Season 108 Franchise Ball Hall of Fame Class!

The Hall of Fame Committee has reviewed the eligible players on the ballot for this season, and we are proud to present the Franchise Ball Hall of Fame Class of Season 108! This includes five players, and a rare unanimous selection!

Deshawn Bennett, Catcher - Yonkers Renegades - 92-107

Deshawn Bennett is elected in his first year of eligibility after a career with the Yonkers Renegades, having precisely met the minimum threshold for inclusion. Bennett is a man who did unremarkable things across his career, but did them remarkably well. He eclipsed the 200 mark in career stolen bases but didn't get there in home runs, never was a first-team All-Star and never had more than 25 homers or 35 stolen bases in a single season during his career.

BUT - in 11 seasons as a start he hit over .300 in 10 of them. He recorded two 100-hit seasons in '97 and '98, the latter of which was a World Series Championship season for him. A lifetime .336 hitter, the only real shame is that Renegades management benched him just 4 hits shy of the elusive 1k club - although he got to that tally of 996 knocks in fewer than 3,000 plate appearances. A contact-hitter's hitter, a leader, a world champion, and now, a Hall of Famer.



Vincent Coble, First Base - Jersey City Sparky; Kansas City Flying Squirrels; Fort Worth Dogsniper; Long Beach Powerslaves - 87-106

A 20-year career is the hallmark of a good player. Being a starter for 75% of that career is the hallmark of a great one. A career .320 hitter, there's no doubting Vincent Coble's credentials as either, and he fully merits his 80-percent selection for the Hall in his second year of eligibility. He heads to posterity with more than 200 home runs and 650 RBI, and his career tally of 1163 hits ranks him third on our list of selectees this year.

An average slugger in his early and twilight years, his glory days were during his eight years with the Kansas City Flying Squirrels. During this time in his mid- to late-20s and early 30s. Over seven seasons, hit hit over .300 every year, hitting as high as .388 and managing three successive 100-hit seasons from '96 to '98, showcasing his gap power with 72 doubles and 72 homers in that three-season window. While never chosen as an All-Star, his talents at first base prove him to be a man after Gehrig's own heart, and he joins the legends of the game in the Hall.


Jaron Granados, First Base - Bases; Toronto Blue Jays; St. Johns Deadly Sins - 88-106

A man known for his time in Newfoundland, Jaron Granados is the victim of only one Deadly Sin - and that's the fact that he played his entire illustrious career without taking home a World Series Ring (as a player at least, he snagged one last season in a coaching role with the perennial contenders).

Granados burst on the scene in the late '80s with a nowhere team in Bases, but in his one season as a starter he showed potential enough for the Toronto Blue Jays to pounce on his contract. In 3 seasons in Toronto he was starter for two of them, turning heads with high-.200s hitting and decent power stats. In the Season 92 offseason, the Deadly Sins jumped in to sign him, and the rest is history: 11 consecutive .300+ seasons, 304 career homers, 787 RBI, an incredible 1253 career hits. Granados will go down as one of the best players never to be selected as an All-Star, and while he never wore that uniform, he certainly earned his place in the Hall for his exploits in the uniform of the Deadly Sins.


Brendan Dent, Third Base - Newark Leaders; San Diego Giants - 88-107

A rare unanimous selection, Brendan Dent had few naysayers during his 20-year career, and certainly none on the HoF Committee. His career numbers speak for themselves: 1417 hits, 808 RBI, 300+ on both homers and stolen bases, 627 career extra-base hits. He's the consummate all-rounder: average, power, speed and longevity.

After a rookie season in Newark in '88, he was offered a deal he couldn't refuse and packed up his bags for San Diego. That move paid off as he was a starter in the Giants' World Series Championship season in '89, going 5-for-12 in the World Series with a pair of RBI, including the run that put the final nail in the coffin in the decisive game 3.

A pair of 100-hit seasons, 10 seasons above the .300 mark, and it's clear to see why every voting member of the committee cast their vote in favor. He takes his place in history. Hot corner phenom, world champion, all-rounder: Brendan Dent.


Chayo Toro, Third Base - San Diego Bombers - 92-107

Like his classmate Bennett, Toro spent his entire career with a World Champion team. What sets Toro apart from the rest of this class is that he's the only man here to win the coveted ring twice, in consecutive seasons no less, in 100 and 101.

Picked up by the Bombers in '92, a season after the Bombers wrapped up back-to-back championships, Toro made his debut in '93 after a year in AAA. Much with the story of Bennett, Toro was an exceptional contact hitter, averaging .335 over the course of his career. But where Bennett lacked pop but had speed, Toro carried no pace but could knock the stuffing out of the ball. And he did just that, 237 times to be exact. Couple that with his 1018 career hits and lifetime .643 slugging percentage, and he certainly earned his place in the Bombers' devastating lineup.

If World Series performances are where legends stand out, then Season 100 was Toro's Magnum Opus. In a 3-game sweep of Granados and the Deadly Sins, he went 6-for-13 with 7 RBI on the strength of four homers - three in game three alone. His playoff form in Season 101 was below his usual standard and his appearances in the World Series were as defensive subs, but he more than earned his two rings, and indeed his rightful spot in the Franchise Ball Hall of Fame.

Elsewhere on the ballot, Bembe Mejia and Javon Kimball remain eligible for next season's vote. So too do Xzavier Rudolph, Kendrick Burden, Eric Valera and Ginessa Negron. No yeets this season!