Induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame is considered the highest personal honor a ballplayer can receive, but not all Hall of Famers are equal. Let’s face it, some players are better than others. There are those that are first ballot, slam dunk inductees to those that had to wait a few years to those that needed help from the Veterans Committee.
Let’s take a walk through the hallowed halls of Cooperstown and examine 5 overrated Hall of Famers, and 5 underrated ones.
Overrated: Ozzie Smith
Ozzie Smith spent the bulk of his 19 year career with St. Louis. For 15 years the “Wizard of Oz” patrolled the Cards infield, dazzling fans with his acrobatic displays. He was a defensive genius and arguably one of the greatest fielding shortstops the game has seen. But that’s where it ends. Offensively Smith was nothing special. Over his career, he batted .262 with 2460 hits, 793 RBIs, and 580 stolen bases.
Those numbers are average at best and have been aided by compiling stats over 19 years. Players should be recognized for their defensive abilities, but that shouldn’t be the primary factor for getting into the Hall. An objective look reveals that Ozzie Smith is one of the most overrated players in the Hall of Fame.
Underrated: Jim Rice
Not to discount an entire 16 year career, but for a time in the late 1970’s to early ‘80’s Jim Rice was one of the most feared hitters in the game. A career .298 hitter, he had 2,452 hits, 382 home runs, and 1,451 RBIs. He earned MVP honors in 1978, hitting .315 with 46 home runs, and 139 RBIs. Additional honors include 8 All-Star game selections and two Silver Slugger Awards.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MLB stories via Google! Follow Us
Despite being one of the most feared sluggers of his era, it took until his 15th and final year of eligibility for induction. It’s been reported that the delay was due to his poor relationship with the media or the current trend of analytics. Whatever the case, Jim Rice shouldn’t have had to wait that long to gain the respect his career warrants.
Overrated: 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’s just not Hall of Fame worthy.
Underrated: Johnny Mize
Johnny Mize played for 15 seasons between 1936 – 1953; his career was interrupted from 1943-45 for military service in World War II. Despite missing those prime years, Mize was one of the greatest pure hitters the game has ever seen. A 10 time All-Star, he finished with a career average of .312 to go along with 2,011 hits, 359 home runs, and 1337 RBIs.
In addition to being superb with a bat, “The Big Cat” was also no slouch with a glove. He had a career .992 fielding percentage. The Baseball writers failed to elect him while he was on the ballot. Struggling with injuries and losing 3 seasons seemed to be the reason for the writers holdup. It took until 1981 for the Veterans Committee to right that wrong and finally induct Johnny Mize.
Overrated: Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto deserves to be in the Hall of Fame… as an announcer. After his playing career ended, he spent 40 years announcing Yankees games, becoming the baseball voice to generations of fans. As a player, well… Rizzuto was not an offensive powerhouse. He was a .273 lifetime hitter with 1,588 hits over a 13 year career.
The only stat he ever led the league in was sacrifice hits. The one area where the “Scooter” excelled was defense. With the exception of his last year, he never had lower than a .957 fielding percentage. Playing shortstop in the same lineup as DiMaggio, Mantle, and Berra has its advantages, and Phil Rizzuto’s induction into the Hall of Fame proves that.
Underrated: Gary Carter
Ask a baseball fan who the best catchers of all-time are and you’ll likely get Bench or Berra as an answer. While Gary Carter may not be on their level, he deserves more attention than he actually gets. “The Kid” was a tremendous defender with a great arm, finishing his career with a .991 fielding percentage and catching 35% of base stealers.
There was also his ability at the plate, finishing with 324 home runs, 1,225 RBIs, and 2,092 hits. Among catchers all-time, Carter ranks 7th in home runs, 9th in hits, and 9th in RBIs. Perhaps it’s because he spent the bulk of his career in small-market Montreal, but there is absolutely no reason that Gary Carter should’ve waited until his 6th year of eligibility for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Overrated: Bill Mazeroski
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 the home run to win the World Series in 1960. Great defense and one major home run should not be enough for enshrinement.
Underrated: Tim Raines
When you are the only player in MLB history with at least 100 triples, 150 home runs, and 600 stolen bases, and one of only four players with at least 700 extra-base hits and 800 steals, you probably shouldn’t have to wait until your 10th year of eligibility for Hall of Fame election.
Unfortunately, Tim Raines did. It could be that he was overshadowed for the bulk of his career. “Rock” spent 13 seasons playing in Montreal where he didn’t get much national attention. As a stolen base threat he had the unfortunate timing of playing at the same time as Rickey Henderson. But make no mistake, Tim Raines deserves far more recognition than he receives.
Overrated: Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay belongs in the Hall of Very Good. He compiled a win-loss record of 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA, 2,749.1 innings pitched, and 2,117 strikeouts over 16 years. Those are the numbers of a really nice career, but not necessarily a Hall of Fame one.
Despite making it in during his first year of eligibility, Halladay’s numbers are more in line with David Cone, Doc Gooden, and Adam Wainwright than they are with other first ballot inductees like Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. With 0 championships won, it’s a fair question to ask if Halladay’s early death played a role in election to the Hall.
Underrated: Eddie Murray
Eddie Murray quietly put together one of the all-time great baseball careers but doesn’t get the recognition he truly deserves. Over his long and distinguished playing days, he finished with 3,255 hits and 504 home runs. In fact, Murray is 1 of only 5 players to hit over 500 home runs and collect over 3,000 hits.
The switch-hitter was selected to eight All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and the Rookie of the Year in 1977. While never winning an MVP Award, he ranks 11th all-time with 1,917 RBIs and 14th in hits. Not only did Eddie Murray deserve to be a 1st ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame, but he deserves to be mentioned with the greats of the game.
