Modern analytics formulas are excellent at analyzing efficiency but sometimes overlook the emotional essence of a franchise's peak years. For example, a sabermetric review of the early 1990s Pittsburgh Pirates might suggest that the team’s core was elsewhere, based on data alone. However, anyone who watched games at Three Rivers Stadium or visited that clubhouse knew otherwise: Doug Drabek was the dominant force on the staff and the driving force behind their three straight appearances in the National League Championship Series.

His path to becoming a regular starter began with a historic trade that changed the landscape. Once a young prospect with the New York Yankees, the right-hander was traded to Pittsburgh before the 1987 season in a major six-player deal that sent Rick Rhoden to the Yankees. The team quickly placed the composed Texan in the starting rotation, and Drabek worked to make durability a consistent part of his season. He carefully improved his control, blending a powerful fastball with an effective slider to build his reputation as a frontline pitcher.

By the late 1980s, his evolution into a premier run-preventer was complete; he broke beneath the sub-3.00 ERA threshold for the first time during a brilliant 1989 showcase, registering a stellar 2.80 mark across 244.1 grueling innings.

His peak of personal and national recognition came during an outstanding 1990 pennant race. Drabek performed exceptionally on the mound, systematically shutting down National League batters to achieve a 22–6 record, his career best. He reduced his ERA to an impressive 2.76, maintained a stellar 1.063 WHIP, and led the Pirates into October. For his versatile dominance, he was awarded the 1990 National League Cy Young Award, establishing himself as the top ace in baseball.

Far from a one-summer wonder, Drabek was a crucial, high-speed contributor for the division-winning teams of 1991 and 1992. He used his remarkable durability to pitch 490 innings across those two summers, earning 30 more wins and ending his tenure with a stellar fifth-place finish in the 1992 Cy Young Award voting. Known for his toughness in critical moments, he notably carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning of the famous Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, only to see his team's hopes dashed by a bullpen breakdown.

The Pirates imploded after the 1992 Season, essentially disbanding due to cost-cutting.  Drabek joined Houston as a Free Agent.  With the Pirates, Drabek won 92 games against 62 losses with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.148 WHIP, and 820 strikeouts. 

A dominant, high-stakes relief weapon often evokes images of a physically imposing powerhouse throwing fastballs at high velocity. However, for more than ten years as a Pirate, the most feared late-inning escape artist resembled a neighborhood accountant. Slender, bespectacled, and modest at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Kent Tekulve revolutionized run prevention mechanics. Using an extreme, knuckle-scraping submarine delivery, this right-hander released the ball just inches off the ground, producing a devastating late-sinking trajectory that consistently disheartened National League hitters. He didn't just enter challenging situations; he transformed the late innings into his personal arena of precise, low-variance execution.

Signed by the organization in 1969, Tekulve carefully mastered his unique release point before earning a steady spot with the parent club in 1974. Once established in the bullpen, he redefined the role of a reliable workhorse reliever, never once starting a game during his 12 seasons with the team.

His rise to national prominence truly happened during the 1978 season, when he took on the closer role and made pitching a daily habit. Tekulve led the Senior Circuit by pitching 91 games and finishing 70, accumulating 31 saves with a tiny 2.33 ERA. He finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting, marking a significant achievement.

The peak of his career and a form of lasting legacy came together during the memorable 1979 "We Are Family" world championship run. With 94 regular-season games, he again led the majors in appearances and acted as manager Chuck Tanner's go-to safeguard in high-pressure situations. When the Pirates advanced to the Fall Classic against Baltimore, he put on an absolutely clinical display of bullpen endurance, appearing in five games and locking down three monumental saves, including the historic final three outs of Game 7 to officially secure the world championship banner for the Bucs.

Tekulve was a steady, low-variance asset well into the next decade, consistently leading in volume and high-leverage efficiency. However, as the franchise moved into a cold, small-market rebuild, front-office priorities shifted mid-season in 1985. Management traded the veteran icon to the Philadelphia Phillies to bring in younger talent, ending a historic era of bullpen dominance.

With the Pirates, Tekulve appeared in 722 games, saved 158, and finished 470 with a 2.68 ERA.

Membership into the NFL’s Hall of Fame is arguably the greatest honor any player can receive in the NFL. It is recognition for a fantastic career in the league and suggests a player was one of the best in their position during that spell.

Although there is a lot more work to do for these players, before they can reach for the ultimate NFL accolade, here are three stars who are on course to end their career as Hall of Fame hopefuls.

Patrick Mahomes

Since arriving in the NFL in 2017, Patrick Mahomes has created an incredibly high standard for quarterbacks to follow. In his first full season, he won the MVP award for his performances for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes led his team to the Super Bowl in 2020, though 12 months later, his side was beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Super Bowl LV.

What makes Mahomes so special, and potentially a future Hall of Famer, is that he can produce quality plays that seemingly no other QB in the NFL can do. He passes from all kinds of angles with great accuracy and the 26-year-old is also a great scrambler, hurting defenses just when they think they have got him.

With the way things are headed, it's very likely that Mahomes could be set for another Super Bowl ring this season. As it stands, the Kansas City Chiefs are currently the favorites to win the Super Bowl LVI on DraftKings, one of the most acclaimed online sports betting sites in Iowa, with odds of +120. Other contenders such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are priced at +1000, while the San Francisco 49ers are pegged at +450.

TJ Watt

Outsider linebacker TJ Watt has been in the NFL five years now and in each of those seasons, he has been one of the stand-out defensive players in the league. If it wasn’t for future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, he would have won at least one NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award by now.

Like his brother JJ, Watt has been so destructive to quarterbacks, regardless of their quality and reputation. He has 72 sacks to his name now since 2017, 22.5 came in 2021 in what was the best year of his career, matching the NFL record which was held by Michael Strahan since 2001.

The Steelers man signed a four-year extension with his franchise last year worth $112 million. $80 million of that money is guaranteed. Steelers are relieved to have locked down their star player for another four years.

Jonathan Taylor

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor quickly made a name for himself in the NFL in his rookie year. He scored 11 touchdowns in 13 games and rushed for over 1,000 yards. 

In his second year, Taylor led the league in rushing yards, finishing the campaign with 1,811 yards. Taylor also broke the franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season. If Taylor continues at the rate he is going, he is set to break many records in the league. The biggest threat to the 23-year-old could be injuries. As Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley have found, the position is tough on the body, and it only takes one tackle to put a player out for a sustained period.

The early signs around Taylor are very good. He is explosive and intelligent. It’s a combination that should lead to him developing into one of the best players in the NFL. There is a long way before the above three players become eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame but their current projections have them on course to get there after they retire.

The broader pop-culture lexicon of modern baseball will inevitably associate Robert Anthony Bonilla with the historic deferred-salary contract he signed with the New York Mets, an arrangement that annually prompts headlines surrounding "Bobby Bonilla Day" each July. However, reducing his entire athletic identity to a post-career financial spreadsheet severely underestimates his exceptional on-field performance. Long before becoming a symbol of front-office accounting, the switch-hitting native of the Bronx was among the most physically formidable and explosive run-producers in the sport. Playing under the lights of Three Rivers Stadium, Bonilla employed a powerful bat as a pivotal component of a formidable lineup, leading a distinguished multi-year period of MVP-like excellence that characterized a generation of baseball in Pittsburgh.

His journey to major league stardom followed a unique, circular route. Initially signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1981, he was then selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 1985 Rule 5 draft. Recognizing their mistake in letting him go, Pittsburgh's front office traded for him in mid-1986, making him a key part of their long-term plans. By the start of the 1987 season, Bonilla had established himself as the regular third baseman, consistently contributing extra-base hits throughout the season.

His large, physical build caused significant defensive challenges at third base, prompting a permanent shift to right field. However, his offensive performance flourished. In 1988, he won his first Silver Slugger award and went on a remarkable streak with four straight All-Star selections from 1988 to 1991. Playing in the outfield alongside Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, Bonilla completed a legendary, high-powered outfield trio that overwhelmed National League pitchers and helped secure consecutive division titles.

During the 1990 pennant race, Bonilla showcased his powerful batting skills, hitting 32 home runs, driving in 120 RBIs, and leading the major leagues with 44 doubles. He earned his second Silver Slugger Award and was the runner-up for the National League MVP, finishing behind only his teammate Bonds in a notable franchise one-two finish.

He replicated that elite, high-leverage efficiency during the 1991 campaign, batting a career-high .302 with 18 home runs and 100 RBIs to secure his third consecutive Silver Slugger and a third-place finish in the MVP balloting.

Tragically, the cold realities of the pre-salary-cap landscape quickly forced a low-variance parting of ways. With his market value reaching an all-time peak and the small-market Pirates facing severe financial limitations, Bonilla officially walked away from town following the 1991 campaign, signing a record-setting free-agent contract with the Mets. While he would celebrate a world title later in his career with Florida, he never quite replicated the raw, sustained offensive dominance that defined his primary residency in PGH.

With Pittsburgh, Bonilla belted 114 home runs with 500 RBI with a .284 batting average.