SABR Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legends
Between 2009 and 2026, SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee selected a total of 25 Overlooked 19th Century Base Ball Legends — 19th century players, managers, executives or other baseball personalities who had not yet been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Two Overlooked Legends were eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame: Deacon White in 2013 and Bud Fowler in 2022.
In 2026, the project concluded with eight selections, with winners selected from various tracks: Players from the Major Leagues (1876–1900); Pioneers/Contributors; Managers, Executives, and Umpires; and Black Baseball.
All SABR members were eligible to cast votes in this project, and the winners were announced during the Nineteenth Century Committee’s business meeting at the annual SABR convention.
Here are the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends:
- 2026: Tommy Bond, George Stovey, Grant “Home Run” Johnson, Paul Hines, Joe Start, Cal McVey, Ben Shibe, and John T. Brush
- 2025: Al Reach
- 2024: Chris Von der Ahe
- 2023: Bobby Mathews
- 2022: Moses Fleetwood Walker
- 2021: Charlie Bennett
- 2020: Bud Fowler (elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022)
- 2019: Jim Creighton
- 2018: William Hoy
- 2017: Bob Caruthers
- 2016: Jack Glasscock
- 2015: Tony Mullane
- 2014: Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams
- 2013: Ross Barnes
- 2012: Bill Dahlen
- 2011: Harry Stovey
- 2010: Deacon White (elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013)
- 2009: Pete Browning
The project’s co-chairs were Adam Darowski and Joe Williams. Thanks to the committee members (past and present) who participated in this worthwhile project, especially Matt Albertson, Tom Best, Charles Faber, Sam Gazdziak, Bob Gregory, Larry McGill, Justin Mckinney, Eric Miklich, Dan Neumann, Gary Passamonte, Ralph Peluso, Sam Reich and Tom Zocco, as well as all members of SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee for assisting in selecting the previous final ballot nominees.
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