John Kruk says the ‘Hall of Pretty Good’ is ‘better’ than Cooperstown. What is it, and why are there so many Phillies?

Last month, John Kruk was inducted into the Hall of Pretty Good, an internet-born honor that recognizes baseball’s fan favorites who weren’t cut out for Cooperstown.

Kruk’s son, Kyle, texted the news to his father, a three-time All-Star with the Phillies in the ’90s.

“I thought it was some people just farting around,” said John Kruk, who now is a broadcaster for the Phillies. “But after I read it, they got some good players in there.”

The Hall of Pretty Good features names from Phillies World Series champion Shane Victorino to longtime Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte. Among other stipulations, no Cy Young or MVP award winners are permitted entry into the hall to ensure its “pretty good” nature. Any would-be inductee needs to receive 65% of an Instagram fan vote to join the hall’s ranks.

Upon hearing this description, Kruk, who is known for his dry humor, had a lingering question.

“Do you need to be under the influence of drugs to vote on this thing?” he asked.

Quips like that, which he readily says on air, surely helped him receive 95% of over 38,500 fan votes to become the 77th member of the hall. A new generation of baseball fans has become familiar with Kruk because of his engaging personality in the booth. He wants to thank some of those fans, who voted him “pretty good,” in person.

“We need to get a Hall of a Pretty Good ceremony,” Kruk said.

What would Kruk’s ideal induction look like? Fittingly, it would not have the prestige of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which is holding its induction ceremony on Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“I wouldn’t wear a suit. That [stuff is] out,” Kruk said. “If you’re in the Hall of Pretty Good, wear whatever ... you want. Not a stuffy suit. What, in August? People don’t want to sit outside and watch it; we’d have to go inside with air conditioning, probably a middle school gymnasium.”

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The hall’s creator, Bryce Whitlow, is on board.

“It sounds like [Kruk] totally understands the gist of the account,” Whitlow said, laughing. “It’s meant to be kind of funny, but also it is to seriously honor players like him as well. They do deserve a space to be honored and remembered. I love that he doesn’t want a big museum or a mansion, just a gym. And we can just wear like a polo or a T-shirt. That’s perfect.”

Whitlow, 24, created the Hall of Pretty Good in 2024. The hall’s Instagram account currently boasts roughly 277,000 followers. Whitlow also hosts a podcast under the same name where he has interviewed past and current players.

“I’ve always been an overly sentimental type of guy,” Whitlow said, “so that trickled down to my love of baseball as well. All the players I grew up loving, they weren’t talked about anymore because they weren’t Derek Jeter or Ryan Howard or Jimmy Rollins — those types of guys. It kind of saddened me a little bit.”

Whitlow also noticed that baseball coverage has become more take-based and even toxic in recent years. He longs for a “positive, nostalgic place” to celebrate former players, so he made one. With the help of his wife, Amanda, Whitlow listed about 1,000 players who fit his “pretty good” standards. One by one, the account’s fans have voted on whether they should be in the hall.

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For Whitlow, adding Kruk was a no-brainer. The former first baseman logged 100 home runs (62 with the Phillies) and 592 RBIs (390 with the Phillies) during his 10-year career.

“Make no mistake, this guy was a borderline elite player,” Whitlow said. “It was a bit of a shorter curve, but it was amazing. People know how awesome he is in the booth, but just to see how dynamic of a player he was. The guy can hit, so it was cool to give him flowers for more of his baseball play than what he does in the booth.”

Long before the Hall of Pretty Good, Kruk’s career did get the attention of Cooperstown. In 2001, six years after his retirement, Kruk became part of a select group of players that received just one Hall of Fame vote.

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“Think of all the people that have ever played, think of all the kids that wish they could have played at that level, and how many people have never gotten one vote,” Kruk said. “But I think [the Hall of Pretty Good] is better, personally. Because I know I’m not getting in that other one. I would never get in that other one. I resigned to that fact after my second year in the big leagues. To be considered by fans means more to me.”

“I always thought making All-Star teams was neat. Back then, it was all fans [voting]. The fact that enough people thought I was deserving, I thought that was great. And this is the same thing to me, except I don’t have to play.”