The Bizarro Hall of Fame: Introducing the Class of 1991

As part of an ongoing project, One More Dying Quail will be profiling the 182 current members of the Bizarro Hall of Fame, an organization that currently exists only in my mind. It was created in the wake of Major League Baseball’s infamous Steroid Era as a way of honoring those players whose careers were perfectly mediocre: the only requirement is that a candidate be listed on the official Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and receive zero votes. 

Class of 1991

Bob Bailor – The first player selected by Toronto in the 1976 expansion draft, Bailor enjoyed his best major league season as a member of the original Blue Jays in 1977. The 25-year-old hit a career-best .310 with five homeruns, 32 runs batted in, and 15 stolen bases while playing in 122 games. A valuable utility player, he saw action in 100 or more games at four different positions during his eleven year career.

Al Bumbry – A member of the Virginia Sports and Baltimore Orioles Halls of Fame, Bumbry served in the United States military prior to his 1972 major league debut, earning a Bronze Star and the rank of first lieutenant during his time in Vietnam. He returned to become the American League Rookie of the Year in 1973, when he hit .337 with eleven triples and an .898 OPS in 110 games.

Rich Dauer – Dauer was drafted four times (twice by the Oakland A’s) in the 1970s before finally signing with the Orioles in 1974. He once held a major league record for second basemen with 86 consecutive errorless games at the position.

Oscar Gamble – If Oscar Gamble had not been the owner of the 1970s greatest head of hair, I would have been forced to dislike him for two reasons: first, he finished his 17 year career with exactly 666 runs batted in, and second, he was part of the 1977 trade that made Bucky Dent a New York Yankee.

Larry Gura – After spending his first eight major league seasons working primarily out of the bullpens of three different teams, Gura blossomed in 1978 with a 16-4 record and 2.72 ERA for the division winning Kansas City Royals. Two years later, he made his only All-Star appearance while helping the Royals to the World Series against Philadelphia, where he earned no-decisions in Games Two and Five.

Art Howe – A product of the University of Wyoming, Howe hit .260 in eleven major league seasons, but is best known for his seven year tenure as manager of the Oakland A’s (1996 - 2002. The team finished first or second in the last four of those seasons, including 100+ wins in 2001 and 2002, with most of the credit bypassing Howe and going to general manager Billy Beane and his “Moneyball” philosophy.

Bruce Kison – An average bullpen option for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 1970s (his ERA from 1971-74 almost exactly matched the league ERA for the same period), Kison was at his best in the postseason, starting his career with twenty consecutive scoreless innings and a 4-0 record. His greatest major league moment, however, might have been the time George Bell charged the mound and attempted to karate-kick him.

(Note: The clip of this incident doesn’t appear to exist on YouTube. Fortunately, this video involving Bell, the Red Sox and a botched fight does.)


Steve Rogers – A quality starter whose celebrity status was harmed by the fact that he spent his entire thirteen-year career in Montreal, Rogers won 158 games for the Expos. As Montreal became more successful in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rogers saw his national profile increase: from 1980-83, he finished in the top five of the Cy Young award voting three times, including second in 1982.

John Wathan – A fleet-footed catcher who stole a record 36 bases for the position in 1982, Wathan played ten seasons for the Royals before moving on to manage the team from 1987-1991. They peaked in 1989, winning 92 games and finishing second in the American League West, but stumbled to sixth place the next two seasons. Wathan was eventually fired and replaced by Hal McRae.

Pat Zachry – Zachry went 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA to win the National League Rookie of the Year award for the World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1976, adding another victory in both the NLCS and the World Series. He was traded to the Mets the following season as part of a multi-player deal for Hall of Famer Tom Seaver.

Geoff Zahn – Zahn won ten or more games for six consecutive seasons from 1977-82, culminating in an 18-8 record and sixth place finish in the Cy Young voting. Winner of 111 career victories, he also recorded 20 shutouts and 705 strikeouts in 1849 innings.

(Coming soon: the Bizarro Hall of Fame Class of 1990.)

(All Hall of Fame voting results were obtained from the official web site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Statistical information included in postings for the Bizarro Hall of Fame was, unless otherwise noted, originally compiled by Baseball-Reference.com.)