What more would Thurman Munson have accomplished had he not been killed in a plane crash on August 2, 1979?  We will never know, but prior to his untimely death, Munson’s accomplishments on the diamond were already sizable.

Thurman Munson was a leader on the field, in the clubhouse, and everywhere else in life.  He broke through in the Majors in 1970 and won the coveted Rookie of the Year, cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the catcher’s position for the decade.  For a catcher, he hit the ball well and consistently provided a solid Batting Average, and showed moderate power numbers.  Munson was a perennial All-Star and even won the MVP in 1976.  He was known early in his career for his quick release, and he was very difficult to steal from.  In each of his six postseason series, he never batted below .300, thus showing his ability to come through when his team needed him the most.

Had Munson not perished, would he have racked up career milestones that would have made it hard for the Hall to ignore?  It is possible, but Munson did not have a high On Base Percentage, nor was he really more than a singles hitter.  His main asset, though, was his leadership and his ability to make those around him better.  This should trump a few walks and doubles on most days.

Marty Marion won the NL 1944 MVP based primarily on his leadership and fielding skills as opposed to anything he did with his lumber.  His victory is certainly a reminder that there is a lot more to baseball than sexy offensive stats.

Marty Marion was taller than the average Shortstop of his era, but he used that to his advantage.  He was deceptively quick, but he used his large wingspan to gobble up any ground ball that got remotely near him.  He was called the “octopus”, and he would have used those tentacles to grab every Gold Glove Award….if they existed at the time.  Marion usually batted at the bottom of the order, but he was consistent and an excellent bunter.

Marty Marion was not just a defensive wizard; he was a leader whose patience was evident when he became a manager and teacher to young ballplayers.  It is often these traits that are pointed to when pundits and ex-colleagues point to Marty Marion and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

From 1953 to 1960, there were few in the majors who were as good a line drive hitter as Harvey Kuenn.  From that time period, he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award and won a Batting Title.  Considering that during the 50’s he only batted under .300 once, it was easy to see how, even on average Detroit Tigers teams, he could still make eight All-Star teams.

Kuenn led the league in hits four times, and it seemed like he got those hits in every part of the field possible.  In the ’50s, he was the game’s most consistent hitter, with a swing so effortless it looked natural.  These skills would serve him well as a hitting coach and manager later in his career.

As good as Kuenn was, he was largely ineffective after 1963, and with his great batting eye failing, he had little else to contribute, as he was not known for his fielding prowess or his power.  Still, the numbers he put up for Detroit over an eight-year period were good enough to get him a really solid look from the Hall.

Outside of Boston, it may be forgotten how good Dwight Evans was.  It could be because he played on teams with the more popular players, but Evans was a huge component in both the 1975 and 1986 World Series runs.

Starting off in an outfield with Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, Evans was essentially the number three man in the outfield, but became a huge contributor with his defensive play in the field.  Year by year, his offensive numbers slowly began to improve, and by the 1980s, Evans was contributing with power and a huge amount of walks, leading to very high On-base percentages.  That patience at the plate may have cost him sexy Batting Average numbers, but he showed such a complete mastery of the game that this should not be overlooked.

Evans was a very good player and posted excellent career numbers, but like so many on this list, he is the victim of being in the shadows of others and not having a monster year.  Evans quietly left the ballot in 1999, and despite high Sabremetric numbers, there seems to be little reason to think Evans will be strongly considered by the Veterans Committee.  This is too bad, as he at least deserves more than just a glance.