The Hall of Fame victim most often cited in the Black Sox Scandal is "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, but Pitcher Eddie Cicotte might also have cost a Cooperstown plaque.

After a brief stint with the Detroit Tigers in 1905, he went back to the minors, only to return three years later with the Boston Red Sox.  Cicotte did better there, good enough to stay on the roster but far from a star.  That changed when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox during the 1912 season.

With Chicago, he had his breakout season in 1913, when he went 18-11 with a 1.58 ERA, and a monster season in 1917, when he led the American League in Wins (28), ERA (1.53), and WHIP (0.912).  Cicotte would help Chicago win the 1917 World Series, going 1-1 with a 1.57 ERA.  1919 was just as good as he again led the AL in Wins (29) and had a 1.82 ERA.  Cicotte and the White Sox were heavily favored in the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, but gamblers got into the palms of some White Sox players (allegedly), and Cicotte was one of them (allegedly).  In that World Series, he went 1-2 and looked ineffective (or throwing the game) in his first two starts.  Chicago would lose that series to the Reds.

After going 21-10 in 1920, the suspected White Sox players were brought to trial.  Although the court would find the White Sox players innocent, Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned the eight players from baseball after 1920, ending their careers at age 36.

A two-time World Series Champion with the Detroit Tigers (the only team he ever played for), Tommy Bridges was a major force in that first championship, winning two games in the Fall Classic.  The curveball specialist led the AL in Strikeouts twice and won twenty games three years in a row (1934, 1935 & 1936).  Bridges was also a six-time All-Star.  Overall, Bridges would have a record of 194-138 with 1,674 Strikeouts.

Vida Blue debuted in 1969, and over his 12 Games in Oakland, he was ineffective, posting a 6.64 ERA.  His 1970 callup was different, with a 2-0 record over six starts and a pair of Shutouts.  1971 was one of the best seasons ever for an Oakland A’s Pitcher.

1971 was the year he went 24-8 with 301 Strikeouts and led the American League in ERA (1.82), FIP (2.20), and WHIP (0.952).  Blue won both the MVP and the Cy Young, and he was part of what became an elite franchise in the AL.  While Blue would have ups and downs afterward, the ups were very special.  Blue was an anchor on the A's staff, helping them win three straight World Series Rings (1972-74), and while he was with Oakland, he was a three-time All-Star.  In addition to his Cy Young, he had three other top ten Cy Young finishes as an Athletic.

In 1978, Blue crossed the bay and switched leagues to play for San Francisco, where in his first year there, he was an All-Star again and was third in Cy Young voting.  He went to two more All-Star Games with the Giants, and after a stint with Kansas City, he returned to San Francisco, where he played his final two years before retiring in 1986.

Blue left the game with a 209-161 record and 2,175 Strikeouts.

Many baseball players are considered underrated, but we will argue that Buddy Bell is on the Mount Rushmore of that list.

That likely happened because he never appeared in a playoff game, and his runs with the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers were with teams that were, overall, not very good.  It was also part of his defense that it was his real strength, but while he earned six Gold Gloves, he was also a player who finished first in Defensive bWAR twice and was in the top eight six other times.   

Bell was not a one-trick player, as he knew his way around the batter's box.  The Third Baseman would have ten 150 Hit seasons and twelve years with over 10 Home Runs.  Bell would accumulate 2,514 Hits with 201 Home Runs, which is an excellent metric for any baseball player.