Baseball Hall of Fame: 10 Inducted Players Who Aren't Worthy of Cooperstown

With the 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame class set to be announced at 3 p.m. ET today, the debate will rage on as to who is worthy of induction and who isn't.

It's long been a debate as a number of deserving players have been left out while others who seemingly have had careers that don't match up to those inducted are somehow enshrined.

The BBWAA and Veterans Committee have their opinions that ultimately decide the fate of these players, and while I won't pretend to have better insight than they do, there are a number of players that have been inducted that might leave some scratching their heads. What follows are the 10 most notable of those head-scratchers.

Rick Ferrell

Inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1984, Rick Ferrell put up relatively pedestrian, albeit consistent, numbers during his 18-year career.

Playing the most physically demanding position on the field, Ferrell's 1,806 games caught still ranks toward the top of baseball's all-time list.

He averaged .281 and 63 RBI per season, and his exploits behind the plate excelled as well as he led the league in throwing out base runners and assists multiple times.

Chick Hafey

Issues with eyesight and other health problems prevented Chick Hafey from staying on the field as often as teammates throughout his career, as he played in fewer than 100 games nearly half of the seasons in his career.

Looking at his .317 career average it's hard to believe he had serious eye issues, but he still managed to get on base 38 percent of the time and fielded above .970.

Rube Marquard

During an 18-year career, Rube Marquard did lead the league in wins one time, but also racked up losses at times, once losing 18 of his 29 starts.

Marquard's contributions to the Giants during the early 1900s were evident in his three consecutive 20-plus-win seasons that each led the team to a pennant.

He held batters down with a 3.08 career ERA but struck out only four batters per nine innings while walking over two.

Johnny Evers

Weighing in at only 125 pounds, Johnny Evers is probably one of the smallest Hall of Famers in Cooperstown.

The second baseman spent 18 years in baseball, 12 of them with the Cubs. It was with the Boston Braves however that he'd take home baseball's highest honor, winning MVP with a .279 batting average and 24 extra base hits along with 40 RBI.

One of his most notable contributions came in 1908 when his alertness got Fred Merkle out in a highly important late-inning situation, leading to one of the biggest mistakes in baseball history now known as Merkle's Boner. 

Kirby Puckett

As a die-hard Twins fan it's hard to put Kirby Puckett on this list, but when he was given the nod in 2001 it really did surprise me.

Puckett was a great leader on the field and a fan favorite off, and while he ended his career with a solid .318 career average and 1,085 RBI in 12 seasons, it seems like he may have been inducted on the merits of what could have been given that his career was cut short due to injury.

Lloyd Waner

Lloyd Waner came out of the gates running when he came into the league in 1927, as he batted .355, scoring 133 runs to lead the league in what would be the first of three seasons batting .335 or better.

That hot start led to a .340 average and 293 RBI during his first six seasons, but Waner only a .302 average and 343 total RBI during his final 12 years in baseball.

Robin Roberts

Robin Roberts' four-year stretch from 1952 to 1955 was about as good as any pitcher, as he won 97 games with a 2.89 ERA and pitched over 1,300 innings, leading the league in wins, complete games and innings pitched each year.

The next 11 seasons weren't nearly as productive, as he failed to win 20 games again, twice leading the league in losses and not reaching 300 innings after doing so five consecutive years.

Bob Lemon

During a 13-year career with the Cleveland Indians, Bob Lemon led the league in wins three times, twice notching 23 wins.

His 207 wins and 3.23 ERA are impressive considering the fact he first came into the league as a hitter, but with a lack of control, Lemon walked just as many batters as he struck out (four per nine innings).

Jesse Haines

During a career that was heavily loaded into a few well above average seasons, Jesse Haines won more than 20 games three times during his career as a starter, while winning only 32 games with an ERA of 3.69 during the final six years he played.

With a total of 210 wins in 19 seasons, Haines showed little ability to strike out batters, punching out less than three per nine innings while walking just as many.

Joe Tinker

The subject of a well-remembered poem, Joe Tinker never batted over .300 while only once posting an on-base percentage above .350.

His .262 career average didn't mean he gave up points due to power as is the case with some hitters, as he only went deep 31 times, with a somewhat supbar fielding percentage at shortstop.