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Now that Major League Baseball has reinstated Pete Rose and Joe Jackson, there are no "ineligible" players for Baseball's Hall. Who are 10 that deserve to be in?
Who Are The Top 10 MLB Hall of Fame Snubs?
With this week’s news that Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson are no longer banned from baseball, we have a couple of players who could (should?) be in the Hall. Now that no players are officially “ineligible,” let’s take a look at who should be in.
We aren’t here to argue semantics with you. Omar Vizquel’s “character issues” have kept him out of the Hall so far — as have countless players linked to PED use. What does the official reinstatement of Rose and Jackson mean for those players? Maybe not as much as you think.
Rose, Jackson, and the others still have to get past the voters, many of whom have shown that they don’t take kindly to PED or character allegations. Never mind that Tris Speaker was a notorious gambler and Ty Cobb was mean to everyone on the baseball field (and some off of it). The Cobb movie was an exercise in character assassination that has been mostly debunked, but again, we’re not talking semantics. This is all about the stats since baseball is more about statistics than any other sport.
Here are RotoBaller’s top 10 MLB Hall of Fame snubs, based solely on statistics. This does not include players such as Albert Pujols who is not yet eligible since he hasn’t been out of baseball for five years or more. The inclusion of those linked to PED’s is going to nudge out those like Dwight Evans and Dale Murphy.
10. Sammy Sosa - OF (1989-2007)
Some are going to be offended by having Sosa this low since he is ninth in MLB history with 609 home runs. However, the .252 career average is well below what is considered acceptable for a Hall-of-Famer. It would be the worst of any player in the Hall of Fame. Only Harmon Killebrew (.256), Rabbit Maranville (.258), and Ray Schalk (.253) have averages under .260. The 2,306 strikeouts leave a bad taste in the mouths of voters as well.
Sosa made seven All-Star teams and led the league in RBI twice. He hit more than 40 homers in six consecutive seasons from 1998-2003, winning the NL MVP in 1998. Sosa’s PED use is common knowledge, as is his allegation of using corked bats. Will voters warm up to Sosa with the reinstatement of Rose and Jackson?
9. Curt Schilling, SP (1988-2007)
Schilling’s 3,116 strikeouts are 17th in MLB history. All other eligible pitchers except Roger Clemens with more than 3,000 strikeouts are in the Hall of Fame. Schilling made six All-Star teams and finished second in the Cy Young voting three times in four years from 2001-04. His 3.46 career ERA is a good mark for a player who spent most of his career in the steroid era.
Schilling’s iconic performance with the Red Sox in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS is one of the enduring images of this century. His ankle incision started visibly bleeding in the first inning and he gave the Red Sox seven innings in that game. Is one game and a good career enough?
Many have been critical of Schilling’s beliefs, but should that factor into Hall of Fame inclusion? We live in an era where political intolerance is at an all-time high. A player like Schilling who is increasingly vocal about his beliefs has pushed some voters away. As I stated above, this is about stats only. No one can debate Schilling’s 216-146 record and 4.38 K/BB ratio. Those are some really good numbers!
8. Gary Sheffield, 3B/OF (1988-2009)
Sheffield was originally drafted by the Brewers as a shortstop. He wound up playing mostly third base before moving to the outfield later in his career. Sheffield played 22 major league seasons but was in no place more than six seasons. The bulk of Sheffield’s 509 career home runs were hit with the Dodgers (129 in four seasons) and Florida (122 home runs in six seasons). He made nine All-Star teams and finished in the top 3 of MVP voting three times in his career.
500 home runs is automatic inclusion for anyone, but unlike many of his peers, Sheffield admitted to using a steroid cream. He insisted that he stopped usage upon learning what it was. Whether the admission has helped or hurt him remains to be seen, but Sheffield was over 60% on the ballot a couple of times.
Sheffield’s career .292 average, 509 home runs, 1,676 RBI, and 253 stolen bases are more than enough for inclusion. His 60.5 career WAR is in the range of the unwritten rule of 50-70 for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. WAR numbers are subjective, but Sheffield’s actual numbers are more than enough. Most fans don’t realize that Sheffield was really good on the bases earlier in his career.
7. Carlos Beltran, OF (1998-2017)
Beltran won Rookie of the Year for the Royals in 1999 and was an eight-time All-Star in his 20 years with the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, and Rangers. He finished his career with a .279 average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI, and 312 stolen bases (while only caught 49 times). His career WAR of 70 is higher than many of his peers.
So, what is keeping Beltran out of the Hall? There are no PED allegations for Beltran. He wasn’t as prolific as many of the power hitters of his era, but the stolen bases, which were a lost art for much of Beltran’s career, more than make up for it. Beltran is one of only five players with 400 homers and 300 steals in his career. Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Andre Dawson are the others.
6. Mark McGwire, 1B (1986-2001)
McGwire burst on the scene in 1987 by setting a rookie record with 49 home runs. He went on to hit 534 more in 15 more seasons with moon shots that were compared to those of Mickey Mantle. McGwire was the first player to hit 70 home runs in a season in 1998. He made the All-Star team in 12 of his 16 years.
Now the bad part: McGwire’s PED usage is also common knowledge. Not only that, but McGwire was linked to PED usage as far back as the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. To be clear, the substance that McGwire is alleged to have used was not explicitly illegal in MLB at the time…but it was a banned substance in the U.S. That makes McGwire’s case a little more of a gray area.
The .263 average, 583 home runs, and 1,414 RBI is more than enough to get in. The fact that he has been linked to steroids for allegedly all of his major league career has been concerning enough for voters to keep him out.
5. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, OF (1908-20)
Jackson’s .356 career average is third all-time behind only Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb. Cobb called Jackson “the greatest hitter who ever lived.” Jackson’s 62.2 WAR in just 13 seasons is right there for inclusion. Jackson played in the dead ball era, so the 54 home runs won’t measure much. The 168 triples and 202 steals tell more about his career.
How much of Jackson’s case for inclusion is based on romanticism for the 1919 “Black Sox”? It’s one of the most told stories in baseball history and many pieces of media have painted owner Charlie Comiskey and commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the bad people in the story. Jackson allegedly did take money, but his performance, unlike that of some of his teammates (notably Happy Felch and Chick Gandil), did not suffer during the series.
Jackson’s career numbers stand up to those of his peers in the 13 years that he played before banishment. Should that be enough for inclusion?
4. Roger Clemens, SP (1984-2007)
Clemens is third in MLB history with 4,672 strikeouts and is ninth in MLB history with 354 wins. Only Greg Maddux has more among pitchers in the last 50 years. His 3.12 ERA is impressive during the live ball ERA and the 138.7 WAR is immaculate. Clemens made 11 All-Star teams and won a record seven Cy Young awards. No other pitcher has more than five since the inception of the award in 1956.
Clemens is easily the best pitcher not enshrined in the Hall. Post-career PED allegations and his extramarital affairs have tarnished the image of Clemens. As with Barry Bonds, Clemens was a Hall-of-Fame caliber player before alleged PED use. PED’s likely extended his career, thus inflating his career numbers. However, Clemens won 20 games five times before the alleged PED use began and topped 200 strikeouts 10 times. His 20-strikeout game was also early in his career.
3. Alex Rodriguez, SS/3B (1994-2016)
A-Rod’s 117.4 WAR is 12th among position players. He hit .295 with 696 home runs (fifth in MLB history) and 2,086 RBI (fourth). Those numbers are elite. The 329 stolen bases are just icing on the cake.
As with McGwire, allegations of A-Rod’s PED usage date to before his MLB career…even as far back as his high school days in Miami. That makes all of his career numbers questionable in the eyes of voters. What makes these allegations so damning is that no one really knows how good A-Rod was without PEDs. We can guess that he would still be a Hall of Fame player regardless. Voters are less forgiving. A-Rod’s numbers are more than enough for inclusion. Will the reinstatement of Rose and Jackson help his cause?
2. Pete Rose, 2B (1963-87)
“Charlie Hustle” won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1963 and didn’t slow down until MLB forced him out in 1989. Baseball’s all-time leader in hits (4,256) and games played (3,562) was banned for life for betting on baseball, though Rose swore that he never bet on his own team.
It seems ludicrous that baseball’s hit king is not in the Hall of Fame, but neither is its home run king. That begs the question: does crime really pay? The lifting of Rose’s lifetime ban likely means that he will be in the hall as soon as 2027.
1. Barry Bonds, OF (1986-2007)
Bonds’ dislike of media and fans alike made him persona non grata for much of his career. Maybe Barry is just a private guy. It’s hard to reconcile the Barry that most of the media portrayed and the Barry that Pedro Gomez got to interview as the same person. Barry’s apathy towards the media and the average fan made him an easy target.
Then Barry moved to the bay and got big. REALLY big. The rumors started before the BALCO scandal broke and Barry’s history with the media made him an easy whipping boy. He is not the only proven PED user, but he is by far the most vilified.
Bonds ended his career as baseball’s home run king with 762. His 162.8 career WAR is the most by a position player (Babe Ruth had a 162.2 career WAR as a hitter, but also pitched for eight seasons) in history. Bonds won four consecutive MVP awards from 2001-04 and won a record seven MVPs in his career. Bonds is also baseball’s all-time leader in walks (2558) and intentional walks (688), including a staggering 120 intentional walks in 2004. He was the most feared hitter on the planet for the better part of five seasons.
I’m not here to pass judgement for or against Barry. We all have our opinions of him, but like Clemens, Bonds was likely a Hall-of-Famer before PED usage. Using steroids took him from a great player to the most feared hitter in modern history.
