MLB Power Rankings: The biggest Hall of Fame snub for every team
By Tim Boyle
20) MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates, Wilbur Cooper
We’ve entered some new territory in our MLB Power Rankings this week. The rest of the players on this list actually have a much stronger case. It starts with the biggest Pittsburgh Pirates snub, your great grandmother’s favorite pitcher, Wilbur Cooper. Cooper pitched from 1912-1926, winning 216 games and doing it with a 2.89 ERA. The Pirates had several Hall of Fame players from those teams. Sadly, Cooper may have been missed.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs, Rick Reuschel
Sammy Sosa has a Hall of Fame case for the Chicago Cubs, but what about someone like Rick Reuschel who never was linked to PEDs or corked bats. Reuschel had some very good years even after leaving the Cubs, helping to build an almost credible Hall of Fame case. He won 214 games and did it with a 3.37 ERA.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Angels, Bobby Grich
Bobby Grich had a pretty awesome career with ten of those seasons taking place with the Los Angeles Angels. He was very good with the Baltimore Orioles prior to joining the Angels, but it was in California where he built a stronger Hall of Fame case. Grich definitely falls short compared to some others when we look at the numbers. Considering he was a Gold Glove second baseman who hit for power during a time when few could do that, he’s an outlier. Plus, something about his lifetime 71.1 WAR suggests he’s better than we realize.
17) MLB Power Rankings: Colorado Rockies, Todd Helton
With Todd Helton failing to make it into Cooperstown in 2023, he’s the biggest Colorado Rockies snub going right now. He was definitely more than an average playing with Coors Field to help him out. During his best days, Helton was one of baseball’s biggest run producers. Almost forgotten, he was one of the best fielding first basemen in the league. Ask his three Gold Gloves about it.
16) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics, Mark McGwire
If Mark McGwire did go into the Hall of Fame, it might have to be with a split cap. His amazing early days with the Oakland Athletics were good but not quite as legendary as he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. McGwire is held out of Cooperstown because of the PEDs. Even if that wasn’t the case, some might debate his case that he was nothing but a slugger. It’s a fair argument.