Here’s Brock Hanke’s ballot for 1934. Again, if I don’t get anything posted to the Ballot Thread, please just transfer this over. As in 1933, the “pitcher disconnect”, where WAR has pitchers ranked much higher than Win Shares does, is in full swing. Pitcher Curt Davis, for example, ranks 4th in WAR, but 21st in Win Shares. Outfielder Wally Berger ranks 9th in Win Shares, but 22nd in WAR. Neither player made my ballot. A league difference note: At this time, there was more hitting going on in the AL than in the NL. Of the top ten players by WAR, four are in the NL, and three of those were pitchers (Mel Ott was the position player). In Win Shares, the top ten split 6/4 in favor of the NL, and only two of the NL guys were pitchers (Dean and Hubbell). The position players were Ott, Arky Vaughan, Ripper Collins and Wally Berger. IMO, Win Shares has a much better list than WAR does.

Trivia Note: You will sometimes read that Cardinal 1B Ripper Collins, who hit 35 homers in 1934 (leading the league), woud have hit 70 if the ballpark hadn’t added that gigantic screen on top of the RF wall. There WAS a gigantic screen – I should know, since I started going to ballgames in the park in 1954, and the park was abandoned in early 1966. The main effect of the screen was to turn homers into doubles (see Stan Musial’s stats), although a certain number of the fly balls that hit the screen would have been caught in a larger park. But let’s get realistic. Collins only hit 40 doubles and 12 triples the whole year, and only played half his games in Sportsman’s Park. And he was a switch-hitter, so RF would not have been his pull field a lot of the time. There is no chance that he hit the screen 35 times where the hit would have been a homer if the screen hadn’t been there. For him to do that, he would have had to have been the worst away-park hitter of all time (well, maybe Gavy Cravath or Fred Luderus).

Enough of that. Here’s the list:

1. Lou Gehrig
2. Dizzy Dean
3. Chralie Gehringer
4. Mel Ott
5. Jimmie Foxx
6. Carl Hubbell
7. Arky Vaughan
8. Satchel Paige (I admit to being conservative about Negro Leaguers)
9. Lefty Gomez
10. Ripper Collins

1934 Ballot

1) Lou Gehrig - Monster batting season
2) Arky Vaughan - best NL player
3) Satchel Paige - best pitcher
4) Charlie Gehringer
5) Dizzy Dean - strong postseason but you could say the same about Gehringer
6) Mel Ott
7) Jimmie Foxx
8) Lefty Gomez
9) Carl Hubbell
10) Slim Jones - sneaks onto the ballot in the last slot on a very pitcher heavy ballot

11-15) Paul Waner, Earl Averill, Turkey Stearnes, Mel Harder, Josh Gibson
16-20) Curt Davis, Ripper Collins, Hank Greenberg, Schoolboy Rowe, Billy Werber

Readjusted NgL candidates based on the ballot discussion comments. Based on documented stats, Salazar falls out of consideration, Slim Jones moves to the top 10 above Paige.

1934 ballot:

1) Lou Gehrig - clear leader for 1934
2) Charlie Gehringer - I will take the defense plus great bat over Foxx's great-plus bat
3) Jimmie Foxx
4) Arky Vaughan - what a season for a 22 year old
5) Dizzy Dean
6) Slim Jones
7) Mel Ott
8) Curt Davis - 30 year old rookie!
9) Lefty Gomez
10) Satchel Paige

11-20: Mel Harder, Earl Averill, Carl Hubbell, Josh Gibson, Ripper Collins, Hank Greenberg, Paul Waner, Schoolboy Rowe, Van Mungo, Martín Dihigo

1934 ballot

1. Dizzy Dean 10.57 WARR
2. Lou Gehrig 9.82 WARR
3. Charlie Gehringer 9.28 WARR
4. Arky Vaughn 8.25 WARR
5. Jimmie Foxx 8.15 WARR
6. Earl Averill 7.60 WARR
7. Bill Werber 6.85 WARR
8. Satchel Paige 6.83 WARR
9. Paul Dean 6.66 WARR
10. Hank Greenberg 6.40 WARR

Rest of top 20
11. Lefty Gomez
12. Slim Jones
13. Carl Hubbell
14. Ripper Collins
15. Paul Waner
16. Bill Terry
17. Waite Hoyt
18. Schoollboy Rowe
19. Bob Johnson
20. Mel Ott

1. Lou Gehrig - Head and shoulders above.
2. Jimmie Foxx - Good year for slugging first basemen
3. Slim Jones - Best pitcher. League data from Seamheads has him ahead of Paige.
4. Josh Gibson
5. Earl Averill
6. Charlie Gehringer
7. Arky Vaughan
8. Satchel Paige
9. Dizzy Dean
10. Mel Ott

Schoolboy Rowe is my AL Most Meritorious Pitcher.

ubbs is Bobby Grich when he flys off the handle Posted: February 01, 2021 at 10:17 PM (#6003244)
I'm having more trouble than usual getting into the 1934 ballot thread so please count this as my final ballot

Final ballot-no postseason credit but some small credit for playing for a Pennant-contender
1. Lou Gehrig
2. Jimmie Foxx
3. Dizzy Dean
4. Charlie Gehringer
5. Lefty Gomez
6. Mel Ott
7. Carl Hubbell --edges out Arky due to playing for a Pennant-contender
8. Arky Vaughn
9. Satchel Paige
10.Mel Harder --just ahead of teammates Averill & Trotsky for final spot

1934 Ballot

1. Lou Gehrig, 1B, New York Yankees: 207 OPS+ and 189 RC lead MLB
2. Jimmie Foxx, 1B, Philadelphia Athletics: 186 OPS+ and 159 are 2nd to Gehrig; +8 fielding
3. Slim Jones, P, Philadelphia Stars: Negro Leagues precursor to Mark Fidrych and Herb Score with an eye-popping 295 ERA+
4. Josh Gibson, C, Pittsburgh Crawfords: 187 OPS+ though only an average defensive catcher
5. Charlie Gehringer, 2B, Detroit Tigers: 149 OPS+ and +11 fielding from the keystone
6. Carl Hubbell, P, New York Giants: 168 ERA+ leads NL, 313 is a close second
7. Satchel Paige, P, Pittsburgh Crawfords: 262 ERA+ in 149 recorded innings
8. Turkey Stearnes, CF, Chicago American Giants: 201 OPS+ and +8 fielding in CF
9. Lefty Gomez, P, New York Yankees: 176 ERA+ and 281 IP lead AL
10. Dizzy Dean, P, St. Louis Cardinals: 159 ERA+ in 311 IP

11. Mel Ott, RF, New York Giants: top position player in the NL with 168 OPS+
12. Arky Vaughan, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
13. Ripper Collins, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
14. Earl Averill, CF, Cleveland Indians
15. Hank Greenberg, 1B, Detroit Tigers
16. Mel Harder, P, Cleveland Indians
17. Curt Davis, P, Philadelphia Phillies
18. Hal Trosky, 1B, Cleveland Indians
19. Paul Waner, RF, Pittsburgh Pirates
20. Chester Williams, 2B, Pittsburgh Crawfords

1934 MMP Ballot:

1. Dizzy Dean (32.59)
2. Lou Gehrig (29.96) - Al MMP
3. Satchel Paige (29.34) - NgL MMP
4. Lefty Gomez (26.67) - AL MMPitcher
5. Carl Hubbell (25.04)
6. Arky Vaughan (24.36) - NL MMPosition Player
7. Charlie Gehringer (24.22)
8. Curt Davis (22.97)
9. Jimmie Foxx (21.33)
10. Mel Harder (21.12)

11-15. Slim Jones, Mel Ott, Schoolboy Rowe, Ripper Collins, Turkey Stearnes (NgL MMPosition Player).

Official 1934 MMP (no postseason bonuses and a small debit against NL players):

1) Lou Gehrig: Best ML player and first baseman.
2) Mel Ott: Best NL player and ML right fielder.
3) Arky Vaughan: Best ML shortstop.
4) Charlie Gehringer: Best ML second baseman.
5) Dizzy Dean: Best ML pitcher.
6) Lefty Gomez: Best AL pitcher.
7) Jimmie Foxx: Best player with a surname featuring an animal.
8) Carl Hubbell: Best screwball pitcher.
9) Earl Averill: Best ML center fielder.
10) Paul Waner: Best of the brothers.

Best NeL player: Turkey Stearnes
Best NeL pitcher: Satchel Paige

election is over