Hall of Fame Class of 2023

The Hall welcomes four.

The following players received at least one vote and will remain on next year's ballot.

Gerald White Sr

Jason Baret

Rufus Anderson

Eddie Cedeno

Trent Weaver

Adama Dunn

Jose Isales

Jesse Myers

Jaret Benser

Hall of Fame ballot 2023

 The following players remain eligible from previous ballots:

Elvis Dixon was an outstanding defensive third baseman, saving 131 runs over his career and winning 3 gold gloves. Over 15 seasons Elvis had 2236 hits and a .370 OBP. He scored 100 runs or more 5 times.

Trent Weaver was an excellent fielding second baseman over a 16 year career.  He did not hit for power but consistently put the ball in play and got on base.  For his career he had 2263 hits and a .353 OBP. Weaver hit .319 for the 2001 Florida Penguins as the team reached the world series for back to back seasons.

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.

Jason Baret won 223 games (while losing 227) while pitching almost 4000 innings over a 20 year career.  Ranks 9th alltime in innings pitched and 7th 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.

Rufus Anderson won 176 games over a 16 year career against 167 losses. In 2004 he pitched every 4th day, totalling 323 innings, winning 20 games, and finishing with a 3.20 ERA. He struck out a record 338 batters that year, which stood until Carson Olsen broke it in 2021. Over his career he struck out 3077 batters. 

And these players are eligible for the first time:

In a 19 year career, Keith Lee had over 3000 hits and 400 homeruns. He was a 3-time batting champion, a career .306 hitter, and hit over .300 11 times. He spent his final 12 seasons with the New York Cobra, where he played in 4 world series and won 2 rings. 

Eddie Cedeno was an excellent leadoff hitter and defensive center fielder. He stole 822 bases in his career, including 99 in 2003. He stole more bases than anyone in league history not named Kenny Anderson. Cedeno had 2272 hits, a .352 on base percentage, and scored 1362 runs. He played in two world series, winning one in 2013 with the Hawks. In game 6 that year, with his team trailing 6-4 in the 8th inning, Cedeno tied the game with a 2 run double. He then stole third and scored as Jacen Solo laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to win the game and series. He earned two gold gloves on defense.

Ray Brooks was a defense first catcher for 18 seasons. While offense was only his second responsibility, he became a solid offensive contributor in his prime seasons. In 2004, he hit .290 with 23 homers, and in 2007 hit .306. Brooks was a rookie in 2000, the year of the penguin, and reached the world series that year and the next one. He was with Charlotte in 2013, and won a ring with that team. He has since become the manager in Las Vegas and is fresh off his first world series win as a skipper.

As a defensive catcher, Brooks won 5 gold gloves and is tied with George Kird with 108 career defensive runs saved, the most ever at the catcher position. He threw out 40% of opposing base stealers. Brooks is the all-time leader in games caught, with 2212. In MLB, only Bob Boone and the Pudges caught more.

Adama Dunn hit 530 homers, including 58 for Springfield in 2007, and 55 for Louisville in 2012. He drew 1483 walks. He didn't do much else though, as he hit .253, struck out over 2000 times, and was a poor defensive outfielder in the times he was not used as a DH. His 2007 season, which included 151 RBI, earned him the MVP award.

Jose Isales played 17 seasons, mostly at shortstop, and had over 2000 hits.

Willie Rivera hit 352 homeruns, including 30 or more 5 times. He topped the 100 RBI mark 3 times. While not fleet of foot, he had a strong arm in the outfield.

Dennis Affleck had 1847 hits and 208 homers in a 14 year career.

Josh Garfield had 1666 hits, playing mostly at second base.

Jesse Myers hit .292 for his career, and over .300 6 times in a row. While not a big power threat, he got on base a lot and played solid defense at catcher. He threw out 35 percent of opposing base stealers and rated slightly above average with 13 runs saved.

Gonk Droid was a power hitting catcher, hitting 218 career homers, including 33 as a rookie. He played 17 seasons and threw out 30 percent of opposing base stealers.

Jaret Benser won 190 games against 142 losses in a 17 year career. His time as a starter was interrupted by 3 years as a closer, where he saved 87 games. He returned to the rotation and won 19 games in 2015, and 17 the next year before his arm gave out. Benser pitched in 6 world series, winning 3.

Ryan McCloud, of the clan McCloud, went 180-161 in 17 seasons. His best season was winning 17 games with the 2006 Bandits.

Mike Jolley won 180 games, but lost 199. He struck out 200 or more batters 3 times.

Elvis Rodriguez went 169-151 over 14 seasons. He won 16 games 4 times.

Late Addition

Due to his tragic death, the 5 year waiting period is waived for Gromit Peveto. Gromit played 10 years, all with the Florida Penguins. He hit 170 homers and stole 164 bases in his career. In 2016, he hit 20 homeruns and played fine defense in center field as his team won the world championship in a thrilling 7 game series against the Miami Stars. In 2019, he had his career season as the Penguins won 105 games. Gromit hit .316 that year, with 37 homeruns, 122 RBI, and 195 hits. Sadly, he passed away early in the 2022 season, leaving a void in the Penguin outfield and community.