The Other Feller

There are plenty of unique names in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I’m thinking Killebrew, Schoendienst, Fingers, Blyleven …

There are also some that are not as unique as you might think. Would you believe, for example, that there is another Manush, another Coveleski, another Bagwell?

Overall, I was able to find 30 Hall of Famers who shared a surname with just one other MLBer. Interesting, huh?

Now, some of these are relatives – brothers, sons, even nephews and grandsons. In fact, there are even two brothers, Paul and Lloyd Waner, who are both in Cooperstown, with nary another Waner to be found on baseball-reference.com.

That leaves us with 17 Hall of Famers who have just one other namesake on the record. And that means those guys can legitimately claim to be the other Bagwell, or the other Hubbell, or even the other Feller.

#17 – BURKETT

• Jesse – OF, 16 years, .338 lifetime average, 1720 runs, 389 SBs, 3 batting titles, 62.8 lifetime WAR
• John – P, 15 years, 166-136, 2-time All Star, 1-time league leader in wins
• Nickname was “Sheets”
• Lifetime batting average was a lowly .093
• Was also a professional bowler 
• Notched 32 perfect games (as a bowler, of course)
  
  

#16 – GROVE

• Lefty – P; 17 years; 300-141; 3.06 lifetime ERA, 1.278 WHIP; 4-time league leader in wins, 9 in ERA, 7 in K’s; 106.7 lifetime WAR
• Orval – P, 10 years, 63-73, 1-time All Star, on Hall of Fame ballot for 2 years
• All 10 years with White Sox
• Lost a no-hitter against the Yanks with 2 outs in the 9th
• Faced 27 batters in a complete game against the Senators (with 4 baserunners eliminated in double plays)
• 1-time league leader in wild pitches
• Only MLB alum who went to Elmhurst Univ.
• Played minor league ball with the Longview Cannibals
  
  

#15 – HOYT

• Waite – P, 21 years, 237-182, 3762 IPs, 7 World Series, 54.2 lifetime WAR
• LaMarr – P, 8 years, 98-68, Cy Young Award, 2-time league leader in wins, 1-time All Star, 1.214 lifetime WHIP
• Full name was Dewey LaMarr Hoyt
• Won his first 9 decisions (tying a White Sox record shared with ... Orval Grove!)
• Went from leading the league in wins in one year to leading the league in losses the next
• Was arrested several times for drugs, eventually ending up in a Federal penitentiary
  
  

 
#14 – TRAMMELL

• Alan – SS, 20 years, 6-time All Star, 4-time Golden Glover, 3-time Silver Slugger, 70.7 WAR
• Bubba – OF, 7 years, hit 25 HRs with 92 RBIs in 2001
• Given middle name is Bubba, after a Univ. of Tennessee quarterback
• Starred at UT (in baseball), hitting .368 with 22 HRs and 105 RBIs in 2 years
• Ended his career by quitting the Yankees in the middle of the season, citing depression
• Son Brandon played at UT as well
  
  

#13 – CUYLER

• Kiki – OF; 18 years; 321 lifetime batting average; 4-time league leader in SB, with 328 total
• Milt – OF, 8 years, finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting, stole 41 bases that year
• Minor league coach for 10 years
• Part of Tigers’ fantasy camp
• Has a LinkedIn profile
• Seems like a genuinely nice guy
  
  

#12 – HUBBELL

• Carl – P; 253-154; 2-time MVP, 9-time All Star; 3-time league leader in wins, ERA; lifetime 2.98 ERA, 1.166 WHIP, 68.2 WAR
• Bill – P, 7 years, 40-63, led league in HRs allowed in 1921
• Attended the Univ. of Idaho
• Skull fractured by line drive
• Wore a steel plate to finish out his career
  
  

#11 – BAGWELL

• Jeff – 1B, 449 HRs, 1517 RBIs, 1529 runs .297 batting average, Rookie of the Year, MVP, 79.9 WAR
• Bill – OF, 2 years, 93 at bats, 2 HRs, .292 BA
• Hit .300 one of those years
• Nickname was “Big Bill” (he was 6’1”, a veritable giant 100 years ago)
• Went to Louisiana Tech
• Batted .402 in the minors in 1922
  
  

#10 – IRVIN

• Monte – OF, 8 years (+9 in Negro Leagues), All Star, led league in RBIs in 1951, .394 average in 2 Series
• Cole – P; 2 years; 2-2; 45 IP; 6.75 lifetime ERA, 1.544 WHIP; active 
• Middle name is “Rj”
• Nickname is “Swirvin’ Irvin”
• In the minors, was a Duck, Crosscutter, Thresher & IronPig
  
  

 

#9 – DUROCHER

• Leo – manager: 2008-1709, 3 pennants, 1 World Series title; player: SS, 17 years, 5350 at bats, 3-time All Star 
• Jayson – P, 2 years, 3-1, 3.09 ERA, 1.066 WHIP
• 99-mph fastball
• Major problems with injuries
• You can follow him on Facebook (though most of his posts seem to be updating his profile picture)
  
  

#8 – MIZE

• Johnny – 1B; .312 lifetime BA; led league in HRs 4 times, RBIs 3 times & BA once; 10-time All Star; 71.3 lifetime WAR
• Casey – P, 1 year, 28 IP, 0-3, 6.99 ERA, active
• Auburn grad
• Threw a no-hitter against Northwestern
• 1st overall pick in 2018
• #11 prospect in baseball for 2021
  
  

#7 – HARTNETT

• Gabby – C, 20 years, .297 lifetime BA, MVP, 6-time All Star, 56.9 lifetime WAR
• Pat – 1B, 1 year, 14 games, .189 average
• Nickname was “Happy”
• In the minors, was an Apostle, Shoemaker, Magician & Clamdigger
• Not to be confused with the Irish hurler
  
  

#6 – RADBOURN

• Hoss – P; 310-194; 2.68 lifetime ERA; once won 60 games, struck out 441 in single seasons
• George – P, 1 year, 1-2, 6.55 ERA, 2.045 WHIP
• Nickname was “Dandy” (or perhaps "Dordy")
• Had a 1.000 fielding average
• May or may not be the source of the kids’ book How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball
  
  

#5 – HANLON

• Ned – manager, 20 years, 1313-1164, 5 pennants, sometimes called the “Father of Modern Baseball”
• Bill – 1B, 21 ABs, .095 average
• Nickname was “Big Bill” (though he was only 6’)
• Attended St. Mary’s Coll. (CA) and Santa Clara Univ.
• Played for both Los Angeles and Seattle (their minor league teams, that is)
• Was also a Sacramento Gilt Edge
  
  

#4 – PAIGE

• Satchell – P; 24 years; Negro League: 146-64, 0.921 WHIP, 1620 Ks
• Pat – P, 1 year, 1-0, 16 IPs, 4.50 ERA
• Born in Paw Paw, MI
• Nicknames include “Piggy” and “Mabel”
• Ambidextrous
• 10 years in the minors included a stint with the Benton Harbor Speed Boys
• Hit a bases-clearing double in his 1st MLB at bat
  
  

#3 – FELLER

• Bob – P; 18 years; 266-162; 2,581 SOs; led league in wins 6 times, SOs 7; 8-time All Star
• Jack –  C, 1 year, 1 game, 1 inning, 1 putout, no AB
• Had scholarship offers from both Michigan and Michigan State
• Once played for Hazelhurst-Baxley, in the Class-D Georgia State League
• In the bigs, wore the same number as Bob, 19
• Spent only another year in the minors after his big-league experience
• Hung up his spikes to become a HS basketball coach, winning 4 state championships
  
  

#2 –SCHALK

• Ray – C; 18 years; 5,306 at bats; led league in catcher put-outs 7 times, fielding 4; all-time career leader in DPs turned as catcher
• Roy – 2B, 3 years, 282 games, 1112 ABs, 
• Wartime starter (1944 & 1945) for the White Sox
• Only other year in the bigs was 1932 (for 3 games)
• Led the AL in sacrifice hits in ‘45
• First name was actually LeRoy
• Played 20 years in the minors, including stints as player/manager
• Ended his minor league managing career by going 38-101 for the C league El Dorado Oilers
  
  

#1 – PLANK

• Eddie (Edward Stewart) – P, 17 years, 326-194, 4,496 IPs, 2,246 SOs 
• Ed (Edward Arthur) – P, 2 years, 10 IPs, 5.23 ERA, 1.839 WHIP, .500 fielding average
• Played for the Univ. Of Nevada (baseball & football)
• Is in the Wolf Pack’s Hall of Fame
• 72-57 in 8 minor league seasons
• Looked surprisingly like the Pirates’ Steve Blass (esp. with that hat on!)