MLB Greats You Won’t Find in the Hall of Fame

Last Updated: September 25th, 2026 by Matthew Brown

One of the reasons why we watch sports is to watch greatness. We want to see humans exceed levels of competition that haven't been seen before. That's why we celebrate Hall of Famers the way we do. Cooperstown is a hallowed hall compared to all of the other sports halls of fame. You could say it's the hardest Hall of Fame to get into. That's why there are so many lists like these.

So without further ado, let's go through it again, and you can give us some of your personal thoughts on who is an MLB star who should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

11. Bobby Grich: The Revolutionary Second Baseman

Steady defenders are often the most overlooked in sports. A lot of what they excel at is the simple stuff. Stuff that is almost expected of every athlete. The thing is, though, they can do the simple stuff more consistently than even the superstars of the sport. That's what Bobby Grich is to the second base position.

The four-time Gold Glove winner took on so many chances, making so many putouts, throwing so many assists, and turning so many double plays, that the totals for the seasons that were his best are almost astronomical. For a guy that didn't have particularly eye-popping offensive numbers, Grich had value that can be seen in today's metrics.

He led the league in WAR in 1973 with a very high 8.3. He maintained a 6.0 WAR or higher in five straight seasons and six total in his 17-year career. There are a bunch of Hall of Famers who can't even say that.

Bobby Grich — Career	Total
G	2008
AB	6890
H	1833
HR	224
RBI	864
SB	104
AVG	.266
OBP	.371
SLG	.424
OPS	.795
All-Star selections	6
Gold Gloves	4
Silver Sluggers	1

10. Lou Whitaker: Detroit’s Unsung Hero

This is definitely one of the more frustrating ones. For 19 years, Lou Whitaker was a stalwart at second base for the Detroit Tigers. He is one of those players who just could be relied upon day in and day out for a long period of time.

He also brought value when looking back at his career. Even in the seasons towards the end where he wasn't playing as much, he was still contributing 1.5 WAR or more. That means he brought in over a win above an estimated replacement player for his entire career, except for the first 11 games when he was 20 years old and getting his first opportunities at the MLB level.

Now we turn to the accolades. The 1978 Rookie of the Year earned five straight All-Star selections during his prime, which included three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. He also has the winning experience to go along with that, helping to lead the 1984 Tigers to a World Series championship.

All I'm saying is that if Alan Trammell is in the Hall of Fame, Lou Whitaker should be in there as well to complete baseball's greatest double-play duo.

Lou Whitaker — Career	Total
G	2390
AB	8570
H	2369
HR	244
RBI	1084
SB	143
AVG	.276
OBP	.363
SLG	.426
OPS	.789
All-Star selections	5
Gold Gloves	3
Silver Sluggers	4
World Series titles	1
Rookie of the Year	1

9. Kenny Lofton: The Ultimate Leadoff Man

Speed has had an up-and-down relationship with the Baseball Hall of Fame over the years. Of course, there are guys like Ricky Henderson and Lou Brock who have given the game legendary speed to remember.

But then we start going down that list, and the players are still high caliber, yet they get overlooked. Kenny Lofton is certainly that player. I don't think there was any other speedster that was more iconic in that era than Kenny Lofton.

I understand an older Ricky Henderson was still playing during that time, but Lofton had easily overtaken the speed production. From 1992 to 1996, he led the league in stolen bases. His 622 career stolen bases are among the most all-time. He also played a good center fielder, garnering four Gold Gloves in his career to go along with his six All-Star selections.

One of the few reasons why he hasn't been inducted yet is because of his abrasiveness towards the media, who have been the voters for much of his time on the ballot. Now we will rely on former players in the Veterans Committee to make the decision on whether or not this great center fielder deserves enshrinement.

Kenny Lofton — Career	Total
G	2103
AB	8120
H	2428
HR	130
RBI	781
SB	622
AVG	.299
OBP	.372
SLG	.423
OPS	.795
All-Star selections	6
Gold Gloves	4

8. Dwight Evans: Boston’s Forgotten Star

I'm sure you're starting to sense a theme here. Dwight Evans is one of the greatest defensive right fielders of all time. I know he doesn't exactly have the flashy highlights that we've seen from right fielders over the years, but Evans was such a steady presence that it was almost expected that he would make plays that seemed routine.

A good amount of them were far from routine, as he led all right fielders in double plays turned from the position multiple times in his career. Both of those require a big arm and pinpoint accuracy. That's partly the reason why he has eight Gold Gloves in his trophy case.

Then there's the bat. Dwight Evans had one of the steadier bats in Red Sox history. He actually led the league in OPS in two separate seasons while leading in walks in three others. That helped him receive two Silver Slugger awards during his career.

The longevity is there as well. He played for 20 years, accumulating 2,446 career hits and 1,384 RBI. His 67.2 WAR is in a tier that is where you can find many other Hall of Famers. I'd say he should be right there with him in bronze.

Dwight Evans — Career	Total
G	2606
AB	8996
H	2446
HR	385
RBI	1384
SB	78
AVG	.272
OBP	.370
SLG	.470
OPS	.840
All-Star selections	3
Gold Gloves	8
Silver Sluggers	2

7. Rick Reuschel: The Overlooked Ace

Rick Reuschel is literally one of the bigger players not inducted into the Hall of Fame. The man nicknamed Big Daddy had a big presence on the mound that brought him success. Reuschel earned three All-Star selections to go along with two Gold Gloves in his career.

I think he should have received even more accolades while he was playing, as he was severely underrated for how well he was playing for some teams that were having some highs and lows. Reuschel was just a constant force throughout his entire 19-year career, racking up 214 wins on a very solid 3.37 ERA and 2,015 strikeouts.

His 68.1 career WAR is probably the biggest metric that supports his case. Yeah, you can say that it's just supporting his longevity, but I'd contend that there are many other players in history who played just as long and can't even touch that amount of career WAR.

Rick Reuschel — Career	Total
W	214
L	191
ERA	3.37
G	557
IP	3548.1
SO	2015
WHIP	1.27
SV	5
All-Star selections	3
Gold Gloves	2

6. Willie Davis: The Defensive Genius

Center fielders are regarded as all-around players to the greatest extent in this sport. Willie Davis had that all-around ability and showcased it on the daily. One of the premier center fielders in the National League, Davis spent most of his 18-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and probably had a little bit of influence on the way that the West Coast has played baseball.

Davis always played the game hard and with great athleticism. He used his speed to steal almost 400 bases in his career. He turned it into some slugging as well. Davis led the league in triples twice in his career, which led to two All-Star selections to go along with three Gold Gloves. Those accolades are a bit sparse, in my opinion. Davis used his consistent production to contribute to all the teams that he played for throughout his career.

We can now see how he was able to accumulate wins for his teams with WAR. According to that stat, he accumulated 60.8 WAR over his career, which puts him in a pretty high tier among center fielders in history. It's one of the hardest positions in sports, and Davis excelled at it.

Willie Davis — Career	Total
G	2429
AB	9174
H	2561
HR	182
RBI	1053
SB	398
AVG	.279
OBP	.311
SLG	.412
OPS	.723
All-Star selections	2
Gold Gloves	3
World Series titles	2

5. Reggie Smith: The Switch-Hitting Sensation

The use of power and contact in baseball has always been argued in terms of value over the years among fans. Then you can come across players who have showcased both, and they just get passed over like any other average player.

Reggie Smith was no average player. He was a seven-time All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner. Smith smacked 314 home runs in his career to go along with his 2,020 career hits. Smith also saw his fair share of postseason moments. He was one of the players who helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series over the Yankees.

Another element to add is that he was a switch-hitter. There aren't many switch-hitters in history who have produced at this high a level. And I think they should be getting more recognition like how we're suggesting Reggie Smith should have.

Reggie Smith — Career	Total
G	1987
AB	7033
H	2020
HR	314
RBI	1092
SB	137
AVG	.287
OBP	.366
SLG	.489
OPS	.855
All-Star selections	7
Gold Gloves	1
World Series titles	1

4. Bobby Bonds: The Original 30/30 Man

Yeah, I know his son isn't in the Hall of Fame, but that is a totally different issue for a totally different list. For this one, we will focus on the dad.

Bobby Bonds was a three-time All-Star who earned three Gold Gloves in his 14-year career. The career is on the shorter side when comparing it to other Hall of Famers, but Bonds made the most of it as he was one of the most prolific right fielders offensively in the game. Bonds was highly productive with the bat while also being extremely steady with the glove.

In 1971, he led all outfielders with an impressive .994 fielding percentage. That helped Bonds become known for his Gold Glove defense at a position that can be so hard to gain recognition for, thanks to so many other great right fielders in baseball history.

Speaking of recognition in baseball history, Bobby Bonds and his son share the all-time record for most 30-30 seasons in a career. It just proves his value to baseball history and what he could bring as an enshrined member.

Bobby Bonds — Career	Total
G	1849
AB	7043
H	1886
HR	332
RBI	1024
SB	461
AVG	.268
OBP	.353
SLG	.471
OPS	.824
All-Star selections	3
Gold Gloves	3

3. Sal Bando: The Dynasty Captain

Sometimes being a leader of a team that was a perennial contender for the World Series is hard to measure. Sal Bando has very solid stats that don't quite catch the eye like many other Hall of Famers. However, he brought production on a consistent basis that led him to receive four All-Star selections in his career. It was more of the ability to lead his team to victories that can be argued as his true value to the game.

For all the times that the Yankees dominated their way to so many World Series championships, Bando was a fearless leader who helped build the A's dynasty. He was a cornerstone for three of their World Series championships that were won in consecutive years. That really is something that is reserved for the Yankees. But Bando and company worked hard to earn that dynastic recognition.

Sal Bando — Career	Total
G	2019
AB	7061
H	1790
HR	242
RBI	1039
SB	75
AVG	.254
OBP	.352
SLG	.408
OPS	.760
All-Star selections	4
World Series titles	3

2. Keith Hernandez: The Gold Glove King

Defense at first base isn't as highly regarded as some of the other positions on a baseball diamond, but Keith Hernandez's defense has to count for something.

The greatest defensive first baseman of all time has waited far too long to get into the Hall of Fame. It isn't even like Hernandez was a bad hitter. The 1979 NL MVP won the batting title by leading all of baseball with a .344 average.

He also led all of MLB with 48 doubles that season. Oh yeah, he also won one of his 11 Gold Gloves that year. When you look at some of the advanced stats in Hernandez's career, it's kind of cool to see a category like Total Zone, Total Fielding Runs Above Average give value to great defensive players.

Keith Hernandez was so good that his number in that category isn't even touched by any other first baseman in history. Again, I know it's first base, but at this elite level, defense has to be recognized in Cooperstown.

Keith Hernandez — Career	Total
G	2088
AB	7370
H	2182
HR	162
RBI	1071
SB	98
AVG	.296
OBP	.384
SLG	.436
OPS	.820
MVP	1
All-Star selections	5
Gold Gloves	11
Silver Sluggers	2
World Series titles	2

1. Dave Stieb: The Dominant Ace of the 1980s

For sixteen seasons, when you talk about an ace, you have to at least have Dave Stieb somewhere up there in your personal list of thoughts for that category. Stieb was an absolute workhorse for Toronto as he led the league in complete games once and innings pitched twice. He led all pitchers in WAR three straight seasons.

Somehow he never won a Cy Young Award. ERA. Stieb did get mid-season recognition for almost half of his career. He earned seven All-Star selections as he represented the nation of Canada by wearing their beloved baseball team's uniform on the national stage. It's no surprise that we see Dave Stieb on this list, as his name always comes up when a topic like this is discussed among baseball fans.

I hope you enjoyed this list, as I had fun going through it. I know there are names missing. So let us know who you think should have been included on this ever-growing, never-ending cast of great baseball players.

Dave Stieb — Career	Total
W	176
L	137
ERA	3.44
G	443
IP	2895.1
SO	1669
WHIP	1.25
SV	3
All-Star selections	7

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• Great Shortstops Who Never Made the Hall of Fame