New Inductees for 2020

Congrats to Derek Jeter and (Canadian!) Larry Walker who have been elected to the 2020 HoF class by the Baseball Writers Association. They join Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons who were previously elected by the Modern Era Committee, and will be enshrined this summer.

This brings the total elected players up to 333. As of today, I have 61 signatures (30 living, 31 deceased) in my collection - 18.3% of all elected Hall of Famers.  

New Additions

I snagged these autographs in a post-Christmas eBay sale. I'll make a unique post for each of them when they arrive. One is not a HOFer (Reynolds), and one I already have (Irvin), but 7 of the 9 are HOFers that will be added to my collection!

2019 Inductees

This evening we learned that four new players will be enshrined in Cooperstown during this summer's Induction Weekend.

Mariano Rivera became the first player in Hall of Fame history as the only player ever voted in unanimously by the Baseball Writers' Association. He'll be joined by Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina, as well as my favorite baseball player of all time, the recently deceased Roy Halladay.

I already have Halladay's autograph, so my collection grows by one. This was a bittersweet announcement - I'm thrilled to see my favorite player inducted, saddened again that his life was cut short. 

Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson became the latest addition to my collection when I spotted his autograph for sale in a facebook collectors group. Reggie had signed the cardstock of a collector's folder (image below) rather than the attached card, making it fairly worthless for the collector but a nice addition for someone who prefers cut index-card sized autographs.

Reggie, of course, is the controversial multi-time All Star and World Series hero most known for his time playing in Oakland and New York. I'm thrilled to add this one - it's the first living member I've added of late, and its not a player I would have afforded to pay their normal TTM price.

New HOFers

In a strange move, the newly appointed Today's Game Committee has selected two players (who never had enough votes from the Baseball Writers Association nor the Veterans Committee) deemed worthy to be included in the class of 2019 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The third time around was the sweet spot for Harold Baines and Lee Smith. 

Stan Musial (1920-2013)

I recently purchased another index card autograph from an eBay seller. There are many Musial signatures floating around, and this one isn't as clean as I'd hope - the underline and player name doesn't add much for me, nor is the cut sig. mounted on an index card exactly what I'd call ideal - but it was a great price.

Stan "The Man" Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, and passed away just a few years ago. This cardinal legend is one of the best players in my collection, though his autograph is far from rare.

This was a nice one to finally add, after a failed attempt in 2011 and another one in 2012.

Rest in Peace, Willie McCovey

It was sad to learn of the passing of another member of the Baseball Hall of Fame this week. 

Willie McCovey, Hall of Famer and Giants legend, died on Wednesday at the age of age 80. 

There are now 78 living players in the Hall of Fame, at least until the next class of inductees or the next passing.