Yankees and the Hall of Fame: Tommy Henrich
- Paul Semendinger
- 1 hour ago
- 1 min read
by James Vlietstra
***
I am reviewing the credentials of a ton of former Yankees and highlighting their careers. Many of their accomplishments have been forgotten.
Even if some are not future Hall of Famers, it's good to remember what they did accomplish.
Together, we can discuss if we believe that they are deserving of being included in the Hall Of Fame or not. I hope you read along and give me your opinions.
Today we are going to be looking at...
Tommy Henrich
"Old Reliable" spent his entire 11 year with the Yankees.
He had a career WAR of 39.5, including three seasons of 5.0+.
He missed three of his prime seasons in the military during WW2.
He was a five time all star.
The Yankees won seven World Series during his tenure.
He is one of only 12 players on as many championship teams.
His OPS+ was 132.
His career 183 HRs ranked 36th all time at the time of his retirement.
Of note, Heinrich was Lou Gehrig’s last living teammate.
His first year on the ballot, there were 42 future inductees also on the ballot. He garnered four votes in 1952, but in his tenth and final year on the ballot, he was up to 20.7% in 1970.
I’ve always thought players like “Old Reliable” who lost years of their prime in service of our country ought to have some consideration for that sacrifice.
WAR is imperfect but I will use it as a point of reference
In Tommy’s case per Baseball Reference he had a career WAR of 39.4. However, he missed the 1943-45 seasons. In the two years immediately before and after his service, he earned WAR of 5.4, 3.1 (only 127 games), 3.6 and 5.2. This is an average of 4.3+ per season. Of note, he also earned a 5.5 total in 1948. It is reasonable to assume an additional 13.0+/- WAR for the 3 lost seasons. This pulls him up to 52.4.
According to…