Bill James makes a good case for the Valley's Dwight Evans

Dwight Evans is a retired outfielder who played his Pony League and Colt League ball in Northridge, attended Granada Hills and Chatsworth high schools, then spent 20 seasons in a big league lineup, mostly with the Boston Red Sox. Bill James, the godfather of baseball statistical analysis, says in an open letter to the sport's hall of fame that Evans deserves induction, which would enshrine him alongside other San Fernando Valley-spawned stars such as Don Drysdale and Robin Yount. "Let us start with the proposition that Dwight Evans is one of the most underrated players in baseball history," James writes at Grantland.com.

Nice note: On April 7, 1986, Evans set a major league record by hitting the first pitch of the baseball season for a home run. The previous record was the second pitch.