VBL4 Hall of Fame

Steve Carlton
Pitcher
St. Louis Scorpions
Retired in 1983
Inducted in 1985

Steve "Lefty" Carlton had a short but dominant career in VBL4 and played every season with the St. Louis franchise. He lead them to the playoffs in VBL4's inaugural 1980 season, posting a 17-6 record (5th in the RL in wins.) He lead the league in IP (253.2), WHIP (1.01), ERA (2.66), K's (208), and SHO (3). He was also 2nd in the league with 7 CG. (His 1980 SO and ERA totals still stand as St. Louis franchise records as of 1984.) Carlton won the Cy Young Award in 1980 for his efforts, but he struggled in the postseason, going 0-2 with a 12.96 ERA with only 2 K and 8 BB in 8.1 innings of work. Carlton came back strong in 1981, winning 16 games that season. His 2.70 ERA was good enough for 2nd in the Ruth League, his career high 8 CG was 2nd in the league, and his WHIP was an impressive 1.13 (3rd). He lead the league in strikeouts once again (188) and was second in SHO (3). He also threw a No-Hitter against North Shore that season. His team failed to make the postseason, but Carlton would get another shot at it in 1982. Lefty was on his way to another strong season, but a ruptured bicep tendon caused him to miss four weeks. He still won 12 games and posted a 3.84 ERA; he also kept his WHIP at 1.28 (5th) and still managed to finish 9th in K's with 129. Carlton's squad made the postseason in 1982, but he only got one start, posting a 4.50 ERA in a loss. By 1983, age and injuries began to show their effect on Carlton. He still went 12-13 (career high in losses) with a career high ERA of 4.73. He tossed three shutouts, showing flashes of his earlier days, good enough for 2nd in the league, and his 6 CG were 2nd in the league. On good days he still baffled RL hitters on his way to 146 K's (10th). In addition to his 1980 Cy Young award, Carlton was named to the All-Star team two times and was named Pitcher of the Month two times (once in 1980 and once in 1981). As of the end of 1984, his 671 career K's is 14th on the all-time list. He is tied for 9th all time with 22 CG, and his 12 SHO ties him for 2nd all time. He retired after the 1983 season.

Career #s: 126 G, 126 GS, 57-36, 3.40 ERA, 878 IP, 317 BB, 671 K, 22 CG, 10 SHO, 1.21 WHIP

Al Oliver
Outfield
Oklahoma Shamans
Retired in 1985
Inducted in 1986

Not everyone can leave playing at a high level, but Al Oliver did. Oliver was a steal as the 98th overall pick by Oklahoma in the initial 1980 draft. Oliver hit .344 (3rd in the league) with 18 HR and 115 RBI (7th) that season and earned a spot on the AL All Star team. Other impressive stats from that season included: .523 SLG (9th), .904 OPS (7th), 216 H (4th), 44 doubles (4th), and 7 triples (9th). Oklahoma just missed the postseason that year, but every other year of Oliver's career would include a trip to the postseason. In 1981, Oliver hit .331 to once again finish 3rd in the league in batting average. He hit 13 HR and drove in 111 runs (7th). His 223 hits lead the league; he also stroked 35 doubles (10th) and 8 triples (7th). Oliver was selected to his second consecutive All-Star game. He was also rewarded a 2-year contract extension netting him a total of 30 million dollars. Oklahoma made a short playoff run (3 games and out) in 1981, but it wasn't Oliver's fault; he hit .455 in 11 AB and drove in 3 runs. In 1982, Oliver missed 30 games with an injury, but he still put up great numbers, leading the league in batting with an average of .354. His OBP of .407 was 9th in the league, and even though he missed 30 games he still managed to hit 44 doubles (6th) and put together a 22-game hitting streak. Oklahoma's postseason was short-lived again (4 games), but Oliver hit .333 in the 18 AB he had. 1983, though, was Oliver's banner year. He was named Aaron League Most Valuable Player that season, and, more importantly, he was an integral part of Oklahoma's World Series championship year. Oliver played in every regular and postseason game that season, hitting .355 (1st) with 27 HR and 140 RBI (5th), all of which would be career highs. Oliver's SLG was .558 (7th) and his OPS was .954 (7th). He lead the league in hits for the second consecutive season with 252, 49 of which were doubles (5th). For the first time, he cracked the runs scored leaderboard with 137 (4th). He was selected to the 1983 All Star game, and in the postseason Oliver was a force, hitting .345 with 5 HR and 13 RBI while posting an OBP of .410. This was Oliver's finest season, but he still performed at a high level in his final two years despite his age and a hip injury in 1984. Oliver would miss 30 games again in 1984, but he still hit .322 with 43 doubles (6th), 7 triples, 13 HR, and 108 RBI. Oliver once again made the All Star team in 1984. His age and declining skills limited him to 111 games in his final season, but he still hit a respectable .266. Oliver called it quits for good after the 1985 season. He won 6 Player of the Week awards and 1 Batter of the Month award in addition to his 4 All-Star Game selections over his career. Oliver holds team single season records for AB and Hits. As of 1986, his 252 hits in 1983 is an Aaron League single season record; his .334 batting average makes him 4th all time; and he is currently 13th on the all time hit list with 1173, 11th in career doubles with 229, and 25th in triples with 34. His career postseason numbers were .298 with 6 HR and 21 RBI.

Career #s - 857 G, 3509 AB, 1173 H, 229 2B, 34 3B, 87 HR, 596 RBI, 581 R, 250 BB, 257 K, 2 SB, .334 AVG, .378 OBP, .493 SLG