So, while Mike Green's current Hall Watch muses on Jim Edmonds' Cooperstown chances, reflect for a moment that he's not even the starting CF on the All-James Hall of Names team. Of course, it took a very "Cool" customer to keep that from happening.
There have been 17 players in MLB history who had "James" as a last name. These men are not included as part of the "James Gang," as none ever came close to making an All-Star team, or deserving to before there was one in existence. In fact, there have been hundreds of men named "James" (or Jim or Jimmy or Jimmie, but not including Jamies or Jameys) to play in the major leagues.
So even if we limit ourselves to those who have actually made an All-Star team (or the rare case where we determine he probably would have made the team, but his career completely preceded 1933), for the first time, we are going to make a good run at actually building two complete teams for one Hall of Names category.
Note: there are so damn many James, and the BBRef return on the name mixes in a whole bunch of Johns (and even Ty Cobb!) for some reason, so some guys are probably missing -- especially of the "might have been an All-Star, but played too early" ilk. So fire away!
* Former All-Star
** Hall of Famer
# Likely All-Star had there been such a thing
FIRST TEAM: Jimmy Eat World
MGR: Jim Leyland
C Jim Sundberg*
1B Jim Thome*
2B Jim Gilliam* (All-Star in Brooklyn and LA)
SS Jim Fregosi* (also 1028 wins as a manager)
3B Jimmy Collins**
LF Jim Rice*
CF James "Cool Papa" Bell**
RF Jimmy Wynn*
DH Jim Gentile* (three-time All-Star 1B with BAL in early '60s)
UTIL Jim O'Rourke** (23 years, .311, 2643 hits)
RHSP James "Pud" Galvin** (364-310)
LHSP Jim Kaat* (283-237)
RHSP Jim Palmer** (268-152)
LHSP Jimmy Key* (186-117)
CL Jim Konstanty* (66-48, 74 saves)
LHRP Jim Brewer* (132 saves)
RHRP Jim Turner (69-60, 20 saves)
LONG Jim Perry* (215-174)
SECOND TEAM: Jimmy Crack Corn
MGR: Jimmie Dykes (Player/Manager)
C Jim Hegan (five-time All-Star, Rick Dempsey-type)
1B Jim Bottomley** ('28 NL MVP)
2B Jim Lefebvre* (.274/24/74 for '66 LAD NL Champs)
SS Jimmy Rollins*
3B Jim Davenport* (All-Star for '62 pennant-winning SFG)
LF Jim Busby* (All-star at 24 in '51, Billy Hatcher-type career)
CF Jim Edmonds*
RF Jim Lemon* (97 homers for '58-'60 WSH)
DH Jim Hickman* (part of '69-'70 CHC also-rans)
UTIL Jimmie Dykes* (2356 hits, played 3B/2B/1B/SS)
RHSP Jim Bunning** (224-184)
LHSP Jim O'Toole* (98-84)
RHSP James Rodney "J.R." Richard (107-71)
LHSP Jim Merritt* (20-12 for '70 Reds)
CL Jim Kern* (53-57, 88 saves)
LHRP Jim Morris (never an All-Star, but had a freaking movie made about him!)
RHRP Jim Bouton* (62-63)
LONG Jim McCormick# (265-214)
Not Making the Cut:
2B/SS/3B Jimmy Brown* (wartime All-Star in final season with STL '42)
3B/2B Jim Finigan* (All-Star as rookie with '54 PHA; out of MLB in five years)
3B/OF/DH Jim Ray Hart* (30-homer guy for SFG of '60s)
OF Jim Landis* (CF for Go-Go Sox)
OF Jimmy Piersall* (like Morris, subject of bio-pic)
3B Jim Presley* (135 homers, out of baseball at 29)
1B Jim Spencer* (146 homers)
RHSP Jim Bagby Sr.# (127-88)
RHSP Jim Bagby Jr.* (97-96)
RHSP James Baldwin* (79-72)
RHSP Jim Slaton* (151-158)
RHSP Jim Bibby* (111-101)
RHSP Jim Tobin* (105-112)
RHSP Jim Clancy * (140-167)
RHRP Jim Coates* (43-22, 15 saves)
RHSP John Denny (never an All-Star, but won '83 NL Cy Young)
RHSP Jim Lonborg* (157-137)
RHSP Jim Maloney* (134-84)
RHSP Jim McGlothlin* (67-77)
RHSP Jim Colborn* (83-88)
RHSP Jim Hearn* (109-89)
RHSP Jim Wilson* (86-89; nondescript All-Star, 1956-59)
Who else?
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