Home  News Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Considers Vada Pinson
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Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Considers Vada Pinson
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Baseball Hall of Fame
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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Like most center fielders of his era, Vada Pinson could run. When it came to combining running with power hitting, however, Pinson rose above many of his contemporaries.
The combination made Pinson a productive big league player for 18 seasons, and has earned him a spot on the final post-1942 Veterans Committee ballot at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Pinson (Aug. 11, 1938 – Oct. 21, 1995) was a five-tool player who combined power, speed and defensive ability. He had his greatest seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (1958-68). He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1969), Cleveland Indians (1970-71), California Angels (1972-73) and Kansas City Royals (1974-75).
Pinson hit for average and power as a center fielder. His ringing line drives resulted in 2,757 hits, 485 doubles, 127 triples, 256 home runs, 1,170 RBIs, 1,366 runs and a .286 batting average. Over his first five full seasons, Pinson averaged 108 runs, 37 doubles, 20 home runs, 88 RBIs and 26 steals to go along with a .310 batting average.
Pinson was extremely durable and played in every one of his team’s games his first five full seasons. He appeared in 150 games or more every year from 1959 to 1967, averaging better than 156 games a season during that span.
Pinson’s greatest all-around season was in 1963, when he led the NL in hits (204) and triples (14). Pinson also belted 22 home runs and drove in a career-high 106 runs, while batting .313 and stealing 27 bases.
Pinson was selected to four All-Star games (two each in 1959-60) and played in one World Series (1961), winning the Gold Glove Award that year.
Pinson will be considered for the Class of 2009 at the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Other members of the post-1942 Veterans Committee final ballot (for players who began their big league careers in 1943 or after) are Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Joe Torre and Maury Wills. Any player receiving at least 75 percent of the vote from the Veterans Committee, which consists of the 64 living Hall of Famers, will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2009.
Results from the Veterans Committee vote will be announced Dec. 8 at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
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