Ranking the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame Class's Biggest Snubs
The voting results for Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame are in and so are four new members—Randy Johnson (97.3 percent), Pedro Martinez (91.1), John Smoltz (82.9) and Craig Biggio (82.7).
This marks the first time since 1955 that four have been elected and the first occasion in which three pitchers were inducted together. Ever.
Still, on what was a loaded ballot there are a number of Hall-worthy former players who could (and should) have reached the necessary 75 percent threshold for enshrinement into Cooperstown on July 26. At the very least, they're due more love from the 549 voters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Here's a rundown of the 10 biggest snubs from this year's Hall of Fame class, listed in order of their career achievements and overall greatness.
Honorable Mentions
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Jeff Kent (14.0 percent)
Larry Walker (11.8 percent)
Edgar Martinez (27.0 percent)
Fred McGriff (12.9 percent)
Alan Trammell (25.1 percent)
Carlos Delgado, who managed just 3.8 percent of the necessary votes despite a career triple-slash of .280/.383/.546 and 473 home runs. He is now off the ballot forever.
No. 10: Gary Sheffield (11.7 Percent)
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One of the most dangerous and feared hitters throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gary Sheffield has the numbers to merit a plaque in Cooperstown. The man owns a .292/.393/.514 slash line for his career and has 509 homers to his name—one of only 26 players in the 500 Home Run Club.
That he received only 11.7 percent of the vote speaks to how stacked the ballot was and the fact that writers can choose a maximum of 10 players.
Of course, "Sheff" also has to overcome ties to performance-enhancing drugs and the issue that he played on a whopping eight teams over his 22 seasons, never spending more than six years with any one club. That's a lot of moving around for a player with Hall credentials.
No. 9: Mike Mussina (24.6 Percent)
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Writing on Mike Mussina's behalf, here's A.J. Cassavell of Sports on Earth:
"The raw numbers at the bottom of Mussina's baseball card -- specifically his 3.68 ERA -- are enough to put him in the discussion, but not enough to get him into the Hall. That's where context comes into play. Mussina posted that ERA at a time when more runs were being scored per game than any other time in baseball's modern era. …
…Mussina's career WAR of 83 is well above that of your average Hall-worthy starting pitcher (73.4). Perhaps predictably, his seven-year peak of 44.5 is below the 50.2 threshold -- but it's not too far off. It's also a better seven-year peak than Hall of Famers Tom Glavine (44.3), Nolan Ryan (44.3), Dizzy Dean (42.8), Mordecai Brown (41.4) and Whitey Ford (34.7) among others, and it's well ahead of Smoltz (38.8).
"
Mussina did all of his pitching at the height of the steroid era and in the offensive vortex that was the AL East as a member of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
The good news here? Mussina saw a bump from 20.3 percent in last year's voting to 24.6 in 2015. Even if he still has a very long way to go, at least he's trending in the right direction.
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No. 8: Curt Schilling (39.2 Percent)
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In some respects, Curt Schilling was even better than two pitchers who just became Hall of Famers.
With 3,116 careers strikeouts, he is one of just 16 members of baseball's 3,000-strikeout club, and he has 32 more than Smoltz.
Plus, Schilling's 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best since 1900—yep, even ahead of Pedro's 4.15 mark.
Then there's Schilling's postseason resume, which is among the best ever: 2.23 ERA, 0.97 WHIP in 133.1 innings—and three rings.
Like Mussina, Schilling saw a hike in his voting tally over the past year, up exactly 10 percent from 29.2 to 39.2. That's another good sign that he might make it. Eventually.
No. 7: Mark McGwire (10.0 Percent)
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OK, Mark McGwire admitted he took PEDs. He cheated, which is why the vast majority of writers won't vote for him.
But that is the only reason he's not already in Cooperstown.
The man also slugged 583 home runs—the 10th-most in history—and went for a then-single-season record 70 in the magical (if tainted) summer of 1998.
Listing McGwire as a snub isn't condoning what he did, but it's hard to argue that he shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame—a representation of the game of baseball's best and most impactful players—for his accomplishments on the field and what he meant to the sport.
No. 6: Sammy Sosa (6.6 Percent)
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In the interest of avoiding redundancy, much of what you just read about McGwire also goes for Sammy Sosa, who actually out-homered his contemporary by 26 over their careers.
Alas, the PED past also means another one of baseball's very best sluggers will never get in, as Sosa pulled in just 6.6 percent of the vote—barely enough to stay on the ballot another year.
No. 5: Tim Raines (55.0 Percent)
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Many regard Tim Raines as the second-best leadoff hitter in baseball—and justifiably so, given his .385 career on-base percentage.
Raines also scored 1,571 runs and stole 808 bases, good for the fifth-highest total of all time.
The BBWAA seem to be warming to Raines' exploits, as he jumped from 46.1 percent last year to 55.0 percent this time around.
With four players cleared out of the way and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only sure-fire Hall of Famer to join the ballot next year, there's a good chance Raines' momentum will put him on the precipice in 2016.
No. 4: Jeff Bagwell (55.7 Percent)
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On one hand, a larger contingent of writers voted for Jeff Bagwell this year than in 2014. On the other hand, though? The former first baseman, who spent his entire career with the Houston Astros, inched up by only 1.4 percent.
That's surprising for an all-around player who put up a .297/.408/.540 line, hit 449 homers and also swiped 202 bases in his 15 seasons.
Here's hoping now that Craig Biggio is headed to Cooperstown, the 1994 NL MVP will get to join his former longtime Astros teammate within the next year or two.
No. 3: Mike Piazza (69.9 Percent)
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Simply put, Mike Piazza is the greatest offensive catcher in MLB history, which should be more than enough to get him into the Hall by now.
Alas, he still came up just short despite hitting 427 home runs in his career, the most by any player whose primary position was behind the plate. That's 38 more than the great Johnny Bench, who is enshrined.
Like Bagwell, Piazza needs to be in yesterday, but suspicion of performance-enhancing drug use seems to be keeping them out. Even if there's no proof—only whispers.
Having gained a robust 7.7 percent this year over his 2014 vote tally, Piazza very well could have his (long overdue) day next January.
No. 2: Roger Clemens (37.5 Percent)
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You may not like it, but Roger Clemens belongs in Cooperstown.
If you want to argue that Clemens doesn't deserve the honor of induction because of his link to PEDs, your mind already is made up, and it's not going to change.
That's a shame because a Hall of Fame without someone who has a legitimate case as the greatest pitcher ever is missing the point.
No. 1: Barry Bonds (36.8 Percent)
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Go back and read the previous slide and then, in place of "Roger Clemens" and "greatest pitcher," insert "Barry Bonds" and "greatest hitter" in the appropriate spots.
Enough said.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.
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