Five players who could lock in their Hall of Fame resume in 2020

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano, the man who led the 2010s in hits, already compares favorably with Hall of Famers at the second base position. With a career WAR of 69.6, he’s already in the top ten all-time and higher than the average Hall of Famer at 69.4. Craig Biggio, Ryne Sandberg, and Roberto Alomar are among those Cano has already passed.

At a position that hasn’t been traditionally known for its offense, Cano has set the standard since coming into the league in 2005. In that time, he’s scored 100 runs five times, hit 20 home runs eight times, driven in 100 runs four times, and hit 30 doubles a whopping 13 times. He’s also finished with an OPS of at least .800 ten times. Add two Gold Glove Awards to that resume.

Cano also has the kind of dominant stretch that is typically needed from a player to reach Cooperstown, as he finished in the top six in AL MVP voting five straight times from 2010 to 2014. Yet he’s been remarkably consistent for most of his career. So, what is there left for Cano to do? Is he already in?

The guess here is that Cano would likely get in if he were to retire today, though it could take a few tries. Cano could further cement his status if he rebounds from a subpar 2019 to have a strong 2020 with the Mets; with another good couple of seasons, he could be a first-ballot HOFer. He still has plenty to play for; 3,000 hits (he currently has 2,570) is not out of the question.