Congratulations to the Hall of Fame Class of 2024! It’s an honor to be elected to the Hall and they join a prestigious group consisting of the all-time greats of the game. Unfortunately, the voting process doesn’t always get it right, and worthy players are left out while the unworthy sometimes get in. Let the new class enjoy their day in the sun, the debate about whether they’re truly “Hall Worthy” will eventually rise, but not now, as well as the faces of the steroid era. But that’s not going to stop us from examining the candidacy of others.
While there were many options for this list, here are 5 players (Yer Out!) that should be removed from the Hall of Fame and 5 of the many players (Safe!) that deserve entrance.
YER OUT! – Harold Baines
Longevity has its advantages, just ask Harold Baines. Over a 22-year career, he compiled a .289 lifetime average with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs, and 1,628 RBIs. He was only an All-Star six times, never won an MVP or Gold Glove, and only won one Silver Slugger Award. Simply put, Baines was an accumulator of stats. He only lasted 4 years on the Hall of Fame ballot before being removed for failing to receive more than 5% of the vote; his highest total was 6.1%. It wasn’t until 2018 that he was inducted by the Today’s Game Era ballot. There’s a reason why Harold Baines never received enough support to be voted in by the writers. He belongs in the Hall of Very, Very Good, not the Hall of Fame.
SAFE! – Pete Rose
Let’s get it out of the way, Pete Rose has deserved to be in the Hall of Fame for a long time. He won the Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP, was a 17-time All-Star, a 3-time champion, and is the game’s all-time leader with 4,256 career hits. He belongs… but the gambling. I get it, gambling is the Cardinal Sin of baseball, however, the game has changed. MLB has now partnered with gambling sites and is moving a team to Las Vegas, the gambling mecca of North America. Additionally, the Hall voters have shown a willingness to hold some of the Steroid Era players accountable for their sins and let them decide if “Charlie Hustle” deserves a spot with the other greats, which he certainly does.
YER OUT! – Phil Rizzuto
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Phil Rizzuto definitely belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame but as an announcer. Rizzuto was a great fielder but was not an offensive powerhouse. Over a 13-year career with the Yankees, “Scooter” had a .273 batting average, with 38 HRs, 563 RBIs, and 149 stolen bases. Regardless of great defense, those are not Hall of Fame-worthy numbers. Although he won the MVP Award in 1950 with a .324 batting average, “Scooter” benefited more from playing on some great New York teams in his career. While with the Yankees, Rizzuto played on teams that won 10 American League Championships and 7 World Series titles. Those victories were won more on the backs of Mantle and Berra than Phil Rizzuto, who was more a complimentary player than a Hall of Fame one.
SAFE! – Don Mattingly
In the 1980’s Don Mattingly was one of the most feared hitters in the game, possessing both power and average. “The Hitman” averaged 203 hits, 42 doubles, 26 HRs, and 97 RBIs a season from 1984-89. Although a back injury in 1990 sapped him of his power, Mattingly was still a productive player and tremendous defender, winning 4 of his 9 Gold Gloves after getting hurt. Over a 14-year career, “Donnie Baseball” was a 6-time All-Star, 3-time Silver Slugger, and won the MVP in 1985. Lack of championships aside, his career numbers are nearly identical to Kirby Puckett, who’s in. Since baseball is not a sport where one person can win a championship, the lack of one shouldn’t hurt his candidacy. His career may have been interrupted by injuries, but a closer look shows that Mattingly belongs in the Hall of Fame.
YER OUT! – Bill Mazeroski
Like Phil Rizzuto, another light-hitting, defensive specialist on our list. There’s no bias against these types of players, but it’s certainly fair to question their Hall of Fame legitimacy. Bill Mazeroski might be the worst Hall of Fame inductee ever. The light-hitting 2nd Baseman was a defensive savant, but there really wasn’t much else to his career. Over 17 seasons, he had a lifetime average of .260 with just over 2,000 hits. No position player in the Hall has a lower career on-base percentage than Maz’s .299. His one major offensive accomplishment was hitting a home run to win the World Series in 1960. Great defense and one major home run should not be enough for enshrinement.
SAFE! – "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
If we’re putting Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame then we can’t leave out “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, as the two men have been lumped together due to their association with gambling. Jackson was one of the eight White Sox players accused of taking a bribe to throw the 1919 World Series. However, there is some evidence that supports “Shoeless” Joe’s innocence. He refused the bribe twice, and no one actually saw him take any money; his teammate threw the money on his hotel room floor. It’s also been reported that Jackson attempted to meet with the White Sox owner about the fix. Finally, his illiteracy may have prevented him from knowing what he was signing. Those are serious enough questions that “Shoeless” Joe’s exclusion needs to be rectified.
YER OUT! – Don Sutton
The “Compiler” is a player, in this case, a pitcher, who sticks around for a long time to reach certain milestones, 300 wins or 3,000 strikeouts look pretty good on a resume. The options here were Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, and Sutton; all good, but not great, pitchers whose numbers were enhanced by their longevity. A glance shows that Sutton won 324 games and had 3,574 strikeouts, but those numbers were compiled over 23 years. Looking deeper, his numbers look less impressive. He struck out over 200 batters in 5 of his first 8 years, and then never reached 180 again. Sutton only won 20 games in a year once, in fact, he averaged a pedestrian 14 wins a season and never won a major award. A “Compiler,” not a Hall of Famer.
SAFE! – Jeff Kent
This is one that the voters have clearly gotten wrong, Jeff Kent is a Hall of Fame player. Kent finished his 17-year career with a .290 batting average, 377 HRs, 1518 RBIs, was a 5x All-Star, and won an MVP Award. While his numbers alone don’t rank Kent as an all-time great, they do place him among the all-time great power-hitting second basemen. His 351 (out of 377) home runs are the most all-time for a second baseman, and he’s in the top 5 at the position in doubles and RBIs as well. The other second basemen in the top 5 are in the Hall, and it’s time for Jeff Kent to join them. The voters failed to recognize him, so it will be up to the Contemporary Era Players Committee to right that wrong.
YER OUT! – Freddie Lindstrom
If we’re cleaning out the Hall of Fame, let’s really do some deep cleaning. Freddie Lindstrom had 2 dominant seasons in which he had 231 hits but never hit more than 175 in any other year. In fact, when you subtract those 2 seasons, Lindstrom averaged 116 hits a season. Two great years should not put anyone into the conversation for immortality. It doesn’t help matters that Lindstrom is now considered the worst third baseman in the Hall. Simply put, he was not a Hall of Fame-worthy player. The voters were right not to elect him, but the Veterans Committee felt differently, electing Freddie Lindstrom in 1976. The players made a mistake on this one.
SAFE! – Keith Hernandez
If you were told that a player won 11 Gold Gloves, was a 5x All-Star, and won an MVP Award and two World Series championships over a 17-year career, you’d expect to see his plaque hanging in Cooperstown. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Keith Hernandez. For some odd reason he’s been overlooked by the voters, but he should get another look. Hernandez was one of the best defensive first basemen of his generation and deserves greater recognition for that, but he was also no slouch with the bat either. He was a .296 career hitter with 2,182 career hits, 426 doubles, and 1,071 RBIs. Coupled with the great defense, Keith Hernandez deserves his place in upstate New York.
