Lolich enjoyed a solid career spent mostly with the Detroit Tigers, but his exploits in the 1968 World Series are his legacy. Oliva finished third in Hall of Fame voting in 1988, receiving 47.3 percent of vote. As shown in Table 5, seven former members of the Career .300 Hitters Club finished their major-league careers with .296 batting averages. O'Doul finished his career with a .349 batting average, still the fourth-best in major league history. He batted .370 in 1993 and hit an NL-best 47 homers and 150 RBI in 1996. Ichiro is only renting space on this list. Over his final seven seasons, he topped 130 games played just once. He consistently finished in the top 10 for Hall of Fame voting, but he never cracked the 30 percent barrier. "Indian Bob" is one of the great underrated players of the 1930s and 1940s, lost in the shuffle of playing at the same time as Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig and Hank Greenberg. Hall of Famers Jake Beckley, Sam Crawford, Rogers Hornsby, Willie Keeler, Frank Robinson, and Al Simmons were all within 100 hits of the mark when they hung up their spikes. "Bad Bill" Dahlen's career was split between the 19th and 20th centuries, but it qualifies here since he played more games in the 1900s than he did the 1800s. Harder spent 20 seasons hurling for the Indians and was at his best in the mid-1930s. 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 has just two years left on the ballot but figures to have a tough time cracking through against stiff competition the next two seasons. Rolen ended his career playing for the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 37. Like many others,. Evans was an outstanding all-around right fielder who possessed one of the game's greatest throwing arms. https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/20-mlb-players-with-the-most-hits-not-in-the-hall-of-fame-pete-rose-joey-votto-cooperstown/, These players have a lot of hits, but no plaque, The fastest 40 times in NFL combine history, In memoriam: Celebrities who have died in 2022, 50 largest cities in the United States by population 2022, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He grades well in baseball-reference.com's Hall of Fame Career Standards. His .248 career batting average and status as a "compiler" are his main detractors. But others are there for good. The plaque dedicated to Sanford 'Sandy' Koufax at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New . Vizquel had a borderline Hall of Fame case, but thats gone after the sexual harassment and domestic abuse allegations that have been recently leveled against him. He had a WHIP under 1.200 an incredible 12 times during his career. He was the starting pitcher in the 1956 All-Star Game on a team featuring Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. Pinson's career is somewhat overshadowed by the contemporaries he played against as an outfielder in the 1960s and 1970s. While he wasn't a superstar on the level of contemporaries like George Brett or Mike Schmidt, he wasn't far off from players like Jim Rice and Andre Dawson. Best 3 Year Period. His numbers are at least equal to Hall of Fame peers Jim Rice and Andre Dawson, and his character on and off the field is exemplary. O'Doul had one of the greatest offensive seasons in major league history in 1929 when he set a National League record with 254 hits. He led the NL in home runs four times. 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. Research is still ongoing and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. Root was allegedly the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's "called shot," which often overshadows an excellent career. This slideshow ranks the top 100 players who are eligible for Hall of Fame induction, but they currently do not have that plaque in Cooperstown. One of the great clutch hitters of his era, Martinez finished with a .312 career average and topped 500 doubles and 300 homers in his 18-year career. Bagwell has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for two years and if trends hold up, he should find himself in Cooperstown one day. He eclipsed 240 innings pitched in seven of his nine full seasons and had a career record of 187-111. Schuerholz also scored . Oliver had perhaps his best year in 1982 when he led the National League in hits, doubles, runs batted in, and batting average, was an All Star, and finished third in Most Valuable Player voting. If there was a Hall of Fame for baseball names, Shocker would be an unquestioned first-ballot entry. A sturdy third sacker, listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds during his playing career, Rolen - just the ninth third basemen elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA - played 17 seasons from 1996 through 2012, splitting his time between the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds. Hes first eligible for Cooperstown in 2024. His 137 career OPS+ ranks behind only Mantle, Berkman and Jones among modern switch-hitters. He received 55 votes in the 2012 Hall of Fame voting, his first year on the ballot. John won 20 games three times, all post-surgery, and was an All-Star on four occasions. Hernandez was the 1979 MVP for the Cardinals and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting three straight years for the Mets. Raines' candidacy has been gaining momentum in the past few seasons, and it seems that one day he will take his place in Cooperstown. When the Cubs legend retired in 1947, he was arguably the best National League third baseman outside of Pie Traynor. He ended his career with a .293 average and 1,977 hits. 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. His best representation on the Hall of Fame ballot came in 1981 when he received 62 votes, which was more than Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski and just shy of Orlando Cepeda's total. Wood led the Red Sox to the 1912 World Series behind a record of 34-5. There were a few seasons in the 1910s where Coombs was one of the top pitchers on the Philadelphia A's. He was a six-time All-Star and a three-time top-five MVP finisher. Of his 310 career starts, 298 of them were complete games. a . Notes: A minimum of 1,000 career games played and 1,000 career at-bats are needed to make this list, raw averages are presented to further clarify the one-thousand greatest career batting averages of all-time, and a bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season. He is also one of the few multiple MVP winners who has been left out of Cooperstown. Although he was overshadowed by the big home run hitters of the era, Kuenn held his own as a terrific all-around player. John's 288 career wins are the highest total of any eligible non-Hall of Famer, and he is one of just eight pitchers to start at least 700 games in his career. Ortiz ranks first among all players who spent 50% of their career at designated hitter in home runs, RBIs and doubles (632). This is the first story in a three-part series about . One of the best and longest-running arguments fans like to get involved with revolves around the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. He also didn't thrive in the postseason, going 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four games. McGriff was a winning player who fell just shy of 500 home runs, finishing his 19-year career with 493. The three-time All-Star went 217-191 for his career. He has finished no worse than eighth in Hall of Fame voting in his three years on the ballot, topping 32 percent each time. July 20, 2019. With another 2-3 seasons, he wouldve reached the magic 3,000 number that wouldve almost assuredly ensured his induction. A terrific lead-off hitter and defensive center fielder, Lofton's excellence was overshadowed by the home runs and steroids which came to dominate baseball in the late 1990s. Whitaker was a solid all-around player for the Tigers, but never really excelled in any one area on an elite level. However, once Hershiser reached the age of 30, health issues set in and curtailed what could have been a Hall of Fame career. 1. Smith's case is based on being very good and compiling stats over an 18-year career. The three-time 20-game winner finished his career with a 170-91 record for a .651 winning percentage, good for 27th all time. He had enough support to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot for the maximum of 15 years, garnering 88 votes in 2008, his final year. 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. The four-time Gold Glove winner finished with a .977 fielding percentage, which ranks 23rd all time at shortstop. He will earn a salary of $32 million for the 2023 season, the Tigers will buy out his 2024 option for $8 million, and he will retire. The 1960 National League MVP teamed with Bill Mazeroski to form one of the best defensive middle infields of his era. Before getting started on the modern ballplayers, here is a look at nine deserving players from the 1800s who haven't been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Not only was he able to go far to his left and right, but he charged the bunt as well as anyone and had range back into foul territory. Injuries sapped him of his production over the last half of his career so most of his Hall of Fame resume was built with both the Phillies and Cardinals before the age of 32. Good ole Donnie Baseball Don Mattingly hit .307 and is not in the Hall of Fame. Bullying, racism, personal attacks, harassment, or discrimination is prohibited. Lopat didn't have the longevity to be seriously considered for the Hall of Fame. McInnis received eight votes for the Hall of Fame in the 1949 balloting, more than 23 other players that year who were eventually elected to the Hall. Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. From 1996-2006, through his age-31 season, Rolen produced 54.4 of his 69.9 career fWAR. !rogermaris.com, Maris' career batting average was .260, which is minuscule compared to other greats like Hank Aaron and Ted Williams who both surpassed .300, that number being considered to be the gold standard for a hitter. Although he was never a serious threat to make the Hall of Fame, it's surprising that he lasted just one year on the ballot before being removed after getting a mere 19 votes in 1991. Hell be a first-ballot inductee for the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class. Edgar Martinez, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, could really hit the baseball. Mays was a sidearming spitball pitcher who pitched for four teams in the early 20th century. The total was higher than Orlando Cepeda, Ron Santo and Bill Mazeroski. Shocker was a workhorse for the Browns and Yankees from 1916 to 1928. The fact that Carter and Fisk were elected and Simmons lasted just one year on the ballot is just wrong. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Stephens also was an AL All-Star seven times. Overall, he received MVP votes in eightdifferentyears and won three Gold Gloves. Considered one of the top dead-ball era players not in the Hall of Fame, Daubert was an excellent all-around players for the Brooklyn Superbas and Cincinnati Reds in the early 20th century. Career statistics/162: .306 BA, 7 HR, 79 RBI, 5 . He finished with a career record of 193-121 but had an ERA of 4.04. Baines played in 2,830 career games, 19th all time, and amassed 2,866 career hits, the highest total of any eligible non-Hall of Famer. John was another compiler, but the fact that he was able to stick around long enough to compile those statistics is incredible in itself. From the time he broke into the league in 1986, Clark was one of the top hitters in the National League. Ryan authored his sixth no-hitter in 1990 and followed with his seventh a year later at the age of 44. He also didn't have a great batting average. At times, Tiant was one of the great clutch pitchers of his generation. His Hall of Fame candidacy peaked in 1995, his third year on the ballot. He led a resurgent Braves squad in 1982 and 1983 with back-to-back MVP seasons in which he was a fine power hitter and Gold Glove center fielder. Reulbach led the league in winning percentage for three straight years from 1906 to 1908 when he compiled a record of 60-15 over the three-year period. Let's put Ichiro in the Hall of Fame. Dave Orr-hit .342 but only played 8 seasons, so he isn't eligible for the Hall. He made seven straight All-Star games in the 1980s and has three top-seven MVP finishes. He also won five Gold Gloves, had two top-three MVP finishes and ended his career with 200 home runs, when that meant something as a catcher. Cramer played a total of 20 seasons from 1929 to 1948 and had long stints with the As, Red Sox and Tigers. Claim to fame: Quietly, Oliver may have been one of the best hitters of the 1970s and '80s, amassing 2,743 hits and a .303 lifetime batting average, hitting above .300 eleven of his 18 seasons. Marty Dobrow | Special to MassLive. After his playing career ended Buck became a scout for the Cubs, signing Lou Brock for the team. However, while Smith was an excellent and feared closer, he doesn't have the hardware you'd expect. He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting on three separate occasions. Be respectful even if you disagree. He made seven All-Star games during his career. From 1984 to 1989 "Donnie Baseball" was the most prolific hitter in baseball. Yost was a supremely talented defender who set American League records for third basemen in career putouts, assists and total chances by the end of his career. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Playing in Coors Field at the height of the steroid era, Galarraga couldn't help but put upmonstrousseasons. Dark was a solid player during the post-World War II era in the National League who later went on to become an excellent manager. 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 received MVP votes in eight seasons, finishing in the top 10 in six of those years. Garvey will likely be a strong Veterans Committee candidate years down the line. Oliver accumulated 2,743 hits in his career. He finished fourth in the MVP voting in 1977 and 1978 and received MVP votes in five other seasons. Mattingly batted over .300 in each of his first six full seasons, leading the AL in 1984 with a .343 average. He finished his career with a .307 batting average. He was the 1978 NL MVP, won two World Series titles and received MVP votes in nine seasons, finishing in the top five of the voting five times. 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