Roy Campanella
A three-time National League MVP and member of five pennant-winning Dodger teams, Roy Campanella‘s career ended when he suffered incapacitating injuries in a 1958 car crash.
First appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1964, Campanella drew 57.2 percent support, finishing third behind Luke Appling and Red Ruffing in an election that enshrined nobody. There was no election in 1965, but in 1966 he moved up to 65.2 percent. Again that was good enough for third behind Ted Williams – who was elected in his first try – and Ruffing, who also did not get in.
In 1967, Campanella’s third election resulted in a reprise of 1964 – third place, around 70 percent, this time behind Ruffing and Joe Medwick, neither of whom was elected. When Medwick was elected in 1968, Campanella moved to the doorstep, finishing second with 72.4 percent.
He finally made it on his fifth try in 1969, gaining 70.4 percent support to join first-time nominee Stan Musial on the podium.
Why did it take Campanella, often ranked among the game’s elite catchers, five tries? Aside from the possibility of racial animus, Campanella’s .276 batting average may have hurt him. In two of his final four seasons, he batted under .220.
The other factor potentially compromising Campanella’s candidacy may have been duration. Due to the unofficial color ban, Campy did not reach the majors until 1948 when he was 26. He was 35 at the time of his car accident. So he played only 10 seasons, the bare minimum standard for consideration.
That, in turn, held down some of his counting stats. He finished with 242 home runs and 856 RBIs, both low for a Hall-caliber player known as a slugger.
Obviously, voters eventually decided that penalizing Campanella for factors limiting his playing time that were outside his control – the color ban and the car accident – was unfair.