This May the JAL will induct it's first ever class to the Hall of Fame. For those unaware of how the Hall of Fame works, visit the Hall of Fame page right here on the JAL website (under the History tab above). If you want even more info than what's on that page visit the league's rulebook (under the About tab) and go to Statistic Rules.
Already we know who the automatic inductees will be, because well, it's automatic....
Each year 1 honorary inductee can potentially also be added to the hall if they do not meet the automatic qualifications. This person must also be retired, so there aren't exactly a lot of "honorary" options out there. Darren Ayoub, Jacob Rahn and Tierney Uhlenkott are really the only potentials, but the league has already come out and said their chances to be selected are "unlikely" at this time.
Nothing is official yet, but the JAL is planning to do some sort of special Hall of Fame induction video in May, in which the members will be officially inshrined. Below is a look at the automatic qualifiers to the JAL Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Players
(10 points needed for auto induction)
Brock Johnson
5X Champion
2X MVP
8X All-Star
5X Pitching Crown
1X Batting Crown
2X Fielding Crown
HOF point total: 23
Brock Johnson will go in with "Cobras" (not the San Francisco Cobras as they are currently called, or Vancouver Cobras as they were once called, just the Cobras, which is what they were called JAL 4-8). He played JAL 1-9, 4-8 of which was with the Cobras. Though Brock is not on a team anymore, he hopes to play in the JAL again someday in the future.
Kyle Godinho
3X Champion
2X MVP
4X All-Star
1X Pitching Crown
2X WWDC Cup MVP
HOF point total: 12
Kyle Godinho will go in with the Missouri Express. He has played for them since his rookie season in JAL 12 and is still going strong. He is considered arguably the best player in the game presently. Will he ever pass Brock's 23 HOF point total? It's certainly possible...
Ty Johnson
3X Champion
2X MVP
9X All-Star
3X Pitching Crown
3X Batting Crown
3X Fielding Crown
HOF point total: 23
Ty Johnson will go in with the Castle Rock Rapids. Ty has played in the JAL since JAL 1 and has 11 career seasons to his name. Though not all of them have been with the Rapids franchise, 6 have, and they've been the most memorable of his career. Ty is still an all-star level player in the game today, so his 23 total points have a good chance of rising more. Could he hit 30 when it's all said and done?
Jordan Halverson
1X Champion
1X MVP
6X All-Star
2X Pitching Crown
1X Fielding Crown
HOF point total: 11
Jordan Halverson will go into the hall with the Toutle Lynx. He made his league debut with them in JAL 9 and stayed with them for 5 seasons. Halverson is currently a member of the Rapids now where he has spent the last 2 seasons.
Cale Johnson
4X Champion
4X MVP
11X All-Star
1X Pitching Crown
3X Batting Crown
HOF point total: 23
Like Brock, Cale will go in with simply the "Cobras." Cale has played in the league since JAL 1 and (during the franchise era) has only ever played for the Cobras franchise. He is the only player that has played in ever single JAL season.
Management
(3 points needed for auto induction)
Garrett Blain
3X Champion
1X Outstanding Owner
HOF point total: 4
Garrett Blain will go in with the Missouri Express. As the owner of the franchise, Blain has already won 3 championships in just 4 seasons of existence.
Brock Johnson
3X Champion
HOF point total: 3
Brock Johnson will not only make it into the hall as a player, but as a manager as well. He will go in with the "Cobras." In his 5 seasons as the team's owner (JAL 4-8), Brock won 3 titles.
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