The MLB Hall of Fame is a contentious subject. Some of the best players in the history of the sport are held out due to a variety of reasons, including using performance-enhancing drugs, gambling, and character concerns. Then there are the great players that should be in but are not for no apparent reason. Writer’s vendettas or shifting understanding of stats through eras. Here’s a list of guys that need to go in, and some who we just never will.
Which MLB players truly belong in the Hall of Fame and which ones will fail to get enshrined?
Should Be In: Dick Allen
Dick Allen was one of the most fearsome hitters of the 60’s and 70’s. He won NL Rookie of the Year in 1964 and the AL MVP in 1972. He finished his career with an impressive .292/.378/.534 slash, good for a .912 OPS and a 156 career OPS+ (a stat where 100 is average compared to the league). 156 OPS+ is good for 24th all-time, ahead of guys like Aaron, Mays, McCovey, and Frank Robinson.
Unfortunately, Allen did not get the vote on the Golden Era ballot and passed away in 2020. While Allen lacks some of the counting stats (only ~350 HR and ~1100 RBI), his rate stats are up there with any great hitter, and he has the hardware of an MLB Hall of Famer. Allen had issues with the Philadelphia press which likely hurt his chances to get in. However, Dick Allen was clearly one of the best players of his era and needs to be in the Hall.
Will Never Make It: Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez is known for being one of the greatest defensive players ever, his extremely clutch hitting, and, of course, being a key witness in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials. Oh, and appearing on Seinfeld. Keith now delights Mets fans as a part of one of the best broadcast booths in baseball alongside Gary Cohen and Ron Darling. This sustained popularity has caused some to push for his induction to the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately for Keith, he is just not quite there. His .296/.384/.436 slash is certainly not disqualifying, but it’s also not ranking with all-time greats.
However, Keith does have a massive trophy collection, including the 1979 NL MVP (shared with Willie Stargell), 2 World Series Rings, 11 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and a Batting Title. However, he also doesn’t have the counting stats, with only ~2100 hits, 162 HR and ~1100 RBI. He’s just under the threshold, and there’s a good reason he’s not in.
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Should Be In: Billy Wagner
Wagner is simply one of the best closers ever. As the role has gotten significantly more important over the last 20 years, the Hall of Fame voters have not caught up with that notion. Wagner has a ridiculous 2.31 career ERA good for a 187 ERA+. His 422 saves rank him 7th all-time. He simply was one of the most unhittable pitchers in his 16-year career, only posting an ERA above 2.85 in 2000, a year where he struggled with injury.
He had five seasons of sub-2 ERA with over 60 appearances in each of those years. The idea that modern relievers should be held out of the Hall unless they’re named Mariano Rivera is absurd. Put Wagner in.
Will Never Make It: Don Mattingly
Mattingly has an eerily similar case to Hernandez. Both were NY first basemen in the 80s with many Gold Gloves and an MVP. However, like Hernandez, Mattingly is short in the counting categories that make an MLB Hall of Famer and has a similar .307/.358/.471 career slash. Mattingly also retired one year shy of the Yankee’s first championship win in their ’90s dynasty.
Mattingly stays relevant in the Hall Conversation because he is an accomplished manager, having won the Manager of the Year Award with the Marlins. However, he will not go in.
Should Be In: Barry Bonds
This is controversial, but Bonds needs to go in. He never tested positive for steroids, and frankly, with obvious roids users like Biggio in or other admitted PED users like Mantle and Mays (amphetamines), the double standard is laughable. Bond numbers need no introduction: 762 HR, ~3k hits, ~2k RBI (in fact, he was cut just short of the 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI club because no one would sign him for the 2008 season). 7 MVPs, 8 Gold Gloves. From 2001-2007, he posted an OBP of .531. Let that sink in. In a 7 season, ~3500 PA span, Bonds was literally more likely to get on base than to get out. He is unquestionably the best hitter ever. It’s time to put him in the Hall of Fame.
Will Never Make It: Pete Rose
Pete Rose is banned from baseball. He’s the most commonly cited player who “deserves” the Hall of Fame, but unlike someone like Bonds, he got caught by the highest authority and accepted a ban. Rose knowingly did something that would invalidate his career in gambling on games as a manager. And for all the people who say, “Well, he bet on himself to win,” imagine he had big money on the game and torched his bullpen to get the W? Then the team is screwed for the next week because Pete needed the cash? It’s not exactly innocent. Rose is paying the time for his crime. Let’s not even get into his behavior with underage women.
Should Be In: Roger Clemens
Clemens is the pitching equivalent of Bonds. 7 Cy Youngs, an MVP, 2 Triple Crowns. Arguably the best pitcher of all time. They kept him out of the MLB Hall of Fame due to steroids; again, no failed tests. Much like with Bonds, having a player that good with no official punishment from MLB shadow banned from the game is a travesty.
It’s sad that the writers hold this particular grudge against these players when they know other legends used PEDs without consequences. Steroids as a purity test is yet another bizarre quirk of baseball. Of course, Clemens also had issues with the media and is an all-around not-so-nice guy. However, the Rocket deserves the Hall.
Will Never Make It: Lou Whitaker
Whitaker is a very commonly cited player who “needs to go in” the Hall of Fame, but we just don’t see it. He has a career OPS under .800 and never even had a .900 OPS season. His career .276/.363/.426 slash is far from legendary, and he doesn’t have anywhere near 3,000 hits, 500 HR, or 1,500 RBI.
He was on a great World Series team with the ‘84 Tigers, but they weren’t exactly a dynasty. Whittaker won the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year but didn’t go much further in terms of hardware beyond 3 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Sluggers. Whittaker was a very good player, but not Hall of Fame Caliber.
Should Be In: Jorge Posada
With Joe Mauer entering this season and Buster Posey being considered a virtual lock in the near future, it’s given some perspective on the standards for catchers, and Posada clearly meets them. Posada had a higher OPS than Mauer, more HR, and more RBI. While Posada doesn’t have the gold gloves and MVP that Mauer does, he has five rings that he played a key part in earning. Posada was a core piece of one of the best teams in the history of baseball, which went a long way for guys like Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski but apparently not for Jorge.
Will Never Make It: Andruw Jones
Jones is a fringe case that just isn’t widely considered in the MLB Hall of Fame. A career 111 OPS+ shuts down the rate argument, and he couldn’t crack the 500 HR or 1,500 RBI barrier either. Jones was an absolutely elite defender, but that should have helped push his WAR higher than 62.7, about ten below that of the average HoF CF. Perhaps if the Braves 90’s teams had been able to win more than one lone championship, he might be looked at in a more favorable light, but alas, they did not. Jones is yet another very good player that will not enter Cooperstown.
We love discussing great players of the past. Drop a comment if you feel we’ve gotten anything totally wrong. We’ve been loving the MLB season so far and are looking forward to watching future Hall of Famers like Mike Trout tear it up.
