You can dedicate your life to baseball and have a dramatic impact on people and the game. However, this does not mean you are destined for Cooperstown. Norman Arthur Elberfeld grew up in Cincinnati, cheering for the Reds and made a name for himself on local diamonds. The Tabasco Kid, or Kid, played primarily Shortstop for 14 seasons with six teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1898), Cincinnati Reds (1899), Detroit Tigers (1901-1903), New York Highlanders (1903-1909), Washington Nationals (1910-1911), and Brooklyn Dodgers (1914). He spent the 1908 season as the Player-Manager for the New York Highlanders, guiding them to a 27-71 record, .276 WL%. Elberfeld was a much better Major League player than manager. 

Elberfeld appeared on the 1936 Hall of Fame ballot. This came after a career in which he played in 1,292 Games, scored 647 Runs, collected 1,235 Hits, including 169 Doubles, 56 Triples, 10 Home Runs, 535 RBI, 213 Stolen Bases, drew 427 Walks, 166 Strikeouts, posted a .271 BA, .355 OBP, .339 SLG, .694 OPS, and 106 OPS+. Elberfeld turned Hit By the Pitch into an art form. His 165 Hit By Pitches still ranks 19th all time. 

Defensively, Elberfeld played in 1,265 Games, made 1,196 Starts, 1,135 Complete Games, 10,835 Innings, had 6,993 Chances, made 2,681 Putouts, with 3,774 Assists, committed 538 Errors, .923 FLD%, 5.36 RF/9, and 5.10 RF/G. He was fearless, never shying away from confrontation. Elberfeld wore a whalebone shin guard after being spiked multiple times while turning Double Plays. His aggression towards opposing players and umpires, leading to multiple injuries, fights, and suspensions. 

The best season of Elberfeld’s career came with the 1901 Detroit Tigers. He played in 121 Games, scored 76 Runs, collected 133 Hits, including 21 Doubles, 11 Triples, 3 Home Runs, 76 RBI, 23 Stolen Bases, drew 57 Walks, 18 Strikeouts, with a .308 BA, .397 OBP, .428 SLG, .825 OPS, and 125 OPS+. Elberfeld posted career bests in Triples, Home Runs, RBI, BA, SLG, and OPS. Despite the great start, Elberfeld failed to build a Hall of Fame career. 

The game continues to change so it is only appropriate to compare Elberfeld to his contemporaries who were elected to Cooperstown. There are 26 Hall of Fame Shortstops, of which six played during the Dead Ball Era. The average Dead Ball Era Shortstop played 19 seasons, 2,078 career Games, scored 1,253 Runs, collected 2,286 Hits, including 369 Doubles, 143 Triples, 47 Home Runs, 1,131 RBI, 463 Stolen Bases, drew 633 Walks, 499 Strikeouts, with a .290 BA, .350 OBP, .388 SLG, .738 OPS, 113 OPS+, and 69.4 WAR. These Shortstops played their way into the Hall of Fame. Kid Elberfeld did not. He was only better by having 333 fewer Strikeouts and a .005 higher OBP. It is not a close comparison.  

Kid Elberfeld was a true baseball man, spending time as a coach, scout, mentor, and teacher. He was good for the game, but not a Hall of Famer. On the 1936 ballot, Elberfeld received 1 vote, 0.4%. He was tied for the 39th most votes on the ballot. He would appear on the Hall of Fame ballot five times, peaking with 0.8% in both 1938 and 1945. The Hall of Fame voters got it right. Kid Elberfeld does not deserve to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Sometimes the value of an honor is shown through those not receiving it. 

DJ