Roger Connor Marquee Hall of Fame 1976

He was a first baseman who batted from both sides, 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds, which made him one of the biggest men in the game in the 1880s. He hit .316 over eighteen seasons with 2,467 hits, 1,620 runs, and 1,323 runs batted in, and led the National League in runs batted in with 130 in 1889.

Troy folded after 1882 and he moved to New York, where most of his career was spent. He played 1890 in the Players' League, the season the players ran a league of their own, gave 1892 to Philadelphia, and finished with four years in St. Louis. He also led his league in hits once, in doubles once, and in triples twice.

Those 138 home runs were more than anyone had hit when he stopped playing in 1897, and nobody passed the total until Ruth in 1921. Connor died in 1931 in Waterbury, Connecticut, the city he was born in, and the Hall of Fame did not elect him until 1976, forty-five years later.