Best MLB Player Not in the Hall of Fame at Every Position
There is hardly a greater honor in professional sports than to receive a call for induction into the Hall of Fame.
But that, simultaneously, is what makes life on the cut line so challenging.
As with any sport, Major League Baseball has featured dozens of players who deserve HOF consideration but may ultimately fall short. Within that group, though, there are plenty that I—perhaps you—deem worthy of the Hall.
In our imperfect world, of course, this is not a straightforward conversation. Most notably, opinions vary about the Steroid Era. Whereas you might have strong feelings the other way, I am including them in consideration.
All retired players are eligible for this list, even if they're not technically eligible for a spot in Cooperstown just yet.
Catcher: Buster Posey
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At this moment, Thurman Munson is the most deserving catcher eligible for the Hall of Fame. The former New York Yankees star remains a possibility for induction via the Classic Baseball Era Committee.
Buster Posey, meanwhile, is lurking soon.
Eligible in the 2027 class, the longtime San Francisco Giants backstop put together a fantastic career. Posey hit .302 during his 12 seasons, winning an NL Rookie of the Year (2010) and NL MVP (2012) with seven All-Star nods, five Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove behind the plate.
Even if Posey isn't a first-ballot selection, the three-time World Series champion should be headed to Cooperstown soon.
First Base: Albert Pujols
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Talk about a stacked position, man.
From the Steroid Era, there are Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. In recent years, you have Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols—who both collected at least 3,000 hits and swatted 500-plus home runs.
Cabrera and Pujols are stone-cold locks, though I'll lean toward Pujols as the featured player because of his slightly more diverse trophy case.
In addition to his three NL MVP honors, he also landed two Gold Gloves. Pujols ended his career with 703 homers, the fourth-best in MLB history, and won a pair of World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Second Base: Pete Rose
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Because of his connection to gambling and since-eliminated spot on the MLB's permanently ineligible list, Pete Rose's legacy is a complicated one.
On the field, however, he was a force.
Rose smacked an MLB-record 4,256 hits, earning 17 All-Star selections over his 24 years—primarily on the Cincinnati Reds. He won NL Rookie of the Year, an NL MVP and a World Series MVP with three career championships.
Lou Whitaker, a five-time All-Star who played 19 seasons (1977-95) on the Detroit Tigers, is another high-quality pick.
Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
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Were it not for a string of injuries, we wouldn't even be having this conversation about Nomar Garciaparra. He'd already be in.
Those setbacks, unfortunately, were a (literally) painful reality for Nomar. He played no more than 81 games in five of his 14 seasons, including just 21 appearances in a peak-prime season with the Boston Red Sox at 27 years old.
Nevertheless, he dominated MLB pitching when healthy and was a solid defender until the late seasons of his career.
Garciaparra retired with a .313 average after collecting an AL Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger (both in 1997), six All-Star selections, two batting titles and an AL MVP runner-up finish (1998).
Third Base: Alex Rodriguez
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Yes, there's a required mention of Alex Rodriguez's connection to performance-enhancing drugs. Yes, it's all complicated. Oh, and he could be listed at shortstop instead of third base, yes.
During his 22 memorable seasons, A-Rod starred for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
Rodriguez ripped 696 homers while tallying more than 3,000 hits, winning three MVPs, 10 Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He was a 14-time All-Star and remains one of five players in MLB history with 2,000-plus RBI.
Judge him however you'd like. I would send A-Rod to the Hall.
Left Field: Barry Bonds
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New player, same story. But also, not really?
Based on prior reporting, Barry Bonds was "clean" for the first 13 seasons of his career, essentially split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco. He could have retired in 1999 and been a Hall of Famer, considering he was a three-time MVP with seven Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves.
So, yes, what allegedly happened during the 1999-2007 range has been a source of controversy and kept Bonds out of Cooperstown. He blasted an MLB-record 73 homers in 2001 and added four NL MVPs in that stretch.
Bonds has a tainted legacy, but he should be in the Hall of Fame.
Center Field: Kenny Lofton
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My favorite fact about Kenny Lofton is that he suited up for 11 teams over 17 years in the majors, yet he never played more than one outside of Cleveland. No, that doesn't make him a Hall of Famer, but it's fun to know!
Anyway, what should send him to Cooperstown is a .299 average with elite speed and defensive skills in center field.
Lofton, whose 622 stolen bases still ranks 15th all-time, piled up 2,428 hits with six All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves. He's also one of just 74 players ever to surpass 1,500 runs scored in a career.
You can find me pounding the center-field table for Andruw Jones, as well.
Right Field: Manny Ramirez
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While plenty of fans remember Manny Ramirez as a left fielder in Boston, he rose to prominence in right field with Cleveland.
Ramirez is among the players negatively tied to the Steroid Era, given he served two suspensions for violating the league's drug policy. That assuredly is the reason he's fallen well short through nine of his 10 seasons on the ballot.
He sure was enjoyable in the moment, though.
Manny was an All-Star staple from 1998-2008, securing eight of his nine Silver Sluggers in that stretch. He played an integral part in Boston snapping its World Series drought and celebrated two titles on the Red Sox, ending his career with a .312 average and 555 home runs.
Designated Hitter: Miguel Cabrera
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I will unapologetically be cheating for a moment, tossing in Miguel Cabrera as a designated hitter despite him mostly being a first baseman.
My article, my rules. I love Miggy, too.
Cabrera won a World Series with the Florida Marlins early in his career, then dominated for 16 seasons in Detroit. He posted a .306 average with 511 homers and more than 3,000 career hits, winning two AL MVPs and famously earning the batting Triple Crown in 2012.
An aside: One of the more curious Hall of Fame cases belongs to Nelson Cruz, who belted 464 homers in his 19-year career. Cruz's PED-related suspension in 2018 is a blemish on his resume, however.
Starting Pitcher: Roger Clemens
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Roger Clemens falls in a similar category to Bonds, achieving an enormous level of success prior to allegations of performance-enhancing drugs.
During his 13 seasons in Boston from 1984-96, Clemens notched a 192-111 record with a 3.06 ERA. "The Rocket" won three AL Cy Youngs and an MVP, leading the AL in ERA four times and strikeouts twice.
While the post-1996 portion of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees and Houston Astros is clouded, Clemens won four more Cy Youngs.
If you'd like to round out a rotation, I would look to Kevin Brown, Zack Greinke, Johan Santana and Curt Schilling in completing the group.
Relief Pitcher: Joe Nathan
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If the last three outs are the hardest to get, as the classic saying goes, then closing pitchers should be far more valued in Hall of Fame voting.
That's an obvious segue to Joe Nathan, who became eligible in 2022 but ended shy of the five percent mandate to stay on the ballot. Now, he's subject to the whims of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
Nathan, a six-time All-Star between his time on the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers, ranks 10th in MLB history with 377 saves.
Most impressively, his 89.3 save percentage is tied with Mariano Rivera for the highest among all players who notched 200-plus saves.
