The hall of fame is a dream of any youngster, doesn’t matter any ball players dreams of one day being in the hall.
In every professional sport, the Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement to strive for. That’s no different for MLB and just like every other sport choosing who makes it is not an exact science.
That’s why we are gonna go over 5 MLB Hall Of Famers Who Don’t BELONG…And 5 Retired Players Who SHOULD Be In It.
Doesn’t Belong: Ozzie Smith
In today’s day and age Ozzie Smith would not be close to making it with his statistics. With only 28 career home runs he has the second least amount out of any player in Cooperstown. His OPS+ of 87 means he was 13% worse than the average hitter in his career. So his offensive numbers certainly didn’t get him there but what did?
He’s still a 15-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner but with how undervalued defense really is in MLB there are other players who definitely deserve the title of Hall of Famer more than Smith.
Should Be In: Barry Bonds
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If you know anything about the history of baseball then you know the only reason Barry Bonds was not a unanimous first-ballot entry is his steroid use. Most people agree that it started after the 1998 season so fine let’s look at his career between 1986 and 1998.
We would still have a three-time MVP, eight-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Gloverer and seven-time Silver Slugger. It’s also worth noting he had 411 home runs, 1917 hits, 1364 runs, 1216 runs batted in, and an OPS of .966. That 13-year stretch alone would make him a Hall of Fame caliber player.
Now add those last nine years he gained four more MVPs, six All-Star appearances, and four Silver Sluggers he has solidified himself as one of the greatest MLB players of all time. In no world should the all-time MLB home runs leader not be in the Hall of Fame.
Doesn’t Belong: Harold Baines
else it’s hard to imagine what pushed him over the edge to get him voted in. His career WAR of 38.8 isn’t really Hall of Fame material either since the average for those in Cooperstown is between 50 – 70.
Don’t be fooled though Baines was certainly a talented player but it’s still questionable if he was good enough to be put into the Hall of Fame.
Should Be In: Pete Rose
If not for Rose betting on games as a player and manager he would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His 4256 hits in his career lead MLB all-time as well as having played in the most games ever in his 24-year career.
As a seventeen-time… yes you heard that right, a seventeen-time All-Star, one-time MVP, and Rookie of the Year it really is unbelievable that these mistakes he made kept him from entering Cooperstown.
Doesn’t Belong: Bill Mazeroski
The overvaluation of defensive skills can also be seen in Mazeroski. His OPS+ of 84 made him 16% worse than the average hitter and had a career batting average of just .260. Even his WAR of 36.6 doesn’t seem good enough to make it.
His seven Gold Gloves seem to be what carried him into the Hall of Fame. Among all Hall of Fame inductees, he is widely regarded as one of the worst.
Should Be In: Roger Clemens
In a similar case to Barry Bonds, Clemens will never make the Hall of Fame because of steroids taken in 1998, 2000, and 2001. In those three years, he did receive two Cy Young awards and two All-Star appearances even though without them he was still destined for Cooperstown.
The rest of his career still consisted of nine All-Stars, five Cy Youngs, three Triple Crowns, an MVP, and two World Series championships. If you’re looking for longevity he has that too in his 24 years tossing 4916.2 innings and holding down a 3.12 ERA.
Doesn’t Belong: Kirby Puckett
Factors like accolades and statistics are extremely important to decide who makes it to the Hall of Fame but one overlooked aspect is longevity. A player needs to be able to perform at an extremely high level throughout a long career and Puckett fails in that category. He may have the accolades which include 10 All-Stars, six Silver Sluggers, and seven Gold Gloves but played in just 12 major league seasons. For context, the average career length for those inducted is 18 years. Puckett just doesn’t have the service time you’d expect.
Should Be In: Shoeless Joe Jackson
Yet another case of a big scandal ruining someone’s chance to join the Hall of Fame. In what is still one of the largest scandals in sports history Jackson received a lifetime ban from MLB after the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World Series. The worst part about the situation is many believe he was never a part of the operation pointing to his amazing .375/.394/.563 slash line during the series.
It’s a shame that the career of such a talented player was cut short due to such a circumstance and many believe he will never make the Hall of Fame because of it.
Doesn’t Belong: Catfish Hunter
If there was an all-time name Hall of Fame Catfish Hunter would easily make it but his playing career doesn’t feel good enough for the MLB Hall of Fame. Being named to eight All-Star games and winning a Cy Young are certainly amazing accomplishments but don’t automatically make you one of the greatest of all time.
It’s also worth noting that Hunter’s 36.3 WAR heavily weighs down the average WAR of 65 starting pitchers in Cooperstown which sits at 73.3
Should Be In: Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner is an interesting case because so few relief pitchers ever make it to Cooperstown. Currently, there are only eight others while the next fewest is third base with 17 inductions.
He might only have seven All-Stars to show for accolades but his statistics back up the rest of his argument. He has 422 which is the sixth most all-time sitting behind three other Hall of Famers. His 16-year career saw 903 innings, a 2.31 ERA, 1196 strikeouts, and a WHIP of .998. In 2023 he barely missed the 75% voting threshold gaining 68.1% of votes.
