Voters view the Hall of Fame election process from many different angles.
Some use analytics, specifically WAR (Wins Against Replacement), before casting their ballots. Others bank on statistical comparisons. And still others count on the good old Eye Test, going by what they saw over years of watching the game.
I am one of those guys, an Old School writer who’s been covering the game professionally since 1966, the year the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta.
That being said, these are the 10 men most overlooked for Cooperstown, with the steroids and gambling groups deliberately excluded:
1. Dale Murphy – A catcher who became a gifted centerfielder, he won five Gold Gloves, seven trips to the All-Star Game, and back-to-back MVP awards – joining Roger Maris as the only consecutive winners not named Barry Bonds and not in Cooperstown. The soft-spoken icon led the majors in total bases in the ‘80s, finishing second in both home runs and runs batted in during that decade. Bad knees curtailed his career and crushed his career batting average to .265 but several incumbents finished below that mark. Had he hit two more homers to reach 400, Murphy would be a proud Hall of Famer today.
2. Charlie Finley – An absentee owner who teamed with cousin Carl Finley to run an innovative but bare-bones front office, he was a visionary in the tradition of Lee MacPhail and Bill Veeck, other outspoken owners already enshrined. Before the advent of free agency destroyed his team, it was arguably baseball’s best, winning three straight World Series sandwiched by a pair of divisional titles. Finley, alone among owners, foresaw the dangers of free agency and arbitration, fought Bowie Kuhn, and introduced the ideas of colored uniforms, night World Series games, and the designated runner – as well as the designated hitter. Like Murphy, he’d need 75 per cent of the vote from one of the new veterans committees.
3. Gary Sheffield – Fresh off the ballot after he failed to draw 75 per cent of the vote from the baseball writers, he’s a virtual lock to win election from the veterans. Although he bounced around the majors like a human yoyo, he hit 509 home runs with a .292 batting average and .902 OPS (on-base plus slugging). The nine-time All-Star won a batting title and World Series ring, as well as a reputation as the man pitchers most hated to face. Sheffield not only hit the ball hard but always made contact, never fanning more than 83 times. He also had more walks than strikeouts by a wide margin.
4. Steve Garvey – Nicknamed “the Senator” because he always seemed to be campaigning for something, he’s actually running for a California Senate seat at age 75. He has a much better shot at Cooperstown after crafting a career that included league, All-Star, and post-season MVP trophies, four Gold Gloves, a World Series ring, and ten All-Star invitations. The durable first baseman also held the National League record for most consecutive games played.
5. Tommy John – Another player best known for his work with the Dodgers, this lefty has more wins (288) than anyone not suspected of steroids but also not enshrined in Cooperstown. A four-time All-Star whose career extended for 26 seasons, he fell short of 300 wins because of time missed with the original elbow reconstruction surgery that bears his name. He maintains to this day that he’d rather have that time back – and those 12 wins – than have a surgery named after him. He also insists that a dozen more on his record would have taken him to Cooperstown years ago.
6. Luis Tiant – A big-game pitcher remembered for his back-to-the-plate windup, El Tiante had four 20-win seasons and won a pair of ERA titles. He had a 1.60 ERA in 1968, helping him finish with a compact career mark of 3.30 over 19 seasons. Pitching for the Boston Red Sox, the Cuban righthander beat the Cincinnati Reds twice in the 1975 World Series. He won three of his four post-season starts. Tiant had 229 victories – far behind Tommy John but ahead of such Hall of Famers as Don Drysdale and Roy Halladay.
7. Dave Parker – A lethal and large left-handed hitter called The Cobra by rivals, Parker hit .290 with 339 home runs plus three more in the post-season. He showed off a powerful throwing arm while playing right field, primarily for the Pirates and Reds. Alleged involvement in the Pittsburgh drug scandal probably has hurt him with both the voting writers and veterans.
8. Keith Hernandez – Arguably the best defensive first baseman in the history of the game, Hernandez once shared National League MVP honors with Parker. The .296 career hitter also won 11 Gold Gloves, two World Series rings, and a batting title. A long-time broadcaster for the Mets, Hernandez kept his name alive for Hall of Fame voters by starring in several Seinfeld episodes. Known more for his clutch hitting than his power, Hernandez hit 162 career homers – a low total when compared with other first basemen.
9. Lou Whitaker – Unlike Hernandez, who did not produce enough power for his position, Sweet Lou produced more. The long-time second baseman of the Detroit Tigers hit 244 home runs in 19 seasons, spent entirely in the Motor City. He and Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell were together longer than any double-play combination. Whitaker won Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 and went to five All-Star games while winning three Gold Gloves and a World Series ring. He was better offensively than Trammell but race could have delayed his Cooperstown candidacy.
10. Lou Piniella – A star outfielder who later became a successful manager and general manager, he twice missed election by a single vote, generating 11 of the 12 needed from the Eras Committee considering non-playing candidates. A three-time Manager of the Year, he won a pennant and World Series title with the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, then won three division crowns but no pennants with the Seattle Mariners. A fiery temper led to lots of ejections and possible recriminations from Hall of Fame voters.
Honorable Mention: Lew Burdette, Darrell Evans, Dwight Evans, Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Roger Maris, Leo Mazzone, Joe Niekro, Johnny Sain, Rusty Staub, Joe West.
