Baseball
Established in 1936, and currently based in Cooperstown, New York, the Baseball Hall of Fame may be the most prestigious of any Sports Hall of Fame. Although Baseball may have taken a backseat to Football in recent years, there is no doubt that Baseball’s version of the Hall of Fame is by far the most relevant and the most difficult to get enshrined in. At present, a player has to receive seventy five percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, which has proven to be no easy task. Failing that, a player could be inducted by the Veterans committee, though few have been inducted this way. Our list will focus on the players only, and although we could easily do a tally focusing on mangers, broadcasters or other vital personnel, as always it is far more enjoyable to discuss the merits of those on the field as oppose to those off of it.Until Then, Let’s get some peanuts and cracker jacks and cast some votes of our own!
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
Preacher Roe played a whopping 2.2 Innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938, and he went back to the minors for the next five years before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The Pirates called him up, and at age 28 in the World War II depleted Majors, he had his second chance.
The younger brother of Baseball Hall of Famer and New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, Dom DiMaggio, was quite the player in his own right.
The first half of George Gore's career was by far the best half, where he was a member of the Chicago White Stockings, the team that became the iconic Chicago Cubs.
Javier Vasquez could be considered to have been a journeyman, as he played for six different teams (and one team twice), but the Puerto Rican hurler was a lot better than he got credit for.
In the first half of the 1900s, Hank Gowdy was one of the more popular players who arguably was not an offensive star.
Playing his entire pro career with the Minnesota Twins, Brad Radke had a good career, and while he gained his share of Wins, it was his consistency that he is most remembered for.
Milt Pappas debuted as a teenager with the Baltimore Orioles in 1957, and he would become a permanent part of the O's rotation the year after. An All-Star in both 1962 and 1965, Pappas was coming off two straight sub-three ERA and two 16-Win years and before he was packaged out to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for future Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson.
Derrek Lee is an underrated offensive player who has a phenomenal offensive year in 2005 but is not remembered for much else. Lee was briefly a San Diego Padre before he was traded to the Florida Marlins in 1998. With Florida, the First Baseman had four 20 Home Run years, peaking with a 31-HR season in 2003, which coincided with him leading the Marlins to a World Series Title. As most of you know, Lee (along with everyone else who was talented) was packaged away in a disgusting cost-cutting move, and Lee wound up with the Chicago Cubs. It was with Chicago…
Technically not eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame as he didn’t play ten years in the Majors, Bill Hutchinson lands on this list based on the strength of three incredible years with the Chicago Colts.
A native of Vermont, Larry Gardner broke into the Majors relatively close with the Boston Red Sox in 1908. Playing mostly at Third Base, Gardner was mainly known for his defensive abilities, finishing in Defensive bWAR seven times in the top ten. Gardner was Boston's Third Baseman for their three World Series Championship in the 1910s, and he would win a fourth World Series with the Cleveland Indians in 1920.
David Justice is an interesting player to put on this list as his overall numbers were not so much that of a compiler, nor did he have a monster season. What Justice was, was a very good player for a long time, and despite his fame (married to Halle Barry), his career was underrated.
A three-time All-Star, Dan Haren played for a lot of teams in MLB (8), but also has the distinction of being one of the few players to have defeated all 30 MLB teams. When Haren was on, he was known for a dazzling array of pitches and exceptional control. Haren was a three time league leader in SO/BB and as of this writing is in the top ten all-time in that category. Haren also had two top ten finishes in Cy Young voting.
One of the more unheralded infielders in recent memory was Placido Polanco, a Dominican known for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.
Brian Downing played his entire professional career in the American League, where he was in the lineup as either a Catcher, Outfielder, or Designated Hitter.
Curt Simmons made his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1947, and after a few seasons, the hurler would show himself off as one of the best southpaws in the National League.