Paul Hines
| Birthdate | 3/1/1855 |
| Death Date | 7/10/1935 |
| Debut Year | 1872 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Beaneaters, Blue Legs, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Pirates, Providence Grays, Washington Statesmen, White Stockings |
| Positions | Center Field, First Base, Second Base |
The average Hall of Famer scores 27 & 144 on the Black and Gray-Ink tests respectively; the major’s first Triple Crown winner, Paul Hines comes in at 30 & 186.
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The Black Ink and Gray Ink tests say Paul Hines has a solid case for Cooperstown
The Black Ink and Gray Ink tests say Paul Hines has a solid case for Cooperstown
A forgotten star of the 19th-century, Paul Hines has both the statistics and narrative for Cooperstown.
On BaseballReference.com, league-leading numbers are shown on a player’s statistical page with bold blank ink. According to the site, “the Black Ink Test is a measure of how often a player has led the league in ‘important’ statistical categories… It may serve as a tool to evaluate how a player compares to Hall of Famers, as the average batting score [for Cooperstown men] is around 27…”
Hines scores 30 on the Black Ink Test, three points higher than the average inductee. He led his league in hits, homers, and RBI once each, batting average and total bases twice each, and doubles three times.
The Gray Ink Test also helps identify Cooperstown-worthy players. Baseball Reference says, “…the Gray Ink Test is a measure of how often a player been among the top ten league leaders in ‘important’ statistical categories…the average batting score of Hall-inducted players is around 144…”
Hines’ score of 186 is considerably above the score of the average Cooperstown man.
For the first five years of the National League’s existence, Hines was among its brightest stars. From 1876-1880 he had the most hits and doubles in baseball. Only Hall of Famer Jim O’Rourke scored more runs. During the half-decade of dominance, Hines tallied more RBI than everyone but Cap Anson. Paul Hines was that good.
Because of the abbreviated schedule of his day, Hines did not play in as many games as one would expect for a 20-year veteran. During his two decades in the big leagues he appeared in an average of 82.9 contests per season. That’s a just touch more than half of today’s 162-game schedule.
Despite this, he still finished with 2,133 lifetime hits and 1,217 runs scored. When his career hit total is neutralized and converted to 162-game seasons, it extrapolates to 3,300 career hits.
As for his narrative, Hines was the majors’ first Triple Crown winner in 1878. In addition to league-leading numbers in batting average, homers, and RBI, Hines topped the Senior Circuit slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases. That season he played in all 62 of his team’s contests.
The following year Hines repeated as batting champion, becoming the first to wear the crown in consecutive seasons. The centerfielder was also credited with big league baseball’s first unassisted triple play.
When Hines retired, only O’Rourke and Anson had more hits. Hines’ 16 years in center field remained the gold standard until 34 years after his retirement when Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb began their 17th campaign in center.
A .302 career hitter, Hines finished with 1,217 runs and 399 doubles. The fact is Paul Hines was a star. Many feel the Veterans Committee owes him another look.
Shown here is a scorecard filled out by Hines’ manager Harry Wright. The contest took place on June 5, 1883. Hall of Famer Wright penciled Hines in at the leadoff spot. Playing in center that day, Hines went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Hitting in the fifth spot in the lineup is Old Hoss Radbourn who played left field. The future Hall of Fame pitcher tallied two hits of his own.
Researchers unearthed statistical evidence that proves Hines earned the 1878 batting crown
Researchers unearthed statistical evidence that proves Hines earned the 1878 batting crown
When the 1878 season concluded, first-year player Abner Dalrymple was crowned the batting champion of the National League. A quick glance of BaseballReference.com shows Dalrymple’s mark at .354.
However, the custom of the day did not count statistics in tie games toward players’ year-end totals. Decades later, baseball researchers found one tie game played by Dalrymple’s 1878 Milwaukee squad. They also found that Paul Hines, the runner-up in the batting race, played in two tied contests with the Providence Grays.
When the statistics from the three games were added, Hines’ batting average came in at .358, four points higher than Dalrymple’s.
On a player’s statistical page, BaseballReference lists league-leading totals in bold black ink. Interestingly, each man’s 1878 batting average is printed thusly.
In the collection is another scorecard filled out by Hall of Famer Harry Wright showing the National League champion Chicago White Stockings. In the game played on June 22, 1881, Chicago had a star-studded lineup.
The leadoff man was Dalrymple. Hall of Famers King Kelly and Cap Anson hit in the three and four spots, respectively. Behind the Cooperstown men hitting in the five-hole is Ned Williamson who held the single-season home run record from 1884-1919. On the hill for Chicago is Fred Goldsmith, the self-proclaimed inventor of the curveball.
Hines won MLB's 1st Triple Crown in 1878; Tommy Bond captured the pitchers' equivalent in 1877
Hines won MLB's 1st Triple Crown in 1878; Tommy Bond captured the pitchers' equivalent in 1877
Paul Hines was the first hitter to lead a major league in batting average, homers, and RBI in the same season. The Triple Crown campaign came in 1878 for the Providence Grays. That year Hines also led the National League in slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases.
The season before Hines’ batting dominance, the Senior Circuit saw its first pitching Triple Crown. Tommy Bond of the Boston Red Stockings captured the achievement with 40 wins, a 2.11 ERA, and 170 strikeouts.
In ten big seasons at the game’s highest level, Bond won 234 games and posted a 2.14 ERA – the 10th-lowest mark all time. Despite his gaudy numbers Bond, like Hines, remains outside of Cooperstown.
In the collection is Tommy Bond’s sterling silver lifetime pass to all big league games. CooperstownExpert.com is home to perhaps the largest private collection of lifetime passes. More can be seen by clicking here.
