It’s true that the baseball hall of fame is supposed to be the home of the greatest players of all time, but what about the best players in mlb who aren’t in the hall of fame?
The player voting process for Cooperstown has gotten a bit tricky in recent years, largely due to the steroid era. elite players connected to steroids have been left out, while borderline players have been included, possibly placing them among the worst members of the mlb hall of fame.
10 best mlb players who are not in the hall of fame
it’s gotten to the point where putting together a list of the best mlb players who aren’t in the hall of fame is a little different than the players who should be in the hall of fame.
for example alex rodriguez hall of fame chances of barry bonds hall of fame case are complicated due to peds. maybe neither should be in the hall of fame, but there’s no denying they’re among the best players left outside of cooperstown.
As we said, this gets complicated every year. but here is our list of top 10 mlb players who are not in the hall of fame.
10. keith hernandez
if only voters paid more attention to defense, keith hernandez would be in cooperstown instead of among the best non-hall of fame players in mlb.
revolutionized the game with the way he played defense as well as winning 11 straight gold gloves. Although he was only a five-time all-star, Hernandez won MVP honors in 1979 and finished his career with more than 2,100 hits and a .296 average. Considering his defensive prowess, those offensive numbers should be more than enough to put Hernandez in Cooperstown.
9. steve garvey
steve garvey is not only not in the hall of fame, but he never got more than 42% of the votes. That’s a terrible injustice for a player who was a 10-time all-star and MVP in 1974. Garvey’s career totals of 272 home runs and a .294 batting average don’t scream Hall of Fame. p>
but the guy was a productive player for almost two decades and also won four gold gloves, playing both sides of the ball and winning more than he got.
8. don mattingly
with over 2,100 career hits and a .307 average over 14 seasons, it’s a shame don mattingly isn’t in the hall of fame. In addition to his hitting prowess, including the 1984 batting title and three silver slugger awards, he won nine Gold Gloves.
during the six consecutive seasons in which he was an all-star, mattingly was one of the elite first basemen in the game and won mvp honors in 1985, making it a crime that ballroom voters fame will ignore him so much.
7. joe jackson without shoes
The infamous barefoot joe jackson might have been an easy pick for the hall of fame if he hadn’t been kicked out for his connection to the black sox scandal.
He once hit .408 for one season and finished his career with a .356 average, which is one of the best all-time batting averages in major league history. Despite the controversy, he is one of the best pure hitters of all time and one of the best non-hall of famers in mlb.
6. allen penis
the late dick allen has come close to entering the hall of fame, but has fallen short despite being one of the best hitters in the majors during the 1960s and 1970s. he won rookie honors from the year in 1964 and mvp in 1972, in addition to being a seven-time all-star.
Granted, he’s not a slam-dunk for the hall of fame, but his .292 career average and 351 career home runs give him a decent case.
5. john donaldson
Josh Donaldson has been considered by multiple committees, but he has yet to earn a posthumous ticket to Cooperstown. The problem is that he pitched in the Negro leagues during the first half of the 20th century, so not enough people got a chance to see him play.
but if you look at the records that existed back then, donaldson had over 400 wins and 5000 strikeouts and pitched 14 no-hitters. Unfortunately, Donaldson never got a chance to pitch in the majors, so we’ll never know if he could have dominated at that level, helping keep him out of the hall of fame.
4. Alex Rodriguez
alex rodriguez’s hall of fame chances would be good were it not for his connection to steroids. During her first year on the ballot, a-rod received only 34% of the vote, which doesn’t bode well for her chances, even though she paid for her crimes with a full-season suspension. p>
Even with three MVPs, two Gold Gloves, 10 Silver Hitters and 14 All-Star appearances on his résumé, voters probably won’t be too flexible. To his credit, he’s been outspoken in admitting his steroid use, but that’s not likely to forgive him much of the Hall of Fame voters. however, his 3115 hits and 696 home runs make him one of the best players in mlb who is not in the hall of fame.
3. roger clemens
roger clemens is surely the best pitcher not in the hall of fame. he has 354 career wins from him, over 4,600 career strikeouts from him and a career era of 3.12, not to mention seven cy young awards under his mantle. he won the pitching triple crown twice and even took home mvp honors in 1986.
On two separate occasions, Clemens tied the MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a game. Unfortunately, Clemens has strong ties to steroids, which has kept him out of the hall of fame. In his final year of eligibility, Clemens only managed to receive 65% of the vote, which means he is destined to remain the greatest non-hall of fame pitcher of all time.
2. barry bonds
barry bonds were on the ballot 10 times, but only made it to 66%. it seems his connection to steroids was too strong for 75% of voters to ignore. the funny thing about barry bonds hall of fame case is that he probably would have been a hall of famer had he never used peds and become the all time home run leader in his career and in a single season .
He won mvp honors seven times, including three times early in his career with the pirates before there was any link between him and the peds. Bonds also won eight Gold Gloves, including several early in his career, and 14 All-Star times. Had he continued to play without the aid of steroids, Bonds would not be a controversial figure and would certainly have a place in Cooperstown.
1. pink pete
He’s not one of the best players in mlb who isn’t in the hall of fame, but pete rose is unequivocally the best player who doesn’t have a place in cooperstown.
He is the all-time mlb leader in games played, at bats and most importantly hits with 4256. He was a career .303 hitter who won three batting titles, two glove gold, a most valuable player and was named an all-star 17 times. His prolific career spanned more than two decades and also included three world series wins.
However, rose also bet on baseball, including games in which he was a player or manager, which earned him a lifetime ban. That suspension may one day be overturned, but until that happens, Ella Rose will be the best player not in the Hall of Fame.