.357 and .344) while also hitting over 20 homers, and in 2003 hit career bests with 28 homers and 114 RBI.  He remained a productive bat into old age, hitting .322 with 17 homers as a 39 year old.  He retired in 2008 with a .312 average and 2166 hits.

SS Alex Salazar

Salazar began his career in 1995 with the Toledo Mud Hens, winning the rookie of the year award as he hit 26 homers, stole 19 bases, and played outstanding defense.  Thanks to playing in the same league as Lou Zamuda prevented him from winning gold gloves early in his career, however he did win the award in 2000 and 2001.  Salazar never hit 26 homers again, but was a solid hitter with 15-20 homer power for 11 years in Toledo, and in 2002 he stole 45 bases in 50 attempts.

Salazar remained productive for a long time, and hit .318 at age 36 for St. Louis.  He played 18 seasons and finished with 2394 hits, 248 homers, and 349 stolen bases.

P Jake Decker

In 1995 Decker, a rookie for the Alaska Snow Sox, pitched 138 innings, struck out 158 batters, and saved 35 games.  The following season his ERA was 1.65.  In 2003 he saved 47 games for the New York Cobra with a 1.70 ERA.  Over his 15 year career, Decker pitched 1061 innings, had a 2.84 ERA, struck out 1015, walked only 316, and saved 494 games. 

These candidates are appearing on the ballot for the first time:

1B Stuart Johnson

A switch hitting first baseman, Johnson was one of the finest hitters to ever play the game.  He began his career with the Louisville Sluggers.  In his third season Johnson was part of one of the deadliest offenses in league history.  He joined Hall of Famers Ryne Solo Jr., Helmut Schmidt, Rob Block, Cesar Ramos, and Galvatron in a lineup filled from top to bottom with patient hitters who could hit the long ball.  Johnson hit .318 that year, with 26 homers and 39 doubles among his 218 hits, and led the team with 137 runs batted in.  After 4 season in Louisville, Johnson played 8 years in Toronto, twice driving in 111 runs.  After 3 years in St Louis Stuart joined the 2008 Boston Beaneaters and hit .326 with 24 homers and 106 RBI at the age of 38.  Two years later he joined the New York Knights, where he hit .330 at the age of 41.  He followed that up by hitting .331 when he was 42, and retired after a .270 season with 16 homers at age 43.  Johnson finished his career with 3447 hits, 423 homers, 1877 RBI, and 719 doubles.  His career average was .298.  On the All time lists Johnson ranks third in hits, 7^th in RBI, and second in doubles.  His offensive wins above replacement is 70.3, second highest on this ballot.

2B Jacen Solo

Jacen Solo was one of the most complete players to ever play the game.  As a second baseman, he played outstanding defense, hit for average, hit for power, and was a threat on the bases even late into his career.  Eight times in his career he hit 20 or more homers with 20 or more stolen bases.  In 2001 Solo hit .329 with 24 homers, 117 RBI, and stole 43 bases in 47 attempts.  In 2008, at age 35, he hit .300 with 17 homers and stole a career high 64 bases.  

Solo had only one subpar season in his career, in 2010 at age 37 he hit .275 with 11 homers, and due to season long knee pain (which he played through) stole only 4 bases.  He came back from that season to hit .339 with 19 homers and stole 49 bases.

In his final season of 2013, at the age of 40, Solo hit .291 with 16 homers, and 33 steals. 

During his career Solo played for a single team, the Charlotte Hawks, and helped them reach the world series four times.  They beat the Portland Decepticons in 2005 and 2013, and lost to the New York Cobra in 2002 and the Philadelphia Grays in 2010.

In the 4^th game of the 2005 series, with Charlotte up 3-0 in the series, Solo came to bat in the 9^th inning with his team down 5-2, a runner on, and two out.  Solo singled, as did the next two batters, and Vernell Hightower capped the inning with a 3 run homer to finish the sweep.  In the deciding game 6 of the 2013 series, Solo hit a first inning, two run homer.  In the 8^th inning, Charlotte trailed 6-4 but got two batters on base with the top of the order due up with one out.  Eddie Cedeno tied the game with a double, and stole third base.  Solo brought him home with a perfect squeeze bunt in the final plate appearance of his career, as the Hawks won the game 7-6.

LF Gerald White Sr

Played 29 seasons, more than anyone else in league history.  Was an all star outfielder for the first half of his career.  Once his skills declined he became a backup outfielder and stuck around for another 14 years.  Hit 9 homers at age 47, and hit .283 in his final season at age 51.  Overall White had 2,596 hits, hit 320 homers, and stole 213 bases.  Set career highs in 1990 with a .348 average, 34 homers, and 137 RBI.  In 1989 stole a career high 35 bases and won a gold glove. 

OF Bobby Rayburn

Played 17 seasons, from 1997 to 2013, just missed completely spanning the APBA era.  Hit 385 homeruns and stole 258 bases.  In 1999 Rayburn hit 36 homers, stole 48 bases, and scored 141 runs as leadoff hitter for the Louisville Sluggers while winning a gold glove.  The next year he hit 40 homers and drove in 135.  Rayburn declined early, having his last good season at age 30.  Outside of his 2 big seasons in Louisville, struggled to hit for average and finished with a career mark of .237. 

1B Marcel Johnson

A career .312 hitter, Johnson hit .300 or better in his first 12 seasons. Hit .345 in 2003 and .341 the following season.  Also won gold glove in 2003.  Finished with 2,431 hits and 224 homers.  A slow runner, Marcel attempted only one steal during his career, and was thrown out.

C George Kird

A top defensive catcher over an 18 year career, Kird holds the record for homeruns by a catcher with 407.  Won 3 gold gloves in his career, but was among the best defenders for his entire career.  Allowed only one passed ball during his first 9 seasons, and threw out 39% of opposing base stealers.  A 2 time world champion who played in 4 world series.  Had a career year in 2005, hitting .321 with 35 homers and 101 RBI, for which he won the MVP award.  His pitchers claim that Kird was the best catcher they ever threw to.

OF Bob Abuee

A patient hitter over 13 seasons, Abuee hit .265 with 187 homers and a .364 OBP.  His best season was 2005 when he hit 29 homers, drew 109 walks, and scored 106 runs.  Scored 100 or more runs each year from 2002 to 2006.

C Eli Moreno

Hit 228 homers over a 16 year career as a catcher.  Best season was 2001 when he hit .295 with 27 homers.  Threw out 36 percent of opposing base stealers.

OF Kimba Bartee

Hit .270 over a 14 year career, including .313 as a rookie.  Went to the world series in his first 2 seasons with the Penguins.  Stole 787 bases, including single season totals of 107, 96, 88.  5^th alltime in stolen bases.

OF/1B Ray Hamilton

As a rookie, Hamilton hit 45 homers.  Three years later he hit 47, earning a big free agent contract from the Chicago Winds.  He was largely a disappointment there, hitting above .250 and hitting over 30 homers only once.  He finished his career with a .242 average and 332 homers.

P Jason Baret

Won 223 games (while losing 227) while pitching almost 4000 innings over a 20 year career.  Ranks 9^th alltime in innings pitched and 7^th in strikeouts (3,471).  Baret never backed down from a challenge and was always willing to throw his fastball to the best hitters in the game.  Won 20 games for the 2010 Baltimore Colts at the age of 37.  Threw 3 no-hitters in his career, only Jojo Lewis, Nolan Ryan, and Sandy Koufax have thrown more.

P Johnny DeMario

209-186 over a 17 year career.  7 times struck out 200 or more batters, with a high of 275 in 2001.  Also won 18 games that season, a career high he tied in 2012.

P Damon Collins

Won 205 games (184 losses) over a 17 year career.  Went 23-7 for the 2001 Miami Stars, with career best 246 innings and 225 strikeouts.

P Roscoe Savage

A late bloomer, Savage was 28 years old before he won his 3^rd APBA game.  Finished strong with 180 wins against only 129 losses.  Went 15-6 with a 3.09 ERA to help the 2010 Philadelphia Grays win their only championship.  At age 39, he joined the New York Cobra and had back to back seasons with a W-L record of 17-3.

P Ben Richards

Pitched 17 seasons with a 164-132 record. Won 18 games in 2000, and had two other years with 16 wins.

P David Burke

Used pinpoint control to earn the win often for the Utes.  Went 17-5 in 2002 and followed that up with a 19-7 season.  Over his 14 year career won 159 games against only 96 losses.

P Dan Johnston

154-133 over a 15 year career.  Won a career high 17 games in 2001, and 15 more in 2004.

P Jet Storm

Over a 13 year career in the bullpen, went 63-56, saved 222 games, and had a 3.58 ERA.  Saved 38 games with a 2.28 ERA in 2005, helping his team reach back to back world series.

P Jeff Beck

Saved 345 games over a 15 year career.  Saved 43 games with a 2.94 ERA in 2006, saved 41 with a 2.26 ERA in 2002.  Pitching in middle relief in 2012, helped the Denver Rabbits capture their only world championship.

P John LaRusso

Saved 397 games over an 18 year career. Saved 40 or more games 3 times.  Career ERA of 3.51.

Inter league play in 2019

Commissioner Manfred has announced that 2019 will see the return of interleague play, the first time since the 1996 season.  To balance the leagues out, Orlando will move from the Superior League to the Major League, giving each league 15 teams.