Last Updated: September 9th, 2026 by Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
The way you get into Cooperstown has really changed over the years. It used to be you hit certain milestones, and you were in. 300 wins, 3000 hits, 500 homers. Hit the number, get the plaque. But things change.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus, we'll send you other unbelievable stories from baseball's past.
With the steroid era, the numbers suddenly weren't as trustworthy, and then advanced stats made it even more complicated. Now we had different standards for what we measure and what we treasure. We looked at WAR; we look at OPS+.
The milestones on their own weren't enough. And now players that might have been overlooked in the past won't be, and players that might have gotten in in the past aren't getting in now. That's led to a lot of debates, and we're going to jump into some of the best ones right now.
28. Jim Edmonds
Edmonds had the misfortune of being a candidate for Cooperstown at a time when advanced stats weren't being measured yet, because his numbers weren't quite there. He had 393 home runs, but he had a 60.4 WAR and 132 OPS+, so in advanced stats he looks a lot better. And of course he had the moments that make a Hall of Famer.
He had the famous catch in '97, back to the plate, over the shoulder; that job was nasty, said to be the 29th greatest moment in the history of baseball. He had the massive hit in game six of the 2004 NLCS and won a ring in 2006.
Now, when he appeared on the ballot in 2016, he only got 2.5%. But if you compare him to Andruw Jones, who just got in, they have basically the same career, and if he had stayed on the ballot long enough to have WAR be counted, there certainly would have been a much stronger argument for him arriving. The doubters say he didn't quite reach 2,000 hits; he had 1,949, but if Jones is in, he certainly deserves at least a conversation.
| Jim Edmonds — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2011 |
| AB | 6858 |
| H | 1949 |
| HR | 393 |
| RBI | 1199 |
| SB | 67 |
| AVG | .284 |
| OBP | .376 |
| SLG | .527 |
| OPS | .903 |
| All-Star selections | 4 |
| Gold Gloves | 8 |
| Silver Sluggers | 1 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
27. Kenny Lofton
Lofton has an even better case than Edmonds did, and for the same reason. He has a fantastic WAR; his WAR is 68.4, which even rhymes, and also, not that this would get him in, he's the only player to ever be in the Final Four and to play in the World Series.
He played for Arizona on the bench in the 1988 Final Four, the more you know. Now he's one of the best leadoff hitters alive, with 622 stolen bases, 15th all time. He led the American League in steals five times, four straight Gold Gloves, and almost hit .300 for his career.
And again, the advanced stats are the reason that today he would be considered, when back then you only got 3.2% of the vote and was thrown off the ballot. That would definitely not happen today. But what might keep him off is the fact that he didn't have any power; that meant his OPS+ was just 107, definitely not high enough for the Hall of Fame. But between all of his fielding advantages, his stealing advantages, and his high WAR, there at least needed to be a better conversation about his candidacy.
| 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 |
26. Dwight Evans
Evans has a really good case to be in the Hall of Fame, but he has absolutely no luck. When he was first a candidate, the writers saw his .272 and 385 home runs as very solid, but he wasn't hitting on the other milestones.
Then, when WAR took over, the modern-era committee jumped him up, and he was four votes away from induction because they saw his 67.1 WAR and his eight Gold Gloves, and honestly, that is a combo that, to me, says Hall of Famer. Then, the third time around, he was left off, and the slots were given to steroid-era cases, which tend not to be successful, and he was left off the ballot for that even though, theoretically, he might have had a better chance than any of them.
Really hard luck for Evans.
| 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 |
25. Andruw Jones (HOF)
Jones had a very similar case to Lofton and a similar case to Edmonds, and he actually got in. The differences: he was left in contention for longer because he had a few more home runs than Edmonds at 434, a lot more than Lofton, and a couple more Gold Gloves than either of them, with 10 straight from 1998 to 2007.
He might have gotten some consideration for the fact that at age 30 it all ended, and Lord knows what he could have done without it. But he had some bad numbers too that held him back: a 254 career, OPS plus of 111, that's lower than Edmonds'.
So, you can definitely make the case that if he deserves to be in, so do they, but he had a little bit of those flashier milestone numbers, and that helped him in it.
| Andruw Jones — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2196 |
| AB | 7599 |
| H | 1933 |
| HR | 434 |
| RBI | 1289 |
| SB | 152 |
| AVG | .254 |
| OBP | .337 |
| SLG | .486 |
| OPS | .823 |
| All-Star selections | 5 |
| Gold Gloves | 10 |
| Silver Sluggers | 1 |
24. Bobby Abreu
Abreu was benefiting from the way the rules are changing right as we speak. At the time, he was fantastic, but people just didn't appreciate him enough. He's one of only seven players ever with 900-plus extra-base hits in 400-plus steals, and he even has a good batting average. 291.
He has pretty good power, 288 home runs, and what keeps him in the running nowadays is his high WAR. He has 60.2, which is 19th all-time among right fielders, and a 395 on-base percentage, which is fantastic.
But at the time, and this is what he's having trouble overcoming, he just wasn't considered to be that good. He was an All-Star twice when he really should have been an All-Star just about every year. And I hope that as people reappraise advanced stats, they see just how good Abreu was, because boy does he deserve to be in Cooperstown.
| Bobby Abreu — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2425 |
| AB | 8480 |
| H | 2470 |
| HR | 288 |
| RBI | 1363 |
| SB | 400 |
| AVG | .291 |
| OBP | .395 |
| SLG | .475 |
| OPS | .870 |
| All-Star selections | 2 |
| Gold Gloves | 1 |
| Silver Sluggers | 1 |
23. Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles really needs to be reevaluated, because if they looked at him today, he would do a lot better. He has 68 WAR today, the same as Dwight Evans and more than Andrew Jones, who just got in, but at the time he got 4.7% of the vote and was immediately out.
His numbers were pretty good: six All-Star selections, 390 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, a good fielder, two Gold Gloves, and, most famously, game three of the 1978 World Series, which he won basically on his own with his glove.
And he was a really funny guy too, and that accounts for something. He once said, "When I was a kid, I had two dreams: playing in the major leagues and being in the circus, and with the Yankees, I have accomplished them both." I think just for that joke, he deserves another look.
| Graig Nettles — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2700 |
| AB | 8986 |
| H | 2225 |
| HR | 390 |
| RBI | 1314 |
| SB | 32 |
| AVG | .248 |
| OBP | .329 |
| SLG | .421 |
| OPS | .750 |
| All-Star selections | 6 |
| Gold Gloves | 2 |
| World Series titles | 2 |
22. Lance Berkman
Berkman is a player for whom the advanced stats tell a very complicated story. So of course he didn't get in on the old school stats, but he had one of the best OPS pluses of any player who's not in the Hall of Fame, 144, definitely a hall of fame OPS, that's 44% better than the league average across 15 years.
So why is it complicated? His WAR is only 52; that's not Hall of Fame caliber. He didn't play enough games, first of all, and second of all, he was a bad defender- so bad that he spent a lot of his time at DH- and that means he's not a good enough all-around player for the whole thing. And that's one case where the old statistics and the new statistics happened to agree.
| Lance Berkman — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1879 |
| AB | 6491 |
| H | 1905 |
| HR | 366 |
| RBI | 1234 |
| SB | 86 |
| AVG | .293 |
| OBP | .406 |
| SLG | .537 |
| OPS | .943 |
| All-Star selections | 6 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
21. Carlos Beltran (HOF)
On merits, Carlos Beltran is a no-brainer. He has 435 home runs, 2,725 hits, 70 WAR, 9 All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, and was an October Superstar with .307, 16 homers, and 11-for-11 in stealing. What more can you want? Didn't even mention his '99 Rookie of the Year in his resume.
So the only mark against him is that Beltran was the only player named in the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scheme. The writers really didn't care; they gave him 84.2% in the class of 2026, meanwhile Bonds and Clemens have spent 10 years on the ballot and have not gotten in.
So it looks like it's an unwritten rule that stealing doesn't count, and PEDs keep you out, maybe forever. No one's ever articulated that rule, but there it is. Do you think it's just? I don't know. On merit, he belongs in, but then so do Bonds and Clemens.
| Carlos Beltrán — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2586 |
| AB | 9768 |
| H | 2725 |
| HR | 435 |
| RBI | 1587 |
| SB | 312 |
| AVG | .279 |
| OBP | .350 |
| SLG | .486 |
| OPS | .836 |
| All-Star selections | 9 |
| Gold Gloves | 3 |
| Silver Sluggers | 2 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
20. Dick Allen (HOF)
Yeah, Dick Allen got in, but he only got in after he died, and that's an absolute travesty. Let's break down the numbers to see why. He had a career OPS plus of 156. From 64 to 74, he produced 58.3 WAR; that's in his prime, not his career, tied with Willie Mays for sixth among all position players in the sport over those years.
He was Rookie of the Year, and one of the reasons that he wasn't appreciated as much as he should have been is just racism. When he came up for Philadelphia, fans were not happy; the town was still very racist. He had to wear a batting helmet while on the field because of what people threw at him.
He wasn't interested in being a Jackie Robinson-style crusader; he just wanted to play ball, and he got this image as a problematic, angry guy for dealing with a situation that would have been impossible for anyone. His bat was one of the best of his generation, and by definition he should have been in the Hall of Fame immediately.
It's good that he got in, but it should have been when he was still alive. And he only missed the entry by one vote on two different occasions, just a travesty.
| Dick Allen — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1749 |
| AB | 6332 |
| H | 1848 |
| HR | 351 |
| RBI | 1119 |
| SB | 133 |
| AVG | .292 |
| OBP | .378 |
| SLG | .534 |
| OPS | .912 |
| MVP | 1 |
| All-Star selections | 7 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
19. Lou Whitaker
The numbers make it clear that Lou Whitaker should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame. Let's just look at what he has. So he's the Rookie of the Year, five straight All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and a World Series ring.
Now, batting average is what kept him out, of course- 276- but he had over 2,000 runs, 244 homers, 117 OPS+, and here's the clincher: 75.1 WAR. That's more than the people we've been talking about: Jones, Evans, Nettles. That's a number that gets you in. Unfortunately, in 2001, you only got 15 votes and 2.9% of the ballot because WAR wasn't a thing there.
And what really clinches it is him and Trammell. They were the longest-running middle infield partnership in the history of baseball. Came up on the same day, played 19 seasons side by side. And Trammell is in; Whitaker isn't. Whitaker absolutely should be.
Now, there are a couple of reasons that he hasn't been in. The numbers for defensive stats from the '80s aren't all that great. And a lot of people have noted that he wasn't the best player in baseball that year, and he often wasn't the best player in his own infield because of Trammell. But that shouldn't be held against you. There's no standard that you have to be the absolute best player in baseball.
There are certain numerical standards that we expect from a Hall of Famer. Whitaker clears them, especially by modern standards. He deserves another look.
| 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 |
18. Kevin Brown
While Kevin Brown isn't a sexy name for a starter, he has a very strong case, especially when we look at WAR. He has a 68.2 WAR and 127 ERA+, easily a Hall of Fame profile. But he didn't have all those Cy Young Awards and all those strikeouts and all those wins that were associated with a Hall of Fame picture at the time. So, you know, the 211 wins rather than 300.
He also didn't have a home; he didn't have a fan base to campaign, friend, cuz he was a journeyman. The Mitchell Report did name him, although in a relatively minor way, and he was very prickly with the Press, so the Press really didn't like him.
But if we look at his WAR, he's above some major, well-known names, way above Catfish Hunter, way above Jack Morris, way above Sandy Koufax; of course, Koufax was much better, slightly above Whitey Ford, more than slightly even above Roy Halladay too.
So when you put all those together, I mean, this is easily a Hall of Fame picture. The only thing that could keep him out by today's standards is his steroid past.
| Kevin Brown — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 211 |
| L | 144 |
| ERA | 3.28 |
| G | 486 |
| IP | 3256.1 |
| SO | 2397 |
| WHIP | 1.22 |
| SV | 0 |
| All-Star selections | 6 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
17. Bill Dahlen
Bill Dahlen, known as “Bad Bill”, was renowned for his aggressive behavior during his era in baseball, which spanned the 1890s through the early 1900s. His ejection from games 65 times is a testament to his fiery nature, but his offensive and defensive contributions were significant. Dahlen was a reliable hitter, an excellent base runner, and was considered one of the finest fielders of his time.
| Bill Dahlen — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2445 |
| AB | 9031 |
| H | 2458 |
| HR | 84 |
| RBI | 1233 |
| SB | 547 |
| AVG | .272 |
| OBP | .358 |
| SLG | .382 |
| OPS | .740 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
His career, which lasted from 1891 to 1911, included stints with four National League teams. On offense, he amassed more than 2,400 hits and demonstrated remarkable consistency at the plate. Defensively, Dahlen’s skills at shortstop were exceptional, contributing significantly to the defensive strength of the teams he played for.
Below is a table of Dahlen’s career statistics and honors:
The absence of a Hall of Fame induction for Dahlen remains a point of debate among many baseball historians, as his achievements on the field were substantial by the standards of his time.
16. Luis Tiant
Tiant, another pitcher who's a lot better than some of the people who got in, especially someone who gets beaten up a lot in these conversations, Catfish Hunter. But there's a reason for that. Catfish had a 40.9 WAR; Louis had 66.1. Catfish had a 104 ERA Plus; Louis had 114 ERA Plus. Louis even had more wins than Catfish. Hunter had the Cy Young; he had five rings, but the five rings have a lot to do with his teams, not necessarily with his pitching skills.
And here's another thing: he got a lot of interest when he first came up on the ballot in '88; he had 30.9%, a good, lively start that can often lead to inclusion. But when Gaylord Perry and Fergie Jenkins became eligible, the ballot jammed, his support collapsed, he aged off, never got in. But I think he has a good case, deserves another look.
| Luis Tiant — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 229 |
| L | 172 |
| ERA | 3.30 |
| G | 573 |
| IP | 3486.1 |
| SO | 2416 |
| WHIP | 1.20 |
| SV | 15 |
| All-Star selections | 3 |
15. Bobby Bonds
Bonds was the modern player before that era even existed. They filed him as a disappointment despite having power and speed. He had five 30-homer and 30-steal seasons, a record that nobody had come close to. But it was something that was really held against him at the time, and that was all the strikeouts. He set the Major League record with 187 strikeouts in '69, then he broke his own record the next year, and that's good for 34 years.
Now, at that time, striking out a lot was considered a major failure, like a character flaw, and that stood against everything else that he did. People noticed that he had the power and the speed, but they thought that he was a mediocre player because he kept striking out. Today we see he had 129 OPS+ for example in '73, 129 OPS+ for his career, yet three Gold Gloves.
We could certainly feel his WAR isn't quite high enough at 57.9, so he's a borderline case, but he certainly didn't get the respect that he deserved at the time. Being the father of Barry kind of relegated him to a footnote. He died at age 57 without the respect that he deserved.
| 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 |
14. David Cone
The David Cone argument shows how stupid and arbitrary some of these numbers are. Now, this is a guy with quite the resume. He has 2,668 strikeouts, 21st of all time, a 121 ERA+, and 62.3 WAR. Those are Hall of Fame numbers.
Not to mention, he has the 1994 Cy Young, five World Series rings, and five All-Star appearances. He struck out 19 Phillies in one game; that ties Tom Seaver's National League record. And then he actually, on Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, pitched the 16th perfect game in major league history, after Berra had called Don Larsen's perfect game all those years ago.
And despite all that, he got 3.9% from the writers and was taken off the ballot. And why? Because he had only 194 wins, not 200. If he had those 200, he probably would have gotten it. And honestly, it's ridiculous.
| David Cone — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 194 |
| L | 126 |
| ERA | 3.47 |
| G | 450 |
| IP | 2898.2 |
| SO | 2668 |
| WHIP | 1.26 |
| SV | 1 |
| Cy Young | 1 |
| All-Star selections | 5 |
| World Series titles | 5 |
13. Tommy John
Tommy John wasn't just a surgery; he was also a fantastic pitcher, and if you wanted a few more games, he'd definitely already be in the Hall of Fame. He had 26 seasons, that's just one less than Nolan Ryan, he had the record before that. 288 wins and 231 losses, 12 short of the 300 landmark, 3.34 ERA, 111 ERA plus, and 61.6 WAR. Four All-Stars, runner-up for the Cy Young twice, but he never won one. So if he won one of those, got in the 300, he'd be in there, very close.
Now, when he got injured in 74, people told him that the odds of his recovery were 100 to one from the surgery. He didn't miss all of 75, but he won more games after the surgery than before it. He won 24 before, 164 after it. And by having the guts to do that surgery, he changed baseball forever, and that also should count for something.
| Tommy John — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 288 |
| L | 231 |
| ERA | 3.34 |
| G | 760 |
| IP | 4710.1 |
| SO | 2245 |
| WHIP | 1.28 |
| SV | 4 |
| All-Star selections | 4 |
12. Keith Hernandez
No first baseman ever had 11 Golden Glove wins before, and none since. Keith Hernandez had 11 Golden Glove wins. Hardly any infielder in baseball history had that many; it's pretty incredible. Only Brooks Robinson and Maddux, as a pitcher, had more than he did.
And then we're also talking about a player who was MVP, and we're talking about a player who won the World Series twice. And still, he only got 10.8% and fell off the ballot in 2004. Back then, being a first baseman demanded home runs, and he never had enough, but they weren't looking at his amazing .384 on-base percentage, the best defense ever played at their position.
And there are also his issues with drugs, but I don't think that's what kept him off. What kept him off is the lack of power. But considering how incredible he was and what he did getting on base, fielding, and winning the World Series, he definitely belongs there.
And he's been a great ambassador for the game; just remember his Seinfeld appearance.
| 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 |
11. Barry Bonds
What can I say about Barry Bonds that hasn't already been said? He is certainly the best player not in the Hall of Fame, maybe the best player of all time.
With 7 MVPs, no one has more than three. 14 All-Star selections, even eight Gold Gloves, 12 Silver Sluggers, 762 home runs, 73 in 2001, the all-time record, 2,558 walks, 688 intentional walks; those are records too. Highest WAR of any position player in the history of baseball.
But we all know why he's not in the Hall of Fame. Now, a lot of people get the legal record wrong: he wasn't charged with perjury, and there was a conviction of obstruction of justice in 2011, but it was overturned. So he actually is convicted of nothing.
But some of the writers won't forgive him for that. He's peaked at 66%, and Jeff Kent was elected the last time instead. Beltran, meanwhile, was named, as we said, despite stealing signals. I don't know; I don't have the answers here.
| Barry Bonds — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2986 |
| AB | 9847 |
| H | 2935 |
| HR | 762 |
| RBI | 1996 |
| SB | 514 |
| AVG | .298 |
| OBP | .444 |
| SLG | .607 |
| OPS | 1.051 |
| MVP | 7 |
| All-Star selections | 14 |
| Gold Gloves | 8 |
| Silver Sluggers | 12 |
10. Roger Clemens
Clemens is eerily similar to Bonds, really. If Bonds had seven MVPs, Clemens has seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher who's ever lived. He has an MVP, a rarity for a pitcher; a record of 354 and 184; a 3.12 ERA; and third all-time in strikeouts with 4,672. Only man to strike out 20 players in a game twice.
And he had a higher peak before starting to take steroids than Bonds did before any allegations against him. You already had four Cy Youngs; he was definitely a Hall of Famer. What the drugs probably did is make his career longer and put some of those numbers at a ridiculous place where he already would have been one of the best. There was no positive test for him, no conviction.
He has a much thinner evidentiary case than other people like McGwire and Bonds, but he's excluded just as firmly as they are. In fact, he got a little bit less in the vote than Bonds did: 65.2. Again, I don't know what to tell you; he definitely would have made it without the steroids. Bonds probably would have made it easily without it.
| Roger Clemens — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 354 |
| L | 184 |
| ERA | 3.12 |
| G | 709 |
| IP | 4916.2 |
| SO | 4672 |
| WHIP | 1.17 |
| SV | 0 |
| MVP | 1 |
| Cy Young | 7 |
| All-Star selections | 11 |
| World Series titles | 2 |
9. Alex Rodriguez
More huge numbers with this guy. We're talking about a player with three MVPs, 14 All-Star selections, 10 Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, 696 home runs, 3,115 hits, 117.5 WAR- that's almost double what you need to get into the Hall of Fame- and a 140 OPS+. He's actually the only player in history with 3,000 hits, and he revolutionized the shortstop position and turned it into a genuine hitting position as well.
He had a reputation for not being able to hit in the postseason, but it doesn't hold up on examination, especially the 2009 World Series. He hit .365 with six homers and 52 at-bats and won the Babe Ruth Award as postseason MVP.
But with A-Rod there's nothing to argue about when it comes to steroids. He tested positive for testosterone and for Primobolan, and in 2009 he admitted it. He said, "I was young, I was stupid, I was naive." In 2014, MLB suspended him for 162 games, and that's why he's polling in the 30s, below where Bonds and Clemens peaked, even though he had ridiculously good raw numbers.
He's a beloved broadcaster; he's been forgiven by the public, but the institution hasn't moved an inch. And if Bonds and Clemens are getting in, he's certainly not getting in, cuz the record is much rougher on him.
| Alex Rodriguez — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2784 |
| AB | 10566 |
| H | 3115 |
| HR | 696 |
| RBI | 2086 |
| SB | 329 |
| AVG | .295 |
| OBP | .380 |
| SLG | .550 |
| OPS | .930 |
| MVP | 3 |
| All-Star selections | 14 |
| Gold Gloves | 2 |
| Silver Sluggers | 10 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
8. Rafael Palmeiro
Let's start with why Rafael Palmeiro should be in the Hall of Fame based on the numbers. It's arguable. Only seven players in history have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs: Aaron, Mays, Murray, Griffey, A-Rod, Pujols, and Palmyra. Everyone who's eligible on that list is in Cooperstown.
Palmero has 3,020 hits, 569 homers, 71.99 plus. Despite all that, he only got 11% on his first ballot and fell off entirely by 2014.
So he's doing a lot worse than Clemens and Bonds, and some of it's because he wasn't quite as good as they are, but we all know what it really was. On March 17th, 2005, before Congress, pointed his finger directly at the committee and said, "I've never used steroids, period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never."
Then he got caught. He was always suspended for a few days, but because he got caught and because that video is not going away, his image has been incredibly tarnished, and other people from this scandal era will probably get in before he does.
| Rafael Palmeiro — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2831 |
| AB | 10472 |
| H | 3020 |
| HR | 569 |
| RBI | 1834 |
| SB | 97 |
| AVG | .288 |
| OBP | .371 |
| SLG | .515 |
| OPS | .886 |
| All-Star selections | 4 |
| Gold Gloves | 3 |
| Silver Sluggers | 2 |
7. Mark McGwire
McGwire doesn't have the numbers of the other people we've been talking about; most people remember the Home Run Chase, but there's a lot more to his career. He started off great long before the scandals: 49 homers as a rookie in 1987; that was the record till Judge broke it in 2017. Unanimous rookie of the year. He was an All-Star 12 times. 583 home runs, and he hit a home run every 10.6 at-bats, higher than Ruth, higher than Bonds. Everybody remembers, of course, 98, when he broke the records. That didn't last.
McGwire has the moments that damned him even more than Clemens and Bonds. The same day as Palmeiro, he refused to answer. He said, "I'm not here to talk about the past." Smarter than Palmeiro, but both of those clips have run for 20 years.
In 2010, he admitted it voluntarily in a tearful interview with Bob Costas. He came clean. There wasn't a test, but the confession really didn't help him. He peaked at 23.7% of the vote in 2010, then he dropped off. People might say coming clean will help you; that doesn't seem to be the case.
And of course, McGwire probably would be in the Hall of Fame if he hadn't gotten caught. He's more of a borderline case than the others, and you could argue convincingly that without ever juicing, he wouldn't have passed 500 home runs and may never have made it. So there's that element to contend with as well.
| Mark McGwire — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1874 |
| AB | 6187 |
| H | 1626 |
| HR | 583 |
| RBI | 1414 |
| SB | 12 |
| AVG | .263 |
| OBP | .394 |
| SLG | .588 |
| OPS | .982 |
| All-Star selections | 12 |
| Gold Gloves | 1 |
| Silver Sluggers | 3 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 |
6. Manny Ramirez
Ramirez is now off the ballot, and when you look at his batting numbers, it's a real shame. His .312 career batting average, 555 home runs, 1,831 RBIs, 996 OPS, and 154 OPS+ are ridiculous. And of course, in October, 29 postseason home runs, more than anyone has ever hit, with two rings and the 2004 World Series MVP. Just astounding numbers for a hitter.
Now, he's different from Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and the others, because they were using it in an era where it seemed like everyone was. There was no testing, and it seemed like there was no penalty. So they have that defense, well everyone was doing it, no there were no rules. But Manny got caught twice.
After all that, he got caught in 2009 and got a 50-game suspension. He got caught again in 2011, got a 100-game suspension, and he retired on the spot instead of serving it. That was after the Mitchell Report and Congressional hearings; there was no ambiguity.
He knew what he was doing, and he knew what he was risking, and that's definitely one of the reasons why he's getting lower numbers, or was getting lower numbers, than Clemens, Bonds, and McGwire.
| Manny Ramirez — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2302 |
| AB | 8244 |
| H | 2574 |
| HR | 555 |
| RBI | 1831 |
| SB | 38 |
| AVG | .312 |
| OBP | .411 |
| SLG | .585 |
| OPS | .996 |
| All-Star selections | 12 |
| Silver Sluggers | 9 |
| World Series titles | 2 |
5. Curt Schilling
Schilling came really close, closer than most of these other guys, to being inducted. He had 79.5 WAR, which is the highest of any of the pitchers on this list. That's more than Clemens's competition, more than Brown, Kevin Brown, Tommy John. We're talking about a 127 ERA plus. He finished second in the Cy Young voting three separate times; it's amazing that he never won any of them. And in October, he has an 11-2 record with a 2.23 ERA.
And of course, the iconic moment that most players don't have: the Bloody Sock Moment, Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. It's not a borderline case; it's a clear one, but he's still not in. And in 2021, he was just 16 votes short with 71.1% of the vote when the vote collapsed.
Schilling asked to be removed from consideration, which they did not do, and it certainly didn't help that he had a string of social media posts that were very controversial. When he was being considered, he was ultimately passed over, and he was off the ballot.
| Curt Schilling — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 216 |
| L | 146 |
| ERA | 3.46 |
| G | 569 |
| IP | 3261.0 |
| SO | 3116 |
| WHIP | 1.14 |
| SV | 22 |
| All-Star selections | 6 |
| World Series titles | 3 |
4. Chase Utley
We're only now beginning to understand how valuable Chase Utley is, and I say this with some hesitation cuz I'm a Mets fan. But with traditional stats, he didn't look like all that much: .275 batting average, less than 2,000 hits, 259 home runs.
But when you look at his WAR, 64.6, and his OPS+, 117, you start to see that he was well above average, maybe Hall of Fame level. You also won that 2008 World Series ring, but you have to also remember the added value. Elite defense at second base, ridiculous base running, getting hit by a pitcher more than just about anyone else, which raised his on-base percentage.
And that means that between 2005 and 2010 he may have been the most valuable position player in the National League, which no one thought at the time, but looks like that in retrospect. Of course, his very, very outrageously out-of-control slides have led to changes in the rules, and that's one of the reasons he's very unpopular with rival teams' fan bases.
But that doesn't change the fact that he was an elite player, and he'll most likely get in because people understand the value of players like him now.
| Chase Utley — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 1937 |
| AB | 6857 |
| H | 1885 |
| HR | 259 |
| RBI | 1025 |
| SB | 154 |
| AVG | .275 |
| OBP | .358 |
| SLG | .465 |
| OPS | .823 |
| All-Star selections | 6 |
| Silver Sluggers | 4 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
3. Johan Santana
Johan Santana could have been with the Astros but they left him unprotected after 1999. Twins got him and paid $50,000 for the guy who'd become the best pitcher in baseball. Two Cy Young Awards, both unanimous; only Clemens, Pedro, Maddux, Koufax, and him have two of those going for them.
He won the 2006 pitching Triple Crown, led the league in ERA three times, and pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history. But that was after his shoulder started to come apart. He had surgery in 2010; that's an injury pitchers don't return from, and he made an amazing job out of trying to overcome it.
But it wasn't quite enough for the Hall of Fame. He had a career of 139 wins, 78 losses, 51.7 WAR, 136 ERA+. He never got more than 2.4% of the ballot, one year and gone.
Now you could make the case that he could get in the way that Koufax got in. Koufax only had a 48.9 WAR; Santana had a 51.7, but without the World Series rings and with his peak a little bit shorter, he doesn't quite make it. Is it just… I don't know, but that's the way it is.
| Johan Santana — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| W | 139 |
| L | 78 |
| ERA | 3.20 |
| G | 360 |
| IP | 2025.2 |
| SO | 1988 |
| WHIP | 1.13 |
| SV | 1 |
| Cy Young | 2 |
| All-Star selections | 4 |
| Gold Gloves | 1 |
2. Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa is a really interesting case in more than one way. He had three over-60 home run seasons, the only player ever, and he didn't win the home run title in any of those years. He did do it, however, when he had 50 or 49, and that tells you a little bit about how inflated home runs were in those years. Now, in '98 he was the MVP; he was incredible; he hit 20 homers just in June alone.
But of all the players who have the PED problems, he polled the lowest. He had 12.5 in his first year, peaked at 18.5, and that was the end of it. Bonds, Clemens- they had over 60. Now Sosa had the least against him.
There was no positive test, no admission. The only evidence is various anonymous reports, one for the New York Times, one for a survey list. He did have that bat that broke open on live TV; really crazy seeing it live, it was amazing. The MLB then X-rayed 76 of his other bats, and all of them were clean, but no one remembers that now.
One of the reasons he's polling low compared to the other people is that even without that, he has kind of a borderline case for the whole thing. He didn't really have a lot going for him aside from his power, so that's probably another reason. Similar to McGuire, they figure that if he hadn't been juicing, he wouldn't even be borderline, so there's no need to consider him.
| Sammy Sosa — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2354 |
| AB | 8813 |
| H | 2408 |
| HR | 609 |
| RBI | 1667 |
| SB | 234 |
| AVG | .273 |
| OBP | .344 |
| SLG | .534 |
| OPS | .878 |
| MVP | 1 |
| All-Star selections | 7 |
| Silver Sluggers | 6 |
1. Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield had really bad luck, especially if you believe his story about what happened with the steroids. So first let's look at his career: .292 batting average, 509 homers, 2,689 hits. Now the advanced stats tell you how good he was: 140 OPS Plus, 60.5 WAR, 9 All-Star teams, five Silver Sluggers, 1992 batting title as well, Florida.
Now he had 1,475 walks and a strikeout total that topped 80 only twice. So we're talking about a guy who hit over 500 homers and hardly ever struck out. That doesn't even happen, and that alone should make him a candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Now his record on PEDs is very thin. He was named in the Mitchell Report, but he says that a trainer applied cream to his knee during an offseason workout with Barry Bonds and he didn't know what it was. He never failed a test, and he was never suspended, and over the years the writers started to believe him. He went from 11.7 on his first ballot to 63.9 on his final ballot. He might have squeaked in if his 10 years hadn't been up.
So Chase Utley is going to get in because he has enough time. Gary Sheffield would have gotten in, and Jim Edmonds, if they had been considered today, probably would have gotten in. The standard kept changing; the standard kept moving. This is not objective, and a lot of the players who were considered 10-15 years ago, when advanced stats weren't understood or hadn't been invented, need to be reconsidered now.
| Gary Sheffield — Career | Total |
|---|---|
| G | 2576 |
| AB | 9217 |
| H | 2689 |
| HR | 509 |
| RBI | 1676 |
| SB | 253 |
| AVG | .292 |
| OBP | .393 |
| SLG | .514 |
| OPS | .907 |
| All-Star selections | 9 |
| Silver Sluggers | 5 |
| World Series titles | 1 |
