For my first post I’ve decided to do a topic that will not create any controversy…well maybe a little. Let’s take a look at the top 15 players that are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, all of whom should get serious consideration to be enshrined in Cooperstown. It’s about time that the Hall of Fame candidates that have been underrated and overlooked by the BBWAA and Veterans Committees are recognized for their accomplishments. All of the players on this list are more deserving than many who’ve already been inducted.

All players on this list have to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. No recently retired or active players are on it. The list does not include those accused of using PEDs and players banned for life by major league baseball. So you won’t see the likes of ARod, Pete Rose, Roger Clemens and Shoeless Joe Jackson on it. (This post was written before the permanent ban was recently lifted by MLB.)

I’ve taken many factors into account when compiling this rating. First I look at the career value of a player and where they rank at their primary position. To determine this rank, I look at the combination of Baseball Reference WAR and Bill James’ Win Shares, ((WAR * 4) + Win Shares) which creates what Bill calls Hall of Fame Value. Catchers get a 20% increase in their career value based on their percentage of games caught. An HOF minimum value of approximately 500 to 520 generally indicates that a player is at least worthy of the Hall of Fame. Why do I use this? I find that WAR by itself tends to help players with shorter careers that have higher peaks. While WAR is a better tool to rate defense than Win Shares, I think that WAR places too much emphasis on defense in its total calculation. On the other hand, even though Win Shares has fallen from favor within the baseball community and some of the defensive values don’t make much sense to me, it tends to give a little more value to offense and boosts ratings for those with longer careers. I feel that you get a good balance when you combine the two systems and any aberrations between them tend to even out.

I also look at peak values and a player’s dominance at his position in his era. The peak values shown are for the player’s seven best seasons (non-consecutive) in each category, so it may not be the same 7 seasons for each peak. Other factors include all star selections, awards, MVP votes and post season performance. Also, there is no attempt on my part to favor players from any particular era. You can only logically evaluate those who played relative to others in their own time which are reflected in the ratings I use. Any other method of analysis is pure speculation.

In my evaluations I also look at both WAR and Win Shares separately and mention the players positional rankings in both categories under each player’s entry. Included in these rankings are ratings based on adjusted defensive WAR, where I remove the positional adjustment that is included in defensive WAR. I will explain my reasons for doing this at another time. I omitted rankings below the top 100. In all cases this was for defensive ratings.

So here’s the countdown starting at number 15…

15. JACK GLASSCOCK SS

You would’ve thought that everyone who played their entire career in the 19^th century and was worthy of the Hall of Fame would’ve been inducted by now and you’d be wrong. Jack Glasscock was not only the top shortstop of the 1880s, but also for the span covering his entire career from 1879 to 1895 which makes him the best shortstop of the 19^th century. His Hall of Fame value is comparable to that of Bid McPhee, the second baseman that retired in 1899 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000. Jack rates as the 19^th shortstop of all time, right behind Luis Aparicio and just ahead of Joe Sewell. He was considered by the Veterans Committee in the very first Hall of Fame ballot in 1936. He got 2.6% of the vote (2 votes) and has never been looked at since. It’s time for someone to review his accomplishments and get him back on the Veterans ballot after almost 90 years.

Glasscock played his entire career in the National League, except for a brief stint in the upstart Union Association in 1884. He was a fine hitter, batting over .300 five times. He probably had his best seasons in 1889 and 1890, leading the majors in Total WAR both years (6.7, 7.1). With the Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1889 he had career highs for BA (.352), doubles (40), home runs (7), runs scored (128) and led MLB in hits with 205. In 1890 as a New York Giant he led the NL in hits again (172), BA (.336) & offensive WAR (6.0). Jack appears to have been a very good, perhaps even excellent fielder. His fielding % and range factors are way above the league averages for his career. He led shortstops in assists 6x, DPs 4x, range factor 5x and fielding % 6x. He also led all positions in NL defensive WAR three times.

CAREER RANKINGS:

14. TOMMY JOHN P

Tommy John has the most wins since 1876 of any pitcher not in the Hall of Fame not named Roger Clemens. Jim Kaat is a borderline Hall of Famer and had a similar career to John with 283 wins and pitched 25 seasons, Tommy pitched 26 years with 288 wins and was a little better overall than Kaat. Both of them were still decent pitchers into their forties. Speaking of guys who pitched into their forties, compare Nolan Ryan to Tommy John. One was a flame thrower who could be very wild, the other was a soft tosser with pinpoint control. Yet some of their career numbers are surprisingly close. John pitched 760 games (700 GS) in 26 seasons, Ryan pitched 807 games (773 GS) in 27 seasons. Tommy had a career ERA+ of 111 (3.34 ERA) & a .555 W-L Pct., Nolan’s ERA+ was 112 (3.19 ERA) & .526 W-L Pct. John’s WHIP was 1.283 which went up late in his career, Ryan’s was 1.247 which actually went down later on when his control improved and he had the lowest AL WHIP in ’90 & ’91. If Nolan was a lock for the hall then shouldn’t Tommy at least get some serious consideration.

After starting his career with Cleveland in 1963 at age 20, John was traded to the White Sox before the start of the ’65 season. Pitching for light hitting Chisox teams for 7 years, he was 82-80, but with a 2.95 ERA (ERA+ 117) in 237 games (219 starts) with 56 complete games & 21 shutouts as part of a strong starting staff. In 1968 he was 10-5 with a career best 1.98 ERA (ERA+ 161). After the ’71 season he was traded with IF Steve Huntz to the Dodgers for Dick Allen. Now part of a better offensive team, Tommy put up better win-loss records with a comparable ERA. He was with LA for 7 years from ’72 to ’78, pitching in 6 of them, compiling an 87-42 record with a 2.97 ERA (ERA+ 118). It was in the middle of this stretch that he had the pioneering surgery named for him that caused his missing the 1975 season. John pitched so well after his procedure from ’76 to ’78 (47-27, 3.05) that when he hit free agency he was able to sign a big contract with the Yankees. With NY from ’79 to ’82 he went 62-36, 3.20 with 49 CG & 11 shutouts in 123 games (118 starts). He was traded late in the 1982 season to the Angels and went to Oakland in 1985. In May ’86 the Yanks signed him and he remained with them for the rest of his career until they released him on May 30, 1989.

The record for the rest of Tommy’s career dropped off noticeably after his age 39 season (1982) with the exception of 1986-1987. Through 1982 he was 237-171 3.05 (ERA+ 118), pitchers WAR 55.6, 145 CG & 44 shutouts in 580 games (535 GS). From ’83 to ’89 he was 51-60 4.43 (ERA+ 92), pitchers WAR 6.5, 17 CG & 2 shutouts in 180 games (165 GS). My point is that his career is more impressive if look you look at it before his decline. He was a good post season pitcher, in 14 games (13 GS) he was 6-3 2.65 in 88 1/3 innings, 4 CG, 1 shutout. In three LA-NY World Series he was on the losing side twice with the Dodgers & once as a Yankee, but was 2-1 2.67.

John won 20+ games 3x, led the AL in shutouts 3x & fewest BB/9 once. He led the NL in winning pct. twice with the Dodgers (’73-’74). A sinker baller, 3 times he led his league in fewest HR/9 (twice AL, once NL) and was in the top ten 12x (9x AL, 3x NL). An excellent control pitcher, he finished top 10 in his league 12x in BB/9 (8x AL, 4x NL). Tommy made 4 All Star teams, 4 times he got Cy Young Award votes, placing second once in each league and twice received MVP votes. He was on the BBWAA ballot for 15 years, only getting under 20% once. John peaked in 2009, his final year of eligibility with 31.7%. He has come up before the Veterans Committee 4 times, the last time in 2020 and has never received a vote from them. He’ll be 82 in May, so let’s hope he’s around if and when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Guess the committee liked Jim Kaat better.

CAREER RANKINGS:

13. WILL CLARK 1B

Will Clark had the highest total rating of any first baseman in the major leagues from 1986 to 1998 with a Hall of Fame Value of over 500 in that span. Three times he was the best first baseman in the majors (’88, ’89, ’91). For six consecutive years he was in the top 3 in the NL (’87-’92) and once in the AL (1994). A solid line drive hitter with a career .303 BA, Will topped 20 homers in a season 6 times and 30 one time when he hit 35 in his second year with the Giants in 1987. A model of consistency, he never had an OPS+ under 100 in his career, batted over .300 ten times and his lowest single season batting average was .282 when he had one of his best all around years in 1988. More on that in the next paragraph…

Clark led the NL with 109 RBI, 100 walks & 6.6 offensive WAR in ’88, finishing 5^th in the MVP voting for the second consecutive season. He followed that up in 1989 by slashing .333/.407.546/.953 (OPS+ 175) with 23 HR, 111 RBI & league leading 104 runs, finishing second in the MVP to teammate Kevin Mitchell and helping the Giants to the “earthquake” World Series which they lost to the A’s in four straight. In the NLCS that year vs. the Cubs, Will was spectacular, having one of the greatest post season series of all time. He went 13 for 20 (.650) with 6 extra base hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI and 8 runs scored in the 5 game series, winning the NLCS MVP Award. In 5 post seasons he played 31 games with a .333 BA. and .956 OPS. In 1991 he had a career high 116 RBI and an NL leading 303 total bases. Signing with Texas in ’94 and Baltimore in ’99, he continued consistently hitting for high averages for the next several years although his home runs totals had generally dropped into the teens. In 2000 he batted .319 with 21 homers in his final season. The Orioles traded him to the Cardinals at the deadline and he hit .345 with 12 HR, 42 RBI in 51 games after joining St. Louis before retiring at age 36.

An average fielder for his career, Clark won a Gold Glove in 1991, two years after having his best defensive season with an NL leading 9 total zone runs in ’89. He won two Silver Sluggers, made 6 All Star teams, 4 consecutive as a starter from ’88 to ’91. He received MVP votes five times, four of those years in the top 5. Surprisingly, Will lasted just one year on the Hall of Fame ballot. He just missed the cut with 4.4% (23 votes) in 2006. Some of the players finishing ahead of him that year included Albert Belle, Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly and Steve Garvey. Will Clark’s career value is well above all of them. He’s come up before the Veterans Committee in 2017 & 2019, receiving no votes either time. Hard to understand.

CAREER RANKINGS:

12. JEFF KENT 2B

Jeff Kent is the highest rated second baseman of the 2000s decade and #15 all time at the keystone position. He has the most career home runs by a second baseman with 351 out of his total of 377 and is one of only two players (Robinson Cano is the other) with over 300 homers at their position. Jeff was not popular with his teammates in the clubhouse and this coupled with his subpar defense appear to be the primary reasons why the writers did not vote him into the Hall of Fame. He had his peak seasons in the middle of the steroid era and in 2008 was one of the first players to advocate blood testing players for banned substances, particularly HGH and was praised in the Mitchell report. Kent made it through the 10 years on the BBWAA ballot, never getting less than 14% of the vote and peaking in his last year (2023) with a 14% increase from the prior year to 46.5%. He has not yet come up for review by the Veterans Committee. Even though I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame, his future chances will come down to whether or not the voters have any prejudices against him based on his reputation and not for his on the field accomplishments.

Jeff was a five time All Star and four time Silver Slugger recipient. He won the NL MVP in 2000 when he slashed .334/.424/.596/1.021 (OPS+ 162) with 33 homers and 125 RBI. Kent topped 20 home runs in a season 12 times, 30 on three occasions and had a season high of 37 in 2002. He also had 100+ RBI in eight seasons, six of which were consecutive. He was the top second baseman in the NL for three years in a row (2001-2003) and four times ranked second. Jeff went 8 for 29 (.276, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 6 runs) in the 2002 World Series with the Giants when they lost to the Angels in 7 games. He was a respectable post season player, in 49 games over 7 years he hit 9 homers, drove in 23 and batted .276.

Kent’s defense is much maligned, but according to the numbers it isn’t as bad as you might think. His career Total Zone Runs at second base was -3 for 17 seasons. They didn’t start tracking Defensive Runs Saved until 2003 and by that time he was declining in the field. The DRS for his last six years was -52 and the TZR over that span was -23, through 2002 his TZR was +20. Jeff was right around average for his career at second base in both fielding % and range factor. It looks to me that some of the writers may be using his defense as an excuse to not vote him into the hall to cover the fact that he was not well liked by them.

CAREER RANKINGS:

11. CHASE UTLEY 2B

Chase Utley ranks 16^th all time at second base in Hall of Fame Value which puts him behind Bobby Grich, Willie Randolph and Jeff Kent and just ahead of Hall of Famers Billy Herman, Bid McPhee, Nellie Fox and Bobby Doerr. I put him ahead of Jeff Kent on this list because Utley was the better all around player, in fact his WAR was about nine wins better than Kent’s. This was only Chase’s second year on the Hall of Fame ballot and it’s looking promising. Things are trending up. Last year he got 28.8% of the vote and this year it was 39.8%. Hopefully this trend will continue over the next few years.

Chase was the #2 second baseman of the 2000s decade in MLB even though he didn’t come up until 2003, only ranking behind Jeff Kent, but was first in WAR over that span. Utley was rated the best 2^nd baseman in the NL for six consecutive years from 2005 to 2010 and from ’06 to ’09 ranked first in the majors. In his five peak seasons (’05-’09), his line was .301/.388/.535/.922 (OPS+ 135) averaging 29 home runs, 101 RBI and 111 runs scored per season. A good base runner, Chase stole 77 bases in 87 attempts over that span. For his career he had 154 steals and was thrown out only 22 times for the sixth highest percentage in MLB history (87.5%). In 2009 he set an MLB record for most steals in a season without being caught by going 23 for 23 which was broken by another Phillie, Trea Turner in 2023 with 30 out of 30. He had a knack for getting hit by pitches, leading the majors for 3 consecutive years from ’07 to ’09 and his career total of 204 is ninth all time.

Utley may be the best fielder to never win a Gold Glove. He came into the league just as they started tracking Defensive Runs Saved and finished his career with 131, 123 of those at second base and his Total Zone Runs was 62. Chase had a peak of 30 DRS in 2008 and his 3.5 defensive WAR led the majors for all positions that season. He led the NL in TZR and range factor at second base three times. For comparison his contemporary, Brandon Phillips who won four Gold Gloves, had career totals of 22 DRS and -8 TZR. In 2008, Phillips won the Gold Glove with a career high 13 DRS and -1 TZR. Utley was selected to six all star teams, starting five. He won four consecutive Silver Sluggers from ’06 to ’09. Utley received MVP votes five times, three of those in the top 10. He won a World Series in 2008 when the Phillies defeated Tampa Bay in five games, hitting two homers. The next year, in a losing effort to the Yankees he hit five home runs in the six game series.

CAREER RANKINGS:

10. KEITH HERNANDEZ 1B

Keith Hernandez is the best first baseman not in the Hall of Fame now that Dick Allen has been enshrined. In an offensive oriented position that has many Hall of Famers, Keith ranks 24^th. This may not seem impressive until you note that Orlando Cepeda, George Sisler, Bill Terry, Gil Hodges and Frank Chance are among the many Hall of Fame first basemen ranked below him. Hernandez first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1996, staying on it for 9 years. He peaked at 10.8% in ’98 and kept hanging in until 2004 when he dropped to 4.3%. He’s never been reviewed by the Veterans Committee. There was a widespread feeling that Keith’s involvement in the cocaine scandal of the early eighties may have hurt his chances. With Dave Parker’s election this year it looks like that issue is now in the past. The writers also seem to have undervalued Keith when he was on the ballot and with the metrics now available it’s time for the Veterans Committee to reevaluate him.

Possessing a good eye at the plate and a solid line drive hitter, Keith was in the top 10 in on base percentage for 8 consecutive years, leading the NL in 1980 and topping .400 five times. He won the NL co-MVP in 1979 with Willie Stargell, the only time the award was ever shared. That year he led the majors with a .344 average and 48 doubles, he also led the NL in runs scored with 116 while having career highs with 105 RBI & a .417 OBP. He followed that up in 1980 by scoring a league leading 111 runs and topped the NL with a .408 OBP. He lost the batting title on the last day that season to Bill Buckner, .324 to .321. Keith drew a career high 100 walks in 1982, 97 in ’84 and an NL leading 94 with the ’86 Mets. He had 77 or more walks in 10 seasons, batted over .300 six times, .289 or better 11 times and twice led the NL in times on base in ’80 (281) & ’82 (275). He won two Silver Sluggers, 1980 as a Cardinal in the first year they gave out the award and 1984 with the Mets. Keith was named to 5 all star teams, including one start in ’86. He received votes for MVP in 8 seasons. Besides winning the award in ’79, he finished 2^nd in ’84 and 4^th in ’86. He was a clutch player on two World Championship teams with the ’82 Cards and ’86 Mets, coming up with big hits in the seventh game of both series.

I watched Hernandez for years and have never seen anyone better in the field at first base. He is considered by most to be the greatest defensive first baseman of all time and the numbers support that. Keith has the career record for Total Zone Runs at first base with 120, leading the NL 8 times. He led the league in assists 5x, DPs 6x, range factor 4x and fielding % twice. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the 11 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988, all of which were well deserved.

CAREER RANKINGS:

9. BILL FREEHAN C

Bill Freehan was the top rated American League catcher in the 1960s. He was the #1 backstop in the majors in ’67 & ’68 and led the AL in ’71. He also ranked second and third in the AL three times each. So that’s nine years in the AL among the top 3 receivers and in 1974 he was the number two first baseman in the AL behind Gene Tenace, another converted catcher. He’s rated as the 14^th all time catcher, behind Tiger Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane & recently retired Yadier Molina and just ahead of Jorge Posada and Wally Schang. Bill dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot after just one year in which he received just two votes (0.5%). He has never come up for consideration by the Veterans Committee despite his resume. Unfortunately, if he is inducted, Freehan won’t be around to see it having passed away in 2021 at the age of 79.

Freehan’s one of those position players whose numbers don’t get the recognition they deserve because he played in the modern dead ball era of the sixties. He had his best season in 1968, the year of the pitcher, when he slashed .263/.366/.454/.819 (OPS+ 145) with career highs of 25 HRs and 84 RBI. In 1964 he hit a career best .300 with 80 RBI and in ’67 batted .282, 20 HR & 74 RBI (OPS+ 144). He led the AL in hit by pitches 3 times including a MLB leading 24 in ’68. Bill got MVP votes in 6 seasons, reaching the top 10 three times. In 1967 he finished third behind triple crown winner Carl Yastrzemski and Harmon Killebrew, in 1968 he finished second behind battery mate and 31 game winner Denny McLain.

Freehan made 11 all star teams, 10 consecutive from ’64 to ’73 as well as in ’75 and started 7 in a row (’66-’72). The 11 selections are the most for any qualified player not in the Hall of Fame. He won five consecutive Gold Gloves from ’65 to ’69 and while this may have been partly on reputation, it does appear that he was above average defensively. His career Total Zone Runs were +28. Interestingly, he led the AL in caught stealing % (53.1%) in 1964 which was the year before his first Gold Glove perhaps thereby developing his reputation. He won a World Series with the 1968 Detroit Tigers, catching every inning in all 7 games of their victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

CAREER RANKINGS:

8. SHERRY MAGEE LF

Sherwood “Sherry” Magee was the best left fielder in baseball during the era he played in (1904-1919) and it wasn’t even close. He was regarded in his own time as one of the best offensive players of the dead ball era. Overall he rates 17^th among left fielders, right behind Goose Goslin and Willie Stargell. Magee came up eight times for Hall of Fame consideration by the writers between 1937 and 1951, never getting more than 1% of the vote. His name did not come up again until the Veterans Committee reviewed him in 2009, he got 25% (3 votes) and has not been looked at since.

Magee was the NL RBI leader in four widely separated seasons (1907, 1910, 1914, 1918). He also led in slugging pct., total bases and offensive WAR twice each. His career year was 1910 when he slashed .331/.445/.507/.952 (OPS+ 175), all of which led the NL. That season, he also led in RBI (123), runs scored (110), total bases (263), total war (6.7) and offensive WAR (7.2). Unfortunately, they did not give out an MVP award in the NL until the next year (1911). Sherry appears to have been a slightly above average fielder based on the available stats. He led LFs in range factor 3 times, fielding %, double plays & putouts twice and assists once. His only World Series was with the 1919 Reds, his last season when they beat the Black Sox, going 1 for 2 as a pinch hitter.

Magee’s personality may have been the factor that has kept him out of the Hall of Fame. He was known as a hot head, frequently getting into “disagreements” with opponents, teammates and umpires. On July 10, 1911, Sherry knocked out a rookie umpire after he was ejected for having been called out on what appeared to be a high two strike pitch. This led to a suspension for the rest of the season which was lifted after about five weeks on the condition that there were no further incidents involving Magee (there weren’t any). Keep in mind that Babe Ruth once slugged an umpire and that didn’t keep him out of the Hall of Fame! In a strange irony, Sherry became an umpire after his playing career was over. After one year as a minor league arbiter, he was promoted to the NL for the 1928 season and was praised for his work. The following winter he contracted pneumonia and died on March 13, 1929 at the age of 44.

CAREER RANKINGS:

7. BOBBY ABREU RF

Bobby Abreu had the misfortune of playing during the steroid era and his accomplishments get a bit lost. He is one of only seven players ever to record at least 900 career extra-base hits and steal at least 400 bases. All of the others except Barry Bonds are in the Hall of Fame. He rates as the #16 right fielder of all time, right below Larry Walker and just ahead of Reggie Smith and Ichiro Suzuki. He’s also the second best RF of the 2000s decade, close behind Ichiro. Abreu’s been on the Hall of Fame ballot for six years and has been slowly trending upward. This year he got 19.5%, up about 5% from last year. Don’t know if he’s got a chance to get elected in the next four years. Looks like he could be one of those Veterans Committee selections down the road.

Abreu scored over 100 runs 8 times, 7 years had 40 or more doubles, 9 times 20+ homers, 8 times over 100 RBI (7 consecutive), 8 consecutive seasons drew at least 100 walks, leading the majors with 124 in 2006 and stole 20+ bases 13 years in a row with two 30-30 (HR-SB) seasons. He was durable, playing in 150 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons (1998-2010). Bobby was a good fielder early in his career, leading MLB right fielders in total zone runs with 28 and assists with 17 in 1998, in 2000 he had 13 assists to lead the NL. He won a Gold Glove on reputation in 2005 when he had an average defensive season before declining drastically in the field. He also won a Silver Slugger in 2004 when he slashed .301/.428/.544/.971 (OPS+ 145) & 40 SB. Abreu made only two all star teams and was the starting RF in 2005, probably would’ve made more in a different era. He got MVP votes seven times, but never cracked the top 10. He made the post season 4 times, batting .284 (19 for 67 w/12 BBs), but unfortunately never made it to a World Series.

CAREER RANKINGS:

6. BOBBY GRICH 2B

Spoiler alert, if you’re reading this in order, Bobby Grich is only the second best second baseman not in the Hall of Fame. His rating of 615.0 ranks 13^th all-time among second basemen. This puts him well ahead of Hall of Famers that include second sackers Billy Herman, Nellie Fox, Bobby Doerr, Joe Gordon, Johnny Evers and Tony Lazzeri. However, he got dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot after getting just 2.6% of the vote in his first year and has never been reviewed by the Veterans Committee.

Grich came up with the Baltimore Orioles in 1970 as a shortstop where he won his only World Series as a rookie, but did not appear in any post season games. He was not going to supplant fielding wiz Mark Belanger at shortstop, so by 1973 he became the Orioles regular second baseman, won his first of 4 consecutive gold gloves and led all AL position players with an 8.3 WAR. He then became a free agent after the ’76 season, signing with the California Angels where he spent the rest of his career through 1986.

In addition to the gold gloves, Bobby won a Silver Slugger in the strike shortened 1981 season (the award wasn’t given out until 1980). That year he led the AL with 22 home runs, a .543 slugging percentage and a 165 OPS+. He also hit a career-high .304. Grich was a six time all-star and received MVP votes 5 times, twice finishing in the top 10. He had a good eye at the plate, finishing in the top 10 in bases on balls six times and twice eclipsing 100 walks. Defensively, Grich had +82 total zone runs for his career, +71 of those at second base. He led the AL in putouts and range factor 4 times, assists and double plays 3 times and fielding percentage twice.

CAREER RANKINGS:

5. DWIGHT EVANS RF

During the era he played in, only Dave Winfield had a higher rating than Dwight Evans among right fielders. Larry Walker, Vladimir Guerrero and Tony Oliva are among the many right fielders in the Hall of Fame that had lower ratings than Dwight. Dewey, as he was known to Red Sox fans, was the #1 RF in the major leagues of the 80s by a big margin (Jack Clark was second). He rates as the 14^th all time right fielder with a Hall of Fame value well over 600. In the 70s he was an outstanding fielder and a good hitter. In the 80s he became a much better offensive player, but declined defensively.

Dwight probably had his best year in the strike shortened 1981 season when he led the AL in home runs (22), BB (85), OPS (.937), total bases (215), total WAR (6.7), offensive WAR (5.2) and finished third in the MVP vote. He topped 100 runs scored 4x, leading MLB with 121 in 1984 and had 122 in 1982. He hit 20+ homers 11x, 3 times 30+ and had over 100 RBI on four occasions. Evans had 100+ walks 3 times, 6 years was over 95 and led the league 3x. He also led twice in OPS (’81 & ’84) and once in OBP (’82). In 1987 he had career highs with 34 HR, 123 RBI & BA/OBP/SLG/OPS (.305/.417/.569/.986). He won Silver Sluggers in 1981 & 1987. In 20 big league seasons his OPS+ was under 100 only once and that was in 1973, his first full season.

Evans had the best defensive right fielder rating in the majors for the decade from 1973 to 1982, leading MLB in Total Zone Runs 3 times. In 1974 he had the most TZR for all positions in the AL. He led AL right fielders in putouts 4x, assists 3x, DPs 3x, range factor 2x and fielding % 3x. He won 8 Gold Gloves, 5 of them in the 80’s, some of those past his prime in the field, but that evened out for the ones he deserved in the 70s.

Surprisingly, Dwight was only a three time all star. He received MVP votes in 5 seasons, finishing in the top 10 four times. He was in the ’75 & ’86 World Series, both lost by the Red Sox in 7 games. Evans started all 14 games in the two series, batting .300 with 3 HR & 14 RBI. He managed to survive three Hall of Fame votes before being dropped. His first year on the ballot, 1997, he got 5.9% and 10.4% in ’98 and seemed to be trending up. But in 1999 he had 3.6% and fell off the ballot. The Veterans Committee looked at him once in 2020 and he got 50% (8 votes of the required 12).

CAREER RANKINGS:

4. CURT SCHILLING P

You may be surprised to see Curt Schilling on this list. But this is a list of the best eligible players not in the Hall of Fame, excluding steroid users and those banned for life. Schilling was outspoken against PEDs and is not banned from baseball. I’m not making a judgment about him as a person, only as a ballplayer. Curt Schilling is the biggest reason why Curt Schilling is not in the Hall of Fame. His controversial statements have contributed to keeping him out of the hall.

Now lets get to Curt Schilling, the pitcher. Drafted by the Red Sox, while still in the minors he was traded to Baltimore. After a couple of unsuccessful cups of coffee with the Orioles, he settled in as a reliever in 1990 (2.54 ERA) and was traded to the Astros, throwing in 56 games with 8 saves in ’91. He was traded to the Phillies where he had his first real success after moving to the starting rotation in May ’92 going 14-11 2.35 (ERA+ 150) and led the majors in WHIP (0.990) & fewest hits/9 (6.6). Curt went 16-7 4.02 (ERA+ 99) in ’93 as the Phillies won the pennant. He was the NLCS MVP with no decisions in 2 starts, a 1.69 ERA and 19 Ks in 16 innings. In the World Series versus Toronto, Schilling lost Game 1, but bounced back to throw a 2-0 five hit shutout in Game 5 to keep the Phils alive, before losing the series in six games. After a couple of so-so years, he had a resurgence in 1996 and the start of his peak years at age 30 in ’97 (17-11 2.97 143 ERA+, major league leading 319 Ks in 254.1 IP). Curt followed that by topping the NL with 300 Ks, leading MLB in IP (268.2) and complete games (15) in ’98. After his third straight all star selection in ’99, he was traded to the D-backs in the middle of the 2000 season. Schilling then had what was arguably the greatest season of his career. In 2001 he led the majors in wins (22-6 2.98 ERA+ 157, 293 Ks in MLB leading 256.2 IP). But that was just the beginning, he was 4-0 1.12 ERA in the post season, throwing 48.1 IP, allowing 25 hits, 6 walks and striking out 56. In the World Series he started 3 times against the Yankees (1-0 1.69 ERA) and was named MVP. Curt had a couple of more solid years with Arizona (’02-career high 23 wins & 316 K, ’03- 8-9 2.95, career high ERA+ 159). After the 2003 season he was traded to the team that originally drafted him, the Red Sox, for 4 players. In ’04 he helped Boston win their first World Championship since 1918, leading MLB in wins (21-6 3.26 ERA+ 148). In his only World Series start vs. the Cardinals, Schilling won, pitching 6 innings allowing an unearned run. He pitched three more years for the Red Sox, winning his third World Series over the Rockies in 2007 at age 40. Curt started 4 games and was 3-0 in the post season, winning Game 2 of the series sweep against Colorado (5.1 IP, 1 ER).

Curt topped 20 wins three times and led the majors twice. He also led the NL in complete games 4x, innings 2x, had 300+ Ks 3x leading the NL twice. He had the lowest NL WHIP twice, led the majors twice in fewest walks per 9 innings and had the league leading SO/BB ratio five times (4 consecutive), 3x in the NL & 2x in the AL. Schilling made 6 all star teams including 2 starts. Although he never won a Cy Young Award, Schilling finished second 3 times and fourth once. He got MVP votes in 4 seasons, finishing as high as tenth twice. In an eight year stretch from 1997 to 2004 he was 132-71 3.24 (ERA+ 142), striking out 1945 batters in 1824.1 IP (9.6 K/9), 1.7 BB/9, 8.0 hits/9 and a 1.074 WHIP. He accomplished all this during the height of the steroid era.

As mentioned, Curt won three World Series and two post season MVP awards. He’s one on the top post season pitchers of all time, posting an 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA in 19 starts with 4 complete games and 2 shutouts. He was at least as good in the four World Series he pitched in, going 4-1 2.06 in 7 starts.

Schilling made it through the ten years on the BBWAA ballot, peaking in 2021 with 71.1%. After that year, he asked the BBWAA to take him off the ballot in his final season on it, but they refused and he still got 58.6% of the vote in 2022. In 2023, the Contemporary Era Veterans Committee gave him 7 votes (43.8% out of the required 75%). Perhaps the Veterans Committee will one day overlook his politics and viewpoints and vote him into the Hall of Fame based on his performance.

CAREER RANKINGS:

3. LOU WHITAKER 2B

Lou Whitaker is the best second baseman not in the Hall of Fame.  His career ranking (8^th) puts him ahead of such players as Frankie Frisch, Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg and Robinson Cano. Incredibly, he lasted just one year on the HOF ballot, getting 2.9% (15 votes) in 2001 and was dropped. In 2020, he got 6 of the required 12 votes by the Veterans Committee.

Surprisingly, Lou’s career 653.0 Hall of Fame Value is higher than his Hall of Fame teammate Alan Trammel’s 600.0 with whom he will forever be paired as one of the great keystone combinations of all time. When you look at Lou Whitaker’s career relative to other second basemen and take into account his longevity and consistency, it becomes clear as to why he belongs in the Hall of Fame. 

Sweet Lou is a classic example of the under the radar player. Not a great player, but very consistent, he won 3 gold gloves, 4 silver sluggers, was a 5 time all-star, 1978 AL Rookie of the Year and won the 1984 World Series with the Detroit Tigers.  Ranks 9^th in career offensive WAR and 10^th  in batting win shares among second basemen.  He hit 20 or more homers 4 times and 10 or more 11 consecutive years and 13 of his last 14 seasons.  Generally his batting averages were in the .270-.300 range with one season (1983) at .320 and only two years in his entire career under .250.  He also played in over 100 games in 16 consecutive years and in his prime was appearing in at least 140 to 150 games every season.  He led AL second basemen in range factor 3 times and was in the top 5 ten times.  Led in fielding percentage twice and was top 5 nine times. His career total zone runs as a second baseman was +77. 

CAREER RANKINGS:

2. CARLOS BELTRAN CF

Carlos Beltran ranks 8^th all time among center fielders, between Mike Trout and Duke Snider. I’m sure there is very little doubt, even by most of those that did not vote for him this year, that he belongs in the Hall of Fame. The only issue keeping him out is the 2017 Astros cheating scandal, but it seems the writers are getting past that. Carlos got close this year with 70.3% of the vote and it looks likely he’ll get enshrined in the next year or two.

Beltran’s credentials are obvious, so I won’t go into too much detail here. The above career numbers speak for themselves and he put up most of that in the steroid era. He was AL Rookie of the Year, a nine time all star (6 starts), won 3 well deserved Gold Gloves and 2 Silver Sluggers. His career total zone runs of 104 as a center fielder ranks 7^th all time and he was 1^st twice (AL 2000 & NL 2008). After his knee injury, he became primarily a RF/DH and his defense declined drastically. A great base runner, he stole 312 bases and was thrown out only 49 times. His 86.43 steal percentage ranks 10^th all time.

Carlos was also an outstanding post season player. In 256 plate appearances his line was .307/.412/.609/1.021 with 16 homers & 42 RBI. He arguably had the greatest offensive post season ever in 2004, when in 12 games Beltran went 20 for 46 (.435) with 8 HR, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 21 runs scored and 6 for 6 stealing. Despite this Herculean effort, the Astros lost the NLCS to the Cardinals in seven games.

CAREER RANKINGS:

1. BILL DAHLEN SS

Bill Dahlen is the best player not in the Hall of Fame (not including those banned and PED users) and it’s not even all that close.  Dahlen has the 7^th highest career value among all shortstops, just behind Derek Jeter and ahead of the likes of Luke Appling, Arky Vaughan and Ozzie Smith.  He’s also substantially ahead of another of his contemporaries, Bobby Wallace, who is ranked 14^th and in the Hall. 

He has come up before the 16 man Veterans Committee four times since 2009, the last time in 2022 when he got no votes. The voting has varied widely on his candidacy. After getting zero votes in 2009, he had 10 in 2013 and 8 in 2016. If you’re reading this then you probably know that you need 75% (12 votes) to get elected, so Dahlen has come fairly close once. I have some thoughts about the Veterans Committees and how they should be structured. I’ll discuss that at another time.

Bad Bill, as he was known, wasn’t quite as good as George Davis, whose career paralleled his and is in the Hall of Fame (Davis has the 4^th highest career SS value).  Here’s their comparison and I threw in Bobby Wallace as well.

(Note that Wallace spent most of his first two seasons and part of his third as a pitcher.  He also played sparingly from 1914 to 1917 before coming back in 1918 at age 44 to play 32 games with the Cardinals.)

The similarities are obvious.  Davis was the better hitter, but not substantially.  Dahlen was no slouch at the plate either.  Dahlen scored more runs, hit more home runs and had the same number of triples as Davis.  Both, as well as Wallace were well above average defensively based on the available statistics. 

Davis was primarily a center fielder and then a third baseman before settling in at shortstop in 1897.  Wallace, as noted, was a pitcher before moving to third base.  He didn’t start playing regularly at shortstop until during the 1899 season.  Dahlen played some third base early in his career, but already was logging more games at shortstop than third by 1892, his second season.  He played a much higher percentage of his games at shortstop than did Davis or Wallace.  It should also be noted that fielding percentages were lower in the 1890s which accounts in large part for Dahlen’s lower career fielding percentage as a shortstop.

An interesting coincidence is Dahlen and Davis each led the NL in RBIs once as a New York Giant and it was the only time they led in any offensive category.  Davis in 1897 had a career-high 135 to lead.  Dahlen in 1904 had a league leading 80, but keep in mind that this was during the peak of the dead ball era.  Wallace’s only black ink was a major league leading 156 games played in 1905 with the St. Louis Browns. 

Dahlen and Davis were also World Champion shortstops in back-to-back years.  Dahlen with the 1905 NY Giants when they defeated the Philadelphia A’s and Davis in 1906 when the White Sox “Hitless Wonders” upset the Cubs.  Wallace never played in a World Series.  Dahlen also helped lead the Brooklyn Superbas to a pennant in 1900, the year the NL cut back from 12 to 8 teams.

Bill had the highest rating of any NL shortstop twice, in 1892 & 1902. He was rated second 8 times, getting stuck behind Hughie Jennings during his great peak in the 1890s three times in a five year span and was the runner up to Honus Wagner 3 consecutive seasons (1903-1905). Dahlen was among the top 4 NL shortstops 14 times and was rated ahead of Joe Tinker in his prime in four consecutive seasons. Dahlen scored over 100 runs his first 6 years in the NL. He had his peak year in 1894 when he batted .359 with an OPS of 1.011 (138 OPS+) and also had career highs of 150 runs scored, 182 hits, 15 homers and 108 RBIs. He followed that up in 1896 with a .352 average, 137 runs scored and a .990 OPS (career high 156 OPS+).

At the time of his retirement, Bill had appeared in more Major League games than any other player.  He twice led the NL in defensive WAR, led shortstops in assists 3 times, range factor 4 times, double plays 3 times and fielding percentage once.  He is also second all time in career putouts and fourth in assists by shortstops. 

CAREER RANKINGS:

RANDOM THOUGHTS…

I settled on a list of the top players I feel should be in the Hall of Fame, not necessarily the best 15 players not in the Hall of Fame. There are players that just missed my list that may have been better, but I feel those listed are the most deserving based on the criteria in the beginning of this post. I plan on doing an “honorable mention” list in the near future of players that probably should be in that didn’t quite make the cut.

After compiling this list, I noticed one thing that most of these players have in common. While they all had outstanding careers, with a few exceptions, most of them did not have great peaks even though they had better careers than many in the Hall Of Fame. Would you rather enshrine a player that was consistently among the best for a long time or one that has a brief outstanding peak? Dave Parker is a great example of this. He was the #1 rated right fielder in the majors in 1977 & 1978, as well as the top NL RF in 1975 and again when he made a comeback in 1985. He also was second to Dave Winfield in ’79. But his career Hall Of Fame Value of 484.9 ranks him 33^rd among right fielders, just behind Brian Giles. Yes, you read that correctly, Brian Giles and it also puts him only a little ahead of Harold Baines (36^th), probably the worst Hall Of Fame pick in recent years (along with Jack Morris). Even his 7 year peak RF HOF value comes in at 25^th between Tony Oliva and Ken Singleton. His peak WAR and JAWS rank somewhat lower. I had Parker on the Hall borderline before his election. I’m OK with his selection, he’s not close to the worst famers, but there are better candidates that are not in.

Expansion era second basemen are undervalued by the Hall of Fame voters. There are four on this post and at least one more on my honorable mention list, all of whom have played since 1970. There’s only a total of twenty in the Hall. Third basemen have suffered a worse fate. There’s only 17 of them in the Hall, tied with catchers for the fewest of any position.

I would like to know if anyone has win shares data for 2024. With the closure of Bill James website, I can no longer find a source for win shares. I’ve thought about calculating it by myself, but this would be quite an undertaking. If you know where I can find this data, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.