How about adding the total points and where they finished on the ballot?

Done.

TR - if you noticed the top of the thread there is no reason to apologize for voting for Kevin Brown. In fact, you should probably apologize if you don't vote for Kevin Brown.

I also started on a "plaque" sort of thing although it doesn't contain any multimedia (that would be tricky, with copyrights etc.)

Baseball-reference has recently added pictures to each player page. Maybe someone could contact Sean Forman and ask if we could use those pictures on the plaques...

Also, there should probably be a link at the top (along with Home, Constitution, Links, Voters, Contacts) to the Plaque Room, when complete.

DL/73:

I want the advanced stats available (MLE's etc) for those players that needed them calculated.

I have a spreadsheet with the MLEs for most notable Negro Leagues players currently on the ballot. I have WAR estimates in my spreadsheet, and I could probably add WS from each player's thread. I could create a database with each Negro Leagues player's MLEs, including BA, OBP, SLG, PA, OPS+, WS, and WAR, that we could add to the website. Someone might want to check my WAR estimates first, however, to make sure I haven't messed up somewhere.

Just checking back in guys, it's been a rough couple of weeks on the family front . . . Shock, thanks for working on the website.

What do you need from me right now in terms of the website? Are there any roadblocks I can remove?

Last I remember we were waiting on Tango for something and I was supposed to keep bugging him. Do you remember what that was?

I have a question. I just joined, and was wondering if somebody could explain the whole Hall of Merit process. It appears anybody can vote. So, provided I submit a ballot in next year's discussion thread before submitting an actual ballot and have legitimate reasons, I could conceivably vote in the 2012 HoM elections? And whomever explains it all to me, can you also attach a list of players in the Hall of Merit, and also a list a HoFers not in the Hall of Merit please? Thanks, much appreciared..

You are absolutely correct EdgenGar. All we ask is you put in the effort and you're allowed to vote.

You can find a lot of the information you're looking for here http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/hall_of_merit/discussion/hom_election_history_data_and_analysis

and here http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/hall_of_merit/discussion/hall_of_merit_ballot_discussion_and_results_thread

apologies to not yet finding which Primate to credit, but

Hall of Merit, Not Hall of Fame:

SPs
Bert Blyleven
Bob Caruthers
Wes Ferrell
Billy Pierce
Bret Saberhagen
Dave Stieb

Cs
Charlie Bennett
Bill Freehan
Cal McVey
Ted Simmons
Joe Torre
Quincy Trouppe
Deacon White

1Bs
Will Clark
Keith Hernandez
Mark McGwire
Joe Start

2Bs
Roberto Alomar
Ross Barnes
Cupid Childs
Bobby Grich
Willie Randolph
Hardy Richardson
Lou Whitaker

3Bs
Dick Allen
John Beckwith
Ken Boyer
Darrell Evans
Heinie Groh
Stan Hack
Graig Nettles
Ron Santo
Ezra Sutton

SSs
Bill Dahlen
Jack Glasscock
Home Run Johnson
Barry Larkin
Dick Lundy
Dobie Moore
Dickey Pearce
Alan Trammell

LFs
Charley Jones
Charlie Keller
Sherry Magee
Minnie Minoso
Tim Raines
Jimmy Sheckard
Harry Stovey

CFs
Pete Browning
George Gore
Paul Hines
Alejandro Oms
Lip Pike
Jimmy Wynn

RFs
Dwight Evans
Joe Jackson
Pete Rose
Reggie Smith

DHs
Edgar Martinez

Hall of Fame, Not Hall of Merit:

SPs
Chief Bender
Jack Chesbro
Andy Cooper
Leon Day
Dizzy Dean
Lefty Gomez
Burleigh Grimes
Jesse Haines
Waite Hoyt
Catfish Hunter
Addie Joss
Rube Marquard
Herb Pennock
Hilton Smith
Mickey Welch
Vic Willis

RP
Bruce Sutter

Cs
Rick Ferrell
Ernie Lombardi
Ray Schalk

1Bs
Jim Bottomley
Orlando Cepeda
Frank Chance
George Kelly
Tony Perez
Ben Taylor

2Bs
Johnny Evers
Tony Lazzeri
Bill Mazeroski
Red Schoendienst

3Bs
Ray Dandridge
Judy Johnson
George Kell
Fred Lindstrom
Pie Traynor

SSs
Luis Aparicio
Dave Bancroft
Travis Jackson
Rabbit Maranville
Phil Rizzuto
Joe Tinker

LFs
Lou Brock
Chick Hafey
Heinie Manush
Jim Rice

CFs
Earle Combs
Hugh Duffy
Kirby Puckett
Lloyd Waner
Hack Wilson

RFs
Kiki Cuyler
Harry Hooper
Chuck Klein
Tommy McCarthy
Sam Rice
Ross Youngs

EdgenGar:

I was in the exact same position as you last year, deciding to join after the 2010 elections (I first voted this year in 2011). I used the intervening year to read through many of the old threads, which were very helpful--I'd particularly recommend the Negro Leagues threads, as they feature thorough discussions of candidates with skeletal statistical records.

The Hall of Merit is also planning a Most Meritorious Player project, which is analogous to the yearly MVP awards; if you're interested, you're welcome to participate. Voting will probably start with the year 1961 and take place approximately monthly (many of the details have yet to be fully worked out).

As one of the 'old fogey' original voters, I think the early part of the now annual HOM votes is a good time to join.

From 2004-09 or so, with a new "year" every two weeks, we'd have new voters jump in, but it was a little tricky on both ends.

Seems more civilized to start chiming in anywhere you please now, and ask all the questions you like and even offer a proffer of an angle that we may not yet have thought of (yes, that still happens around here. Lots of HOMers got elected off later insights from newbies, and why not?)

There are, of course, a handful of candidates for being removed from the list in post 108. Maybe Blyleven this year? Maybe Larkin soon enough? But then we're almost certain to add Kevin Brown and Larry Walker to the same list.

Okay. So if I read up I can vote on anything provided I give good reasons? I can do that. A few questions off the bat. Do you think in the future Scott Rolen will be in the Hall of Merit? Edmonds? Lofton? Just wanted to ask those three questions off the bat to get a feel for who makes the cut in this type of thing and who doesn't...

Off the top of my head, I think Rolen will do quite well assuming he runs the gauntlet of underrated 3Bs like Cey, Bando, Ventura, etc.

Darrell Evans got in already.

Edmonds should also do well, I think, in terms of beating "holdover" candidates for a semi-reluctant slot in some year because we do select 3 each year.

Lofton, I'd guess a little less support, but will be seriously considered by the full voter list for sure.

The "read up" part is just clarifying some sort of system, beyond just "he looked like a Hall of Meriter to me." There are many variations that would draw no dissent.

Worth analyzing the 2011 results to see who among the unelected got decent support..

A lot of us don't really want to make calls like that until the players in question are eligible. And ultimately, you don't answer an "in or out?" question; rather, you produce a ranking. Maybe you should ask that in terms of a ranking. Right now, the top two CF in the backlog are Duffy and Puckett. Would you put Edmonds and Rolen ahead of Duffy and Puckett? The top three infielders in the backlog are Rizzuto, Bando and Williamson. Where does Rolen rank with respect to those three?

I will say that you're certainly talking about serious candidates.

Should we be voting where these electees should rank on the all-time positional lists?

I'll guarantee Edmonds and Rolen will sail in--on first ballot unless they are up against very tough competition (not sure who's in Edmonds's class, and Rolen is still going). Lofton will be a borderliner.

Dan R - your published WARP data is now out of date. I need more complete data for upcoming elections. It doesn't really matter for 2012 but it will matter quite a bit in 2013.

Give me a list of players you'll need and I can do them--although the loss of STATS-based UZR means my defensive numbers will not be as good as they were in the past. The only publicly available metric using that database now is Chris Dial's RSpt, to my knowledge.

Tim Salmon and Steve Finley for 2012 - neither is close to the ballot but I'm curious about their last season
Bonds, Clemens, Piazza, Schilling, Biggio, Lofton, Wells, Green, Klesko for 2013 election
Maddux, Glavine, Thomas, Mussina, Rogers, Moises Alou, Luis Gonzalez for 2014 election

John or Joe:

Last week I signed up for the Hall of Merit Yahoo Group, and my membership is still pending approval by the group owner. If it's not too much trouble, could one of you guys approve my membership? Thanks.

Hey Alex, sorry about that. It's done.

As a note, you didn't miss anything. Basically that list is there to remind voters elections are coming, etc.. Only 10 messages went out all of last year, five of them on November 29.

We definitely encourage everyone to join the list.

Thanks, Joe. I was interested in looking at the various files that had been posted to the Yahoo group––in particular KJOK's MLEs.

I am VERY interested in this project and, like EdgenGar, want to become a voter for 2012 if possible. I have been reading many of these threads throughout the evening, and I found your Most Meritorious Player award particularly fascinating. Thank you to all the computer people who are able to do all the really hard work in order that we liberal art majors can enjoy this site.

As long as you're willing to defend all your choices and omissions, you can vote in 2012 (as a new voter last year, I found that it was very helpful to have the year to pull together a voting system--now I'm using this year to revise my system).

As for the MMP, I'm not one of the admins, but again I think you'd be welcome to participate in much the same manner as the yearly votes.