Texas League elects six to Hall of Fame
Those receiving the honor were outfielder Joe Bonowitz, first baseman Henry "Zeke" Bonura, pitcher Earl Caldwell, outfielder Tyrone Horne, second baseman Carey Selph and pitcher/first baseman Frank "Pop" Weikert.
With the election of the six members of the class of 2007, there are now 68 members of the Texas League Hall of Fame, which began honoring players, managers, umpires and executives in 2004.
Listed below are the statistics of the new members and a short description of the accomplishments of each while in the Texas League.
Joe Bonowitz, Outfield
Bonowitz played six complete years in the Texas League, compiling a career batting average of .313, seventh highest in league history. He was one of the greatest defensive outfielders in league history, leading his position in fielding percentage in five consecutive seasons, center field in 1926 and left field, 1927-30. He also led center fielders in chances in 1925 and left fielders in 1929 and 1930. Bonowitz was also one of the toughest men to strike out in the league, whiffing just 154 times in 3,401 at-bats over six seasons.
Year / Team / G / AB / R / H / 2B / 3B / HR / RBI / BB / K / SB / BA
1925 / Shreveport / 148 / 571 / 83 / 141 / 26 / 6 / 21 / 93 / 25 / 50 / 12 / .247
1926 / Shreveport / 136 / 487 / 58 / 154 / 36 / 2 / 7 / 79 / 23 / 23 / 7 / .316
1927 / Fort Worth / 152 / 563 / 61 / 165 / 43 / 5 / 8 / 92 / 28 / 19 / 15 / .293
1928 / Fort Worth / 155 / 578 / 87 / 193 / 54 / 3 / 3 / 117 / 26 / 19 / 6 / .334
1929 / Fort Worth / 140 / 571 / 108 / 205 / 43 / 7 / 16 / 104 / 24 / 15 / 12 / .359
1930 / Fort Worth / 152 / 631 / 89 / 205 / 47 / 7 / 17 / 105 / 26 / 28 / 5 / .325
Henry "Zeke" Bonura, First Base
Bonura had two outstanding seasons for Dallas, hitting a combined .340 with 221 RBIs, 242 runs scored and 203 walks. Bonura was also an outstanding fielder, leading first baseman in fielding both years and in total chances in 1933.
Year / Team / G / AB / R / H / 2B / 3B / HR / RBI / BB / K / SB / BA
1932 / Dallas / 144 / 509 / 101 / 164 / 39 / 3 / 21 / 110 / 81 / 26 / 9 / .322
1933 / Dallas / 152 / 516 / 141 / 184 / 43 / 3 / 24 / 111 / 122 / 36 / 19 / .357
Earl Caldwell, Pitcher
Caldwell's Texas League career had three different segments from 1926 through 1942. A very good fielding pitcher, Caldwell became better with age, going 43-20 in his final two TL seasons at the ages of 36 and 37. A four-time 20-game winner, Caldwell led the league in complete games three times and pitched a seven-inning no hitter in 1942.
Year / Team / W / L / G / CG / SHO / IP / H / BB / K / ERA
1926 / Waco / No / Records / Available
1927 / Waco / 7-10 / 34 / 7 / 0 / 178 / 179 / 92 / 46 / 4.30
1928 / Waco / 12-14 / 35 / 17 / 6 / 219 / 258 / 80 / 71 / 4.73
1929 / Waco / 21-15 / 38 / 28 / 2 / 291 / 341 / 79 / 72 / 4.86
1930 / Wichita Falls / 15-13 / 34 / 18 / 1 / 224 / 289 / 90 / 59 / 5.06
1934 / San Antonio / 20-14 / 41 / 26 / 0 / 294 / 301 / 114 / 106 / 3.58
1935 / San Antonio / 19-15 / 32 / 21 / 2 / 270 / 232 / 85 / 66 / 2.27
1941 / Fort Worth / 22-7 / 37 / 28 / 6 / 281 / 220 / 66 / 126 / 1.57
1942 / Fort Worth / 21-13 / 42 / 29 / 7 / 305 / 267 / 84 / 120 / 2.33
Tyrone Horne, Outfielder/DH
Horne had one outstanding season in the Texas League during which he led the league in home runs and RBIs. His RBI total of 139 was the highest in the league since 1956. Horne also had one historic game in 1998, hitting a home run cycle in a July contest at San Antonio. It was the first time a batter had accomplished the feat of hitting a solo, two-run, three-run and grand slam homer in the same game in professional baseball history. For his accomplishments during the 1998 season, Horne was selected the Texas League Player of the Year.
Year / Team / G / AB / R / H / 2B / 3B / HR / RBI / BB / K / SB / BA
1998 / Arkansas / 123 / 443 / 94 / 138 / 13 / 3 / 37 / 139 / 70 / 97 / 18 / .312
Carey Selph, Second Base
Selph hit over .300 in all five seasons he spent in the league. His career average of .322 is the second highest in league history. He was also tough to strike out, going down on strikes just 137 times in 3,184 TL at-bats. Selph was also one of the outstanding second baseman in loop history, leading the league in a number of fielding categories annually. He returned to manage Houston for two seasons, leading them to first place in 1933.
Year / Team / G / AB / R / H / 2B / 3B / HR / RBI / BB / K / SB / BA / W-L
1928 / Houston / 153 / 635 / 108 / 198 / 33 / 9 / 6 / 61 / 30 / 46 / 11 / .312 / ?
1930 / Houston / 152 / 584 / 97 / 200 / 39 / 4 / 6 / 97 / 25 / 21 / 12 / .342 / ?
1931 / Houston / 156 / 608 / 116 / 196 / 36 / 10 / 3 / 88 / 42 / 28 / 28 / .322 / ?
1933 / Houston / 149 / 594 / 104 / 184 / 40 / 7 / 6 / 60 / 55 / 29 / 8 / .310 / 94-67
1934 / Houston / 126 / 473 / 67 / 153 / 31 / 2 / 2 / 67 / 28 / 13 / 5 / .323 / 76-78
Frank "Pop" Weikert, Pitcher/First Base
Weikert was one of the most accomplished and popular players during the early decades of the league. He was an active player in the loop over the first 20 years of its existence from 1888 through 1908. Weikert was outstanding at the plate, in the field and the mound, going 27-11 for Houston in 1889, then hitting .380 and .385 for Austin in 1896 and 1897. A slick fielding first baseman, Weikert capped his TL career as the player/manager at Galveston in 1907 and 1908, leading the loop in home runs in '07.
Year / Team / G / AB / R / H / 2B / 3B / HR / BB / K / SB / BA / W-L
1888 / Hou-SA-Austin / 73 / 269 / 30 / 60 / 5 / 3 / 1 / ? / ? / 15 / .223 / ?
1889 / Houston / 69 / 227 / ? / 58 / ? / ? /.? / ? / ? / 19 / .256 / ?
1890 / Houston / 15 / 63 / 15 / 13 / 2 / 2 / 0 /? / ? / 4 / .206 / ?
1895 / Austin / 25 / 95 / 15 / 30 / 4 / 2 / 0 /? / ? / 2 / .316 / ?
1896 / Austin / 129 / 510 / 117 / 194 / 40 / 21 / 17 /? / ? / 26 / .380 / ?
1897 / Austin / 104 / 400 / 87 / 154 / ? / ? /.? / ? / ? / 13 / .385 / 53-54
1899 / Houston / 30 / 110 / 24 / 35 / 6 / 2 / 4 / ? / ? / 0 / .318 / ?
1907 / Galveston / 108 / 387 / 48 / 94 / 7 / 1 / 17 / ? / ? / 10 / .246 / 59-81
1908 / Galveston / 84 / 286 / 34 / 70 / 12 / 5 / 9 / ? / ? / 36 / .245 / 59-86
Year / Team / W-L / G / CG / SHO / IP / H / BB / K / ERA
1888 / SA-Austin / 2-1 / 3 / 3 / 1 / 27 / 21 / 4 / 17 / 0.33
1888 / Houston / 2-3 / 5 / 5 / 0 / 43 / 43 / 11 / 28 / 2.51
1889 / Houston / 27-11 / 38 / ? / ? / 343 / ? / 47 / 58 / 2.18
1890 / Houston / 4-4 / 8 / 6 / 0 / 62 / 75 / 12 / 4 / 4.65