I don't see how you could argue with any of those choices.

Laying the ground work for a threatened move back to Philadelphia if the stadium dispute isn’t resolved to the A’s satisfaction?

That's a hell of a class.

Is Eddie Collins' plaque going to have a White Sox cap on it?

Glad to see a team recognize its early history, and those are all excellent selections.

pretty sure team HOFs are for players who didn't get to Cooperstown but are beloved nonetheless.

went to Citi Field a couple of weeks ago for the Mets retiring Jerry Koosman's jersey. he won 222 games, and almost 150 w the Mets. not a HOFer but a great player.

this seems a bit silly.

why not also induct a couple of Koosman-esque choices - if still living, even better - along with these long-dead HOFers?

I believe the team never retired any numbers for Philadelphia or KC guys?

So they decided their 9 players were so great and the pitching so awesome that as a team they only need 1 outfielder!Z(yes, I know it wasn't chosen by position...)

Howie, they have already done some of that. They only started the HoF in 2018, this is just a recognition of their pre-Oak history. They have inducted Blue, Campy, Mac and Stewart (along with their modern HoFers). By 2030 if not earlier, I suspect they'll be to the point of inducting Dwayne Murphy and Carney Lansford. If they weren't shy about inducting Mac, will they induct Canseco?

I am pretty sure that nearly every team HoF has used the first few years to induct their national HoFers then they get around to the Koosmans.

EDIT: The Mets started theirs in 1981 before they had any national HoFers. I assume they have some retirement criteria since the first 2 players inducted were Harrelson and Staub then Seaver the next year ... then Koosman. The Mets starting a HoF 20 years into their existence is pretty ridiculous. The A's seem to have started this one nearly 120 years after their existence so they have a bit of catching up to do.

EDIT2: Edgardo Alfonso?

The Mets started theirs in 1981 before they had any national HoFers. I assume they have some retirement criteria since the first 2 players inducted were Harrelson and Staub then Seaver the next year ... then Koosman. The Mets starting a HoF 20 years into their existence is pretty ridiculous.

It's pretty amazing that a team that's been around for 60 years still has only one actual Hall of Famer who came up and spent his best years with that team.

Isn’t that one more than the Angels (for now), the same as the Sens/Rangers and one fewer than the Stros. It seems right in line with their brethren, rather than amazing.

It's pretty amazing that a team that's been around for 60 years still has only one actual Hall of Famer who came up and spent his best years with that team.

I believe the leading expansion franchise according to this criteria would be the Expos, remarkably enough, with three (Carter, Raines, Dawson).

Those teams had quite a head start on the Mariners, who are also a living joke of a franchise. But even the Mariners have Edgar, Griffey, and Ichiro. Alex Rodriguez had his best years with the Mariners, but spent a lot more time in New York. Randy Johnson pitched more in Seattle than anywhere else, but had his developmental years in Seattle and his best years in Arizona. I wouldn't put a Mariners cap on either of those guys in the HOF, but they're not too far off. So even Seattle has 3+ guys like that.

I believe the leading expansion franchise according to this criteria would be the Expos, remarkably enough, with three (Carter, Raines, Dawson).

And Guerrero.

Ah, #14 beat me to it. I know Vlad Sr has an Angels cap on his HOF plaque, but he played 8 years and had 34.7 WAR as an Expo, and 8 years and 24.8 WAR elsewhere (6 years and 22.8 WAR as a Halo). His top 3 seasons by WAR were all as a 'Spo.

As also did a fifty for fifty celebration a few years ago for their fiftieth year in Oakland. The fan voting was somewhat comical—Dallas Braden is a local hero but as he himself said not a deserving recipient. I think it’s great to find different ways to honor very good or popular local players. I also think it’s fine for teams to only retire numbers of players who get in the HOF. Fifty for fifty Oakland As

Expos have a rich history. They’d have Staub, Steve Rogers, Pedro, Larry walker, the big unit, Tim Wallach as team inductees. I’m sure there are others

Timing: Bob Johnson out-bWAR'd Baker and Cochrane for the A's. Eddie Rommell out-bWAR'd Bender or Waddell.

I don't know if that list is accurate, but apparently the players in the Expos HOF are (were?) Carter, Staub, Claude Raymond, Rogers, Woody Fryman, Bill Stoneman, Warren Cromartie, Ron Hunt, Larry Parrish, Dawson, Bill Gullickson, Jeff Reardon, Tim Burke, Chris Speier, Wallach and Raines. Looks like once MLB took over, the team was only allowed to have cheap ceremonies for broadcasters, as Raines appear to be the last player elected in 2000. I'm guessing that over the years most of the 1994 team (Pedro, Walker, Alou, Grissom, Ken Hill, Wetteland) would have been elected. Vlad, Dennis Martinez, Jose Vidro, Rondell White would have been no-brainers. Maybe Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez.

#10-11 - Not only with expansion teams, but I'd guess several of the older teams only have 1 or 2 HOFers in the last 60 years that fit that criteria too. For example, unless I'm missing someone obvious, aren't Jeter and Rivera the only Yankee HOFers* in that span who came up with the team and spent their best years there?

*Lots of additional borderline and HOVG players, of course (Munson, Guidry, Mattingly, Bernie, Pettitte, Posada)

They’d have Staub, Steve Rogers, Pedro, Larry walker, the big unit, Tim Wallach as team inductees.

I'm not sure 11 games is really enough to earn a spot in the team's Hall of Fame.

Not only with expansion teams, but I'd guess several of the older teams only have 1 or 2 HOFers in the last 60 years that fit that criteria too.

Since 1960, off the top of my head, so I'm sure I'm missing some.

Yankees: Jeter, Rivera
Red Sox: Yaz, Rice, Boggs and Mookie as an active
Blue Jays: Halladay
Orioles: Mussina, Ripken, Murray, Palmer,
Rays: None

White Sox: Thomas
Indians: Thome
Royals: Brett and Greinke as an active (it wasn't really his best work, but he accrued the most value there as he spent the longest stretch in KC).
Twins: Puckett, Blyleven, Carew and not yet Mauer
Tigers: Trammell, Morris and active Verlander

Angels: Active Trout
Mariners: Martinez, Griffey, not yet Ichiro
A's: Hunter, Jackson, Fingers, Henderson
Rangers: Rodriguez
Astros: Bagwell, Biggio

Braves: Jones, Glavine, Smoltz, Niekro
Mets: Seaver
Phillies: Schmidt and not yet Rolen
Marlins: None
Expos: Raines, Carter, Guerrero, Dawson

Cubs: Jenkins, Santo, Sutter
Cardinals: None (is that possible?) active Pujols, Molina
Pirates: Stargell
Brewers: Yount, Molitor
Reds: Bench, Larkin, active Votto

Dodgers: Piazza, Sutton
Giants; Marichal, Perry
Padres: Gwynn
Rockies: Not yet Helton
Diamondbacks: None on the horizon

Cardinals: None (is that possible?) active Pujols, Molina

They have Simmons now. And I guess you're using 1961 as a cutoff to signal the expansion era, which just eliminates Gibson, who came up in 1959 and had his first big year in 1961.

Cubs: you missed Sandberg and whatever bits of Maddux (who you missed on the Braves) and Dawson you want to credit us with. I guess we'll count Ernie as pre-60.

Cards: Ozzie at least

Padres: Winfield

Walt - The "came up with the team" qualifier eliminates Sandberg (barely!) and Dawson, and the "had his best years/produced the most value with the team" qualifier eliminates Maddux for the Cubs (and his beginning with the Cubs makes him ineligible for the Braves).

Ozzie doesn't count for the Cards since he started with the Pads. Winfield should count for SD, though.

Cubs: you missed Sandberg and whatever bits of Maddux (who you missed on the Braves) and Dawson you want to credit us with. I guess we'll count Ernie as pre-60.

Cards: Ozzie at least

No, Andy's comment mentioned coming up with and having their best years there. Sandberg (barely) and Ozzie (clearly) came up elsewhere, and Maddux obviously had his best years with Atlanta.

Winfield and Simmons would count.

Posey is an active one for the Giants, as is Kershaw for the Dodgers.

'Roids cost the A's McGwire, the Red Sox Clemens, and the Yankees Cano (active).

Andruw is making progress on the ballot and could be another for the Braves.

'Roids cost the A's McGwire, the Red Sox Clemens, and the Yankees Cano (active).

And gambling cost the Reds Rose.

Baines - White Sox
Lee Smith - Cubs

(I know, I know!)

No, Andy's comment mentioned coming up with and having their best years there.

That might eliminate Betts from the list in #23. Check back in 5 years. Maybe again in 10.

Fisk - Red Sox
Perez - Reds

I think that's it for current HOFers.

(Yes, I'm cheating and looking them up at this point)

That might eliminate Betts from the list in #23. Check back in 5 years. Maybe again in 10.

Not likely, but surely possible.

So the most, with four, were the Braves, Red Sox, Reds, A's, Expos and Orioles, with Atlanta the best chance to hit five first. The Mets don't look too bad from that perspective.

Among long range projections, I’m less certain that Juan Soto will have “his best years/produced the most value” with the Nationals than whether he’ll make the Hall of Fame. He’s hanging out in elite company so far.

#33 - Replace Reds (just 3; Bench, Larkin, Perez) with Cubs (Santo, Jenkins, Sutter, L.Smith).

Although Sutter and Smith combined should really only count as one... ;-)

Ferguson Jenkins, like Ryne Sandberg after him, came up through the Phillies organization before getting traded to the Cubs in short order.

Sorry, I wasn't paying enough attention to the criteria and clearly Ozzie doesn't count. I'm also not sure the difference between trading for a guy just before his MLB debut (Bagwell, never played a game in the minors for the Astros) versus after his cup of coffee (Sandberg) is a distinction important to anybody but won't worry about it -- a list is a list.

But while I'm not worrying ... Perry raises the question of what we mean by "best years". He had more innings and WAR with the Giants than anybody else but both are only about 40% of his total while he actually had more WAA in Cleveland where he only pitched half as many innings as SF. So his "best" years were in Cleveland and he didn't even have the majority of his value in SF.

Blyleven gives a similar impression -- clearly a Twin in his case but it's still (just over) half his career IP, WAR, WAA and wins and about 1/3 of that Twins time (but not value) was his 2nd go-round. He's as much a non-Twin (but not a specific other thing) as he is a Twin and he was pretty much the same pitcher throughout his career (part of the reason he had a hard time with the HoF). Rickey also seems a bit outside the spirit of it -- that first stint with Oak is only about 25% of his PAs (higher in WAR/WAA), it's really that 2nd stint that defines him as a "career A." Not wanting to move the goalposts but it seems to me something like "spent at least the first half of their career with ..." is more in the spirit.

The list points out to me that I mis-remember the 2nd half of some guys' careers. I would have pegged Molitor as a Brewer but I wouldn't have thought it was 8400+ PA and I thought that he had more seasons outside Milw than he did (just 6) so, given how often he was hurt, I thought the PA might be close. Similarly for Sutton -- a Dodger for sure but 16 seasons and >3800 innings?? I didn't think it was that long.

Just angels on heads of pins stuff, that list in #22 is way better than I could have done off the top of my head.

I had no idea Fergie was a Phil before he was a Cub. Scratch him.

I'm also not sure the difference between trading for a guy just before his MLB debut (Bagwell, never played a game in the minors for the Astros) versus after his cup of coffee (Sandberg) is a distinction important to anybody but won't worry about it -- a list is a list.

Just because you have to draw the line somewhere, and we've always drawn it there. Bagwell is considered someone who spent his entire career in an Astros uniform. Sandberg is not considered having done so with the Cubs.

I don't see how you could argue with any of those choices.

Hey, they called Simmons "Bucketfoot" for a reason! Come at me, bro...!

Just for fun (based on WAR), here's my all-KC A's team, based solely on their years in Missouri:

1B - Norm Seibern (11.2 WAR, one of only two KC A's in double digits)
2B - Jerry Lumpe
3B - Ed Charles (14.4 WAR, the KC A's all-time leader)
SS - Wayne Causey (3rd all-time with 9.6 WAR)
UT - Hector Lopez (4th all-time with 9.5 WAR), Bert Campaneris (only 6.6 WAR in 500 G)
LF - Bob Cerv
CF - Bill Tuttle
RF - Roger Maris (remember him? 4.2 WAR in 221 G in KC)
C - Hal Smith (back-up catcher: Harry Chiti, the man who was traded for himself)

SP - Ray Herbert (leader with 7.9 WAR...and a 37-48 record and a 95 ERA+!), Ned Garver, Bud Daley, Orlando Pena and Catfish Hunter (he was 19 to 21 years old)
RP - John Wyatt (6.9 WAR and a KC A's-record 72 saves), Tom Gorman, Jack Aker and Virgil Trucks (138 ERA+ in 138 IP in 1957-58...when he was past 40!)

Could argue Rolen has his "best years" with St. Louis. Also, given current leanings, I think Utley will have a chance to go in.