He scored over 100 runs in seven straight season and topped 100 RBI in five of those years. Williams got moderate support on the Hall of Fame ballot on a few occasions. Oliva was a terrific hitter for the Twins in the 1960s and 1970s. Hodges consistently finished in the top five in Hall of Fame balloting throughout his career. Martin was a key member of the Gashouse Gang Cardinals and was known as one of the team's spark plugs thanks to his raucous play on the diamond. Dark received constant moderate support during his 15-year run on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot, frequently drawing more support than current Hall of Famers Bill Mazeroski, Richie Ashburn and Nellie Fox. He had more votes than players like Ralph Kiner, Chuck Klein, Lefty Grove and Lloyd Waner. By the time it came to vote for Freehan in 1982, his numbers paled in comparison to those catching at the time. Mattingly made six straight All-Star games, won three Silver Slugger awards and nine Gold Gloves, a record for AL first basemen. He was a six-time All-Star and won 20 games three times. His 288 home runs ranked eighth in MLB history at the time of his retirement. Thomas was the designated hitter in only 56.42 percent of the games he played in, while Molitor's percentage was even lower at 43.76. Starting Pitcher: Roger Clemens Roger Clemens hurls a pitch in his rookie year with the Red Sox in 1984. Trammell played for 20 years, all for the Detroit Tigers, and was a six-time All-Star. He still holds the Reds' franchise records for most wins by a righty with 161, and his 579 games pitched ranked eighth in NL history when he retired in 1945 after a 15-year career. But not many . For eight straight years he made the AL All-Star team and finished in the top 20 for AL MVP voting. He topped 20 wins for the Browns in four consecutive seasons, maxing out at a league-leading 27 wins in 1921. Through the 1988 season, it looked like Hershiser was on his way to a truly elite pitching career. However, his ability as one of the game's top sluggers cannot be denied. He threw over 500 innings five times, including 657 innings in 1880. He was a Rookie of the Year winner, seven-time All-Star, MVP recipient, and thrice a top-10 finisher in the MVP race. During his time with the White Sox, Minoso was a seven-time All-Star who finished fourth in the MVP voting on four different occasions. He ranks 22nd with 2,668 career strikeouts. Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto collected career hit No. According to not in WC! His fiery attitude caused him to wear out his welcome with many clubs, and he ended up playing with five different teams over 18 years. While he was one of the best players in the league during that time, he didn't maintain that excellence for a long period of time. Because of this and a quick downfall to his production after age 35, Hodges amassed only 1,921 hits. He also didn't have a great batting average. Although he didn't have the quickness of Johnny Bench, Boone was incredibly durable and was the only catcher who consistently placed in the top 10 for defensive WAR for the better part of two decades. Bill Mazeroski was a career .260 hitter. Maris was considered a power show more content His play on the field, though, is worthy of enshrinement. He was the 1980 National League batting champion and is one of only 16 players since World War II who have played in four decades. Gonzalez racked up his total over 19 seasonas and 10,531 major league plate appearances and led the. And the adage seems to hold true since every player who has 3000 hits and has been eligible for the Hall of Fame has been elected (with the exception of Rafael Palmeiro who has been . He is still in the top 50 for career strikeouts and was the author of one of baseball's all-time greatest pitching seasons in 1985. The two-time AL batting champ made seven All-Star games and won five Silver Slugger awards. Over his 12-year career, his 162-game average season was 40 home runs, 130 RBI and a .295 average. His 137 career OPS+ ranks behind only Mantle, Berkman and Jones among modern switch-hitters. Travis played in just 226 games after returning from the war, though, batting just .241 over that time. He won eight Gold Gloves and had four MVP top-10 finishes. Magee was one of 10 pre-1943 players who came under consideration for enshrinement in 2008, but he fell short. The general rule is that 3,000 career hits is an automatic ticket to induction in the Hall of Fame and that generally remains the case, though there are a handful still on the outside looking. Don Mattingly was a New York Yankee his entire career and would definitely be in the hall of fame if not for his back problems that developed later in his career. Sain was robbed of three prime years when he served in World War II, contributing to a short peak as a star pitcher. Despite his longevity, Baines never won a World Series, never led the league in a major category and the only major award he won was the Silver Slugger award in 1989. Votto's career .303 batting average and career .932 OPS also is good enough to be a HOF. Lopat didn't have the longevity to be seriously considered for the Hall of Fame. A rare switch-hitting catcher, Simmons held the National League record for switch-hit home runs at any position when he retired with 182. At the time of his retirement, Williams was the National League's all-time home run leader with 251. Brown won 21 games in 1992 and had an ERA under 3.00 six times during the steroids era. He also held the record for most hits and doubles by a catcher with 2,472 and 483, respectively. . Heres a look at the 20 most prolific hitters who arent in the Hall of Fame. With such a rich history and so many different eras that exist in stark contrast of each other, baseball lends itself to some great arguments. But when he was at his best, Reynolds could pitch with anybody. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Unlike Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, people aren't lining up to say that McGwire was a Hall of Fame player before he took steroids. He lasted just five years before falling off after getting just 4.8 percent of the vote in 2011. He has finished no worse than eighth in Hall of Fame voting in his three years on the ballot, topping 32 percent each time. Good ole Donnie Baseball Don Mattingly hit .307 and is not in the Hall of Fame. He led the National League in hits in both 1961 and 1963. Root was allegedly the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's "called shot," which often overshadows an excellent career. He was also the premier first baseman in his league (the National League) while he was playing. Like Dale Murphy, he consistently gets dinged for having too short of a peak. Hes basically a forgotten star at this point. In addition to being a winning pitcher for the Yanks during eight regular seasons, he excelled in the World Series, accumulating a 4-1 record with a 2.60 ERA over seven starts. Franco led the league in saves three times and was a four-time All-Star. Smith had a long, productive career and while he was never great, he was often very good. Hall of Fame Voting: Lou Whitaker : in his first year of eligibility in 2001 received a mind-boggling 2.9% vote, falling short of the minimum 5% vote, thus eliminating him from the ballot. Only Johnson won more games in a season since Wood's 34 wins in 1912. The five-time Gold Glove shortstop was the glue that held the Big Red Machine's infield together. He received 55 votes in the 2012 Hall of Fame voting, his first year on the ballot. The three-time 20-game winner finished his career with a 170-91 record for a .651 winning percentage, good for 27th all time. Paul Konerko A sold-out crowd cheers for Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox as he is honored during a pre-game ceremony. Morris is in a race against time and semantics in his quest to make it to Cooperstown. He was only a tiny bit better than Billy Mueller. Instead of talking about his incredible baseball accomplishments, Palmeiro's career is defined as being one of the poster boys for the steroid era. His .948 OPS ranks 21st all time. In terms of overall productivity, the sweet spot for the average Hall of Famer is a WAR between 50 and 70. With another 2-3 seasons, he wouldve reached the magic 3,000 number that wouldve almost assuredly ensured his induction. Baseball statistics List of lifetime MLB hit leaders through history List of Major League Baseball players with 4,000 Total bases List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles List of Major League . His 2,139 hits as a Cub were second only to 19th century legend Cap Anson on the Cubs' all-time list. Herman was an excellent hitter in the 1920s and 1930s, even if he never did really break through to the elite level. From 1984 to 1989 "Donnie Baseball" was the most prolific hitter in baseball. NEW! Pierce is a tremendously underrated pitcher who hurled mostly for the White Sox over an 18-year, post-WWII career. Wood led the Red Sox to the 1912 World Series behind a record of 34-5. He has increased his totals in each of the past three elections and was up to 48.7 percent in 2012. The two-time World Series champion finished with 2,326 career hits. He led the AL in hits four times and won the 1959 batting title with a .353 average. Before dying in a plane crash, Munson was the 1970 Rookie of the Year, 1976 AL MVP, a seven-time All-Star and a leader on the 1977 and 1978 Yankees' World Series championship teams. Allen is a divisive figure when it comes to the Hall of Fame debate. In 1956 he received more votes than 14 future Hall of Famers, including Leo Durocher, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Sewell, Ernie Lombardi and Bobby Doerr. Garvey will likely be a strong Veterans Committee candidate years down the line. Only five hitters have a higher career batting average with at least 10,000 PA since 1945: Tony Gwynn (.338), Wade Boggs (.328), Rod Crew (.328), Stan Musial (.328), and Roberto Clemente (.317). He topped 50 home runs four times and finished with 583 career homers. The revolutionary surgery that now bears his name was only supposed to provide John with a normal life without pain, not a return to Major League Baseball. From 1973 to the conclusion of the 2017 season, only nine players appeared in 1,000 or more games at DH. He went 208-126 with a 2.92 ERA and twice led the league in complete games, shutouts and saves. He ranked fifth in all-time hits when he retired. He currently ranks 12th and is 18 hits away from tying Paul Molitor, who currently occupies 10th place. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images). He had at least 190 strikeouts in a season 10 times and won 20 games twice. All other pitchers in that category who are eligible are in the Hall of Fame as well. Dave Orr-hit .342 but only played 8 seasons, so he isn't eligible for the Hall. Gonzalez was suspected of steroid abuse and was named in Jose Canseco's book Juiced. He went 24-8 for the A's, winning the CY Young award and MVP in the American League. From 1996-2006, through his age-31 season, Rolen produced 54.4 of his 69.9 career fWAR. How does a world-class base stealer with 3,023 career hits not qualify for the Hall of Fame? Bridges was a fine pitcher for the Tigers starting in 1930 and running right up until he was called into service for World War II in 1944. White was the first-ever batter in National Association history. Published: Mar. 7) Ken Griffey Jr.: 630 500th HR: June 20, 2004 However, he remarkably made it back, and he was better than before. Rose has more hits than anyone whos ever picked up a bat, but his decision to bet on baseball has kept him the sports most famous living outsider. Dunn finished his career with a lowly .234 batting average. Vander Meer had a losing record over the course of his career, and that will likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Research is still ongoing and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. Bonds wouldve reached the 3,000 hit mark had a club offered him a contract for the 2008 season or if he hadnt walked a MLB-record 2,558 times. Raines' role as a part-time player over his last six years caused him to miss out on reaching 3,000 hits, as he fell short with 2,605. The four-time Gold Glove winner finished with a .977 fielding percentage, which ranks 23rd all time at shortstop. He received MVP votes in eight seasons, finishing in the top 10 in six of those years. He lingered on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full 15-year run, never really threatening to be elected or dropped off the ballot. The two-time AL MVP finished his career with 434 home runs and a career batting average of .292. He is hurt by the fact that he really only played 11 full seasons in the major leagues. During that time he made the all-star game every year, hit more than .300, and hit more than 35 home . career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. Remarkably, he finished with 90 more votes than teammate Duke Snider who would go on to be elected in 1980. 01, 2023, 6:00 a.m. 9. Reynolds made five All-Star games and had two top-three MVP finishes. Colavito was a great power hitter and run producer in the 1950s who received surprisingly little support in his Hall of Fame candidacy. The star of the 1931 World Series, Martin was a four-time All-Star and twice was a top-10 MVP player. He won at least 20 games four straight seasons, finished in the top four of the Cy Young voting for three straight years and placed fifth in the AL MVP voting in 1968. He was a four-time All-Star and received MVP votes in eight consecutive seasons from 1938 to 1945. He was a six-time All-Star and twice finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. April 18, 2022 . Reynolds got a late start to his MLB career and pitched in only 12 full seasons. The fact that Carter and Fisk were elected and Simmons lasted just one year on the ballot is just wrong. In fact, his highest single-season average was just .267, and he once hit .159 in nearly 500 plate appearances. He had a WHIP under 1.200 an incredible 12 times during his career. Palmeiros steroid use led to everyone discounting his monstrous numbers. Although his case was one of 10 reviewed by a special committee in 2008, Ferrell's numbers fell short. Despite the tragedy, Mays had a very productive 15-year career. He only led the league in saves four times in his 18-year career, and his 3.03 career ERA isn't sparkling for a closer. And replacing him with Jose Abreu, who just posted a 137 wRC+ and is a career .292/.354/.506 hitter is an unbelievable win for this front office. With Clark in the fold, it's easy to think that another World Series flag, or two, would be flying at Kauffman. In 1910, he led the A's to a World Series title with a 31-9 record and a 1.30 ERA. He played for five teams over 22 years and was a well-respected, professional hitter everywhere he went. For James Laurie "Deacon" White, the journey took 123 years. Second, a player has to be eligible for induction. The Hall of Fame case for Keith Hernandez starts with his brilliant glove-work at first base. He made eight straight All-Star games and received MVP votes in each of those years. His Hall of Fame case remains one of the most controversial and hes been bypassed by the Veterans Committee four times. He also didn't thrive in the postseason, going 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four games. Those players attract a lot of attention and discussion, which takes away from the examination of a career like Teixeira's. However, the numbers speak for themselves. Of the 244 Hall of Famers, 83 fall in this range. A seven-time All-Star between 1966-82, Smith has nonetheless become an unfairly overlooked player, receiving almost no Hall of Fame consideration despite roughly 65 career WAR. Caruthers pitched for three teams from 1884 to 1892 and was a two-time 40-game winner. Through Aug. 13, 2020, 203 qualified players had batting averages over .300. When Cone was on his game, there were few pitchers with better stuff during his era. He finished fourth in the MVP voting that year behind Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Frankie Frisch and Rogers Hornsby. White became the second batting champion ever in the National League when he hit .387 in 1877. One of the best and longest-running arguments fans like to get involved with revolves around the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Staub was an excellent player early in his career, and by the age of 27, he was already a five-time All-Star. In 1985, at the age of 38, he enjoyed a revival when he hit 40 home runs. His wins total is among the highest of anybody not elected to the Hall of Fame. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Even though he hasn't played a Major League game in 109 years, Van Haltren still holds the National League record for reaching base in 60 straight games, accomplishing the feat in 1893. He won three Gold Glove awards and is known for having one of the great outfield arms of all time. He grades well in baseball-reference.com's Hall of Fame Career Standards. Cone didn't compile big career numbers since he battled injuries for many years, but he matches up with the best in some of his individual years. Needless to say, he won the NL MVP that season. Parker was not only a feared hitter who won two batting titles, but he was also one of the top defensive outfielders in the game. McGwire was a 12-time All-Star, finished in the top seven in MVP voting seven times and was the 1987 Rookie of the Year after belting 49 home runs, an MLB-record for rookies. He made a fool of himself in front of Congress, was named in the Mitchell Report and Jose Canseco's book Juiced, and was implicated in Jason Grimsley's affidavit about amphetamine use in the major leagues. He won three batting titles, led the AL in hits five times and had two runner-up finishes in MVP voting. Playing in Coors Field at the height of the steroid era, Galarraga couldn't help but put upmonstrousseasons. In making this list, players were not penalized for admitting steroid use or rumored steroid use. 97. Belle has a laundry list of reasons why this happened, so he has nobody to blame but himself, but there's no denying his ability as a player before his career was cut short by injuries. Total WAR. The righty went 48-16 and struck out 417 batters in 587 innings. Home Runs. Richardson played just 12 years in the major leagues, appearing in the World Series in seven of them. Brown was named in the Mitchell Report as a possible steroid user, but no hard evidence surfaced about his use. He didn't top 100 strikeouts in any of his final 11 seasons. career 300 hitters not in hall of fame . Wood received 29 votes in the 1947 Hall of Fame voting, the most of any player who still hasn't been elected. However, as we'll see, he was an underrated performer as an offensive player. He had set a major league record with 59 straight scoreless innings, and in four of his first five full seasons, he had an ERA of 3.06 or lower. Pinson is a somewhat forgotten star of the 1960s Reds and a great bat to have atop the lineup. His 390 home runs ranks among the best for third basemen. Johnson hit for good average on top of his power as well, batting over .290 nine times. The list includes everyone from John Kruk, a 10-year veteran who hit .302, to Tigers legend Ty Cobb, who hit an MLB-record .366. He won just 43 games over his final seven seasons. Before a fine career as a manager, Kuenn was one of the top hitters in the majors during the 1950s and 1960s. Minoso is a player whose importance transcends hisaccomplishmentson the diamond. McNally was part of one of the great pitching staffs of all time along with Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson. Cross was a deadball era standout from 1887 to 1907, who played most of his career in Philadelphia. 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