Rick Ferrell made his family proud. A big leaguer for 18 years, he reached the pinnacle of his profession when he was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Though Rick is better remembered today, his brother Wes was a more-productive player.
At the plate, Rick hit .281 for his career with 28 homers, and a .363 slugging percentage. Wes was just a tick below his brother in batting average at .280 but hit 39% more homers. Wes’ slugging percentage (.446) was 83 points higher.
And there’s this: Wes won 193 games as a pitcher.
Comparing the siblings using WAR, the contrast becomes more apparent. Cooperstown’s Rick has a 30.8 mark while Wes almost doubles it with 60.1.
This autograph above is from the Heilbroner Baseball Bureau. The statistical service was founded by the manager of the 1900 Cardinals, Louis Heilbroner.
The Bureau was the first commercial statistical bureau dedicated entirely to baseball and was founded in 1909. On the left side of the card Wes has noted his age as 19. That dates the piece to 1927.