The Bizarro Hall of Fame: Introducing the Class of 1986

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 1986
Vic Davalillo – Davalillo spent the first 5+ years of his career as a Gold Glove-winning member of the Cleveland Indians outfield, then used that glove to hang on for ten more years with five more teams. After missing the entirety of the 1975 and 1976 seasons, he emerged in Los Angeles, where he spent four years as the oldest player in the National League before finishing his career in 1980. He retired with two World Series rings and a lifetime postseason batting average of .323.

Darold Knowles – Oh, to be young and a Washington Senator: in 1969, Knowles appeared in 53 games for the Senators, posting a 2.24 ERA with thirteen saves and 59 strikeouts. His won-lost record was 9-2. The next season, he appeared in 71 games, had a 2.04 ERA with 27 saves, and struck out 71 batters. His won-lost record was 2-14. The first year, he was an All-Star; the second, he got a three day mid-season vacation. Go figure. Moot point anyway – his best season was 1971 (5-1, 11 saves, 1.37 ERA). Also, it needs to be mentioned that Knowles was a member of the 1978 Montreal Expos pitching staff that included, at one time or another, at least SEVEN Bizarro Hall of Famers.

(Coming soon: the Bizarro Hall of Fame Class of 1985.)

(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.)