Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1947 followed yet another round of reform. The Baseball Writers Association of America

Baseball Writers Association of America

The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...

 (BBWAA) continued to vote by mail but the Hall of Fame Committee had revised the procedures for that election and reduced its historical jurisdiction relative to the Old-Timers Committee.

The BBWAA now considered major league players retired no more than 25 years. The reform seemed to work, for it elected four: Mickey Cochrane

Mickey Cochrane

Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane was a professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...

, Frank Frisch, Lefty Grove

Lefty Grove

Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was a professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games in his 17-year MLB career...

, and Carl Hubbell

Carl Hubbell

Carl Owen Hubbell was an American baseball player. He was a member of the New York Giants in the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained on the Giants' payroll for the rest of his life, long after their move to San Francisco.Twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, Hubbell...

.

In the wake of the successful BBWAA election, and perhaps in deference to those critics who believed that the 21 selections by the Old-Timers Committee in the previous two years had been too many in such a short time, the Hall of Fame Committee did not meet in 1947 to make further selections from among the players of the era before 1922, or to add names to the Roll of Honor. It was believed, with some optimism, that further revisions in the election process were currently unnecessary.

The new members of the Hall were formally inducted in Cooperstown on July 21, along with the previous year's 11 selections by the Old-Timers Committee, with National League president Ford Frick

Ford Frick

Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...

 presiding. All four new electees were still living, as were four of the earlier choices; however, of the eight living inductees, only Ed Walsh

Ed Walsh

Edward Augustine Walsh was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82.-Baseball career:Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief though remarkable major league career...

 attended the ceremonies.

Reform

After the January 1946 BBWAA election failed to elect any inductees, capping a 7-year period in which only 1 player had been elected, the Hall of Fame Committee concluded that the wide field of candidates from 1900 to the present was making it impossible for any single candidate to gain votes on 75% of all ballots. In response, the Committee selected at its April 1946 meeting 11 inductees, including most of the popular candidates from the era between 1900 and 1918; there was even some support on the committee for removing the BBWAA from the selection process entirely. There was a great deal of criticism regarding the committee's decision in this regard, as they had been understood to only have the capacity to select players from the 19th century; many observers believed the committee was infringing upon the BBWAA's jurisdiction over players of the 20th century.

The committee met again in December 1946, and formally revealed its previously unannounced decision that the jurisdictions of the BBWAA would no longer be defined by the fixed year 1900 receding into the past but by a fixed length of time from the present day, initially set at 25 years. Players who retired more than 25 years ago would be considered only by the Old-Timers Committee.

Eligibility revisions

The committee also revised the 2-stage method by which the BBWAA election had been conducted in 1946. That year's election, which saw every candidate do less well on the final ballot than on the nominating ballot, led to the initial vote again becoming the main election. Whereas the 1946 system required a second ballot before electing a candidate, now a second runoff election featuring the top 20 candidates, with the potential to select no more than one player, would be held only if no candidate received votes from 75% of the writers in the first election. There was also no longer any minimum number of ballots required to make the election valid.

The Hall of Fame Committee also instituted a change in the rules regarding eligibility of voters. Previously, all members of the BBWAA were permitted to cast ballots; however, it would now be necessary that a writer have been a BBWAA member for ten years before becoming eligible to vote. This resulted in fewer than half the BBWAA members casting ballots, and a 39% reduction in the number of ballots from the previous year.

Members of the BBWAA now had the authority to select any players active in 1922 or later, provided they had not appeared in a major league game in 1946. Just as in the elections prior to 1946, voters were instructed to cast votes for 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. If no candidate received votes on 75% of the ballots, the top 20 candidates would advance to the runoff election, with the vote totals from the first ballot not being revealed until the runoff was over.

In addition to many candidates becoming ineligible due to length of retirement, some players who had served in World War II and who had received votes in the 1945 and 1946 elections had now become ineligible once again as a result of appearing in major league games in 1946. Also, the previous year's creation of the Roll of Honor had reduced the incentive to vote for managers, as there was a question of whether they were to be considered for this separate honor. The reduction of the field of eligible candidates was considerable; the players elected by the Old-Timers Committee in 1946 had received 37% of the vote in the last BBWAA election, and had included 4 of the top 5 candidates. Players now ineligible due to retirement prior to the cutoff point accounted for an additional 14% of the 1946 vote, and players returning from WWII had received another 2%. Because less than half of the previous year's votes had been cast for those still eligible, hopes had increased that new inductees might at last be elected.

Election results

A total of 161 ballots were cast, with 1559 individual votes for 39 specific candidates; 121 votes were required for election. The results were announced in January 1947. For the first time in three elections and five years, the election was successful, electing four new inductees to the Hall; it was the largest group of inductees since the initial selections in 1936, and no runoff was necessary. The new system was hailed as a great success, and would be used with relatively minor revisions in the ensuing years.

The number of players receiving votes (39) was the lowest for any election yet, and barely half of the previous year's total (76). Very few players received votes who had not appeared in past voting, suggesting that with the new rules in effect, many voters focused on the previous year's results; with only weeks to complete their ballots, there was perhaps a limited effort to look for new candidates who had retired in the years between 1922 and 1945. With precise historical records scarce, and little time to seek them, there may also have been some uncertainty regarding particular candidates as to whether they had retired before or after 1922. Chief Bender

Chief Bender

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...

, who received 72 votes, had played his last regular season in 1917; he was technically still eligible due to a single inning pitched in 1925, though it is unknown whether voters were aware of this. Bender had been - along with Mordecai Brown

Mordecai Brown

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown , nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand and eventually acquired his nickname as a result...

, an earlier figure who was more clearly now ineligible - one of only two pre-1920 candidates who received over 10% of the 1946 vote without being selected later by the Old-Timers Committee. Besides Bender, 4 other votes in the 1947 election also went to candidates retired slightly before 1922. With a reduced number of eligible voters, fewer candidates were named on only 1 or 2 ballots.

The trend of the past several years toward earlier players was now completely reversed; whereas players retired for well over 20 years had been receiving 60-70% of the vote, the 1947 election saw players retired for less than 13 years receive 73% of the vote. The top 9 candidates were all active in 1934 or later, and those who played their last season in the 1920s received only 16% of the vote.

The four candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics:

Key to colors

	Elected to the Hall. These individuals are also indicated in bold italics.
	Players who were elected in future elections. These individuals are also indicated in plain italics.

Player	Votes	Percent
Carl Hubbell Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell was an American baseball player. He was a member of the New York Giants in the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained on the Giants' payroll for the rest of his life, long after their move to San Francisco.Twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, Hubbell...	140	87.0
Frankie Frisch Frankie Frisch Francis “Frankie” Frisch , nicknamed the "Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was a German American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century....	136	84.5
Mickey Cochrane Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane was a professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...	128	79.5
Lefty Grove Lefty Grove Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was a professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games in his 17-year MLB career...	123	76.4
Pie Traynor Pie Traynor Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and radio broadcaster. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He batted and threw right-handed...	119	73.9
Charlie Gehringer Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers...	105	65.2
Rabbit Maranville Rabbit Maranville Walter James Vincent Maranville , better known as Rabbit Maranville due to his speed and small stature , was a Major League Baseball shortstop. At the time of his retirement in 1935, he had played in a record 23 seasons in the National League, a mark which wasn't broken until 1986 by Pete Rose...	91	56.5
Dizzy Dean Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....	88	54.7
Herb Pennock Herb Pennock Herbert Jefferis Pennock was a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher best known for his time spent with the star-studded New York Yankee teams of the mid to late 1920s and early 1930s. Pennock won two World Series championships with the Red Sox and then four World Series championships with the...	86	53.4
Chief Bender Chief Bender Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...	72	44.7
Harry Heilmann Harry Heilmann Harry Edwin Heilmann , nicknamed “Slug,” was a Major League Baseball player who played 17 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923, 1925 and...	65	40.4
Ray Schalk Ray Schalk Raymond William Schalk was a professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, Schalk was considered the...	50	31.1
Dazzy Vance Dazzy Vance Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance was a star Major League Baseball starting pitcher during the 1920s.-Biography:...	50	31.1
Frank Baker Frank Baker John Franklin "Home Run" Baker was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series...	49	30.4
Bill Terry Bill Terry William Harold Terry was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee...	46	28.6
Zack Wheat Zack Wheat Wheat played his first full season in . He played every game for the Superbas that season as the regular left fielder, leading the league in games played. He batted .284 that season, the second-lowest average of his career, which led the team, and was among the league leaders in hits, doubles, and...	37	23.0
Ross Youngs Ross Youngs Ross Middlebrook Youngs was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting....	36	22.4
Smoky Joe Wood	29	18.0
Edd Roush Edd Roush Edd J. Roush was a Major League Baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He played the majority of his career in center field....	25	15.5
Babe Adams Babe Adams Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...	22	13.7
Rube Marquard Rube Marquard Richard William "Rube" Marquard was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s...	18	11.2
Jimmie Foxx Jimmie Foxx James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx , nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter....	10	6.2
Joe Cronin Joe Cronin Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...	6	3.7
Al Simmons Al Simmons Aloysius Harry Simmons , born Aloisius Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930's...	6	3.7
Art Fletcher Art Fletcher Arthur Fletcher was an American shortstop, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. Fletcher was associated with two New York City baseball dynasties: the Giants of John McGraw as a player; and the Yankees of Miller Huggins and Joe McCarthy as a coach.Born in Collinsville, Illinois, Fletcher...	3	1.9
Gavvy Cravath Gavvy Cravath Clifford Carlton "Gavvy" Cravath , also nicknamed "Cactus", was an American right fielder and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies...	2	1.2
Gabby Hartnett Gabby Hartnett Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League...	2	1.2
Joe McCarthy	2	1.2
Eppa Rixey Eppa Rixey Eppa Rixey Jr. , nicknamed "Jephtha", was an American left-handed pitcher who played 21 seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1933...	2	1.2
Terry Turner Terry Turner Terrance Lamont Turner was an infielder in Major League Baseball who played between 1901 and 1919 for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cleveland Naps/Indians and Philadelphia Athletics . Turner batted and threw right-handed...	2	1.2
Eddie Dyer Eddie Dyer Edwin Hawley Dyer was an American left-handed pitcher, manager and farm system official in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922–44 and 1946–50...	1	0.6
Charlie Gelbert Charlie Gelbert Charles Magnus Gelbert was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of ten seasons in Major League Baseball for the St...	1	0.6
Lefty Gomez Lefty Gómez Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez was an American left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. Considered one of the great pitchers of the day, Gomez was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time World Series Champion with the Yankees...	1	0.6
Hank Gowdy Hank Gowdy Henry Morgan Gowdy was a professional baseball catcher and a first baseman who played in the major leagues for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves...	1	0.6
Jesse Haines Jesse Haines Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher and knuckleballer. He played briefly in 1918, then from 1920 to 1937.-Career:...	1	0.6
Bubbles Hargrave Bubbles Hargrave Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees. He won the National League batting title in 1926 while playing for Cincinnati...	1	0.6
George Kelly	1	0.6
Tony Lazzeri Tony Lazzeri Anthony Michael "Tony" Lazzeri was an American Major League Baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees. He was part of the famed "Murderers' Row" Yankee batting lineup of the late 1920s , along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel...	1	0.6
Everett Scott Everett Scott Lewis Everett Scott , nicknamed "Deacon", was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds . Scott batted and threw right-handed...	1	0.6

External links

• 1947 Election at www.baseballhalloffame.org