In December 2022, Don Mattingly was, once again, on the ballot to join other legends of the game in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but somewhat unsurprisingly, the former player, manager, and coach missed out yet again, the 15th time he has been on the ballot only to be passed over by those on the 16-strong committee.

On this latest occasion, Mattingly once again didn’t get enough of the required votes from the committee, and just Fred McGriff, 1995 World Series champion, and enjoyed a 19-year MLB career before calling it a day and retiring in 2005.

Despite the remarkable achievements Don Mattingly manifested throughout his career as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, he unfortunately does not grace the halls of the Hall of Fame. Although the MLB scores and standings he achieved, including a .307 lifetime batting average and ranking among the top 10 in the American League in hitting five times, are impressive, they may not meet the longevity and consistency standards typically valued by Hall of Fame voters. Mattingly's career, while stellar, was relatively short due to his injuries. In essence, a Hall of Fame award doesn't just look at the zenith of a player's career, but at the player's sustained performance over an extended period. So, despite Mattingly's undeniable talent and contribution to the game, his exclusion from the Hall of Fame is due to the brevity of his peak performance years.

Mattingly was up against a host of players who were up for a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, including controversial nominees including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, and Rafael Palmeiro, who have all been linked with steroid use and any player who wants to get in, must receive a dozen votes from the 16-person committee.

Don Mattingly got eight, Schilling seven, Dale Murphy six, Bonds, Clemons, and Palmeiro all received less than four votes, as did Albert Belle. On the disappointment of missing out again, Mattingly commented;

“It’s a desire [to be a Hall of Famer],”

“I think every player, it would be something that if you felt like you knew you’ve done enough. Obviously, people look at it as being on the borderline, right? There’s people that voted for you, people that didn’t, different committees put you on, and things like that. So obviously, you’re one of those guys that’s on the borderline.’’

“I don’t know how else to look at it other than you played your cards, proud of my career to an extent,’’

“I know it didn’t end the way I wanted it to as far as production or time. But those are also cards that you’ve been dealt, and you do the best you can with it.” Mattingly added.

Mattingly was a six-time MLB All-Star pick before his career was ended abruptly due to back issues, and he also won nine Gold Gloves and was the American League MVP for 1985. His playing career ended in 1995, and he spent three years as a coach at the New York Yankees before a two-year spell with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His first managerial role was at the Dodgers between 2011 and 2015 before he moved to join the Miami Marlins, where he enjoyed six seasons in charge, winning the National League Manager of the Year award in 2020.

He took over as coach of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, and they are currently third in the American League East with an 81-67 record, and he’ll be hoping to take the team deep into the post-season, something they haven’t managed since losing the American League Champion Series to the Cleveland Indians in 2016.

Today the Contemporary Baseball Veterans Committee met and voted on, and elected Fred McGriff unanimously, receiving all sixteen votes.

The committee was comprised of Hall of Fame platers, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas, Alan Trammell, Executives, Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Derrick Hall, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter, Ken Williams and Veteran Media Members/Historians Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser. 

McGriff, who played First Base, was a five-time All-Star, received 39.8 percent in 2019, his last year on the writer’s ballot, but this committee is more player driven.  He had 493 Home Runs, and likely would have had 500 had there not been a strike in 1994, likely would have had 500.  McGriff’s induction was largely predicted my many (including us), though the 100% tally is a little bit of a surprise. 

Finishing second was Don Mattingly, who had eight votes.  Arguably the greatest New York Yankee to have never won a World Series Ring in the Bronx, Mattingly won a Batting Title (1985), twice led the AL in Hits, and had a lifetime Batting Average of .307.  He is also a nine-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.  Ranked #35 on Notinhalloffame.com, “Donnie Baseball” was on the ballot for 15 years with his peak coming in year one (28.2%) in his first year (2001).

Curt Schilling was in third with seven votes.  Likely ousted on the regular ballot due to his anti-media stance and right-wing beliefs, Schilling failed to make it past the ten years on the ballot, peaking on his penultimate year, 2021 with 71.1%.

Former two-time MVP, Dale Murphy has six votes.  Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com, Murphy was on the ballot for 15 years, with his highest tally coming in 2000 (23.2%), Murphy’s second year on the ballot.  

Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens received four or less votes.  We do not know how many (if any) these former players received.  In the case of the latter three, it is an indictment that the PED-associated players have an even tougher road than they had with the writers.

McGriff will be inducted along with the rest of the inductees this summer.  Please note that we will not be revising our Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list until the conclusion of the Modern Ballot.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Fred McGriff for earning this prestigious honor.

Days after the Houston Astros were crowned the 2022 World Series Champions, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the eight Contemporary Baseball Hall of Fame ballot candidates. 

Of the former players nominates, should any of the receive at least 75% of the vote from the 16-member Committee, they will enter Cooperstown!  The Committee will be meeting on December 4.

Here are the nominees:

Albert Belle:  Belle was a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger and was named by The Sporting News as the Player of the Year in 1995.  He had 381 Home Runs and a lifetime Slugging Percentage of .564.  Ranked #61 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for two years, peaking a 7.7% in his first year in 2006.

Barry Bonds:  The controversial slugger set the all-time mark for Home Runs (762) and in a single season (73) while winning seven MVP Awards.  A 14-time and 12-rime Silver Slugger, Bonds is also the all-time leader in Walks (2,558) and boasts a lifetime OPS of 1.051.  Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for ten years, finishing as high as 66.0% in his final year, 2022.

Roger Clemens:  Clemens has the same level of polarization that Bonds has, only he was a Pitcher.  A seven-time Cy Young winner and 12-time All-Star, Clemens has the World Series Rings (2) that Bonds does not have, and we think it is a safe bet that he will be the last 350-Win Pitcher in Baseball.  Clemens, who also has 4,672 Strikeouts, is also a two-time Major League Player of the Year.  Ranked #2 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for ten years, with his highest total coming in 2022, 65.2%, his last year on the ballot.

Don Mattingly:  Arguably the greatest New York Yankee to have never won a World Series Ring in the Bronx, Mattingly won a Batting Title (1985), twice led the AL in Hits, and had a lifetime Batting Average of .307.  He is also a nine-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.  Ranked #35 on Notinhalloffame.com, “Donnie Baseball” was on the ballot for 15 years with his peak coming in year one (28.2%) in his first year (2001).

Fred McGriff:  The “Crime Dog” is not closely associated with one team, which overall hurts his Hall of Fame chances, nor does the fact that he played in an era with offensively charged First Basemen, hence why he is “only” a five-time All-Star.  McGriff had 493 Home Runs, and had he made 500, would we be having this conversation?  Ranked #27 on Notinhalloffame.com, McGriff was on the ballot for ten years with his highest tally coming in 2019, 39.8%, his last year of eligibility.

Dale Murphy:  Murphy won the National League MVP in both 1983 and 1984, where the seven-time All-Star smacked 398 Home Runs over his career.  Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com, Murphy was on the ballot for 15 years, with his highest tally coming in 2000 (23.2%), Murphy’s second year on the ballot.  

Rafael Palmeiro:  Palmeiro is one of only three players who had 3,000 Hits and 500 Home Runs over his career, and he was named the Major League Player of the Year in 1999.  The First Baseman was a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, and like others on this list, he is associated with PEDs, though unlike others, he was caught.  Ranked #20 on Notinhalloffame.com, Palmeiro was only on the ballot for four years, with the highwater mark in 2012 (12.5%), his second year of eligibility.

Curt Schilling:  Schilling might be the most contentious former player of this group and think of what that means!  Likely ousted on the regular ballot due to his anti-media stance and right wing beliefs, Schilling failed to make it past the ten years on the ballot, peaking on his penultimate year, 2021 with 71.1%.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the former baseball stars who have made it to this stage.

By paring the number of candidates to be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee to a lean-and-mean eight, and if trends by recent iterations of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee continue, the odds look very good for Fred McGriff to be making an induction speech in Cooperstown, New York, in July 2023 when the committee announces its results during the baseball winter meetings to be held on December 4, 2022.

Why should McGriff start preparing his induction speech? Because the Screening Committee that selected the eight players whose careers began after 1980 to be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee of the Hall of Saints—sorry, make that the Hall of Fame—have gamed the ballot to, in essence, eliminate half of its candidates right off the bat, leaving the slugging first baseman as the most viable candidate for consideration ahead of, in order of descending likelihood, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and Albert Belle.

Again, did we ever say this would be fast?

We here at Notinhalloffame.com have completed our next all-time top 50, this time that of the New York Yankees.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1. Sabremetric tallies while with that team, mostly WAR.

2. Traditional metrics and how they finished in their respective league overall.

3. Playoff accomplishment.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

Saying all of that, as.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in our news. They are:

1. Babe Ruth

2. Lou Gehrig

3. Mickey Mantle

4. Joe DiMaggio

5. Derek Jeter

One hell of a top five wouldn’t you say?

So which team is up next?

We are sticking with Baseball and it will be five time World Series Champion, the Cincinnati Reds

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support.

With its second meeting under a revamped structure, the Baseball Hall of Fame veterans committee will convene to evaluate nine players and one executive whose impact was made primarily during the Modern Baseball era, defined as having occurred between 1970 and 1987, and perhaps elect someone to the Hall of Fame. Their ballot results will be announced on December 10 during the winter meetings.

Don Mattingly can make a claim as the best player for the Yankees in the 1980’s.  He can also make a claim as the best hitter in the American League over the same timeframe.  The First Baseman would break out in 1984 where he would go to his first of his six straight All-Star Games where he was the Yankees “Hit Man”.

The “Hall of Fame” season is really amping up. The Baseball Hall of Fame Modern Era Committee has announced the ten finalists for consideration. This new Committee covers those who participated from 1970 to 1987.

The nominees are:

Steve Garvey: Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com. Garvey was a ten time All Star and was named the 1974 National League MVP. He accumulated 2,599 Hits with a .294 Batting Average with 272 Home Runs. He was on the ballot for the fifteen full years finishing as high as 42.6 %.

Tommy John: Ranked #16 on Notinhalloffame.com. John won 283 Games and is a four time All Star. A two-time Cy Young runner-up, John had 2,245 Strikeouts over his career. He was on the ballot for fifteen years peaking at 31.7% on his final year of eligibility.

Don Mattingly: Ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com. Playing his entire career with the New York Yankees, Mattingly was the American League MVP in 1985. Mattingly went to six All Star Games and had a career Batting Average of .307 with 222 Home Runs. He would also win the 1984 Batting Title. He was on the ballot for fifteen years with a high of 28.2% in his first year of eligibility.

Marvin Miller: The head of the Players Association from 1966 to 1982, salaries skyrocketed under his tenure.

Jack Morris: Ranked #11 on Notinhalloffame.com. Morris would win 254 Games and is a four time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and came very close with a 67.7% finish in his fourteenth year.

Dale Murphy: Ranked #42 on Notinhalloffame.com. In a career spent mostly with Atlanta, Murphy was a back-to-back MVP winner (1982 & 1983) and blasted 398 Home Runs. He was a five time All Star. On the ballot for fifteen years, Murphy peaked at 23.2% in 2000.

Dave Parker: Ranked #28 on Notinhalloffame.com. “The Cobra” was the 1978 National League MVP and hit 339 Home Runs over his career. He was also a two time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year of eligibility.

Ted Simmons: Ranked #14 on Notinhalloffame.com. Simmons was an eight time All Star and one of the top Catchers of his day. He was only on the ballot for one year where he finished with 3.7% of the ballot.

Luis Tiant: Ranked #44 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tiant was known mostly for his time in Boston and he was a three time All Star with 229 career Wins. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 30.9, which occurred in his first year of eligibility.

Alan Trammell: Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com. Trammell played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers and was a six time All Star. Trammell had 2,365 Hits and was the 1984 World Series MVP. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished with 40.9% on the ballot in his last year of eligibility.

It will be very interesting to see if any of these names will get in. To be chosen, a candidate must receive 75% of the 16 member vote.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

We are now taking a look at the Gold Glove Award, given annually to the best defensive player in MLB in each respective position.

One of the most popular Yankees of all time was Don Mattingly.  This was a very impressive reality considering that the year before he turned pro the Bronx Bombers lost to Dodgers in the World Series and the year after he retired they won the championship.  During Mattingly’s entire tenure, the Yankees never went to the Fall Classic; the largest stretch of post-season futility in franchise history.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.