Hes basically a forgotten star at this point. His play on the field, though, is worthy of enshrinement. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. "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. Rolen ended his career playing for the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 37. In terms of overall productivity, the sweet spot for the average Hall of Famer is a WAR between 50 and 70. Miguel Cabrera leads a group comfortably over .300 Out of all eligible players, only Vada Pinson and Harold Baines have had more and not been voted into the Hall of Fame. Morris is in a race against time and semantics in his quest to make it to Cooperstown. Sain was robbed of three prime years when he served in World War II, contributing to a short peak as a star pitcher. One of the great crimes in modern Hall of Fame balloting is that Bill Freehan received just two votes in 1982, his only year on the ballot. Playing in the infield with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench, Concepcion was a nine-time All-Star who also won two Silver Slugger awards. While he never reached those heights again, Guidry had four top-five Cy Young finishes, made four All-Star games and won five straight Gold Gloves in the 1980s. Walker was a phenomenal all-around player, and for a five-year period during the peak of the steroid era, Walker had some of the best seasons the game had seen. McCarthy had 170 Win Shares but only 14.6 WAR, for a Hall of Fame Value of 228.4. From 1996-2006, through his age-31 season, Rolen produced 54.4 of his 69.9 career fWAR. Career: 24 years (1984-2007) Teams: Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros Before that, O'Doul had some great seasons as a left fielder after being converted from a pitcher at the age of 31. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Franco holds the record for most game pitched in the National League with 1,119 over his 21-year career. He topped 30 home runs eight years in a row, peaking at 50 in 1995. The very worst position player ever selected to the Hall of Fame was Tommy McCarthy, a 19th-century outfielder. Career: 133 OPS+, 61.8 WAR ( Wins Above Replacement) 5-time All-Star 4-time Gold Glove Award Winner 3-time Silver Slugger Award Winner Career OPS of .953 is the 15th-best in MLB history (minimum 7,500 plate appearances) Led N.L. His fiery attitude caused him to wear out his welcome with many clubs, and he ended up playing with five different teams over 18 years. Only 40 of those 77 cross over onto . His .248 career batting average and status as a "compiler" are his main detractors. Maris' lifetime numbers simply don't stack up, as he tailed off dramatically after the age of 29. 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. The 1960 National League MVP teamed with Bill Mazeroski to form one of the best defensive middle infields of his era. Through the 1988 season, it looked like Hershiser was on his way to a truly elite pitching career. Of his 310 career starts, 298 of them were complete games. McGwire's candidacy is obviously tainted by his steroids admissions, and it could keep him out of the Hall of Fame altogether. He finished his career with a 211-169 record. In his 10 full seasons (leaving out two wrecked by injuries), he has won two batting titles, made five All-Star squads, and hit over .300 every year. Parrish was considered one of the top all-around catchers of the 1980s along with Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk and Ted Simmons. Bonds . Bartell didn't have the hitting prowess of Cobb, but he did have a fine career nevertheless. Garvey was a durable player who played in 160 or more games nine times and won four Gold Glove awards at first base. Travis was a popular shortstop and third baseman for the Washington Senators who missed four seasons of action when he was shipped off to fight in World War II just as he was reaching the prime of his career. Tiant made three All-Star games and had two top-10 MVP finishes. Kaat was a classic compiler thanks to an incredible 25-year major league career. All four won at least 20 games in 1971. now in the modern age batting average is deemed pretty meaningless by Saber metrics. However, once he got to the Yankees in 1947 his career took off. For the kind of player Raines was, that should not keep him out of the Hall of Fame. The 1964 NL MVP was a seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. However, the high intensity took its toll physically on Martin, who only played over 100 games five times in his 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. Thomas was the designated hitter in only 56.42 percent of the games he played in, while Molitor's percentage was even lower at 43.76. Arguably the greatest fielding pitcher of all time, Kaat won 16 Gold Gloves, the most at any position until he was topped by Greg Maddux, who won 18. Palmeiros steroid use led to everyone discounting his monstrous numbers. Despite being just a part-time pitcher over his final seven seasons, Harder won 223 games in his career and is the only eligible player who has pitched at least 20 seasons for one club who is not in the Hall of Fame. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates at each position. Tiant twice led the league with ERAs under 2.00, but he also had five years with an ERA over 4.00. A remarkable career largely lost to time will take center stage this . McGriff was a winning player who fell just shy of 500 home runs, finishing his 19-year career with 493. Of the 244 Hall of Famers, 83 fall in this range. Root's best year came in 1927 when he led the NL with 27 wins. Teixeira was a gifted defensive first baseman and is one of the best switch-hitters of all time. Brown has a better winning percentage than Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton and Don Drysdale, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is better than Ton Seaver, Warren Spahn, Nolan Ryan, Gibson and Carlton. He was a six-time All-Star and won 20 games three times. He retired following the 1993 season with eight All-Star Game selections, 773 starts (second all-time to Cy Young) and the lowest hits-per-nine-innings-pitched ratio (6.56) of any pitcher in history. He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting on three separate occasions. The total was higher than Orlando Cepeda, Ron Santo and Bill Mazeroski. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images). He finished with a career record of 193-121 but had an ERA of 4.04. Pierce is a tremendously underrated pitcher who hurled mostly for the White Sox over an 18-year, post-WWII career. 500. He was the 1997 NL MVP after hitting .366 with 49 home runs, 130 RBI and 33 stolen bases. Votto's career .303 batting average and career .932 OPS also is good enough to be a HOF. He finished his career with a .307 batting average. Here are the 25 best hitters in Major League Baseball history. He consistently finished in the top 10 for Hall of Fame voting, but he never cracked the 30 percent barrier. He had more than 300 strikeouts in a . However, Smith does have a case that puts him in the Hall of Fame discussion. He got moderate support for his Hall of Fame candidacy, peaking in 1988 when he finished fifth in the voting with 43.1 percent, better than Hall of Famers Ron Santo and Bill Mazeroski. Top 3 Seaons. The two-time World Series winner finished his career with 2,182 hits and two injury-plagued seasons at the end of his career dropped his lifetime average below .300 to .296. The 1985 AL MVP was a prolific run-producer for the Yankees until a bad back sabotaged his power and longevity. The highest batting average for an ELIGIBLE player is Lefty O'Doul, 6th place overall, at .3493. + - Indicates Hall of Famer. His .948 OPS ranks 21st all time. He lingered on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full 15-year run, never really threatening to be elected or dropped off the ballot. Dave Kingman Home Runs: 442 But it also just underscored the difficulty of racking up big hit totals, particularly in the age of the three true outcomes (homer, strikeout, walk). Indeed, only 33 men are members of the elite 3,000-Hit Club. The two-time AL MVP finished his career with 434 home runs and a career batting average of .292. Don Mattingly was a New York Yankee his entire career and would definitely be in the hall of fame if not for his back problems that developed later in his career. Research by Baseball Almanac. Nicknamed the "Louisville Slugger," Browning was the inspiration for naming the famous bat after he purchased bats from theHillerich & Bradsby Company. Oliver was a career .303 hitter over 18 seasons and won the 1982 NL title with the Expos as a 35-year-old. However, his ability as one of the game's top sluggers cannot be denied. That is clear from his numbers: a .312 batting average and a .418 on . Marty Dobrow | Special to MassLive. Ichiro is only renting space on this list. Oliver was a six-time All-Star, received MVP votes in 10 different seasons and won the 1982 batting title when he hit at a .331 clip. DiMaggio played just 11 years for the Red Sox, but had a big impact as the team's everyday center fielder playing next to Ted Williams. Bagwell's numbers are there, and he passes the eye test as a dominant player in his era, but the cloud of steroids has kept him out so far, right or wrong. O'Doul is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and is credited with helping to popularize the sport in Japan in the 1930s. He was the 1980 National League batting champion and is one of only 16 players since World War II who have played in four decades. career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. When Cone was on his game, there were few pitchers with better stuff during his era. During his time with the White Sox, Minoso was a seven-time All-Star who finished fourth in the MVP voting on four different occasions. He still remains one of the top five home run-hitting catchers of all time. Hes never been close to being considered a bona fide Hall of Fame candidate, though. As of this writing, Cabrera was also just one homer away from No. He had set a major league record with 59 straight scoreless innings, and in four of his first five full seasons, he had an ERA of 3.06 or lower. His 1,330 walks ranks 36th all time and his 606 stolen bases ranks fifth. However, the big man known as "Mule" also batted for a high average, regularly hitting between .300 and .400 each season. A number of baseball's best hitters have come close to garnering 3,000 base hits over their major league careers. Ryne Sandberg : in his first year of eligibility in 2003 received 49.2% of the vote and gets enshrined in 2005 in his third year on the ballot receiving 76.2 . Bagwell has vehemently denied taking steroids, but that hasn't stopped voters from having their doubts. 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. 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. Research is still ongoing and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. in double plays turned by a first baseman six times in his career (cover photo: Denver Post) His 39-game hitting streak in 1987 is the longest . From 1984 to 1989 "Donnie Baseball" was the most prolific hitter in baseball. 10-07-2016, 07:41 AM. Buckner won the 1980 NL batting title as a member of the Chicago Cubs and had two seasons of 200+ hits. The plaque dedicated to Sanford 'Sandy' Koufax at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New . Vaughn middled around during the first six years of his career before winning 21 games for the Cubs in 1914. Some will be coming off this list soon. More about data coverage Share & Export Second, a player has to be eligible for induction. Root was allegedly the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's "called shot," which often overshadows an excellent career. In the era between 1965 and 1990, Foster was the only player to hit 50 home runs. Lolich enjoyed a solid career spent mostly with the Detroit Tigers, but his exploits in the 1968 World Series are his legacy. His 11 Gold Gloves are more than any first basemen in MLBhistory. In 1985, at the age of 38, he enjoyed a revival when he hit 40 home runs. Some players are kept out because of theirtemperament, some didn't have a long enough peak and others are just totallyunderappreciated. Despite being just a part-time player over his final five seasons, Staub amassed 2,716 career hits, falling 184 short of 3,000 and a probable place in Cooperstown. Bonds wouldve reached the 3,000 hit mark had a club offered him a contract for the 2008 season or if he hadnt walked a MLB-record 2,558 times. McInnis was a fine defender who set numerous fielding records as a first baseman. Herman was an excellent hitter in the 1920s and 1930s, even if he never did really break through to the elite level. He is one of only four pitchers to strike out 300 batters in a season three times since 1900. Murphy was hurt by a severe drop-off in production after the age of 31. Oliva was a terrific hitter for the Twins in the 1960s and 1970s. At the end of his career, he ranked in the top five for American League right-handed batters in career RBI, runs, total bases, slugging and walks. He was a Rookie of the Year winner, seven-time All-Star, MVP recipient, and thrice a top-10 finisher in the MVP race. According to not in WC! He went 24-8 for the A's, winning the CY Young award and MVP in the American League. He currently ranks 12th and is 18 hits away from tying Paul Molitor, who currently occupies 10th place. Rube Marquard was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. The revolutionary surgery that now bears his name was only supposed to provide John with a normal life without pain, not a return to Major League Baseball. He batted over .300 10 times and finished with a career average of .308. He made seven All-Star games during his career. A terrific run-producer, Cooper led the league in RBIs twice and doubles twice. Mays hit his 500th blast during a career-best 52-homer campaign for the Giants in 1965. 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. Trammell played for 20 years, all for the Detroit Tigers, and was a six-time All-Star. Mullane was anambidextrous pitcher who compiled 284 wins from 1881 to 1894. Browning compiled a .341 batting average over 13 seasons starting in 1882. Although he didn't have the quickness of Johnny Bench, Boone was incredibly durable and was the only catcher who consistently placed in the top 10 for defensive WAR for the better part of two decades. Minoso is a player whose importance transcends hisaccomplishmentson the diamond. McNally was part of one of the great pitching staffs of all time along with Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson. The two-time AL batting champ made seven All-Star games and won five Silver Slugger awards. By. The general rule is that 3,000 career hits is an automatic ticket to induction in the Hall of Fame and that generally remains the case, though there are a handful still on the outside looking in due to situations of their own making. Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. Instead of talking about his incredible baseball accomplishments, Palmeiro's career is defined as being one of the poster boys for the steroid era. In the World Series, he hit .529 in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Reds. For a short period of time in the mid-to-late 1980s, Mattingly was on the short list of the best players in the game. Oliva finished third in Hall of Fame voting in 1988, receiving 47.3 percent of vote. He consistently received between 25 to 30 percent of the votes on the Hall of Fame ballot, peaking in 1988 when he finished sixth with 39.3 percent. 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. But when he was at his best, Reynolds could pitch with anybody. career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. However, he remarkably made it back, and he was better than before. Magee was one of 10 pre-1943 players who came under consideration for enshrinement in 2008, but he fell short. The year before he left, Travis led the AL with 218 hits and batted .359, two points higher than Joe DiMaggio in his year of "The Streak." O'Doul finished his career with a .349 batting average, still the fourth-best in major league history. There are a lot of players who are on the outside looking in, despite being superior to some players who are already enshrined. He only led the league in saves four times in his 18-year career, and his 3.03 career ERA isn't sparkling for a closer. However, once Hershiser reached the age of 30, health issues set in and curtailed what could have been a Hall of Fame career. He led the AL in hits four times and won the 1959 batting title with a .353 average. Helton is one of only two players in baseball history to have at least. His 137 career OPS+ ranks behind only Mantle, Berkman and Jones among modern switch-hitters. Bold indicates active player. First, a player had to play a majority of their games in the 1900s. Needless to say, he won the NL MVP that season. Brown was a six-time All-Star and finished in the top six in Cy Young voting five times. !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. He led the league in hits, doubles and triples twice each and finished his career with 2,757 hits. NEW! Blue never did reach those heights again, but he still made six All-Star games and received Cy Young votes in five seasons. April 18, 2022 . The general rule is that 3,000 career hits is an automatic ticket to induction in the Hall of Fame and that generally remains the case, though there are a handful still on the outside looking. To garnering 3,000 base hits over their major league careers also is good enough be. 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