Not all the good players were gone all 4 years. Musial only missed 1 year for example, while his teammate Slaughter missed 3.
So I think the last years of 1944 and 1945 were more suspect, in that more and more players were drafted or enlisted.
Hal Newhouser went 54 and 18 in 1944 and 45, won 2 MVP's, had 2 other outstanding years and was put in the Hall of Fame with a mediocre record other than that.
I agree Mickey Vernon and Cecil Travis may have made the Hall without missing years, Vernon missed 2 years and easily 300 hits. Ironically, the 2nd most comparable player to Vernon is Enos Slaughter, who got in the HOF, I assume because of his dash to the plate in the 46 series, and being given credit apparently for 3 lost WW2 seasons, while Vernon and Travis seemingly get no credit
On another note, Willie Mays missed most of the 52 and all of the 53 season in the military. Conservatively it cost him 50 homeruns, probably more. He might have broken Ruth's record before Aaron.
|