11 former MLB star position players that should be in the Hall of Fame but aren't

Throughout the years, we watch players that make a sport something special to witness. For instance, Aaron Judge seems to be doing that with consistency in this era of baseball. Judge garnered plenty of attention when he was chasing home run No. 62 to break the AL record. Sports channels cut away to see if he was about to make history. To date, that is only one of three major records he has broken (though only two he still keeps), and that doesn’t include franchise records in a history as rich as that of the New York Yankees. Judge is a prime example of an athlete making a sport memorable.

While Judge may be the best hitter in the game today, he’s not the only player who's made baseball memorable. In fact, you don’t need to break any records to make baseball memorable. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York is full of players who weren’t necessarily the best (some were), but achieved some form of success for their respective teams. Each plaque is dedicated to a player who made the game worth watching.

However, there are others that who achieved a similar amount of success, sometimes even more, who haven’t had the ultimate honor of receiving a plaque in Cooperstown. Today, we’ll take some time to recognize those who may have earned a spot in the renowned home to baseball history, but are yet to be honored with one. Note: this list won’t include any PED users, conflict of interest gamblers, or players that are yet to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot. This list will be more dedicated to those who were more or less snubbed but still deserve the same recognition as others that have already received it.

To give an idea where each of these stars would rank in the Hall of Fame, I will add some of the Average Hall of Fame position player stats here: 18 years, 67 WAR, 2325 hits, 224 HR, .303 AVG, .846 OPS, 211 SBs (for those that were base stealers).

(All stats from Baseball Reference)

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11. OF/1B Al Oliver

Al Oliver wasn’t know as a power hitter. Over the course of his 18 years in MLB, he only hit 20+ home runs twice in a single season never eclipsing 22. However, he was certainly a contact hitter. Oliver posted a career strikeout rate of 0.077 percent. But his claim to fame was his batting average.

Oliver hit for a .300+ average for eleven seasons. He posted his highest average in 1982 when he hit .331. He led the NL in doubles for two straight years (1982 and 1983) as well as RBIs, hits, batting average, and total bases in 1982 coming in 3rd in the MVP voting that year.

Oliver retired with a career .303 AVG, 219 HR, 2743 hits, .795 OPS, 211 SBs, and a WAR value of 43.7. Over his career, he accumulated seven All-Star selections, three Silver Sluggers, and a batting title. He fell off the HOF ballot after only one year, but received votes in two separate years from the Era Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee) before failing to record a single vote in 2011.

10. 1B/3B Steve Garvey

The name Steve Garvey was synonymous with the Los Angeles Dodgers for several years. Garvey wasn’t the most powerful home run hitter, but he did eclipse 20 home runs six times in his in his 19-year career topping out at 33 in 1977. These quality home run numbers were combined with high batting averages, posting seven seasons of above .300 averages. The one downfall of Garvey’s HOF case might have been that he never hit for an average above .319.

Garvey also accumulated four Gold Glove awards, which usually gets consideration at voting time, but perhaps he didn’t win enough Gold Gloves to be awarded a HOF spot on the merits of being a solid defender.

Garvey retired with a career .294 AVG, 272 HR, 2599 hits, .775 OPS, and a WAR value of 38. Garvey won the MVP award once in 1974 when he hit 21 home runs to the tune of a .312 average while winning a Gold Glove. He was a two-time NLCS MVP and a two-time All-Star MVP having been selected to 10 All-Star games.

Garvey remained on the HOF ballot for the maximum of 15 years never receiving 75 percent of the vote. He has seen even less success on the Era Committee ballots.

9. OF Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams has a set of credentials similar to that of Garvey. Starting with his hitting, Williams hit more than twenty home runs seven times in his 16-year career topping out at 30. He posted eight seasons’ worth of averages higher than .300, four of which were higher than .325. Williams hit for a career high .342 batting average in 1999.

Like Garvey, Williams also won four Gold Gloves. Williams retired with a .297 AVG, 287 HR, 2336 hits, .858 OPS, and a WAR value of 49.6. In addition, he won one Silver Slugger, one batting title, and was selected to five All-Star games. His .339 average in 1998 led the AL.

Despite being a great all-around player, Bernie Williams fell off the HOF ballot after only two years. Perhaps he will have better luck with the Era Committee.

8. CF Kenny Lofton

Kenny Lofton is another underappreciated contact hitter with a few other talents than just hitting. Lofton never hit more than 15 home runs in a single season. However, Lofton posted eight years’ worth of above .300 averages, three of those above .330 topping out at .349 in 1994. Among those are several other seasons where he posted various high averages.

Another important part of Lofton’s game was speed. In his 17-year career, Lofton posted totals of over 20 stolen bases 16 times, six of which were over 50. Lofton led the MLB in stolen bases in 1993 (70), 1994 (60), and 1996 (75), leading just the AL in 1992 (66) and 1995 (54).

Lofton won four Gold Gloves, one each year from 1993 to 1996. He retired with a career .299 AVG, 130 HR, 2428 hits, .794 OPS, 622 SBs, and a WAR value of 68.4. He led the AL in hits and WAR in 1994 and led the MLB in triples in 1995. He was selected to six All-Star games.

Shockingly, Lofton fell off the ballot in his first year of eligibility garnering only 3.2 percent of the vote.

7. 1B/OF Don Mattingly

Probably the most famous example of a star player who was not inducted into the Hall of Fame is Donnie Baseball. For a brief period, Don Mattingly was one of the best players in the game. Mattingly posted averages over .300 for seven out of his 14 MLB seasons, two of which were over .340 topping out at .352 in 1986.

Mattingly hit over 20 home runs in five different seasons, three of which were 30+ homer seasons reaching a career-high of 35 in 1985. On the diamond, he accumulated nine Gold Gloves.

Mattingly retired with a career .307 AVG, 222 HRs, 2153 hits, .830 OPS, and a WAR value of 42.4. He won the 1985 MVP award leading the MLB in RBIs, total bases, doubles, and sac flies while winning his first Gold Glove. In 1984, he led the MLB in doubles while leading the AL in hits and batting average. To cap his torrid stretch in 1986, he led the majors in hits, doubles, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, and total bases winning his second Gold Glove and coming in second in the MVP voting. Over his career, Mattingly won three Silver Sluggers, a batting title, and was selected to six All-Star games.

Mattingly survived on the Hall of Fame ballot for the maximum of 15 years without being selected. However, there is hope for his HOF case. Last year, Mattingly received a 50 percent vote share on the Era Committee ballot. His day may be coming soon.

6. 2B/3B/1B Jeff Kent

Over his 17 years in the majors, Jeff Kent posted 20+ home run totals seven times, three of which were over 30 reaching as high as 37 in 2002. But Kent’s career was more than just about hitting home runs at a decent rate. Kent was a well-rounded hitter.

He hit for an average higher than .300 three times, but often hit for averages in the high .200s. His average peaked at .334 in 2000. That year, he won the MVP honors. He never led the MLB in any statistic and only led the NL in one stat: sac flies (twice). But his overall achievements at the plate should qualify him for a plaque in the Hall of Fame as it has with other players.

Kent retired with a career .290 AVG, 377 HR, 2461 hits, .855 OPS, and a WAR value of 55.4. In addition to his MVP award, Kent won four Silver Sluggers and was selected to five All-Star games.

Support had been growing for Kent’s Hall of Fame push, but he only reached a 46.5 percent share for his last year on the ballot in 2023.

5. CF Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones was a combination of a power hitter and a Gold Glove defender. In his 17-year career, Jones topped 30 home runs seven times. His 51 homers in 2005 were a Braves’ franchise record until Matt Olson hit 54 in 2023. For 10 consecutive years, he posted home run totals higher than 25.

However, Jones wasn’t as successful in batting average. He finished a season above .300 only once, hitting .303 in 2000. In his prime, Jones’ average usually stayed in the .260s and .270s, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Jones accumulated 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1998 to 2007. For a brief time, he was also a stolen base threat. He stole 20+ bases a season for four straight years before slowing down.

Jones retired with a career .254 AVG, 434 HRs, 1933 hits, .823 OPS, 152 SBs, and a WAR value of 62.7. He won one Silver Slugger and was selected to five All-Star games. Jones led the majors with his 51 home runs in 2000 and led the NL in RBIs that same year, coming in second in the NL MVP voting.

Jones is garnering support in his Hall-of-Fame bid, achieving a 61.6 percent share of the vote in 2024. He has three more chances to reach the 75 percent mark before his case falls to the Era Committee.

4. 1B Carlos Delgado

Carlos Delgado was one of the top non-PED using sluggers during the Steroid Era. In his 17-year career, Delgado had 11 seasons where he posted totals of 30+ home runs (10 seasons consecutively), eclipsing the 40 mark three times. But he did much more than slug home runs.

Delgado posted three seasons of averages over .300, the highest being .344. These high marks come among several other quality seasons for Delgado.

He retired with a career .280 AVG, 473 HR, 2083 hits, a whopping .929 OPS, and a WAR value of 44.4. Delgado won three Silver Sluggers and, strangely, only played in two All-Star games. In 2000, he led the AL in doubles, total bases, and hit-by-pitches (not something anyone wants to lead in). In 2003, he led the majors in RBIs while topping the AL in OPS and OPS+.

Somehow, Delgado fell off the ballot on his first year only garnering a 3.8 percent share of support.

3. 1B Keith Hernandez

Keith Hernandez is another example of a great hitter and Gold Glover who was seemingly overlooked. Hernandez was likely overlooked because he was not a power hitter. Over his 16 major league seasons, Hernandez never eclipsed 16 home runs in a single season. However, he did post averages higher than .300 six times among other high batting averages. For numerous seasons, he walked more than he struck out, leading the NL in walks in 1986.

But while his great hitting skills are only borderline HOF-worthy, Hernandez truly shined when he was standing at first base. In just 16 years, he netted 11 Gold Gloves. There are a few HOFers who have been inducted specifically for their defense. To not induct Hernandez, who was a great hitter and defender, seems unthinkable.

Hernandez retired with a career .296 AVG, 162 HRs, 2182 hits, .821 OPS, and a WAR value of 60.3. In 1979, he was named the NL MVP, leading the MLB in average (.344) and doubles, and leading the NL in runs while winning his second Gold Glove. In 1980, he led the NL in runs and on-base percentage. Hernandez won two Silver Sluggers, a batting title, and was selected to five All-Star games.

When it came to Hall of Fame voting, Hernandez survived for nine years never garnering more than 10.8 percent of the vote.

2. SS/1B/3B Nomar Garciaparra

Like Mattingly, Nomar Garciaparra was a ridiculously-good hitter for a few years. He burst onto the scene with a .306 average and 30 home runs to win the 1997 Rookie of the Year award, leading the AL in runs and triples that year. But he wasn’t done.

Garciaparra hit for an average over .300 eight times in his 14-year career, eclipsing .355 in two consecutive seasons. In addition, he hit 20+ long balls 7 times topping out at 35.

Garciaparra finished his career with a .313 AVG, 229 HR, 1747 hits, .882 OPS, and a 44.3 WAR value. To add to his accolades, Garciaparra was a one-time Silver Slugger, two-time batting title champion, and was selected to six All-Star games. His .357 batting average in 1999 led the AL. The very next year, his .372 average led the MLB (tied with Todd Helton). He also led the MLB in doubles in 2002.

Garciaparra fell off the HOF ballot after only two years.

1. OF Magglio Ordoñez

Over his 15 years in the major leagues, Magglio Ordonez only posted a batting average lower than .292 twice. Instead, Ordonez hit for averages above .300 ten times. The one thing that might have hindered his HOF chances was that he only hit for a .320+ average twice (and he led the AL in double play balls in 2008).

Ordonez posted eight years of home run totals over 20, four of which in the 30s peaking at 38. With a career like that of Ordonez, one would figure he was a definite HOFer.

Ordonez retired with a career .309 AVG, 294 HRs, 2156 hits, .871 OPS, and a WAR value of 38.8. Over his MLB tenure, he won three Silver Sluggers, a batting title, and was selected to six All-Star games. In 2007, Ordonez led the majors with 54 doubles and a .363 batting average coming in second place in the MVP voting.

Bewilderingly, Ordonez fell off the HOF ballot on his first try after garnering a mere 0.7 percent of the vote.