The National Baseball Hall of Fame holds some of the biggest names in sports history. Since 1936, 333 baseball players, managers and more have found their way into Cooperstown. Now it would take forever to name them all so I will include a few big legendary names from guys like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays to Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr. and Mariano Rivera. There are so many icons in the National Baseball Hall of Fame that we sometimes forget that not every great ball player gets voted in. In order to be elected into Cooperstown you need to reach 75% of the vote. These players only get 10 years in the ballot (as of 2015) and if they don’t reach the 75% vote then they become ineligible for the Hall of Fame. The same can be said for players who don’t even reach the 5% vote mark as if you get below 5% of the vote in the ballot then you are ineligible to be in future ballots. For this week’s Top 10 list I thought I would dive back into the MLB and talk about 10 baseball players who never got voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now to be on this list they need to be defiantly ineligible on the Hall of Fame. Also I will not be including names that are still on the ballot as they still have a chance to make it in. Also I will not be including players that sadly were not allowed in the ballot because of certain reasons. I’m talking to you Pete Rose as yes you deserve to be in the Hall for sure and would be number one on this list but this list is more for players who I believe should had been Hall of Famers. This list will be based off of my opinion so comment below what former baseball players deserve to be on this list and in the Hall of Fame. Alright let’s get right into this countdown of the Top 10 MLB Players Who Should Had Been in the Hall of Fame.
Top 10 MLB Players Who Should Had Been in the Hall of Fame
10. Paul Konerko – The former captain for the Chicago White Sox, Paul Konerko, spent 18 years in the MLB in which he provided some pretty decent numbers that you would expect to get him into the Hall of Fame. Konerko was a very underrated First Basemen as he might have been known as one of the best during his time playing, he was still in the shadows of more profiled names like Albert Pujols. Konerko was voted into 6 All-Star teams and had multiple seasons in which he finished in the Top 15 for MVP voting. Konerko was a leader for the White Sox and helped the team win the World Series back in 2005. In that same year he won ALCS MVP and was 6th in AL MVP voting. Konerko had a clutch bat and always got the big hits when his team needed it. Konerko finished his career with a .279 career batting average, 439 career homeruns, over 2,300 career hits, a .354 career on base percentage and shockingly in his 1st and only year in the ballot in 2020, Konerko only got 2.5 % of the vote. It’s a big shock to me because Konerko was a pretty well known name in the 2000’s – the early 2010’s. Not just that but he continuously played pretty well and barely got injured in his career. Now a big reason why he might of not got more votes is probably because he has a low career WAR (Wins Against Replacement) as his career WAR was only 28.1, which for being a position player is pretty low. But if you take that only fact away then Konerko is defiantly a Hall of Famer, at least to my eyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egD3xryOIOQ
9. Kenny Lofton - Kenny Lofton is a pretty well known name in the baseball world. He was one of the biggest names in the 90’s and he was one of the best athletes in the sport. Lofton spent 17 years in the MLB in which he played for eleven teams. He mostly known for playing with the Cleveland Indians but he also had spent times with the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers, just to name a few. Lofton was a 6 time All-Star who led the AL in stolen bases 5 straight times from (1992 – 1996). He also had such a phenomenal glove in centerfield as he won 4 Gold Gloves in his career. Lofton ended his career with over 2,400 career hits, a career batting average of .299, 622 career stolen bases, a .372 career on base percentage and a 68.4 WAR. These numbers should have been Hall of Fame numbers but sadly Lofton never made it past his 1st year in the ballot. In the 2013 ballot, Lofton only received 3.2% of the vote, making him ineligible to be in later ballots, terminating his chances to making it into the Hall of Fame. It’s a shame that one of the best base stealers and clutch gloves couldn’t even make it into the Hall of Fame as he had such great career numbers and while his 2nd half of his career isn’t as memorable, he still put up some decent numbers leading up to his final years. It’s a head scratcher to me why he didn’t make it in and he’s probably one of the few players that many fans agree should be a Hall of Famer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3i8EKeqRg
8. Roy Oswalt – If there was any starting pitcher I thought should had made it into the Hall of Fame, Roy Oswalt is one of the few that comes to mind. He was one of the most dominating pitchers of the 2000’s and shockingly never won a major award in his career. He made his debut in 2001 and put on a great rookie year and came in 2nd place in Rookie of the Year voting for the National League. Had Albert Pujols not make his debut that same year then Oswalt would have won the award for sure. He also never won the Cy Young in his career but placed Top 10 in Cy Young voting 6 times. He also only played for 13 years and retired at the age of 35. His last couple of years in the MLB were terrible and he wasn’t the same dominating pitcher he was in the 2000’s, but while he didn’t have the greatest numbers, I still believe he should had been voted into the Hall of Fame. Oswalt only got 0.9 % of the vote in his first and only year in the ballot in 2019 and I’m pretty shocked and confused about why he barely got any votes. Oswalt had 163 career Wins, over 1,850 career strikeouts, a 3.36 career ERA, a 50.0 career WAR and yet somehow managed to get only 4 votes in the Hall of Fame Ballot. Oswalt was the Ace for the Astros during his tenure with the team and he was one of the best pitchers on the mound in the 2000’s. Is he underappreciated during that decade, hell yes he was. Guys like Pedro Martinez, Roy Halladay and Johan Santana were putting on huge seasons on the mound; meanwhile Oswalt was demolishing the competition and helped lead the Astros to the 2005 World Series. If Oswalt continued to stay dominate after leaving Houston then maybe we would have seen his name in Cooperstown. Oh well, the man has a Gold Medal from the Olympics so I guess that makes up for it right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQXTqLjOiW8
7. Jim Edmonds – Edmonds is another shocking name that comes to mind that didn’t make the Hall of Fame. Jim Edmonds was simply put a human highlight reel as he was probably one of the greatest defensive outfielders during his 17 year career. Edmonds won 8 Gold Gloves in his career and while he was mostly known for his glove, Edmonds had such a big power bat. Edmonds had 393 career homeruns and in 14 of his 17 seasons he played Edmonds hit double digit homeruns. He also had a .376 career on base percentage, a .527 career slugging percentage and a .903 career OPS. So he had a very terrific bat, a hell of a glove and was such a big piece to have in your lineup since he knew how to get himself on base. So why in the hell did Edmonds only get 2.5% of the vote in the 2016 ballot? Jim Edmonds final few seasons weren’t as amazing but he still came up clutch in some big key situations. The man was simply put a defensive phenomenon that could run circles around the present centerfielders today. Edmonds deserves better to be honest as he was one of the best centerfielders in two different decades (despite his decline in the mid 2000’s). If you are a huge baseball fan reading this then you cannot deny that Jim Edmonds deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just for his defensive skills alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UlNZtu0AUc
6. Ron Guidry – In the late 1970’s and most of the 1980’s, Ron Guidry was known as the Yankees Ace pitcher and one of the best pitchers in the sport. Louisiana Lighting/Gator was dominated on the mound and during his 14 year career Guidry made a name for himself. He mostly remembered for his 1978 season as it is considered by many as one of the best pitching seasons of all time. He finished the year with a 25 – 3 record with a 1.74 ERA in 273.2 innings while striking out 248 batters. The season also included an 18 strikeout game, which is also something that he is fondly known for. Guidry that season finished 2nd in AL MVP voting and 1st in AL Cy Young voting. Guidry had 6 seasons in his career here he finished Top 7 in Cy Young voting and while he never had huge strikeout numbers after his 1978 season, he still was able to look unstoppable on the mound. Now Guidry is the 1st person on this list to have spent more than one year on the Hall of Fame ballot as he spent 9 years in the ballot. The problem was he never finished with more than 10 % on the ballot and in his 9th year in the ballot he just missed 1 vote to have 5% of the ballot vote for him, thus eliminating him from being voted into the Hall of Fame. Guidry without a question should be a Hall of Famer. He had really great career numbers from 170 – 91 Win/Loss record to a career 3.29 ERA. It’s pretty shocking that Gator never made it into the Hall of Fame but more shocking that he barely got any votes despite being one of the most dominate pitchers of the late 70’s and the 80’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrhZ-oD6nQ
5. Steve Finley – Steve Finley’s career is very underappreciated and the fact that he is on this list and is not in the Hall of Fame shows how unappreciated he is. Finley played for 19 years in the major leagues and in the span of 19 years Finley won 5 Gold Gloves, was a 2 time All-Star, won a World Series ring with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was pretty much a consistent player each year. This I guess explains why he fell under the radar with most people as Finley never really stood out from the bunch of future Hall of Famers that he played against or with. He shared the outfield with Tony Gwynn, was on the same World Series team with 5 time Cy Young award winner Randy Johnson, was in the same lineup with 2 Houston Astros legends of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio and he even shared the outfield with a possible future Hall of Famer Barry Bonds. Finley was one of the best gloves/bats to have on your team as he was one of those players who you wanted to have in your lineup and on the field. He finished his career with some pretty good career numbers including a .271 AVG, 304 homeruns, 1167 runs batted in, 320 stolen bases, 2,548 hits, 449 doubles, 124 triples and 44.6 WAR. All in all his career numbers shows that he had a consistent and solid career and yet he was only able to obtain 0.9% of the vote in his 1st and only ballot in 2013. In my opinion I believe that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Sure he wouldn’t have been voted into Cooperstown on his first year in the ballot but maybe in his 7th or 8th year. Finley is a workhorse that knew how to get the job done and did a very great job at being a solid baseball player. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqgv5zLevKM
4. Steve Garvey – To say that this Dodger legend didn’t make it into the halls of Cooperstown is honestly a huge shock. The 10 time All-Star, 4 time Gold Glove winner and 1974 NL MVP was one of the biggest names in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Garvey was at one point in the 1970’s unstoppable at the plate as it felt like every pitch thrown at him was either going into the outfield, behind the outfield wall or leaving the ballpark. He also somehow managed to be in the top 15 for NL MVP voting 7 consecutive years, including winning the big award in his first year of gaining any MVP votes. Garvey had very amazing numbers as well once he retired as his lifetime stats include a .294 AVG, 2,599 hits, 272 homeruns, 1,308 runs batted in, 440 doubles and a .446 slugging percentage. Now Garvey was in the Hall of Fame ballot for a solid 15 years and he never ever passed higher than 42% of the vote in those 15 years. He was a very consistent player and was someone you wanted to have the bat in some key moments and the fact that this legendary figure did not get into the Hall of Fame, well that itself is a travesty. Now a couple reasons why he wasn’t voted in might be because he had a low career WAR (38.1) and a low On Base Percentage/OPS (.324/.775). Those are pretty average numbers for a baseball player but those factors shouldn’t be a reason of why this legendary first basemen does not have a plaque in Cooperstown and joining Dodger great to make it into the Hall; greats like Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Roy Campanella, Don Sutton, Mike Piazza ad many more. Garvey hopefully one day will make it into Cooperstown thanks to the Veteran’s Committee but only time will tell if this is to happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiY2quGAEMs
3. David Cone – This New York legend and current New York Yankees commentator should be in the Hall of Fame, no questions about it. David Cone was one of the best starting pitchers in the late 80’s and the 1990’s. The man is one of the greatest pitchers in postseason history and he is one of the handful of starting pitchers to have not only a 19 strikeout game, but a perfect game (27 outs in one game with no errors, walks, balks or wild pitches). Cone is a 5 time World Series champion who was voted into 5 different All-Star teams and would play for some legendary teams including the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays and the 1998 New York Yankees. David Cone also won the AL Cy Young back in 1994 and each time he gained votes for the Cy Young award he would place in the Top 6 in the voting results. David Cone had really great career numbers a well including a 194 – 126 Win/Loss record, 3.46 ERA, 2,668 strikeouts, 1.25 WHIP, 62.3 WAR and 56 complete games. Now you would think Cone would had spent a long time in the Ballot and just didn’t reach enough votes but he was only in one ballot back in 2009 and only got 3.9% of the vote (21 votes). It’s very confusing to why Cone didn’t even obtain a lot of votes as he was a dominating pitcher, would pretty much be the Ace for each team he played for and yet the Hall of Fame voters didn’t see that. Cone hands down belongs in the Hall of Fame and you can ask any fan of baseball and 9 times out of ten they will tell you the exact same thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xE83Kj2tEQ
2. Fred McGriff – Crime Dog was a power bat you wanted in your lineup. Fred McGriff was one of the best power bats in baseball history and in 19 years of his career McGriff hit 20 plus homers in 14 of the 19 years of playing in the Major Leagues. The 5 time All-Star and 3 time Silver Slugger was such an unstoppable batter at the plate and his career numbers would defiantly prove that. He has 493 career homeruns, which at this moment is 28th all time, 2,490 career hits, 441 career doubles, 1,550 career run batted in, a career slugging percentage of .509, a career on base percentage of .377 and 52.6 WAR. McGriff was a solid player that needs more appreciation. He played in a generation of baseball where steroid users and bigger/better batters were in the spotlight more. McGriff stood out from the bunch but he could never reach where Griffey Jr., Bonds or even Sosa reached. McGriff played 19 years in the big leagues and put up some amazing Hall of Fame numbers, but in his 10 years in the ballot he couldn’t obtain enough votes, eliminating him from being voted into the Hall of Fame. But there is hope for McGriff has he could get voted in by the Veteran’s Committee in the future so fingers crossed that he does as he defiantly deserves to have his name on a plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENYwom6I0Dg
1. Don Mattingly – Donnie Baseball is one of the many greats to not have won a World Series championship, but the fact that this legendary Yankee never made it into the Hall of Fame, that itself is unbelievable. Don Mattingly was the single greatest First Basemen during the 1980’s and the man legit was a human highlight reel. He had such an amazing swing and a magical glove. Mattingly only played in 14 years in his career and retired at the age of 35. His career numbers in 14 years were Hall of Fame worthy including a having a .307 AVG, 222 homeruns, 1,099 runs batted in, 2,153 hits, 442 doubles, .358 on base percentage, .471 slugging percentage, 42.4 WAR and this is a stat I would like to share but he never struck out more than 45 times in his entire career, which is a pretty huge career stat to know about. Now he did all of this by age 34 so imagine if he continued to play till he was at least 40. He would have maybe had 250 plus career homeruns, reached 500 pus doubles, 2,500 plus career hits and possibly even a 50 plus WAR. Donnie Baseball was an incredible baseball player who made a name for himself not only for the Yankees, but in the MLB. The 1985 AL MVP and 9 time Gold Glove winner became a baseball legend just in his first 5 years in the big leagues and from 1982 – 1995 Don Mattingly became one of the most talked about baseball players. This will surprise many of you but Mattingly spent 15 years in the Hall of Fame ballot but never even got 30% or more votes in the ballot. It feels pretty disrespectful that one of the best bats in the game and best gloves in the game never got himself into Cooperstown and hopefully he gets in by the Veteran’s Committee but if he doesn’t then he will be one of the biggest name in baseball history to never make it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsVXV0sLPtE
Honorable Mentions:
Dave Parker – This former Pittsburgh Pirates Right Fielder had one of the greatest gloves/arms in the outfield and was such an incredible hitter. The former NL MVP spent 15 years in the Hall of Fame Ballot and just couldn’t get enough votes to make it into Cooperstown. Hopefully the Veteran’s Committee helps bring his name into the Hall of Fame.
Tommy John – The man named after a major surgery played 26 years in the major leagues and had 288 career wins and was one of the most profiled names in baseball during his time of play. 15 years in the ballot and he could never reach anywhere higher than 35% of the vote.
Jamie Moyer – Moyer played 25 years in the major leagues and pitched until he was 49 years old. He wasn’t the most dominating pitcher in the MLB but he had such a long workhorse career. 269 career wins within the 25 years and somehow he managed to not get enough people to vote him into the Hall of Fame or keep him into the ballot.
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