Allie Reynolds, Hall Of Famer: Yay Or Nay?
Today, we look back at the career of former Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds and evaluate whether he should be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . In both 1951 and 1952, Allie Reynolds finished in the top three in AL MVP voting, and received MVP votes three other times in his 13-year career. In ‘51, he was edged out by Yankees teammate Yogi Berra, who won his first of three MVPs that season (he also won it in 1954 and 1955). In ‘52, Reynolds finished in second to Bobby Shantz of the Philadelphia Athletics, and ranked just ahead of fellow Yankees Mickey Mantle and Berra in the voting (they finished third and fourth).
. . . Reynolds was born and raised in Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) on a track scholarship, and also received additional money due to his Native American heritage (his grandmother was three-quarters Creek). After retiring from playing baseball following the 1954 season, Reynolds was very active in various causes in Oklahoma and for Native Americans. The baseball stadium at OSU was renamed in his honor in 1982, though the team recently upgraded to a new ballpark, O’Brate Stadium, in 2021. Reynolds was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1991.
Leading Off
Does Allie Reynolds Deserve A Spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
By Paul Semendinger
The Early Baseball Era Committee is considering ten potential candidates for Hall of Fame induction in 2022: Bill Dahlen, John Donaldson, Bud Fowler, Vic Harris, Grant “Home Run” Johnson, Lefty O’Doul, Buck O’Neil, Dick “Cannonball” Redding, Allie Reynolds, and George “Tubby” Scales. Since Reynolds is the most prominent former Yankee on this list, I took a look at his career to see if he warrants inclusion in baseball's cherished hall.
Reynolds pitched in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons, from 1942 to 1954. He spent his time in the Majors with the Cleveland Indians (1942-1946) and the New York Yankees (1947-1954). In his career, Reynolds went 182-107 and pitched to a 3.30 ERA.
The Yankees acquired Reynolds from the Indians in a one-for-one trade for future Hall of Famer Joe Gordon on Oct. 11, 1946.
As soon as Reynolds arrived in New York, the Yankees started winning World Series titles. To be fair, they had won many before he arrived, but it had been a few years since they had prevailed in the 1943 World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. In Reynolds’ eight years as a Yankee, New York won six World Series.
Reynolds was one of the “big three” Yankees pitchers of that era -- he, Vic Raschi, and Ed Lopat anchored the Yankees’ pitching staff. None are in the Hall of Fame (though they did overlap a bit with Hall of Famer Whitey Ford), but as Yankees, each was something special:
Allie Reynolds (1947-54): 131-60 (.686 winning percentage), 3.30 ERA
Vic Raschi (1946-53): 120-50 (.706 winning percentage), 3.47 ERA
Ed Lopat (1948-55): 113-59 (.657 winning percentage), 3.19 ERA
Yes, that would qualify as a “big three.” Together as Yankees, Reynolds, Raschi, and Lopat went a combined 364-169 with a combined winning percentage of .684.
During their tenures in the Bronx, the Yankees in those years won the World Series in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953. This “big three” were the combined aces that were the backbone of those teams. Together, if they were one player, they are a Hall of Famer.
Of the three, Reynolds was probably the best all-around pitcher (you can watch him talking about his craft in this interview). In addition to making a lot of starts, he also pitched out of the bullpen. As a Yankee, Reynolds made 86 relief appearances. By modern counting methods, he is credited with 40 saves. Reynolds was an essential part of those legendary Yankees teams. He was a workhorse, averaging 241 innings pitched per year between 1947 and 1952.
All of this would tend to argue that Reynolds should be in the Hall of Fame. But outside of those numbers, his case seems to fall short. By counting stats and league-leading accomplishments, Reynolds does not overwhelm:
He won 20 games in a season once
He led the league in ERA once
He led the league in shutouts twice
He led the league in strikeouts twice
Of note, Reynolds did throw two no-hitters in 1951 and was the first AL pitcher to accomplish that feat.
In addition to not having a strong case in comparison to his contemporaries, Reynolds' 13-year career was just not long enough for him to acquire enough counting statistics.
Reynolds’ 25.4 career WAR, as calculated by Baseball Reference, ranks him 375th all-time among starting pitchers. The closest Hall of Famers to Reynolds are Rube Marquard (260th at 32.5 bWAR) and Jesse Haines (259th at 32.6 bWAR). Both of those pitchers are considered among the worst selections in the Hall of Fame. If one takes Reynolds’ seven best seasons, his candidacy actually looks worse -- he ranks 466th all-time.
On the WAR7 list, Reynolds ranks behind (closely behind) such former Yankees as Fritz Peterson (463), Mike Witt (457), Orlando Hernandez (456), A.J. Burnett (449), Joe Niekro (448), and Esteban Loaiza (440). It would be a stretch to make a claim for any of those pitchers, all who rank above Reynolds, to be considered a Hall of Famer.
By awards, counting stats, and the like, Reynolds just doesn’t have a strong enough case.
Reynolds was a great Yankee. Reynolds was the ace on the only baseball team that won five consecutive World Series. But, in the end, Reynolds was not a Hall of Famer.
Paul Semendinger, Ed.D., is an elementary school principal and is also the Editor-in-Chief of Starting Spreading the News, a blog primarily about the Yankees. At 53 years old, Paul pitched the game of his life last summer at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown helping his team win the tournament. A few weeks ago, he completed the New York City Marathon.
Paul's new book about the Yankees, The Least Among Them, was released by Artemesia Publishing to outstanding reviews. Paul's award-winning novel Scattering the Ashes also has many references to baseball and the New York Yankees.
Paul can be found on Twitter @DrPaulRSem.
Extra Innings
“One of these days, it’s going to be over with and the dream will be gone. [Reynolds] wanted this so badly . . . Eddie Lopat told him he was crazy to relieve so much because it would screw up his record, but he said, ‘No, it’s the right thing to do for the team.’ That’s the kind of man he was.”
- Stacey Reynolds-Peterson, Allie Reynolds’ granddaughter, in a 2011 interview with the New York Times
“He was just plain tough. He wasn’t very nice to the sportswriters, and they probably laughed and said, ‘We’re going to get you.’ I think he regretted some of that. But he was real proud to be elected by his peers to represent them when they created the players’ pension.”
- Bobbye Kay Reynolds Ferguson, Allie Reynolds’ daughter