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| Hall of Fame and Museum | |
|---|---|
| New inductees | 2 |
| viaBBWAA | 2 |
| Total inductees | 60 |
| Induction date | July 23, 1951 |
Elections to theBaseball Hall of Fame for 1951 followed the same rules as 1950.TheBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted once by mail to select from major league players retired less than 25 years. It elected two,Jimmie Foxx andMel Ott.[1] Meanwhile, theOld-Timers Committee, with jurisdiction over earlier players and other figures, did not meet. A formal induction ceremony was held inCooperstown, New York, on July 23, 1951, withNational League presidentFord Frick in attendance.[2]
The 10-year members of the BBWAA had the authority to select any players active in 1926 or later, provided they had not been active in 1950. 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.
A total of 226 ballots were cast, with 2,167 individual votes for 86 specific candidates, an average of 9.59 per ballot; 170 votes were required for election. The two candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated inbold italics.
The voters' focus this year was on sluggers.Mel Ott andJimmie Foxx both had over500 home runs on their resumes. Rounding out the top five were batting average championsPaul Waner,Harry Heilmann, andBill Terry. Popular hurlerDizzy Dean was sixth.
Note: reissued in paperback asWhatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?