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.
Red Lucas was not just a very good Pitcher during his career, as he was also used often as a Pinch Hitter. They don’t make many like that anymore!
Born in the United States, but raised in Mexico, Adrian Gonzalez would have a very good career playing First Base in the Major Leagues. Gonzalez first debuted for the Texas Rangers, but it was in San Diego where he first came into prominence. With the Padres, he was a three-time All-Star and would secure four consecutive 30 plus HR seasons, including a career-high 40 in 2009. That year, he led the National League in Walks (119).
The son of Felipe Alou, Moises Alou is an interesting case here as we have a player whose sabermetric numbers were good, but he managed to compile traditional numbers that were better, and he was a player who teams wanted in their lineup and fear when he wasn’t for more than a decade. He is also known more for a foul ball that he probably could not have caught.
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.
We don’t talk enough about excellent fielding First Baseman, but if you are going to start with one, chronologically speaking, that is, Fred Tenney is the perfect place to start.
A member of the Dodgers throughout his entire career, Jim Gilliam is one of the few players who won a World Series ring in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.
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.
In the first half of the 1950s, Mike Garcia was part of an excellent pitching staff that the Cleveland Indians had that boasted Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, and Bob Feller. Garcia was obviously then and now in the shadows of those more prominent names, but he was a star in his own right.
Jim Sundberg was known for his defensive skills. So much so, that is how we wound up on this list.
Lindy McDaniel was one of the game’s first great relievers, though his work has been largely forgotten.
A New York Yankee for all fifteen of his seasons of Major League Baseball career, Roy White provided dependable service over that time. White was a two-time All-Star who put up decent On Base Percentage and would lead the AL in Walks in 1972. He would also finish in the top ten in Power/Speed seven times and had 160 Home Runs with 223 Stolen Bases.
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…
A 20-year veteran of Major League Baseball, the first half of Gary Gaetti's career was with the Minnesota Twins, where he was part of the team that won the 1987 World Series.
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.
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.