However, while Smith was an excellent and feared closer, he doesn't have the hardware you'd expect. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Freehan was unquestionably one of the top catchers in the American League, as he made 10 straight All-Star games from 1964 to 1973. Browning compiled a .341 batting average over 13 seasons starting in 1882. That it took Votto, one of the best pure hitters of his era, 15 seasons to reach 2,000 hits came as a bit of a surprise to many baseball fans. Mattingly batted over .300 in each of his first six full seasons, leading the AL in 1984 with a .343 average. He won the 1994 MVP award and finished in the top 10 in the voting five other times. Beltran becomes eligible for the Hall in 2023, and his case will be among the most controversial in recent memory due to his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing saga. Mays hit his 500th blast during a career-best 52-homer campaign for the Giants in 1965. The 10-time All-Star won the NL MVP in 1974 and led the NL in hits in both 1978 and 1980. An excellent defender, Richardson won five straight Gold Gloves and finished second to Mantle in the 1962 AL MVP voting. Buffinton authored one of the most incomprehensible statistical seasons in baseball history in 1884. Parker was not only a feared hitter who won two batting titles, but he was also one of the top defensive outfielders in the game. He won eight Gold Gloves and had four MVP top-10 finishes. McNally was part of one of the great pitching staffs of all time along with Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson. He won three Gold Glove awards and is known for having one of the great outfield arms of all time. Although he was overshadowed by the big home run hitters of the era, Kuenn held his own as a terrific all-around player. However, his ability as one of the game's top sluggers cannot be denied. Although he was never a serious threat to make the Hall of Fame, it's surprising that he lasted just one year on the ballot before being removed after getting a mere 19 votes in 1991. McGwire was a 12-time All-Star, finished in the top seven in MVP voting seven times and was the 1987 Rookie of the Year after belting 49 home runs, an MLB-record for rookies. Through Aug. 13, 2020, 203 qualified players had batting averages over .300. Smith had a long, productive career and while he was never great, he was often very good. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. Torre will one day get into the Hall of Fame as a manager, but the chance also remains that he will be inducted as a player one day by the Veterans Committee. There has been a "rule of thumb" in baseball for quite some time that any player who accumulates 3000 hits in his career will be elected to the Hall of Fame. He made a fool of himself in front of Congress, was named in the Mitchell Report and Jose Canseco's book Juiced, and was implicated in Jason Grimsley's affidavit about amphetamine use in the major leagues. By the time it came to vote for Freehan in 1982, his numbers paled in comparison to those catching at the time. O'Doul is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and is credited with helping to popularize the sport in Japan in the 1930s. He is responsible for one of the game's greatest accomplishments, though, pitching back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. Hes basically a forgotten star at this point. Clark was a six time All Star and borderline Hall of Famer. Vander Meer had a losing record over the course of his career, and that will likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame. 97. The five-time Gold Glove shortstop was the glue that held the Big Red Machine's infield together. One of the more underrated hitters of the 1970s and 1980s, Oliver batted over .300 11 times, finishing with a career average of .303. Discussion of suicide or self-harm is not tolerated and will result in an immediate ban. Only five hitters have a higher career batting average with at least 10,000 PA since 1945: Tony Gwynn (.338), Wade Boggs (.328), Rod Crew (.328), Stan Musial (.328), and Roberto Clemente (.317). His 2,139 hits as a Cub were second only to 19th century legend Cap Anson on the Cubs' all-time list. Mullane was anambidextrous pitcher who compiled 284 wins from 1881 to 1894. The general rule is that 3,000 career hits is an automatic ticket to induction in the Hall of Fame and that generally remains the case, though there are a handful still on the outside looking in due to situations of their own making. Arguably the greatest fielding pitcher of all time, Kaat won 16 Gold Gloves, the most at any position until he was topped by Greg Maddux, who won 18. A five-time All-Star, he was not quite a Hall of Famer. Herman was an excellent hitter in the 1920s and 1930s, even if he never did really break through to the elite level. Hodges' 370 homers might not stand as too impressive today, but when he retired it marked the league's fourth-best career total. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images). His 466 complete games ranks 11th all time. now in the modern age batting average is deemed pretty meaningless by Saber metrics. From 1973 to the conclusion of the 2017 season, only nine players appeared in 1,000 or more games at DH. Oliver accumulated 2,743 hits in his career. Dark was a solid player during the post-World War II era in the National League who later went on to become an excellent manager. Root's best year came in 1927 when he led the NL with 27 wins. He finished his 14-year career with 2,089 hits and a .298 career average. Cramer played a total of 20 seasons from 1929 to 1948 and had long stints with the As, Red Sox and Tigers. The 1985 AL MVP was a prolific run-producer for the Yankees until a bad back sabotaged his power and longevity. His Hall of Fame candidacy peaked in 1995, his third year on the ballot. The 1978 AL Rookie of the Year played all 19 years of his career with the Tigers. Reulbach led the league in winning percentage for three straight years from 1906 to 1908 when he compiled a record of 60-15 over the three-year period. There are not a ton of pitchers in the Hall of Fame - the elections of Glavine and Maddux brings the total to 77 beginning with the inaugural class of 1936. Reynolds got a late start to his MLB career and pitched in only 12 full seasons. Rose has more hits than anyone whos ever picked up a bat, but his decision to bet on baseball has kept him the sports most famous living outsider. Whitaker was a solid all-around player for the Tigers, but never really excelled in any one area on an elite level. He got moderate support for his Hall of Fame candidacy, peaking in 1988 when he finished fifth in the voting with 43.1 percent, better than Hall of Famers Ron Santo and Bill Mazeroski. It is not quite a three-hour drive from Caton to Cooperstown. 2,000 on Monday night. Baseball statistics List of lifetime MLB hit leaders through history List of Major League Baseball players with 4,000 Total bases List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles List of Major League . Hernandez played first base with the range of a middle infielder. Two of those former members came close to Emeritus Member status Ivan Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. Maris was considered a power show more content He led the AL in doubles three times, RBI once, hits twice and OPS once. Negative racial/anti-Semitic, or religious stereotypes are prohibited. Gooden's career .634 winning percentage is higher than Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Greg Maddux, Warren Spahn and a host of other Hall of Famers. In DiMaggio's 11 seasons, he made the All-Star game seven times and received MVP votes in six seasons. Usually when you finish your career as the all-time leader in a major category, you are a lock for the Hall of Fame. His fiery attitude caused him to wear out his welcome with many clubs, and he ended up playing with five different teams over 18 years. His 385 career home runs are the 10th-highest total for any American League right-handed batter. In making this list, players were not penalized for admitting steroid use or rumored steroid use. A sturdy third sacker, listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds during his playing career, Rolen - just the ninth third basemen elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA - played 17 seasons from 1996 through 2012, splitting his time between the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds. Allen played during the pitching-dominated 1960s and 1970s and still managed to top a 1.000 OPS three times. Shocker was a workhorse for the Browns and Yankees from 1916 to 1928. He ranks higher than pitchers like Catfish Hunter, Don Drysdale and Jim Bunning in that category. While his career .263 average is not too impressive, the .394 OBP and .588 slugging percentage more than make up for it, especially when we add his 584 career homers. He finished his career with a 211-169 record. He was a key piece in four World Series titles for the Yankees, delivering numerous clutch hits along the way. Thome played 22 years in the league. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. John was another compiler, but the fact that he was able to stick around long enough to compile those statistics is incredible in itself. O'Doul actually is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, just not the one in Cooperstown. He was a mainstay in the Cubs' rotation for 16 years and accumulated 201 wins in his career. He collected 3,166 career hits, which included 636 doubles and 477 home runs. Lopat was a mainstay in the rotation of the great New York Yankee teams of the 1950s. | Brian Kersey/Getty Images Take the case of former Phoenix high school legend, Paul Konerko. That being said, here are the top 100 eligible players not in the MLB Hall of Fame. He might never have been a superstar, much of a defender, or someone I'd seriously consider voting into the Hall of Fame, but with 150 more hits, he'd probably have been a first ballot inductee. Gonzalez was one of the more feared home run hitters of the steroid era, topping 40 in a season five times. If Wood didn't sustain an injury to the thumb on his pitching hand in 1913, he very well could have been mentioned along with Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson as the top pitchers of baseball's early years. Harder may never have been a dominant pitcher, but he was incredibly reliable over a career that started while Babe Ruth was in his heyday and ended after World War II. Morris is in a race against time and semantics in his quest to make it to Cooperstown. He had six 200-hit seasons and finished his 19-year career with a .294 lifetime average. However, the big man known as "Mule" also batted for a high average, regularly hitting between .300 and .400 each season. But others are there for good. Well, we've got Shoeless Joe Jackson in 4th place overall at .3558, but he's technically ineligible because of his role in the Black Sox scandal. Those players attract a lot of attention and discussion, which takes away from the examination of a career like Teixeira's. However, the numbers speak for themselves. His 137 career OPS+ ranks behind only Mantle, Berkman and Jones among modern switch-hitters. The two-time World Series champion finished with 2,326 career hits. McInnis was an excellent, fundamentally sound first baseman in the early part of the 20th century for the A's and Red Sox. One of the best and longest-running arguments fans like to get involved with revolves around the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Still, he should have gotten a little more support on the Hall of Fame ballot. Lolich enjoyed a solid career spent mostly with the Detroit Tigers, but his exploits in the 1968 World Series are his legacy. Pinson is a somewhat forgotten star of the 1960s Reds and a great bat to have atop the lineup. You won't find Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe or Eddie Cicotte on this list. He had enough support to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot for the maximum of 15 years, garnering 88 votes in 2008, his final year. Pete Browning-.341 average. He received MVP votes in eight seasons, finishing in the top 10 in six of those years. He is best known for his role in one of baseball's greatest tragedies. He was a key pitcher on the great A's teams of the 1970s and finished his 17-year career with a record of 209-161. Dave Kingman Home Runs: 442 Needless to say, he won the NL MVP that season. His 1,330 walks ranks 36th all time and his 606 stolen bases ranks fifth. July 20, 2019. Sure, it was a different era, but those are some incredible numbers. Gonzalez was suspected of steroid abuse and was named in Jose Canseco's book Juiced. When Bill Veeck brought him back to the White Sox for a two-game stint in 1980, he became the first player to appear in five different decades and also became the last active former Negro League baseball player. Travis was a popular shortstop and third baseman for the Washington Senators who missed four seasons of action when he was shipped off to fight in World War II just as he was reaching the prime of his career. The fact that Carter and Fisk were elected and Simmons lasted just one year on the ballot is just wrong. For the kind of player Raines was, that should not keep him out of the Hall of Fame. How does a world-class base stealer with 3,023 career hits not qualify for the Hall of Fame? The highest number of games he played in after the age of 29 was 109 in 1951. "Indian Bob" is one of the great underrated players of the 1930s and 1940s, lost in the shuffle of playing at the same time as Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig and Hank Greenberg. Stephens also was an AL All-Star seven times. Cavarretta got excellent support in Hall of Fame balloting in the 1970s, peaking in 1975 when he received 35.6 percent of the vote. This slideshow ranks the top 100 players who are eligible for Hall of Fame induction, but they currently do not have that plaque in Cooperstown. Although his case was one of 10 reviewed by a special committee in 2008, Ferrell's numbers fell short. He retired early at the age of 36, and if he hung on as long as some of his more accomplished outfield peers, he could have easily gotten to 3,000 hits. McNally may have had a short peak with the Baltimore Orioles, but what a peak it was. Wood received 29 votes in the 1947 Hall of Fame voting, the most of any player who still hasn't been elected. In addition to being a winning pitcher for the Yanks during eight regular seasons, he excelled in the World Series, accumulating a 4-1 record with a 2.60 ERA over seven starts. Despite his longevity, Baines never won a World Series, never led the league in a major category and the only major award he won was the Silver Slugger award in 1989. The Hall of Fame case for Keith Hernandez starts with his brilliant glove-work at first base. McGriff has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for three seasons and saw decent support in 2012, garnering 23.9 percent of the vote, his highest total. Johnson hit for good average on top of his power as well, batting over .290 nine times. What is the highest career batting average for an MLB player who is not in the Hall of Fame? He has just two years left on the ballot but figures to have a tough time cracking through against stiff competition the next two seasons. Although he didn't have the quickness of Johnny Bench, Boone was incredibly durable and was the only catcher who consistently placed in the top 10 for defensive WAR for the better part of two decades. Lolich won three games in the series, out-dueling Bob Gibson during his signature season in Game 7 to win the series for the Tigers. He was the starting pitcher in the 1956 All-Star Game on a team featuring Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. But the truth is he ended up having a productive career after all. He never led the league in any major categories, but was still a very productive leader and beloved player on the great Brooklyn Dodger teams of the 1950s. The 1945 NL MVP, Cavarretta played more seasons with the Cubs than anybody in the 20th century. Everyone has their own opinion. Buckner won the 1980 NL batting title as a member of the Chicago Cubs and had two seasons of 200+ hits. Through the 1988 season, it looked like Hershiser was on his way to a truly elite pitching career. While he wasn't a home run hitter, Grace was a prolific doubles hitter, topping 500 for his career. McGriff was remarkably consistent, belting 30 home runs in a season 10 times during the steroid era without a whisper of accusation about him. Bullying, racism, personal attacks, harassment, or discrimination is prohibited. The two-time AL MVP finished his career with 434 home runs and a career batting average of .292. Before getting started on the modern ballplayers, here is a look at nine deserving players from the 1800s who haven't been inducted into the Hall of Fame. In after the age of 29 was 109 in 1951 the 1962 AL MVP finished 14-year. 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