100 Greatest Non-Hall of Famers: #80-61

Spring Training is officially underway. Pitchers and catchers are starting to report, and full squads aren't far behind.

The Collector's Countdown of the 100 Greatest players not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame continues today with a look at players #80-61.

#80 - SP Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry received Cy Young and AL MVP votes after his first year in the Yankees' rotation. In his second season he was untouchable. "Louisiana Lightning" led the majors with 25 wins and a miniscule 1.74 ERA in 1978, en route to a second consecutive World Series victory. A four-time All-Star, Guidry led the majors with 21 complete games in 1983, had his worst season in '84, then rebounded for the 1985 Yanks with a league-leading 22 wins and a second-place Cy Young finish. A 3.29 career ERA, 119 ERA+, and 1.184 WHIP for a marquee franchise would earn strong Cooperstown consideration - if he'd managed to reach 200 wins and/or 2,000 strikeouts.

Cooperstown comparable: Lefty Gomez
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2000 BBWAA - 44 votes (8.8%)

 

#79 - OF Ellis Burks

I often mention how many All-Star selections a player has and I'll continue to do so, even though they're an unreliable indicator of a player's production. Case in point: Ellis Burks. The often-underrated outfielder was an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner in 1990 with the Red Sox and again in 1996 for the Rockies, after leading the league in runs scored and slugging percentage. Two All-Star nods is a low total for a player with 2,107 hits, 352 home runs, and 1,206 RBI over a 2,000 game career. His OPS (.874) and WAR (49.8) totals rank him just outside the top 25 all-time among left fielders and center fielders.

Cooperstown comparable: Duke Snider
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2010 BBWAA - 2 votes (0.4%)

 

#78 - SP Tim Hudson

The ace of Oakland's "Moneyball" era, Tim Hudson won 20 games and finished second in Cy Young voting with a 4.14 ERA - which was still 13% lower than league average for an AL pitcher in the year 2000. Hudson earned more career victories than Pedro Martinez, posted a very respectable overall ERA of 3.49, and won a World Series with the Giants in 2014. The four-time All-Star (fwiw) totaled 2,080 strikeouts over his 17-year career, and his 2.27 K-BB ratio doesn't sizzle like some of his post-millennium peers. That said, Hudson's career WAR of 57.9 is noticeably higher than recent HOFer Jim Kaat - who pitched eight more seasons.

Cooperstown comparable: Dazzy Vance
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2021 BBWAA - 21 votes (5.2%)

 

#77 - RP Francisco Rodriguez

A fire-balling phenom for the World Champion Angels in 2002, Francisco Rodriguez won five postseason games before earning a regular-season win or save. After taking Troy Percival's job as Anaheim's closer, "K-Rod" was lights out - leading the American League in saves three times in four seasons from 2005 to 2008, including a single-season record 62 in '08. Frankie's 437 career saves place him fourth all-time, and his accolades include six All-Star appearances and two Reliever of the Year awards. His off-the-field issues will likely keep him out of Cooperstown more than any weakness in his stat line.

Cooperstown comparable: Lee Smith
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2023 BBWAA - 42 votes (10.8%)

 

#76 - SP Doc White

In this countdown I've tried to account for the low scoring deadball-era by grading early 20th century pitchers on a curve. Doc White isn't ranked ahead of Tim Hudson, Cliff Lee, and Andy Pettitte because he allowed fewer runs than those guys. He's ranked this high because his career 2.39 ERA (27th-best all-time) is boosted by four consecutive top-4 finishes in the category. In 1906 White led the league in ERA and WHIP, and led the White Sox to a World Championship. The next year he led the majors in wins, walks per 9 innings, and strikeout-to-walk ratio. The only thing holding him back from a plaque is a very low strikeout total - though Doc's 1,384 is more than Hall of Famer Ted Lyons had over 1,000 more innings.

Cooperstown comparable: Charles "Chief" Bender*
Highest HOF Vote Total: N/A

*I realize that some - including the HOFer himself - thought the nickname "Chief" was offensive. However I've included it here in case anyone reading this is unaware of his actual name.

#75 - SP Dwight Gooden

You're probably more familiar with this "Doc" but I'll recap Dwight Gooden's credentials anyway: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, the pitching triple crown, and a World Series ring - in his first three seasons. Gooden looked like a surefire Hall of Famer right up until 1990 when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting with 19 wins and a very misleading 3.83 ERA (his FIP was a league-low 2.44!) He was still only 25 years old that season, his seventh as a starter. A decade later, Doc ended his career as a World Series champion with the Yankees. What happened in between - struggles with injuries and alcohol in particular - quashed his case for induction.

Cooperstown comparable: Roy Halladay
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2006 BBWAA - 17 votes (3.3%)

#74 - LF Luis Gonzalez

Here's the reason that Yankees dynasty ended in 2000. Luis Gonzalez will always be remembered for that bloop single off Mariano Rivera in the 2001 fall classic - and the 57 home runs he hit that season. The first half of his career was solid, if unspectacular. When he joined the expansion Diamondbacks as a 31-year old in 1999, Gonzalez became "Gonzo": five All-Star selections, five consecutive 100-RBI seasons, and a total slash line of .298/.391/ .529 over his eight-year tenure in Arizona. Gonzalez ranks 67th all-time with 1,439 RBI and 86th all-time with 2,591 hits. If only he'd displayed that level of production a few years earlier.

Cooperstown comparable: Billy Williams
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2014 BBWAA - 5 votes (0.9%)

#73 - SS Jack Glasscock

Jack Glasscock's counting stats are a little light when compared to Hall of Fame shortstops. Though he led the league in hits twice and maintained a .290 average over 17 seasons, Glasscock totaled just 2,041 hits - a few fewer than Orlando Cabrera. His 27 career home runs and .337 on-base percentage aren't great career numbers even for a 19th-century star. Where he stood out was on defense, leading his league in dWAR three times and grading out as one of the top-40 defensive players of all-time, at any position. Captain Jack's all-around talents yielded a career WAR of 62.0 - the 18th highest total among shortstops.

Cooperstown comparable: Dave Bancroft
Highest HOF Vote Total: Appeared on multiple Veterans' Committee ballots

 

 

What if I told you there's a closer with more career saves than all but ten pitchers - and he pitched fewer seasons than any other closer in the top 20? What if I told you that his career ERA is lower than any Hall of Fame relief pitcher except Mariano Rivera, and that his strikeout-to-walk ratio is actually better than Mo's? What if I told you that - unlike BBWAA darling Billy Wagner - this six-time All-Star thrived in the postseason, posting an ERA of exactly 1.00 over 27 innings while earning seven saves and a World Series ring? Would that sound like an intriguing Cooperstown candidate to you?

 
Now... what if I told you his name?

 

 

 

#72 - RP Jonathan Papelbon

Yeaa... Papelbon is never getting a plaque in the Hall. His career was too short - just 725 2/3 innings over a dozen seasons - and no one will forget that he started a fight with golden boy Bryce Harper. But man, was he fun to watch for Red Sox fans. I'll never hear Shipping Up To Boston without picturing him jogging out of the bullpen or doing an Irish jig after a series win.

Cooperstown comparable: Bruce Sutter... I guess? There aren't any HOF firemen quite like Pap.
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2022 BBWAA - 5 votes (1.3%)

#71 - CF Dale Murphy

From one character with an abrasive personality to an all-time great guy known for his character as much as his on-field accomplishments. Dale Murphy ranks eighth all-time among center fielders with 398 home runs (twice leading the league) and 15th with 1,266 RBI (ditto). He won back-to-back NL MVP awards in 1982 and '83, earned seven All-Star invites, four Silver Slugger awards, and five Gold Gloves. He also struck out a lot, leading the league in that category three times. That approach depressed his batting average and on-base percentage to sub-Cooperstown levels, though "Murph" might get a closer look with the next modern-era Veterans' Committee.

Cooperstown comparable: Willie Stargell
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2000 BBWAA - 116 votes (23.2%)*

*Murphy received more votes on at least one ballot than eventual HOFers Jack Morris, Bert Blyleven, Minnie Minoso, and Harold Baines.

 

#70 - SP Dave Stieb

I'm tempted to defer to Jon Bois on this one, as his four-part documentary about Dave Stieb makes the case for Toronto's ace better than I ever could. Stieb led the league in ERA once and fielding-independent ERA(or FIP) twice, and earned more than half of his 56.4 career WAR over a dominant four-year run from 1982-85. Set aside the flawed Cy Young finishes; Dave applied his trade away from American media and the voters were still too focused on wins. The seven-time All-Star tossed a ton of innings, but a lack of strikeouts and control led to a fairly pedestrian 1.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Bois compared Stieb to a fellow '80s innings eater, Jack Morris, but I think his career numbers are closer to another great Tiger.

Cooperstown comparable: Hal Newhouser
Highest HOF Vote Total:2004 BBWAA - 7 votes (1.4%)

 

#69 - SS Vern Stephens

Vern Stephens was a power-hitting middle infielder, a very rare commodity in his day. With a slugging percentage over .400 and a minimum of 14 home runs every season from 1942 to 1951, Stephens earned eight All-Star selections and finished top ten in AL MVP voting six times. He led the AL in home runs in 1945 and won the first of three RBI crowns in '44 - when he powered the Browns to a pennant (yes, the Browns were in a World Series.)  Injuries sapped his power and relegated him to part-time duty after his age 30 season. Regardless, only eight shortstops have more career homers than Stephens, and only ten have more RBI.

Cooperstown comparable: Bobby Doerr
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2008 VC - less than 3 votes

#68 - RF Dave Parker

Dave Parker won back-to-back batting titles in 1977 and '78, earned NL MVP honors and a World Series ring the following year, and won a Gold Glove after all three seasons. A seven-time All-Star, "Cobra" led the league in doubles twice, slugging percentage twice, and total bases three times. His 2,712 career hits rank 17th at his position and 67th all-time among all players. Parker's 1,493 career RBI (58th all-time) and .290 lifetime batting average wouldn't look out of place in Cooperstown. His .339 on-base percentage and 40.1 career WAR have held him back as much as his off-the-field issues.

Cooperstown comparable: Harold Baines
Highest HOF Vote Total: 1998 BBWAA - 116 votes (24.5%)

#67 - 3B Graig Nettles

Graig Nettles ranks 12th among third basemen with a 68.0 career WAR. Every player ahead of him is (or will be) in the Hall of Fame. Nettles won two Gold Gloves, two World Series titles, and made six All-Star teams. His 390 career home runs (including a league-leading 32 in 1976) are sixth all-time among third basemen. Baseball-reference ranks his defensive WAR as top-five all-time at his position, just ahead of Scott Rolen. So why doesn't he have a plaque in Cooperstown? A mediocre slash line of .248/.329/.421, an average of just 134 hits per 162 games, and a 110 OPS+ which negates Nettles' high WAR by implying he was a mere 10% above replacement level for his era.

Cooperstown comparable: Brooks Robinson
Highest HOF Vote Total: 1994 BBWAA - 38 votes (8.3%)

 

#66 - 1B Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira might actually be underrated despite playing more than half of his career in Yankee pinstripes. The five-time Gold Glove recipient earned as many Silver Slugger awards (three) as All-Star invites. Twice Teixeira topped the American League in total bases, including in 2009 when he led the AL in home runs and RBI, finished second in MVP voting, and won a World Series. "Tex" posted eight seasons with 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI, and his 409 total long balls rank 19th all-time among first basemen. His career .268 batting average and 1,862 hits may explain why he was one-and-done on the BBWAA ballot.

Cooperstown comparable: Gil Hodges
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2022 BBWAA - 6 votes (1.5%)

#65 - SP Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt ranks outside the all-time top 100 pitchers in WAR, wins, and strikeouts. That's largely a result of his relatively short career; Oswalt's peak years were superior to most "Hall of Very Good" hurlers. The three-time All-Star finished top-five in Cy Young voting five times in his first six seasons, led the NL in ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2006, and posted back-to-back 20-win seasons the two years prior. His career 3.36 ERA and 127 ERA+ compare favorably to Hall of Famer John Smoltz. However opponents hit .258 against the Houston ace, just .004 lower than league average. 

Cooperstown comparable: Dazzy Vance
Highest HOF Vote Total: 2019 BBWAA - 4 votes (0.9%)

 

#64 - P/OF Bob Caruthers

Bob Caruthers posted two 40-win seasons in the 1880s and led the league in winning percentage three times over his nine-year pitching career. In his first full year as a starter, Caruthers posted a league-low 2.07 ERA and... what's that? Hall of Fame rules stipulate that a player must have ten years experience to qualify for enshrinement? Well, it just so happens that Bob Caruthers appeared as a position player in ten pro seasons - producing a slash line of .282/.391/.400 in over 2,900 plate appearances. His WAR score as a pitcher puts him ahead of HOFers Dizzy Dean, Jack Morris, and Lefty Gomez. Adding his offensive exploits puts him in the company of Jim Bunning, Rube Waddell, and Whitey Ford.

Cooperstown comparable: Stan Coveleski
Highest HOF Vote Total: N/A

 

#63 - CF Fred Lynn

The first player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season, Fred Lynn had an even better season for Boston in 1979, when he led the majors in on-base percentage, slugging, and WAR. A four-time Gold Glove honoree and nine-time All-Star, Lynn hit 21-25 home runs every season from 1982 to 1988. He's another player with fewer career hits (1,960) than most Hall of Famers, and his career WAR total of 50.2 is lower than some center fielders who didn't make this list - such as Torii Hunter and Chet Lemon.

Cooperstown comparable: Larry Doby

Highest HOF Vote Total: 1996 BBWAA - 26 votes (5.5%)

#62 C - Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan barely qualifies for this list with 1,591 career hits. Had he finished his carer with 1,491 I might have made an exception for him. The Tigers great was an All-Star eleven times in thirteen full seasons, earning five Gold Gloves in that span. Freehan finished third in MVP voting in 1967 and placed second in '68, setting career highs in home runs and RBI for the World Champs. Only fifteen receivers have totaled more WAR than Freehan's 44.8. He ranks just ahead of Yankees great Thurman Munson in hits, runs, offensive WAR, and defensive WAR among all catchers.

Cooperstown comparable: Joe Gordon*
Highest HOF Vote Total: 1982 BBWAA - 2 votes (0.5%)

*There aren't any other catchers with a comparable career stat line, so I had to use another up-the-middle Hall of Famer

#61 - CF Jim Wynn

Now here's a guy with a very unique statistical profile. Jim Wynn batted just .250 over his career, with 1,665 hits over 15 seasons. So far he's similar to Mike Cameron. Wynn made three All-Star teams and had a career OPS just above .800. So did Grady Sizemore. The "Toy Cannon" starts to separate himself from the pack with his walk total; his 1,224 free passes are sixth all-time among center fielders, just a handful behind Ty Cobb. That keen eye produced a .366 on-base percentage, equal to four-time batting champion Bill Madlock. Jim's 291 home runs place him 18th all-time at his position, contributing to a career 129 OPS+ and 55.7 WAR - higher totals than Kirby Puckett. Yet he was completely shut out by the BBWAA, who were far too fixated on his BA.

Cooperstown comparable: I don't know... Craig Biggio? Kind of?
Highest HOF Vote Total: N/A

See any players you believe should be in Cooperstown? Do you have any favorites in this section?

 

 

The Top 100 Countdown keeps rolling next week with a look at players #60-41. Hope to see you then.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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