Simpson up for Hall's Spink Award to be announced on Tuesday

Baseball America founder Allan Simpson (Kelowna, B.C.) is one of three finalists for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award. The winner will be announced on Tuesday.

December 6, 2020

From Official National Baseball Hall of Fame Around the Horn Newsletter

In September, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced its three finalists for the 2021 J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

The finalists are: Former Newsday beat writer and columnist Marty Noble; former Kansas City Star beat writer and columnist Dick Kaegel; and Allan Simpson, founder of Baseball America, who was born in Kelowna, B.C.

The winner of the 2021 J.G. Taylor Spink Award will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The J.G. Taylor Spink Award Committee met in July to select the three candidates for the 2021 ballot.

Here is more information about the three finalists:

From the Kansas City Chapter: Dick Kaegel, former Sporting News editor and beat reporter covering the Cardinals and the Royals in a 53-year career.

From the New York Chapter: the late Marty Noble, career beat writer, primarily with the Mets, and longtime editor of Scorebook, the official publication of the BBWAA’s New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner.

From the Colorado Chapter: Allan Simpson (Kelowna, B.C.), former minor-league executive who founded Baseball America, an influential publication devoted to player development and scouting.

Ballots were distributed by mail to 10-year members of the BBWAA in November.

The winner will be honoured July 24, 2021 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., as part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Induction Weekend July 23-26, 2021, along with the late Nick Cafardo, the 2020 recipient.

From the National Baseball Hall of Fame website:

The J.G. Taylor Spink Award, named after the late editor of the Sporting News, has been voted upon annually since 1962 when Spink himself was the recipient of the inaugural honour.

The award honours a baseball writer (or writers) "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing."

Winners of the Frick and Spink Awards are featured in the Museum’s “Scribes and Mikemen” exhibit, located on the first floor as part of the Library and Education Center of the Hall of Fame. Text of the award given to the current year’s award winner and headshots of past award winners are featured in the exhibit, which outlines the media contributions to the game’s history.