Five Stars Who Belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame

The Roundtable is back. The waitress brought over a couple more pitchers of beer; so more questions are being thrown around.

"Sweet Home Alabama" is playing in the background, so it must be time for another debate.

Last week, the Roundtable looked to make the case against certain players being included in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. But the Hall generates as much debate when it comes to eligible players that have yet to be voted in.

This week, the ‘Table takes a look at players who have caused that debate, and if the right decision has been made to make them buy a ticket.

First, and most importantly, there is a problem with the selection process.

Not necessarily who is allowed to vote, but the fact that certain writers think it is their right and privilege to deny players election on the first ballot. They seem to almost to thrive on the delayed gratification, to the point that the great Joe DiMaggio was not elected in his first attempt.

Writers no longer necessarily hold back votes to keep players out, but no one has ever earned 100 percent of the vote. And they seem to want to keep it that way. The argument, if Babe Ruth didn’t get a perfect total, who should?

Cal Ripken was as sure a thing as there was, and even he couldn’t crack 100 percent. To me, it seems beyond odd that this is the mentality.

With that in mind, here are five players that are currently on the ballot but have not been voted in. We think they should be there. This is only for currently eligible players, so no Veteran’s Committee guys or Pete Rose/Joe Jackson guys.

Bert Blyleven (P, Twins)

Blyleven spent 22 years in the majors and recorded 287 wins. He has the highest win total of any pitcher not in the Hall, ranking 27th all time. He was a two-time All-Star and regularly appeared in the league's top-10 in innings pitched (11 times), strikeouts (15 times), ERA (10 times), and wins (six times).

As a pitcher, he is comparable, statistically, to Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, Steve Carlton, Gaylord Perry, and Fergie Jenkins. Not to mention, Blyleven recorded 3,701 strikeouts, good for fifth all-time.

Lee Smith (RP, Cubs)

This is mainly based on the argument against Bruce Sutter. Sutter, in theory, revolutionized the game through his use of the split-fingered fastball. But he only recorded 300 total career saves. Now, this is a solid total. But Lee Smith was the career leader in saves for years.

Smith was a seven-time All Star and finished in the top-10 in saves on 14 occasions, finishing first four times. He was a three-time NL Rolaids Fireman of the year, and his 478 saves are second only to Trevor Hoffman. The closer is a recent phenomenon, and we need to take the time to account for those who truly revolutionized the position.

Jack Morris (P, Tigers)

Morris is mainly on here for his postseason heroics, but his regular-season statistics make him worthy, regardless. He recorded 254 wins over his career and was the consummate workhorse when it comes to innings. He recorded 175 complete games and nearly 2,500 strikeouts.

Morris went 6-1 in the playoffs, and 3-0 in the World Series. No one can forget his epic 10-inning, complete-game performance with Minnesota in 1991. He has two rings to his name and a list of tales a mile long.

Tim Raines (OF, Expos)

Look at these stats:

Player A:          .294 AVG        .385 OBP        170 HR            808 SB                        966 SO

Player B:          .293 AVG        .385 OBP        149 HR            938 SB                        1,730 SO

Player A is Raines, Player B is Lou Brock.

He was a SABR guy before it was cool. Raines was an on-base machine during his 23 years in the majors. He finished in the top-10 seven times in that category, recorded 2,600 career hits, and was a seven-time All Star. Raines was the epitome of the leadoff spot in the batting order. He worked the count, recorded walks, and stole bases, finishing fifth all-time in that category.

Mark McGwire (1B, Cardinals/Athletics)

The most controversial name on this list is also one that most needs to be discussed. You can say what you will, and I have, regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs across baseball.

All the evidence points to it being rampant. As we are supposed to judge players based on their era, McGwire, who never tested positive, should remain a leading candidate.

I feel that way about every person that has played in the last 15 years. Clemens should get in until proven he actually used when it was knowingly against the rules. Same is true with Bonds. McGwire doesn’t fall into that category. We can’t be the moral standard for the Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb, by every account, was a racist, but he’s still there.

His statistics speak for themselves. He was one of the elite power-hitters ever to play. He hit 583 home runs and set single-season records. He re-invigorated baseball as much as Ripken’s streak for showing up at work. You can argue other points for or against him statistically, but he makes the ballot. And it kills us.

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Compelling arguments can be made for a number of other players, including Allan Trammel, Andre Dawson, and Jim Rice. We made the case against Tony Perez last week. But that doesn’t mean I think Dawson and Rice should be in as a result of that. Both were the most feared hitters of their generation in the NL and AL, respectively. That alone should give them a place. But you can’t let one in and not the other.

If Dawson isn’t worthy, you can’t make the case for Jim Rice. Both are fantastic players, but both fall just shy of being worthy. Dawson’s career compares just as favorably to Al Kaline as it does to Dwight Evans. But Tony Perez is the name that comes up as the best direct comparison. Also, Dawson’s final seasons were just as bad as Rice’s. Dale Murphy is the exact same to look at.

Rice was feared, but fell off so precipitously that he just missed major milestones. His best comparison is also Perez. Two (or three) wrongs don’t make a right. We have to keep them both out.

The pitchers are empty, again, but the Cooperstown debate will continue. There’s an empty seat at the table, so grab a cold one and join in the fun.