Andre Dawson spent 21 years in the big leagues and amassed 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI and 314 stolen bases. He was an eight-time all-star and won the National League MVP Award in 1987 for the last place Chicago Cubs. Dawson and another Cub, Ernie Banks, are the only players to win the award while playing for a last place team. Dawson and Banks are in a select group of Hall-of-Famers who never played in a World Series. They are also members the Cactus League Hall-of-Famers club which includes 67 players, managers, owners and umpires. DAWSON’S CAREER RECORD
Two former Cactus Leaguers just missed election to the hall this year. Bert Blyleven was just five votes short of getting the 75% needed for election. It was Blyleven’s 13th time on the ballot. He will stay on the ballot for two more years. Roberto Alomar was eight votes short. It was his first time on the ballot. Randy Johnson, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, will be eligible for election in five years. VOTING RESULTS
Ten Hall-of-Famers spent at least 15 major league springs in the Cactus League; Willie McCovey (22), Willie Mays (20), Tony Gwynn (20), Robin Yount (20), Ernie Banks (19), Billy Williams (18), Gaylord Perry (17), Rollie Fingers (16), Rickey Henderson (16), and Ryne Sandberg (15).
Cactus Leaguers in the Hall of Fame (67)
Gary Carter - Montreal Expos (1974-1984, 1992), New York Mets (1985-1989), San Francisco Giants (1990), Los Angeles Dodgers (1991)
Ernie Lombardi - Brooklyn Dodgers (1931), Cincinnati Reds (1932-1941), Boston Braves (1942), New York Giants (1943-1947)
Willie Mays - Birmingham Black Barons (1948-1950), New York Giants (1951-1957), San Francisco Giants (1958-1972), New York Mets (1972-1973)
Mel Ott - New York Giants (1926-1947)
Red Schoendienst - St. Louis Cardinals (1945-1956, 1961-1963), New York Giants (1956-1957), Milwaukee Braves (1957-1960)
Duke Snider - Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-1957), Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1962), New York Mets (1963), San Francisco Giants (1964)
Lou Boudreau - Cleveland Indians (1938-1950), Boston Red Sox (1951-1952)
Early Wynn - Washington Senators (1939-1944, 1946-1948), Cleveland Indians (1949-1957, 1963), Chicago White Sox (1958-1962)
Charlie Gehringer – Detroit Tigers (1924-1942)
Bucky Harris – (Inducted as a manger) MGR- Washington Senators (1924-1928, 1935-1942, 1950-1954), Detroit Tigers (1929-1933, 1955-1956), Boston Red Sox (1934), Philadelphia Phillies (1943), New York Yankees (1947-1948)
Harry Heilman - Detroit Tigers (1914, 1916-1929), Cincinnati Reds (1930-1931)
Steve Carlton - St. Louis Cardinals (1965-1971), Philadelphia Phillies (1972-1986), Chicago White Sox (1986), San Francisco Giants (1986), Cleveland Indians (1987), Minnesota Twins (1987-1988)
Larry Doby - Newark Eagles (1942-1943, 1946-1947), Cleveland Indians (1947-1955, 1958), Chicago White Sox (1956-1957, 1959), Detroit Tigers (1959)
Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians (1936-1941, 1945-1956)
Bob Lemon - Cleveland Indians (1941-1942, 1946-1958)
Hal Newhouser - Detroit Tigers (1939-1954), Cleveland Indians (1954-1955)
Phil Niekro - Milwaukee Braves (1964-1965), Atlanta Braves (1966-1983, 1987), New York Yankees (1984-1985), Cleveland Indians (1986-1987), Toronto Blue Jays (1987)
Satchel Paige - Birmingham Black Barons (1927-1930), Baltimore Black Sox (1930), Cleveland Cubs (1931), Pittsburgh Crawfords (1931-1937), Kansas City Monarchs (1935-1936, 1939-1948, 1950, 1955), Santo Domingo All-Stars (1937), Newark Eagles (1938), Satchel Paige's All-Stars (1939), New York Black Yankees (1943), Memphis Red Sox (1943), Philadelphia Stars (1946, 1950), Cleveland Indians (1948-1949), St. Louis Browns (1951-1953), Chicago American Giants (1951), Kansas City A's (1965)
Yogi Berra - New York Yankees (1946-1963), New York Mets (1965)
Mickey Mantle – New York Yankees (1951-1968)
Johnny Mize - St. Louis Cardinals (1936-1941), New York Giants (1942, 1946-1949), New York Yankees (1949-1953)
Phil Rizzuto - New York Yankees (1941-1942, 1946-1956)
Orlando Cepeda - San Francisco Giants (1958-66), St. Louis Cardinals (1966-68), Atlanta Braves (1969-72), Oakland A's (1972), Boston Red Sox (1973), Kansas City Royals (1974)
Willie McCovey - San Francisco Giants (1959-1973, 1977-1980), San Diego Padres (1974-1976), Oakland A's (1976)
Lou Brock - Chicago Cubs (1961-64), St. Louis Cardinals (1964-79)
Monte Irvin - Newark Eagles (1937-1942, 1945-1948), New York Giants (1949-1955), Chicago Cubs (1956)
Fergie Jenkins - Philadelphia Phillies (1965-1966), Chicago Cubs (1966-1973, 1982-1983), Texas Rangers (1974-1975, 1978-1981), Boston Red Sox (1976-1977)
Ralph Kiner - Pittsburgh Pirates (1946-1953), Chicago Cubs (1953-1954), Cleveland Indians (1955)
Ryne Sandberg - Philadelphia Phillies (1981), Chicago Cubs (1982-1994, 1996-1997)
Bruce Sutter - Chicago Cubs (1976-1980), St. Louis Cardinals (1981-1984), Atlanta Braves (1985-1986, 1988)
Ernie Banks – Chicago Cubs (1953-1971)
Richie Ashburn - Philadelphia Phillies (1948-1959), Chicago Cubs (1960-1961), New York Mets (1962)
Tony Gwynn – San Diego Padres (1982-2001)
Gaylord Perry – San Francisco Giants (1962-1971), Cleveland Indians (1972-1975), Texas Rangers (1975-1977, 1980) Atlanta Braves (1981) Seattle Mariners (1982-1983) Kansas City (1983)
Hank Aaron – Milwaukee Braves (1954-1965), Atlanta Braves (1966-1976), Milwaukee Brewers (1975-1976)
Rollie Fingers – Oakland A's (1968-1976), San Diego Padres (1977-1980) Milwaukee Brewers (1981-1982, 1984-1985)
Paul Molitor – Milwaukee Brewers (1978-1992), Tronto Ble Jays (1993-1995), Minesota Twins (1996-1998)
Don Sutton - Los Angeles Dodgers (1966-1980, 1988), Houston Astros (1981-1982), Milwaukee Brewers (1982-1984), Oakland Athletics (1985), California Angels (1985-1987)
Robin Yount – Milwaukee Brewers (1974-1993)
Ozzie Smith - San Diego Padres (1978-1981), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-1996)
Dave Winfield - San Diego Padres (1973-1980), New York Yankees (1981-1988, 1990), California Angels (1990-1991), Toronto Blue Jays (1992), Minnesota Twins (1993-1994), Cleveland Indians (1995)
Dennis Eckersley - Cleveland Indians (1975-1977), Boston Red Sox (1978-1984, 1998), Chicago Cubs (1984-1986), Oakland A's (1987-1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996-1997)
Catfish Hunter - Kansas City A's (1965-1967), Oakland A's (1968-1974), New York Yankees (1975-1979)
Reggie Jackson - Kansas City A's (1967), Oakland A's (1968-1975, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), New York Yankees (1977-1981), California Angels (1982-1986)
Joe Morgan - Houston Astros (1963-1971, 1980), Cincinnati Reds (1972-1979), San Francisco Giants (1981-1982), Philadelphia Phillies (1983), Oakland A's (1984)
Billy Williams - Chicago Cubs (1959-1974), Oakland A's (1975-1976)
Hoyt Wilhelm - New York Giants (1952-1956), Cleveland Indians (1957-1958), St. Louis Cardinals (1957), Baltimore Orioles (1958-1962), Chicago White Sox (1963-1968), California Angels (1969), Atlanta Braves (1969-1971), Chicago Cubs (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971-1972)
Nolan Ryan - New York Mets (1966, 1968-1971), California Angels (1972-1979), Houston Astros (1980-1988 ), Texas Rangers (1989-1993)
Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds (1956-1965), Baltimore Orioles (1966-1971), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972), California Angels (1973-1974), Cleveland Indians (1974-1976)
Eddie Murray - Baltimore Orioles (1977-1988, 1996), Los Angeles Dodgers (1989-1991, 1997), New York Mets (1992-1993), Cleveland Indians (1994-1996), Anaheim Angels (1997)
Rod Carew - Minnesota Twins (1967-1978), California Angels (1979-1985)
Carl Yastzemski - Boston Red Sox (1961-1983)
Brooks Robinson – Baltimore Orioles (1955-1977)
George Kell - Philadelphia A's (1943-1946), Detroit Tigers (1946-1952), Boston Red Sox (1952-1954), Chicago White Sox (1954-1956), Baltimore Orioles (1956-1957)
Ted Williams – Boston Red Sox (1939-42, 1946-60)
Juan Marichal – San Francisco Giants (1960-73), Boston Red Sox (1974), Los Angeles Dodgers (1975)
Rick Gossage – Chicago White Sox (1972-76), Pittsburgh Pirates (1977), New York Yankees (1978-83, 1989), San Diego Padres (1984-87), Chicago Cubs (1988), San Francisco Giants (1989), Texas Rangers (1991), Oakland Athletics (1992-93), Seattle Mariners (1994)
Rickey Henderson – Oakland Athletics (1979-84, 89-95. 98), New York Yankees (1985-89), Toronto Blue Jays (1993), San Diego Padres (1996-97, 2001), Anaheim Angels (1997), New York Mets (1999-2000), Seattle Mariners (2000), Boston Red Sox (2002), Los Angeles Dodgers (2003)
Joe Gordon – New York Yankees (1938-43), Cleveland Indians (1947-50)
Andre Dawson – Montreal Expos (1976-86), Chicago Cubs (1987-92), Boston Red Sox (1993-94), Florida Marlins (1995-96)
Bill Veeck – Owner, Cleveland Indians (1946-49), St. Louis Browns (1951-53), Chicago White Sox (1958-61, 75-81)
Casey Stengel – (Inducted as a manager) Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-36), Boston Bees/Braves (1938-43), New York Yankees (1949-60), New York Mets (1962-65)
Leo Durocher – (Inducted as a manger) MGR- Brooklyn Dodgers (1939-46, 48), New York Giants (1948-55), Chicago Cubs (1966-72), Houston Astros (1972-73)
Al Lopez – Brooklyn Dodgers (1928, 30-35), Boston Braves (1936-40), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940-46), Cleveland Indians (1947)
Tom Yawkey – Owner, Boston Red Sox (1933-76)
Dick Williams – (Inducted as a manger) MGR - Boston Red Sox (1967-69), Oakland Athletics (1971-73), California Angels (1974-76), Montreal Expos (1977-81), San Diego Padres (1982-85), Seattle Mariners (1986-88)
Jocko Conlan - National League Umpire, 1936-64.*
*Other HOF umpires who may have worked games in the Cactus League include Al Barlick (1940-71); Nesto Chylak (1954-78), Cal Hubbard (1936-51); Bill McGowan (1925-54). I have found box scores of each of these umpires working games in Florida, but none in Arizona.
Notes:
Although the term “Cactus League” wasn’t applied to spring training until 1954, we use it here to identify all teams that had a spring training base in Arizona including the 1929 Detroit Tigers. Also included are the California Angels whose base was in Palm Springs, CA from 1961-92 but has always been considered part of the Cactus League. Not included are other teams that trained in California prior to 1962. Also not included are players and managers from teams that had spring training bases elsewhere but may have visited Arizona for spring training games.
Players who were elected to the Hall of Fame are listed with the Cactus League team that they played for in bold. The years that they played for that team are also listed in bold although the team may not have trained all of those years in Arizona. For instance Mickey Mantle played with the Yankees from 1951-68 but the Yankees only trained in Arizona in 1951.
Managers who managed in the Cactus League are also listed in the same manner with the teams and years that they managed in the Cactus League in bold. Some HOF players also managed in the league but their managing record is not listed unless they were inducted as a manger. For instance Frank Robinson was inducted as a player but also managed both the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants in the Cactus League. The teams and years he played are listed, but not the teams and years for which he managed. Likewise those that were inducted as managers have the teams and years they managed listed, but not their playing teams and years.
Two owners are recognized as members of the Hall of Fame; Bill Veeck of the Cleveland Indians and Tom Yawkey of the Boston Red Sox.
Comments