15 Biggest MLB Hall of Fame Snubs of All Time

15 Biggest MLB Hall of Fame Snubs of All Time

First let us think about the good news regarding the MLB Hall of Fame. The 2014 class going in, including the managers voted in by the veterans committee are all worthy of the honor. Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas are among the best players in the history of baseball. Bobby Cox, Tony LaRusa and Joe Torre are among the greatest managers ever. Congrats to them all as they well deserve to be recognized. Now for the bad news.

Once again there were several players that did not get voted in. One fairly new available player missed by only a few votes which is ridiculous when you consider a few BBWAA members will send in a bogus ballot with one or zero names selected. That messes up the percentage needed to get in and guarantees that no one will ever get 100% of the vote for some dumb reason. The voting itself is a problem as is the process but the ones hurt by it are the players left out of Baseball’s Hallowed Hall.

Let us look at a few of the all-time biggest MLB Hall of Fame snubs. Some of the names on this list you have probably already thought of. If you have thought of a name and you do not see it on this list then please use the comments section below to let your voice be heard. A quick mention of the names on the list that have the weight of a PED scandal tied to them.

I believe that during what has been called the PED or steroid era, when the big home run chases were going on, that a major number of players in the game were doing something. I also think that MLB knew about it and used it to improve the attendance and viewership of the game. My beliefs however do not mean that the officials that were in charge at the time weren’t doing a good job of keeping the game alive.

In the same way, the guys who supposedly took PEDs along with many others and happened to be good enough to get Hall of Fame numbers shouldn't be black-listed because of it. These guys may or may not have taken something but that doesn’t mean they weren’t some of the greatest players of their era. We have dead ball eras and live ball eras and all kinds of eras that have players included in the Hall of Fame. Why can we not recognize the few players who supposedly took PEDs that were also good enough to get Hall of Fame numbers? Without further delay, here is the list.

David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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15 – Tim Raines

Raines’ ability to make things happen in a baseball game were amazing enough without thinking of the fact that he played for 23 years. In short, 808 stolen bases while getting caught only 146 times, scoring 1571 runs and belting 2605 base hits should put you in the Hall. He might not be a 98% candidate but he should get in for having played the game at a high level for over two decades.

14 – Mike Mussina

Mussina was just about as impressive as anyone else in his time and yet has been snubbed a couple of times already. He has 270 wins and a career ERA of 3.18. Mussina also pitched 200+ innings 11 times including 9 seasons in a row at one point. He hopefully will gain momentum because further snubs of Mussina just wouldn’t make good sense. But then again, look at the other gentlemen on this list.

13 – Craig Biggio

Now that Biggio has missed getting voted into the Hall of Fame by so few votes, he is the face of what is wrong with the voting process. I don’t pretend to know how things could be fixed or should be fixed. I do know that a seven-time all-star with 668 doubles and 3060 hits gathered over a 20 year career belongs in the Hall of Fame though. Yes, I know that for certain.

12 – Mike Piazza

Piazza will always remind me of the mess of voting in 2013 when the BBWAA were so worried about PED cases not getting in that they didn’t put anyone in at all. Piazza was never questioned or doubted in any way and yet he has paid the price for the vendetta the BBWAA has against accused PED users? It’s wrong.

11 – Fred McGriff

Over 19 years the “Crime Dog” Fred McGriff compiled 1349 runs scored, 2490 hits, 493 home runs, 1550 RBI and a .284 batting average. Yeah, I don’t know what else to say. He should be taking a bite out of the Hall of Fame, not on the list of Snubs. There is no reason that makes sense for this man not to have his name alongside the others in that building.

10 – Steve Garvey

Garvey is always one of those names that come up when older broadcasters are talking about watching great hitters. Yet the fact that he isn’t in the Hall of Fame might make some wonder. Let’s see: a .294 lifetime batting average, 1308 RBI and averaged 91 RBI per year for 19 seasons. Yep, he’s a Hall of Famer.

9 – Edgar Martinez

Martinez is often considered one of the very best designated hitters in the history of the game. With a career batting average of .312 and having been in the top 20 MVP votes 5 times, this 7-time all-star most certainly deserves consideration for the Hall. Take into consideration his importance to the teams he played on and you have yourself someone for the Hall of Fame.

8 – Gary Sheffield

Sheffield is the first on this list that had some PED questions during his career. I’ve already made my stance on that clear in the opening article. As far Sheffield’s career numbers, they speak for themselves. How about 2689 hits, 509 home runs, 1676 RBI and a career average of .292? If that doesn’t do it for you then consider he averaged 32 home runs and 105 RBI per season for 22 years. Now tell me he doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame.

7 – Dave Parker

Parker was more than just a solid outfielder. He compiled 2712 hits, 339 home runs, 1493 RBI and a .290 batting average over 19 years. That about says it as well as I ever could I think.

6 – Rafael Palmeiro

A .288 lifetime average, 569 home runs, 1835 RBI and 3020 hits need no explanation or argument. In the game of hitting baseballs around a diamond, few players did it more successful than this guy. Therefore he deserves to be honored along with the rest.

5 – Roger Clemens

Clemens won 354 games, won 7 Cy-Young awards and struck out 4672 batters over a long and successful career. Forget improvable accusations because they in no way lessen what he was able to do from the mound. Even if they did lessen then some, he would still make the milestones for entry into the Hall of Fame.

4 – Mark McGwire

McGwire is a 12-time all-star who was in the top 20 of MVP voting 9 times. He slammed 583 home runs and was the subject of the same PED drama as a few on this list. He was still one of the best at what he did, regardless of strength or anything else. Put him in there for goodness’ sake.

3 – Jack Morris

This one tends to make me scratch my head angrily. A starting pitcher with 254 wins and a 3.90 career ERA should be in the Hall of Fame. To some degree the postseason should be factored in as well like when Morris was a stud in 1991 World Series. He pitched three games and went 23 innings, including 10 innings during the final game, with a 1.17 ERA. Enough said.

2 – Barry Bonds

Some suggest that Bonds cheated with PEDs and therefore his work at the plate shouldn’t count during that time. That seems crazy to me but fine. Let’s take a look at some numbers. How does 494 home runs, 1405 RBI, 3 MVP Awards and a 9-time all-star sound? Look at the others on this list; those are Hall of Fame numbers people. Those are Bonds’ numbers if you remove the final seven years from his career. So go ahead and stop counting somewhere around his 73 home run season but he is still a Hall of Famer without those years. Count them and it just gets ridiculous.

1 – Pete Rose

Let me say this in the nicest way possible. No name on this list, any name that has ever been stitched on the back of a MLB jersey or that ever will be stitched there has ever or will ever deserve recognition in the MLB Hall of Fame more than Pete Rose. He had 1314 RBI and a .303 batting average over 24 years. He scored 2165 runs and for the love of the game, the man recorded 4256 career hits. He has more career hits than Ty Cobb! I’m sorry but if Rose isn’t in the Hall of Fame then they need to take everyone else out.