Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1938

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The 1938 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were conducted along much the same lines as the 1937 vote. Toward the goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century, 8 had now been selected; members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) were once again given authority to select any players active in the 20th century, excepting active players. The Centennial Commission retained the responsibility of selecting inductees whose contributions were largely as non-players.

In the BBWAA election, voters were instructed to cast votes for 10 candidates. Any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall upon its opening in the sport's supposed centennial year of 1939. Individuals who had been barred from baseball, though not formally ineligible, no longer received even the minimal support given them in the two prior elections.

[edit] The BBWAA vote

A total of 262 ballots were cast, with 2474 individual votes for 119 specific candidates; 197 votes were required for election. The balloting was dominated by players of the 1900s and 1910s, rather than those of the more recent two decades; the results were announced in January 1938. The sole candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and was elected is indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics:

[edit] The Centennial Commission

Once again, the Hall opted to have this small committee of six members select inductees "for outstanding service to base ball apart from playing the game." After selecting five individuals in 1937, the Commission chose two inductees at the major league winter meetings in New York City in December 1938, though the choices were not announced until the following month:

  • Alexander Cartwright, who had been instrumental in organizing some of the game's first teams in the 1840s and had moved to establish the game's first consistent playing rules; and
  • Henry Chadwick, a sportswriter who had tirelessly promoted the game in the late 19th century and had been a major force in revision of the rules through several decades.


Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

1931
1941

1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001

1932
1942
1952
1962
1972
1982
1992
2002

1933
1943

1953
1963
1973
1983
1993
2003

1934
1944
1954
1964
1974
1984
1994
2004

1935
1945
1955
1965
1975
1985
1995
2005

1936
1946
1956
1966
1976
1986
1996
2006

1937
1947
1957
1967
1977
1987
1997
2007

1938
1948
1958
1968
1978
1988
1998
2008

1939
1949
1959
1969
1979
1989
1999
2009

1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010

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