The best of the best stand in the Hall of Fame so that the generations to come can learn from them and others can admire. It's the pinnacle of someone's career, and a true honor to stand among the stars. But not all stories have a happy or fair ending. Sometimes, for whatever reason, those truly deserving are left out.
Dwight Evans — The Kind Of Career You Have To Look Twice At
Evans wasn’t a sensation out of the gate. For his first handful of seasons, he was good, not great. Then, something clicked. From his late 20s into his 30s, he became one of the American League’s most valuable players—though you wouldn’t have guessed that from his All-Star totals or media coverage at the time. 385 home runs, nearly 70 WAR, and defensive value that stood out even in an era of strong arms in right field. But voters tend to prefer players who shine early and often.
Evans built his case slowly, methodically. We can take solace that, if he had been playing in current times, he would probably not be ignored, where fans and the biggest and most popular sports betting sites would surely recognize his incredible performance. Today, the odds of both the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles would be favorable if Dewey were on the field, but as that is not the case, we can only wonder and fantasize about what could have been. You can, however, use these sites for the very latest odds offered on everything sports-related, in the hope of getting lucky.
Kenny Lofton — Always Moving, Rarely Noticed
Lofton could turn a single into a double with a head start. Over 600 stolen bases. A glove that changed games in center field. Six All-Star appearances. Maybe it was the lack of a signature team. Eleven franchises in seventeen years tends to scatter the narrative. And he played in an era crowded with bigger bats, louder names. But take away the noise, and you see it. A player who combined speed, discipline, and defense in ways most never could. That just didn’t translate to headlines or Hall votes.
Bobby Grich — Ahead Of The Metrics
Here’s someone whose career makes more sense now than it did when he retired. Grich didn’t chase batting titles or RBI records. He walked. Played elite defense at second base. Posted strong on-base numbers when few cared to measure them. By Baseball Reference WAR, he clocks in at 71. That’s not just good — that’s Hall-level good. And he may be even stealthily Hall of Fame worthy, as the case is still open for him.
But his style didn’t align with the expectations of the era. Second basemen were supposed to hit for average, maybe drop bunts, and steal bases. Grich drew walks and hit for power. Subtle things, easy to miss at the time. If he played today, he’d probably be seen in a very different light. That’s the strange part: sometimes, a player’s era works against them in hindsight.
Dale Murphy — A Story Of Peaks And Drops
Murphy’s rise was hard to ignore. But the second act never really came. His numbers fell off. His swing lost something. And voters remembered the ending more than the start. He still hit 398 homers. Still won five Gold Gloves and made seven All-Star teams. He’s part of the 30/30 club, if nothing else. He had the kind of peak stretch that defines stars. But that peak was brief compared to others who made it in. And Hall voters often weigh consistency just as heavily as dominance. Murphy gave them one, not both, and that wasn’t quite enough.
Closing Thoughts
The Hall of Fame isn’t just about stats. It’s about stories. And some players, for reasons that don’t always make sense, never get the full telling of theirs. Lofton, Evans, Grich, Murphy — they each built careers worthy of reflection. Maybe someday, they’ll get more than that.
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