Top 25 MLB stories of 2017, from Aaron Judge to Houston Strong

18. Tim Raines makes it to Cooperstown

By the time the results were released, it was mostly a foregone conclusion that All-Star outfielder Tim Raines would make it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his final year on the ballot. Buoyed by a groundswell of support from the analytical community, Raines had seen his vote totals rise to the point that induction was all but assured.

Still, getting that call must have felt like a massive relief for the seven-time All-Star. The only knock on Raines as a potential Hall of Famer is that he wasn’t Rickey Henderson, the best leadoff hitter of his generation and quiet possibly of all time. Raines wasn’t Rickey, but there wasn’t much more he could have done to make his case for the Hall of Fame.

The 1980s, with the rise in turf ballparks, were dominated by the speedsters like Raines and Henderson. It was clear from the moment he stuck in the Montreal Expos starting lineup in 1981 that Rock was destined for greatness. In only 88 games in that strike-shortened season, he stole 71 bases to lead the majors. For the first ten years of his career, Raines hit .302/.391/.439with 1,597 hits, 96 home runs, 552 RBI, 627 stolen bases and 769 walks against only 560 strikeouts.

After leaving the Expos following the 1990 season, Raines saw his numbers tail off slightly, but he was still able to hang on to make a 23-year career. No doubt, his body was worn down by years of drug use and hard play on concrete surfaces masquerading as ballfields. He is still fifth all time in stolen bases with 808, recorded 2,605 hits and reached base nearly 4,000 times in his career.