Pinson was a very good all-around player, though, even if he wasn't in the class of those immortals. Stephens led the AL in RBI twice and home runs once, but his production fell off considerably after the age of 29. 1. He batted .370 in 1993 and hit an NL-best 47 homers and 150 RBI in 1996. Tiant twice led the league with ERAs under 2.00, but he also had five years with an ERA over 4.00. 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. While he never reached those heights again, Guidry had four top-five Cy Young finishes, made four All-Star games and won five straight Gold Gloves in the 1980s. Lopat was a mainstay in the rotation of the great New York Yankee teams of the 1950s. Reynolds got his start in the majors as a solid pitcher for the Indians in the 1940s. He made seven All-Star games during his career. With such a rich history and so many different eras that exist in stark contrast of each other, baseball lends itself to some great arguments. In baseball, the batting average (BA) is defined by the number of hits divided by at bats. He has a lower WAR than Baines, and he had little power, but he won 8 gold gloves in his 17-year career, and he was an 8-time All-Star. Simmons may not have the hardware of Hall of Fame catching peers Gary Carter and Carlton Fisk, but he really isn't that far off. 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. Guidry turned in one of the great pitching seasons of all time when he went 25-3 in 1978 with a 1.78 ERA. HR Rank All Time. He finished with just 275 career homers and a .260 batting average. He batted over .300 10 times and finished with a career average of .308. Along with Hank Greenberg, Bridges is the only other Tiger to appear in four World Series. He finished his career with a .307 batting average. Instead of talking about his incredible baseball accomplishments, Palmeiro's career is defined as being one of the poster boys for the steroid era. This is the first story in a three-part series about . One of the more underrated hitters of the 1970s and 1980s, Oliver batted over .300 11 times, finishing with a career average of .303. He had more than 300 strikeouts in a . Over his 12-year career, his 162-game average season was 40 home runs, 130 RBI and a .295 average. McInnis was an excellent, fundamentally sound first baseman in the early part of the 20th century for the A's and Red Sox. Root was allegedly the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's "called shot," which often overshadows an excellent career. Minoso also led the league in "hit by pitch" 10 times, and his 192 plunkings ranks ninth all time. He received MVP votes in eight seasons, finishing in the top 10 in six of those years. He won just 43 games over his final seven seasons. 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. He had six 200-hit seasons and finished his 19-year career with a .294 lifetime average. The highest number of games he played in after the age of 29 was 109 in 1951. Home Runs. Bonds wouldve reached the 3,000 hit mark had a club offered him a contract for the 2008 season or if he hadnt walked a MLB-record 2,558 times. Dunn finished his career with a lowly .234 batting average. He ended with 2,712 hits, 1,493 RBI and a .290 average. He is responsible for one of the game's greatest accomplishments, though, pitching back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. Here are the 25 best hitters in Major League Baseball history. 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 . A terrific run-producer, Cooper led the league in RBIs twice and doubles twice. In terms of overall productivity, the sweet spot for the average Hall of Famer is a WAR between 50 and 70. Below is the list of 254 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit milestone during their career in MLB. But not many . At the end of his career, he ranked in the top five for American League right-handed batters in career RBI, runs, total bases, slugging and walks. Belle has a laundry list of reasons why this happened, so he has nobody to blame but himself, but there's no denying his ability as a player before his career was cut short by injuries. Staubs numbers arent quite Hall of Fame level, but his longevity (23 years) is off the charts. 18 Apr. McInnis received eight votes for the Hall of Fame in the 1949 balloting, more than 23 other players that year who were eventually elected to the Hall. Colavito topped 30 homers seven times, including a league-leading 42 in 1959. One of the best and longest-running arguments fans like to get involved with revolves around the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. John was another compiler, but the fact that he was able to stick around long enough to compile those statistics is incredible in itself. Brown was a six-time All-Star and finished in the top six in Cy Young voting five times. Discussion of suicide or self-harm is not tolerated and will result in an immediate ban. 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. Rube Marquard was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. Baines played in 2,830 career games, 19th all time, and amassed 2,866 career hits, the highest total of any eligible non-Hall of Famer. Herman's best seasons came in 1929 and 1930 when he combined to hit .387 over the two-year span. "Bad Bill" Dahlen's career was split between the 19th and 20th centuries, but it qualifies here since he played more games in the 1900s than he did the 1800s. His Hall of Fame candidacy peaked in 1995, his third year on the ballot. Before a fine career as a manager, Kuenn was one of the top hitters in the majors during the 1950s and 1960s. !rogermaris.com, Maris' career batting average was .260, which is minuscule compared to other greats like Hank Aaron and Ted Williams who both surpassed .300, that number being considered to be the gold standard for a hitter. Research is still ongoing and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. When Smith retired, he was the game's all-time saves leader and topped the list in games finished. The two-time World Series winner finished his career with 2,182 hits and two injury-plagued seasons at the end of his career dropped his lifetime average below .300 to .296. He batted .300 in six seasons between 1971 and 1980 and was a power threat for a catcher, topping 20 home runs six times as well. But when he did play, Sain was among the best for a short period for the Boston Braves. Abreu is the perfect compliment to the talent on this roster, giving the Astros a right-handed bat that can slot in between two great left-handed hitters in Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. Despite his 119-121 record, Vander Meer consistently received over 20 percent of the votes in Hall of Fame balloting throughout hiseligibility. An incredibly consistent and clutch performer, Williams is one of the most accomplished switch-hitters of all time. The two-time AL batting champ made seven All-Star games and won five Silver Slugger awards. Although he never really had that true great season, he was the mark of consistency for two decades. Ferrell pitched 85 complete games over a three-year span in the mid-1930s. Total WAR. Baseballs collusion case in the mid-80s brought an early end to his career. For all of his accomplishments, though, he only made four All-Star games and had just three top-10 MVP finishes. For a short period of time in the mid-to-late 1980s, Mattingly was on the short list of the best players in the game. Foster's most famous season came in 1977 when he belted 52 home runs at a time when topping 50 homers meant something. There are a lot of players who are on the outside looking in, despite being superior to some players who are already enshrined. Ortiz ranks first among all players who spent 50% of their career at designated hitter in home runs, RBIs and doubles (632). Oliver bounced around on seven different teams during his career, but wherever he went, he flat out hit. George Kell was a 10-time All-Star and hit more than .300 nine times. Garvey was even better in the postseason, holding a .338 average and 11 home runs in 55 games. As of this writing, Cabrera was also just one homer away from No. Johnson played just 13 years, but topped 100 RBI eight times, 100 runs six times and 25 home runs six times. Smith had a long, productive career and while he was never great, he was often very good. Stanton. His 385 career home runs are the 10th-highest total for any American League right-handed batter. Let's put Ichiro in the Hall of Fame. Garvey will likely be a strong Veterans Committee candidate years down the line. Cooper was a main cog in the great Brewers teams of the 1980s, batting third in the lineup behind Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. Negro League data is not complete. Evans averaged just 18 home runs a season between 1976 and 1984. Nettles was a superior defender who finished fifth and sixth in the American League MVP voting in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Ask away and we will do our best to answer or find someone who can.We try to vet our answers to get you the most acurate answers. Williams got moderate support on the Hall of Fame ballot on a few occasions. The 1960 National League MVP teamed with Bill Mazeroski to form one of the best defensive middle infields of his era. His play on the field, though, is worthy of enshrinement. Answerbag wants to provide a service to people looking for answers and a good conversation. Whitaker was a solid all-around player for the Tigers, but never really excelled in any one area on an elite level. A terrific lead-off hitter and defensive center fielder, Lofton's excellence was overshadowed by the home runs and steroids which came to dominate baseball in the late 1990s. Evans was an outstanding all-around right fielder who possessed one of the game's greatest throwing arms. His career spanned the dead-ball and live-ball eras, exemplified by his league-leading home run totals of 12 (1916) and 41 (1923). How does a world-class base stealer with 3,023 career hits not qualify for the Hall of Fame? He finished first or second in fielding percentage for 13 of his 19 major league seasons. Like Dale Murphy, he consistently gets dinged for having too short of a peak. Best 3 Year Period. Root's best year came in 1927 when he led the NL with 27 wins. He also was one of the first power-hitting leadoff hitters, setting a MLB record with 35 career leadoff homers, a record that has since been broken. From 1982 to 1985, Murphy played in every single game, was an NL All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in each season. Some argue that he is the best player not enshrined in Cooperstown, while his detractors say he didn't play long enough and his surly attitude turned off a lot of people. For a nine-year period in the 1980s, Murphy wasunarguablyone of the best all-around players in the National League. + - Indicates Hall of Famer. Garvey was a durable player who played in 160 or more games nine times and won four Gold Glove awards at first base. His peak came in 1967 when he finished with 29 percent of the vote, ahead of 10 future Hall of Famers, including pitchers Hal Newhouser and Bob Lemon. In 2012, his second year, Bagwell received 56 percent of the vote to finish in third place. 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. His 11 Gold Gloves are more than any first basemen in MLBhistory. Raines' candidacy has been gaining momentum in the past few seasons, and it seems that one day he will take his place in Cooperstown. Giancarlo Stanton has only played 235 of his 1,324 career games as a designated hitter, but he should be slotted there for the vast majority of his six remaining seasons in the Bronx. Blue burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old in 1971, his first full season in the majors. Published: Mar. If there was a Hall of Fame for baseball names, Shocker would be an unquestioned first-ballot entry. During that time he made the all-star game every year, hit more than .300, and hit more than 35 home . Be respectful even if you disagree. Negative racial/anti-Semitic, or religious stereotypes are prohibited. Of the 244 Hall of Famers, 83 fall in this range. Notes: A minimum of 1,000 career games played and 1,000 career at-bats are needed to make this list, raw averages are presented to further clarify the one-thousand greatest career batting averages of all-time, and a bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season. Bartell didn't have the hitting prowess of Cobb, but he did have a fine career nevertheless. However, his ability as one of the game's top sluggers cannot be denied. Arguably the second-best leadoff hitter of all time, Raines' stats have gained morecredenceas on-base percentage becomes a more valued statistic. One of Wood's most incredible stats is that in 1,434 career innings pitched, he allowed just 10 home runs. Although his case was one of 10 reviewed by a special committee in 2008, Ferrell's numbers fell short. 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. | Brian Kersey/Getty Images Take the case of former Phoenix high school legend, Paul Konerko. He won 20 games four times, but he also was one of the few post-WWII pitchers to lose 20 in a season. now in the modern age batting average is deemed pretty meaningless by Saber metrics. Backup: Ken Singleton 8) Ted Simmons -- Catcher He was a six-time All-Star and twice finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. Career: 24 years (1984-2007) Teams: Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros Heres a look at the 20 most prolific hitters who arent in the Hall of Fame. Mays was the pitcher who hit Ray Chapman in the head with a pitch, killing the popular Cleveland Indian in a game in 1920. "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. Please check your email for a confirmation. He finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times, made seven All-Star games and received MVP votes in four seasons. He made eight straight All-Star games and received MVP votes in each of those years. Cavarretta got excellent support in Hall of Fame balloting in the 1970s, peaking in 1975 when he received 35.6 percent of the vote. At the time of his retirement, Williams was the National League's all-time home run leader with 251. In 1910, he led the A's to a World Series title with a 31-9 record and a 1.30 ERA. His career total of 1,614 walks ranks 11th all time. However, once he got to the Yankees in 1947 his career took off. While he was one of the best players in the league during that time, he didn't maintain that excellence for a long period of time. Clark's career trajectory didn't continue on that path, though, as injuries robbed him of hundreds of games in the 1990s. With Clark in the fold, it's easy to think that another World Series flag, or two, would be flying at Kauffman. He was also the premier first baseman in his league (the National League) while he was playing. Arguably the best designated hitter of all time, Martinez was very similar to Baines but with a little bit more hardware. One of the great crimes in modern Hall of Fame balloting is that Bill Freehan received just two votes in 1982, his only year on the ballot. McGwire's at-bats were must-watch TV for nearly a decade, and he fully captivated the nation for a summer in 1998. Parrish was one of the keys to the Tigers' 1984 World Series team, finishing third in the AL with 33 home runs that year. Because of this and a quick downfall to his production after age 35, Hodges amassed only 1,921 hits. Through the 1988 season, it looked like Hershiser was on his way to a truly elite pitching career. He was the 1997 NL MVP after hitting .366 with 49 home runs, 130 RBI and 33 stolen bases. Oliva was a terrific hitter for the Twins in the 1960s and 1970s. O'Doul actually is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, just not the one in Cooperstown. White became the second batting champion ever in the National League when he hit .387 in 1877. From 1984 to 1989 "Donnie Baseball" was the most prolific hitter in baseball. A-Rods unpopularity with the public and his suspensions for PED use means hell likely require a ticket to visit Cooperstown for the forseeable future. While he wasn't a home run hitter, Grace was a prolific doubles hitter, topping 500 for his career. However, in his prime, he made seven straight All-Star games, had eight top-20 MVP finishes, won three Gold Gloves and three World Series titles. Like many others,. O'Doul had just seven full seasons as an offensive player, but he had two top-three finishes in MVP voting. The five-time Gold Glove shortstop was the glue that held the Big Red Machine's infield together. It is usually reported to three decimal places and pronounced as if it were multiplied by 1,000: a player with a batting average of .300 is "batting three-hundred." A point (or percentage point) is understood to be .001. https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/20-mlb-players-with-the-most-hits-not-in-the-hall-of-fame-pete-rose-joey-votto-cooperstown/, These players have a lot of hits, but no plaque, The fastest 40 times in NFL combine history, In memoriam: Celebrities who have died in 2022, 50 largest cities in the United States by population 2022, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He topped 30 home runs eight years in a row, peaking at 50 in 1995. He also didn't thrive in the postseason, going 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four games. Colavito was also an excellent outfielder, possessing one of the greatest throwing arms in the game. 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. Vander Meer had a losing record over the course of his career, and that will likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame. O'Doul had one of the greatest offensive seasons in major league history in 1929 when he set a National League record with 254 hits. 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. He went 208-126 with a 2.92 ERA and twice led the league in complete games, shutouts and saves. At the time of his retirement, he held the major league record for games played and was in the top 10 in RBI, doubles and extra-base hits. In the era between 1965 and 1990, Foster was the only player to hit 50 home runs. 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 played for five teams over 22 years and was a well-respected, professional hitter everywhere he went. Some players are kept out because of theirtemperament, some didn't have a long enough peak and others are just totallyunderappreciated. He was a key piece in four World Series titles for the Yankees, delivering numerous clutch hits along the way. If McGriff's totals continue to trend upward, he could gain a groundswell of support, especially without the specter of steroid abuse holding him back. The most recent no-hitter by all 30 MLB teams. He finished with 2,210 career hits and played excellent defense. The list includes everyone from John Kruk, a 10-year veteran who hit .302, to Tigers legend Ty Cobb, who hit an MLB-record .366. Good ole Donnie Baseball Don Mattingly hit .307 and is not in the Hall of Fame. Like Allen, Freehan played during baseball's second dead-ball period in the 1960s, causing his offensive statistics to be hindered. Reynolds helped the Yankees to six World Series titles, racking up a 7-2 record with a 2.79 ERA over 15 World Series games. Joe Morgan, Frankie Frisch, Eddie Collins, Roberto Alomar and Craig Biggio have led the way. Raines has been on the ballot for six years, and during that time his vote percentage has gone from 24.3 in . Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates at each position. He led the American League in at-bats seven times and took advantage to pile up over 2,700 hits only 37 of which were home runs. Belle finished his career on a run of nine straight seasons of 100 RBI. His .688 winning percentage ranks fifth all time. 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. Brown won 21 games in 1992 and had an ERA under 3.00 six times during the steroids era. A rare switch-hitting catcher, Simmons held the National League record for switch-hit home runs at any position when he retired with 182. Hes never been close to being considered a bona fide Hall of Fame candidate, though. 7) Ken Griffey Jr.: 630 500th HR: June 20, 2004 career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. He will earn a salary of $32 million for the 2023 season, the Tigers will buy out his 2024 option for $8 million, and he will retire. When he was good, he was excellent, but in the end Tiant was too inconsistent to merit serious Hall of Fame consideration. Playing during a time when second basemen weren't asked to even think about home runs, Grich hit with the power of a corner infielder while playing Gold Glove-caliber second base for the Orioles and Angels. Sure, it was a different era, but those are some incredible numbers. Despite the tragedy, Mays had a very productive 15-year career. 500. Don Mattingly was a New York Yankee his entire career and would definitely be in the hall of fame if not for his back problems that developed later in his career. There just is no way to pick and choose who definitely did use steroids, who didn't and just what kind of impact they had on their play. However, he remarkably made it back, and he was better than before. He was a seven-time All-Star. He had more votes than players like Ralph Kiner, Chuck Klein, Lefty Grove and Lloyd Waner. His career average was .300 and he ranks as the sixth-best first baseman in Florida history in Baseball State by State. 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. He was an eight-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner and won three Gold Gloves. During his time with the White Sox, Minoso was a seven-time All-Star who finished fourth in the MVP voting on four different occasions. Maris was considered a power show more content I don't think Votto catches him in the power numbers even with 8 . career 300 hitters not in hall of fame. He received Cy Young award votes in five seasons, winning it in 1994. His 390 home runs ranks among the best for third basemen. Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999. He received more votes than six eventual Hall of Famers. Everyone has their own opinion. He is best known for his role in one of baseball's greatest tragedies. Ryan racked up over 2,500 hits playing mostly for the Chicago Colts as the 19th century came to a close. 10-07-2016, 07:41 AM. 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. Johnson's career numbers were hurt by a late start, as he didn't make his debut until he was 27 years old. His .248 career batting average and status as a "compiler" are his main detractors. As shown in Table 5, seven former members of the Career .300 Hitters Club finished their major-league careers with .296 batting averages. That's no small task when his staffmates were Hall of Famers Eddie Plank, Chief Bender, Herb Pennock and Stan Coveleski. Although he never reached an elite level, he did stick around to compile some impressive stats. The 3,000 Hits Club is a collection of Major League Baseball players who have recorded 3,000 or more regular-season hits during their big league career. Playing in Coors Field at the height of the steroid era, Galarraga couldn't help but put upmonstrousseasons. He received 11 and 12 percent of the Hall of Fame votes thus far in his candidacy. First, here are the ten current members of the 500 HR club ranked according to their career WAR through 2008: Name. The three-time 20-game winner finished his career with a 170-91 record for a .651 winning percentage, good for 27th all time. A seven-time All-Star between 1966-82, Smith has nonetheless become an unfairly overlooked player, receiving almost no Hall of Fame consideration despite roughly 65 career WAR. He won the National League pitching triple crown in 1918 and finished with a career record of 178-137. Tony Gwynn is now in the Hall of Fame. Walker batted .357 between 1997 and 2001, leading the National League in batting three of the four years in which he was eligible. However, while Smith was an excellent and feared closer, he doesn't have the hardware you'd expect. a . Bonds . Yost was a supremely talented defender who set American League records for third basemen in career putouts, assists and total chances by the end of his career. He was the 1972 MVP and a seven-time All-Star. Maz got in because of his glove. 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. Browning compiled a .341 batting average over 13 seasons starting in 1882.