We are now halfway through the list of the 100 greatest baseball players that will be enshrined in the proposed Smithsonian Hall of Immortals, so it’s a good time to review who is in so far.
There are more starting pitchers inducted at this point than any other position – 11 so far (Bob Feller, Tom Seaver, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Pete Alexander, Roger Clemens, Sandt Koufax, Satchel Paige, Steve Carlton, and Warren Spahn).
Among position players, center fielders lead with 8 (Cool Papa Bell, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Oscar Charleston, Tris Speaker, Turkey Stearnes, and Willie Mays).
The infield is fairly evenly distributed with 5 each from second base (Jackie Robinson, Eddie Collins, Charlie Gehringer, Joe Morgan, Nap Lajoie), third base (George Brett, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, and Larry Jones), and shortstop (Ozzie Smith, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken, Jr., Honus Wagner, and Pop Lloyd). First base has three so far (Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Pete Rose).
The corner outfield positions have four apiece (Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Stan Musial, and Rickey Henderson in left; Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Mel Ott in right).
There are three catchers (Josh Gibson, Mike Piazza, and Johnny Bench).
Lastly, there is one DH (Edgar Martinez) and one closer (Mariano Rivera).
So who is missing so far? There are still 50 slots left before we close the doors. Let us know your nominations.
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
