BASEBALL HALL OF FAME TRIVIA & FRIVOLITIES

Hall of Fame Fast Facts, Trivia & Research | Baseball Almanac

Have you ever wondered how many pitchers are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame? How about the number of players from your favorite team? If so, then this is the right place to find those oddball hall of fame facts and statistics. Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Once, I asked (Christy) Mathewson why, generally, pitchers cannot bat well. 'Because, a pitcher is not a ball player,' answered this unerring young man swiftly." - Hopper, James. Writer. Everybody's Magazine: Training With The Giants. 4 June 1909. Page 745.

Count of Baseball Hall of Fame Members by Primary Team

Which MLB Team Has The Most Baseball Hall of Famers?

1. New York Yankees AL 27
2. New York Giants NL 20
3. St. Louis Cardinals NL 18
4. Chicago Cubs NL 14
5. Chicago White Sox AL 13
Cleveland Indians AL 13
Pittsburgh Pirates NL 13
8. Boston Red Sox AL 12
Detroit Tigers AL 12
10. Philadelphia Phillies NL 11
11. Brooklyn Dodgers NL 10
Cincinnati Reds NL 10
13. Philadelphia Athletics AL 9
14. Boston Braves NL 7
15. Atlanta Braves NL 6
Los Angeles Dodgers NL 6
Minnesota Twins AL 6
Washington Senators AL 6
19. Baltimore Orioles AL 5
Oakland Athletics AL 5
San Francisco Giants NL 5
22. Montreal Expos NL 4
23. Buffalo Bisons NL 3
Baltimore Orioles NL 3
Chicago White Stockings NL 3
Milwaukee Braves NL 3
27. California (LA) Angels AL 2
Cleveland Spiders NL 2
Houston Astros AL 2
Milwaukee Brewers NL 2
New York Mets NL 2
San Diego Padres NL 2
Seattle Mariners AL 2
St. Louis Browns AL 2
Toronto Blue Jays AL 2
36. Cincinnati Red Stockings NL 1
Colorado Rockies NL 1
Hartford Dark Blues NL 1
Kansas City Royals AL 1
Providence Grays NL 1
Texas Rangers AL 1
43. Arizona Diamondbacks NL 0
Miami Marlins NL 0
Tampa Bay Rays AL 0
Washington Nationals NL 0

Count of Baseball Hall of Fame Members by Position

What Position Did Most Baseball Hall of Famers Play?

1. Pitchers P 84
2. Executives E 39
3. Right Fielders RF 27
4. First Basemen 1B 26
Shortstops SS 26
6. Center Fielders CF 24
7. Left Fielders LF 23
Managers M 23
9. Second Basemen 2B 21
10. Catchers C 20
11. Third Basemen 3B 19
12. Umpires U 10
13. Designated Hitters DH 3

First Ballot Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees

Who Got Into the Baseball Hall of Fame On Their First Try?

1936 Ty Cobb CF 1st
1936 Walter Johnson P 1st
1936 Christy Mathewson P 1st
1936 Babe Ruth RF 1st
1936 Honus Wagner SS 1st
1962 Bob Feller P 1st
1962 Jackie Robinson 2B 1st
1966 Ted Williams LF 1st
1969 Stan Musial 1B 1st
1972 Sandy Koufax P 1st
1973 Warren Spahn P 1st
1974 Mickey Mantle CF 1st
1977 Ernie Banks SS 1st
1979 Willie Mays CF 1st
1980 Al Kaline RF 1st
1981 Bob Gibson P 1st
1982 Hank Aaron RF 1st
1982 Frank Robinson RF 1st
1983 Brooks Robinson 3B 1st
1985 Lou Brock LF 1st
1986 Willie McCovey 1B 1st
1988 Willie Stargell LF 1st
1989 Johnny Bench C 1st
1989 Carl Yastrzemski LF 1st
1990 Joe Morgan 2B 1st
1990 Jim Palmer P 1st
1991 Rod Carew 2B 1st
1992 Tom Seaver P 1st
1993 Reggie Jackson RF 1st
1994 Steve Carlton P 1st
1995 Mike Schmidt 3B 1st
1999 George Brett 3B 1st
1999 Nolan Ryan P 1st
1999 Robin Yount SS 1st
2001 Kirby Puckett CF 1st
2001 Dave Winfield RF 1st
2002 Ozzie Smith SS 1st
2003 Eddie Murray 1B 1st
2004 Dennis Eckersley P 1st
2004 Paul Molitor DH 1st
2005 Wade Boggs 3B 1st
2007 Tony Gwynn RF 1st
2007 Cal Ripken, Jr. SS 1st
2009 Rickey Henderson LF 1st
2014 Tom Glavine P 1st
2014 Greg Maddux P 1st
2014 Frank Thomas DH 1st
2015 Randy Johnson P 1st
2015 Pedro Martinez P 1st
2015 John Smoltz P 1st
2016 Ken Griffey, Jr. CF 1st
2017 Ivan Rodriguez C 1st
2018 Chipper Jones 3B 1st
2018 Jim Thome 1B 1st
2019 Roy Halladay P 1st
2019 Mariano Rivera P 1st
2020 Derek Jeter SS 1st
2022 David Ortiz DH 1st
2024 Adrián Beltré 3B 1st
2024 Joe Mauer C 1st

Baseball Hall of Fame Membership Breakdown

In Numerical Order

1. Players P 244
2. Executives & Pioneers E 33
3. Negro Leagues NBL 35
4. Managers M 23
5. Umpires U 10

Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Method

Breakdown of Membership by Committee

1. Hall of Fame Committee on Baseball Veterans 175 All Types
  Major League Players 103 "
  Executives 31 "
  Managers 22 "
  Umpires 10 "
  Negro League Players 9 "
2. Baseball Writers' Association of America 137 Players
3. Committee on Negro Leagues II (2006-2020) 17 Negro Leaguers
4. Committee on Negro Leagues (1971-1977) 9 Negro Leaguers
5. Golden Days Era Committee (2021-Today) 4 All Types
6. Early Baseball Era Committee (2021-Today) 2 All Types
7. Contemporary Era Committee (2021-Today) 1 All Types
Baseball Hall of Fame Trivia | Research by Baseball Almanac
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baseball almanac fast facts

The class of 1999 — George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount — had the most first ballot inductees (3) to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since the first five were elected in 1936. In 2014, that number was tied courtesy of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux & Frank Thomas. It was tied a third time the very next year, when Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were welcomed to Cooperstown!

Through today, there are eighty living members (including executives, managers, umpires, players, and Negro Leaguers) of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Did you know that only one player in the National Baseball Hall of Fame has been selected with 100% of the possible ballots? See who it was, and who came the closest on our list of BBWAA Voting Percentage List.