The 2020 Hall of Fame Millhouse Ballot

Photo of Paul Konerko by Daniel Millhouse

It's two days away from the announcement for the new class of Major League Baseball players who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Multiple classes have passed since some of the eligible players connected to the steroids accusations started popping up on the ballots, and still, to this day, are debates about whether some of these players should be inducted. 

Some make the case that Barry Bonds shouldn't get in, but then they voted for Mike Piazza, Jim Thome, and Ivan Rodriguez. Because they're more likeable perhaps, but that should not be a determination on whether a player gets in. Ty Cobb killed at least one person and was a known ass to so many. Several of the legends who played between the 1950's and 1970's have admitted to taking "greenies," which helped slow down the game for them. 

And the other debate of the baseball hall vote came to a close last year when Mariano Rivera became the first player to earn 100 percent of the vote. It's hard to justify why he is the first when so many players before him should have also earned 100 percent of the vote. How players like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ted Williams didn't receive 100 percent is beyond ridiculous. Hell, Cy Young, who the award for best pitcher of the season is named after, only received 76 percent of the vote. The Babseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) needs to take a look within and reassess how they determine who should get in and who doesn't. The writers hold grudges and aren't afraid to hide it. 

With that said, the following would be the players on my ballot if I was a member of the BBWAA. This is 2020:

1. Derek Jeter: The Captain led the Yankees through their most recent dynasty. Racking up almost 3,500 hits in his career, Jeter was on pace at one point to break the all-time hits record until his ankle injury slowed him down. He had a .310 career batting average and over 358 stolen bases to match. There are some that try to make the claim that he doesn't deserve to go, but they are wrong. Jeter not only should make it to Cooperstown, he should be the next 100 percent player.

2. Barry Bonds: It's his eighth year on the ballot. He's the all-time homerun leader, with a .298 career batting average, 514 stolen bases, eight Gold Gloves, seven MVP's, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had a career on base percentage of .444. One writer has argued that Bonds' stats are good enough to get in, but because he doesn't have a World Series ring, he shouldn't get in. That writer needs to be kicked out from voting.

3. Roger Clemens: Another player that the BBWAA has denied for eight years, Clemens has 354 wins, is third all-time on the strikeouts list, in the top 10 all-time in WAR (for the sabermetric nerds), had a career ERA of 3.12, and he won seven Cy Young Awards and one MVP. It has been cited that a reason not to vote him in is because he cheated on his wife with country music star Mindy McCready, but that is between him and his wife. If that's a reason not to vote a player in, I'm sure there's multiple current Hall of Famers who have done that and even worse.

4. Billy Wagner: Wagner is the most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, but he only managed to get 16 percent of the vote last season and is now on his fifth ballot. He has 422 saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than one, and a career strikeout ratio of 11.9 per nine innings, which is the best in MLB history. 

5. Andy Petite: He was the silent-type on a pitching rosters that included Clemens, Mike Mussina, C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, and Dwight Gooden. Still, he was not only consistent, he was a top level pitcher for so many years. He racked up 256 career wins, was in the top six in the Cy Young Award voting five times, and for those who factor post season play into their voting, he had a 19-11 record. Sometimes, a hall of famer doesn't need to be the loudest player on his team. It would also be nice to see Petite go in during the same years as his former teammate, Jeter.

6. Gary Sheffield: Speaking of Dwight Gooden, his nephew, Gary Sheffield, is another player looking to make it to the Hall. He had 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. A .292 batting average and five Silver Slugger Awards also help make his case. Also solidifying his case is the fact that he finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting six times in his career.

7. Jeff Kent: The case against him is that he managed to find a way to be even less friendly to the press than his former teammate, Bonds. Jeff Kent hit the most homers in history for a second baseman. His modesty is unmatched (note the sarcasm) as he bragged that he was better than other Hall of Famer second basemen at fielding, except for Roberto Alomar. He wasn't as bad as his reputation, but he wasn't good either. Still, his offensive stats alone show that he still should be in based on his play on the field.

8. Paul Konerko: Another silent-type of player, Konerko blasted 439 homers, appeared in six all-star games, and earned MVP votes in five seasons. He also had 1,412 RBI's. No, he was not as loud of a home run leader like Sammy Sosa, Bonds, or McGwire, but he did have seven seasons in which he hit 30 or more homers, two of which he hit over 40. For the voters throwing other players on the steroids bus, Konerko was one of the few power hitters of his generation not to be accused of using anything.

9. Larry Walker: This one was a hard one for me, but for different reasons than what the BBWAA cites. They opening ding Walker for playing for the Colorado Rockies and in the Mile High Stadium air. My reason for years was different. Out of his 17 seasons, playing at a position such as outfield, he only played over 145 games in a season once. In fact, in five of those seasons, he played in about half a season or less. This is why I had so much internal struggle in whether or not to vote for him. But despite the injuries, he still hit 383 homers, had a career batting average of .313, and had a career on base percentage of .400. His arm was legendary, he earned three batting titles, and he won the MVP in 1997. He played over half of his career games on the road, and while yes, he hit better while playing at home, so did many other players. He also boasted seven Gold Glove Awards, showing that he was more than just offense.

2019 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

2010 Topps National Chicle card of Roy Halladay

As with every year, a new crop of retired baseball players become eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, every year for about the last decade or so, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) seems to mess up the vote. And how? Each writer has the ability to vote up to 10 players a year, and yet, they seem to leave out the most deserving. 

If I were given a vote for the class of 2019, I would vote the following:

1. Mariano Rivera - The all-time closer in Major League Baseball history. That should be enough said. He had so many saves in his career that he even had 42 more in post season play. He was a failed starter during his rookie season with a 5.51 ERA. The next season, he was third in the Cy Young Award vote with an 8-3 record, 130 strikeouts in a 107.2 innings, and he had a 2.09 ERA. He only had 5 saves that season, but after John Wetteland left the Yankees, Rivera never looked back.

2. Roy Halladay - He retired with 203 wins and 105 loses and had six seasons with under a 3 ERA. Halladay won the Cy Young Award twice and was in the top 5 of the Cy Young voting in 7 times. He also was voted an all-star 8 times. What should be noted is that he did the majority of this while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that not once made it to the post season while he was on their roster.

3. Andy Petite - Never one to be considered the headlining pitcher on his team, Petite quietly racked up 256 career wins and was in the top 6 in Cy Young Award voting 5 times in his career. In his 18 seasons, he only had less than 10 wins twice. Not that I buy into post season play being a factor in a player being voted to the Hall, but Petite did have a 19-11 record in postseason play.

4. Roger Clemens - Speaking of pitchers that have played for the Yankees and the Astros, there's Clemens. Perhaps the best pitcher of all-time, Clemens is still looking to get into the Hall of Fame. He's taken tons of drug tests, never failing one. His reputation was smeared by a former athletic trainer whose evidence would have never stood in court (he claimed to have keep cotton balls/swabs of injections he gave Clemens in a beer car underneath his kitchen sink). Did Clemens cheat on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready? Yes, but that shouldn't preclude him from the Hall. He had 354 wins, was third all-time in strikeouts, won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, and had a career ERA of 3.12. 

5. Barry Bonds - Another one of the accused, and arguably one of the greatest hitters of all-time. He's the all-time homerun king, the all-time walks king, won 7 MVPs, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had 8 Gold Gloves. For the sabermetrics fans, he was also the number position player in wins above replacement. Is he the most trustworthy when it comes to reporting his earnings from baseball card show signings? No. Once again, this shouldn't preclude him from the Hall of Fame, nor should his standoffs with the press. If standing off with the press should count against you, then Donald Trump should have never been the President of the United States.

6. Fred McGriff - The Crime Dog was one of the few power hitters of his generation to not be accused of juicing. He hit 493 homers and received votes for MVP in 8 different seasons. Despite also having 2,490 career hits, McGriff seems to slipped under the shadow of other first baseman that played at the same time as him. What's even more tragic is that this is McGriff's ninth season on the ballot and he's never received over 24 percent of the vote.

7. Billy Wagner - The most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, hands down. He had 422 career saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than 1, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Only John Franco has more career saves as a lefty, but he wasn't as dominating as Wagner.

8. Mike Mussina - Other than his rookie year, Mussina was a double digit winner in every season he ever played, retiring after winning 20 games in his last season. Mussina won 270 wins overall and had 2,813 career strikeouts. He was a top six candidate for the Cy Young Award 8 times in his career, but Mussina never placed better than second. He had also won 7 Gold Gloves during his career. Mussina was the ace for the Yankees and Orioles during his career and is worthy of hall consideration.

9. Gary Sheffield - The nephew of Dwight Gooden, Sheffield hit 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. Sporting a .292 career batting average, Sheffield won five Silver Sluggers and was the cleanup hitter on the Florida Marlins team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series in 1997. Sheffield was also in the top 10 in MVP votes 6 times in his career. Sheffield also played at least 300 games at third base, left field, right field, and designated hitter. This will be Sheffield's fourth attempt at being voted in.

10. Michael Young - That's right, Michael Young. A career .300 hitter who collected 200 or more hits in a season 6 times, made 7 all-star games, and was a star at second base, shortstop, and third base during his career. No, he was never a major power guy, but he was the guy that got on base so his teammates could drive in the runs.

Pros and Cons: A Look at this Year's Hall of Fame Vote

Logo is of the National Baseball Hall of Fame located in Cooperstown

This year's Hall of Fame vote results were a bit unusual to say the least.

While it was expected that Mariano Rivera be a lock to get in on the first ballot, it was surprising to find out that he's the first player in Major League Baseball history to receive 100 percent of the vote. Legends haven't received that many votes. Willie Mays? Nope. Hank Aaron? Nope. How about someone more recent such as Ken Griffey Jr.? Nope. Mickey Mantle, Rickey Henderson, Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench? All nopes. I'm not saying Mariano Rivera didn't deserve it. Quite the opposite, in fact. I just don't think he should have been the first player to receive 100 percent of the vote.

I'm glad that Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina also got in. They deserved it and were some of the more dominant pitchers of their era.

Edgar Martinez should have been considered more of a fringe vote. He never accomplished any of the goals that used to get hitters automatically into the hall. He was less than stellar on defense, being one of the main reasons he was a designated hitter for the majority of his career. He hit just over 300 homers, he had a .312 career batting average, and he had 2,247 hits. All good numbers, but not necessarily hall-worthy.

Martinez was never the best hitter on his team at any given time. And there were times where he wasn't even the second best hitter on the team.

You can make the case that some voters voted for him (over 85 percent of them) because it was his tenth and final year of eligibility, but then why not vote for Fred McGriff? He hit 493 homers in his career, and had a .284 career batting average. He also had over 200 more career hits, almost 300 more career R.B.I.'s, more runs scored, and even more career stolen bases than Edgar Martinez. McGriff played the field at first base and he was the rare hitter of his generation that was not accused of using performance enhancing drugs. So how did McGriff receive less than 40 percent of the vote?

Also snubbed, were the obvious and expected: Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. They received the most votes they ever had and still have three more years to make it, but still, their being snubbed every year is ridiculous. Some of the writers say its because they believe the two used P.E.D.'s, but then voted for players such as Mike Piazza and others that haven't gotten in such as Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa. That's just a personal vendetta then.

It's atrocious that Billy Wagner and his 422 career saves and being the most dominant lefty reliever in baseball history didn't get in, especially, in a year that Mariano Rivera, the most dominant righty got in.

Andy Petite received less than 10 percent of the votes while a player such as Omar Vizquel, who was never a dominant player and a constant number nine hitter in his career received nearly 43 percent of the votes.

Michael Young, Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada, and Roy Oswalt also all fell off the ballot. It was ridiculous that Placido Polanco, a player with just over a thousand career hits, received any votes, let alone votes from writers who did not vote for Bonds, Clemens, Wagner, McGriff, or any other more deserving players.

While we're on topic, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), needs to reshuffle who is eligible to vote. There are 425 total eligible writers. According to ESPN, 232 of them released their ballots publicly including 60 who did not vote for Bonds and Clemens. Only six of the 60 are full-time baseball writers. Many of the 60 cover other sports, one writes on digital marketing, and one writes for the American Heart Association. Really? If being a professional writer who likes baseball qualifies you to vote for the hall of fame, then sign me up, too.

The lack of quality writers voting for the baseball hall of fame is possibly one of the main reasons why they votes have been screwy for the past decade or so. Get a real mixture of full-time baseball writers, current and of the past. Not someone who writes for a golfing magazine. Not someone who writes articles for CNET. It wouldn't hurt to allow some announcers to vote too. I would trust a vote by Vin Scully or Bob Uecker.

Next year's first-time eligible players will only saturate the votes as well. Derek Jeter, Paul Konerko, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Lee, and Jason Giambi are just some of the names who are on the 2020 ballot. Jeter will be a shoe-in, but who knows about the others.

2018 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

Vladimir Guerrero swings at a pitch that bounced before hitting it for a double

Another year goes by and the Baseball Writers Association of America nears another vote for the Major League Hall of Fame. The new class features a couple of possible future hall of famers, but it's those who still are eligible from previous seasons that may demand more attention.

The new class of players that are first-time eligible include Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, Johan Santana, Jamie Moyer, Johnny Damon, Omar Vizquel, and more. Players from previous years that are still eligible include Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina, Manny Ramirez, Larry Walker, and more.

Despite the many choices, the BBWAA seems to be able to only agree on one or two players for the last several years despite each member possessing the ability to vote for up to 10 former players. 

I may not be a member of the BBWAA, but I give to you my votes for this year's ballot. Hopefully, other BBWAA members will act rationally and forget their biases against players that they did not like personally or want to accuse of using performance-enhancing drugs with no proof.

1. Trevor Hoffman - Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader, yet has been passed over twice so far. He received 74 percent of the vote last year. With 601 saves and a career ERA of 2.87, it seems beyond belief on how the BBWAA has passed him over, especially in an ERA when relief pitching has become predominant.

2. Vladimir Guerrero - Passed over last season, Vladimir Guerrero spent his career as one of the more feared hitters in the MLB. He hit 449 homers, had 181 stolen bases, a .318 batting average, and a cannon for an arm. Sure, he swung at everything, but he also hit everything. It is feasible that Guerrero is the last former Montreal Expo to be inducted to the hall if he is voted in.

3. Roger Clemens - Arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time is now up for his sixth go-around. 354 wins, a career ERA of 3.12, and 4,672 strikeouts. He's won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, is 9th all-time in wins, and 3rd all-time in strikeouts. His fastball inspired the nickname, Rocket. Accused of taking performance enhancing drugs, the biggest argument that voters are writing about is not the pharmaceutical help the claim he had, but the fact that they just thought he was an ass of a human being. There's nothing in the rules saying that attitude is a determining factor for the hall. The articles of late cite Roger Clemens cheating on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready and incidents like his toe-to-toe confrontation with Mike Piazza. If that is enough not to be inducted to the hall of fame, then players like Ty Cobb should be booted out as he may have killed two people and attacked a handicapped spectator during a game. Is Clemens an angel? No. Is he a hall of famer? Yes.

4. Barry Bonds - The other legend the BBWAA is holding a grudge against, Bonds is arguably one of the best hitters of all-time. He has the most homers of all-time with 762; 514 stolen bases; 1,996 RBI's (fifth of all-time); the most walks taken at 2,558; and the most intentional walks ever issued at 688. He also holds the single season record in homers with 73. He has won 7 MVP's, 8 Gold Gloves, and 12 Silver Sluggers. If other players such as Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell can be inducted to the hall of fame despite the accusations of performance enhancing drugs, Bonds should be eligible as well. No one seems to hold the admitted use of "greenies" by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays against them, so it even seems more unfair that Bonds should be held out of the hall for the accusations against him.

5. Fred McGriff - Silent in terms of headlines, McGriff was a scary hitter to face. He hit 493 homers, had a .284 career batting average, and drove in 1,550 career RBI's. Even though he played first base at the same time as Jeff Bagwell, Will Clark, John Kruk, Will Grace, and Andres Galarraga, McGriff still won three Silver Sluggers. If McGriff played in any other generation, he would be considered a hall of famer. What's even better, he's one of the few power hitters not accused of taking any PED's. 

6. Mike Mussina - Other than his rookie year, Mussina was a double digit winner in every season he ever played, retiring after winning 20 games in his last season. Mussina won 270 wins overall and had 2,813 career strikeouts. He was a top six candidate for the Cy Young Award 8 times in his career, but Mussina never placed better than second. He had also won 7 Gold Gloves during his career. Mussina was the ace for the Yankees and Orioles during his career and is worthy of hall consideration.

7. Billy Wagner - Able to reach 100 MPH on the radar, Wagner is sixth all-time in career saves with 422. That is only two less than the all-time lefty saves leader, John Franco. Wagner dominated as a closer and was one of the most feared relievers of all-time. His career ERA is 2.31, his career WHIP is 0.998, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Not once in Wagner's career did he ever have an ERA over 3.00 in a full season. 

8. Chipper Jones - This should be proof that the BBWAA should be able to vote for a player to make it to the hall, even if they don't like them. I'm not a fan of Chipper, but he is hall of fame worthy and he receives one of my 10 votes. Jones hit 468 career homers, had a career batting average of .303, and an on base percentage of .401. He also had 1,623 career RBI's. Jones won the MVP award in 1999 and led the National League with a .364 batting average in 2008. Like McGriff, Jones played at the same time as other top level third basemen such as Scott Rolen, Matt Williams, Robin Ventura, Ken Caminiti, and David Wright. This caused him not to get as much attention as being a star player at his position. 

9. Jim Thome - A power hitter who finished his career with 612 homers, in 22 seasons Thome never won an MVP award and only won one Silver Slugger. Despite being known for his power, Thome also only led the league once in homers. Still, Thome drove in 1,699 career RBI's and is 7th all-time in walks taken. He was often the left-handed power hitter that protected other all-stars such as Manny Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Paul Konerko, and more. 

10. Gary Sheffield - The nephew of Dwight Gooden, Sheffield hit 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. Sporting a .292 career batting average, Sheffield won five Silver Sluggers and was the cleanup hitter on the Florida Marlins team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series in 1997. Sheffield was also in the top 10 in MVP votes 6 times in his career. Sheffield also played at least 300 games at third base, left field, right field, and designated hitter. This will be Sheffield's fourth attempt at being voted in.

Baseball Hall of Fame 2017 Ballot

Photo of Barry Bonds by Daniel Millhouse

Yet another year goes by and I find myself without an official ballot for Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame for the 2017 class. I know I would have to be a BBWAA writer, but I figure they should have made the exception. Either way, I give you my picks to make the hall this year (in no particular order)...

1. Barry Bonds - All-time home run leader, eight gold gloves, all-time leader in walks and intentional walks, seven MVP's, 12-time Silver Slugger winner, and 514 stolen bases. It's ridiculous that he hasn't been voted in during the first four times he was eligible. One anchor on the MLB Network claimed that he couldn't vote for Bonds solely because Bonds wasn't a nice guy. If that's the case, then explain players such as Ty Cobb, Reggie Jackson, and Don Drysdale who were known to be hated players while still playing.
2. Roger Clemens - Almost the pitcher version of Barry Bonds. Seven Cy Youngs, one MVP, 354 career wins, third on the all-time strike outs list behind fellow Texan Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and a 3.12 career ERA. Just like Bonds, he has been passed by four times so far for the hall.
3. Jeff Bagwell - A former Rookie of the Year, MVP, three time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove first baseman, with 449 career homers, a .297 career batting average, over 1,500 RBI's, and 202 stolen bases. In any other time period Bagwell may have stood out more, but he played first base in the National League at the same time as Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Andres Galarraga, Mark Grace, Ryan Klesko, and Todd Helton.
4. Trevor Hoffman - He's second all-time in career saves behind Mariano Rivera, second for the Cy Young Award in 1998 and 2006, and sported a career ERA of 2.87.
5. Billy Wagner - Sixth all-time in saves, Wagner often hit over 100 mph on the radar gun and was feared by hitters. He had a career ERA of 2.31, had a K/9 of 11.9, and a WHIP of 0.99. Only John Franco had more saves as a left-handed closers.
6. Ivan Rodriguez - Known for being one of the best defensive catchers of all-time, Rodriguez had an amazing arm that he would use to throw base runners out all the time. Pudge wasn't bad with the bat either. He had 312 homers, a .296 career batting average, over 1,300 RBI's, and 2,844 base hits. He won the AL MVP in 1999, won the Silver Slugger 7 times, and 13 Gold Gloves.
7. Fred McGriff - Overlooked because he played first base in the National League while so many other stars also played, many people don't realize how good he exactly was. He retired with 493 homers (tied for the most with Lou Gehrig for players who failed to reach 500), 1,550 RBI's, a .284 career batting average, and three Silver Slugger awards.
8. Mike Mussina - Mike Mussina won 270 games, stuck out over 2,800 hitters, won seven Gold Gloves, and he only failed to reach double digit wins in a season once in his career (during his rookie season). The Moose was in the top 10 for Cy Young votes nine times, but the closest he ever came to winning was in 1999 when he came in second. Good to the end, Mussina was 20-9 with a 3.34 ERA and a Gold Glove his final season.
9. Vladimir Guerrero - One of the freest swinger hitters in recent times, Guerrero is one of two first-time ballot eligible players I voted for this year (Ivan Rodriguez is the other). He hit 449 homers, had 1,496 RBI's, a .318 career batting average, and 2,590 career hits. He won the MVP during his first season with the ANAHEIM Angels and won eight Silver Slugger awards. If the Gold Glove was solely based on arm strength, Guerrero would have won some. He had a cannon for an arm which kept him playing in the outfield for a couple extra seasons before being converted to a designated hitter. In 2002, he was one homer short of being a 40-40 player. He is also the last former Montreal Expo left with a valid chance at making it to the hall. If he receives enough votes to get in, I hope he goes in as an Expo.

Millhouse 2016 Hall of Fame Ballot

Photo from Getty Images

We're only about a month away before the announcement of the 2016 class of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, most of the writers of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) have already turned in their ballots. A writer is able to select up to ten players for their choices for the Hall of Fame and with the number of players that are arguably Hall worthy, that is probably not enough. Still, here are the picks brought to you by this writer in no particular preference order (who has no official vote with the BBWAA) on who he would select if he were a BBWAA writer).

1. Ken Griffey Jr.: Once known as "The Kid", he ended his career with 630 homers which placed him sixth on the all-time home run list. He was a 10 time gold glove winner who won the MVP in 1997 while a member of the Seattle Mariners organization. During an era where just about every home run hitter has been suspected of steroid use, Griffey Jr. escaped most of that talk until the last year when several sports talk radio jockeys threw his name in the steroids hat. It should be noted that one of these jockeys also debated whether Greg Maddux did steroids.

2. Billy Wagner: Fifth in all-time saves, Wagner is arguably the best lefty closer to have ever played. His strikeouts per 9 innings average was 11.9, more than any lefty in baseball history with a minimum of 900 innings. He also has the lowest batting average allowed by a lefty pitcher with over 900 innings and has a career ERA of 2.31. The seven time all-star also won the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year in 1997.

3. Trevor Hoffman: Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader in baseball before Mariano Rivera passed him by. The seven time all-star won the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year in 1998 and 2006.

4. Jeff Bagwell: Overshadowed in a decade full of great first basemen, Bagwell was consistently one of the best for a decade. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991, the NL MVP in 1994, and the Major League Baseball Player of the Year in 1994. The three time Silver Slugger winner was also underrated in his fielding abilities, winning a Gold Glove in 1994. Unfortunately for him during his time as the one of the "Killer B's" of the Houston Astros, he was overshadowed by Mark McGwire as the premier homerun hitter in the National League.

5. Fred McGriff: Another overshadowed first baseman, McGriff hit a total of 493 homeruns and had a career batting average of .284. He'd won the Silver Slugger Award three times despite competing against other first basemen in both leagues such as Bagwell, McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andres Galarraga, Eric Karros, and Mark Grace.

6. Mike Mussina: Mussina received Cy Young Award votes in nine separate seasons including his last, ending his career with 270, and 7 Gold Gloves. His 2,813 strikeouts are the 19th most of all-time. During his years he was a workhorse for both the Orioles and the Yankees, who has been passed over by the BBWAA for the last two years.

7. Tim Raines: Someone I had overlooked myself for several years as a Hall of Fame Candidate, listening to arguments made by others have swayed my opinion. During the '80s, Rock Raines was the premier stolen base leader, only behind Rickey Henderson and fifth (fourth in the modern era) all-time with 808. For the majority of his career, he was a .300 hitter who ended his career with a .294 batting average. The seven time all-star had also received MVP votes seven times in his career. He won the batting title in 1986 and had 2,605 hits.

8. Barry Bonds: The all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball has spent the past three years trying to get into the Hall. He won seven NL MVP's, was in 14 all-star games, was a 12 time Silver Slugger, had a career .298 batting average, had 2,227 runs scored (third all-time), had 1,996 career RBI's (fifth all-time), 2,558 walks (all-time leader), 514 stolen bases, and 2,935 hits. Despite being known for his hitting, he was also an eight time gold glover. Unfortunately during his career he had a horrible relationship with the press. Was he standoffish? Of course, but so have been so many players already in the Hall of Fame such as Ty Cobb. He's also been accused of steroids, but had never been proven to take them. Some use his size difference between his rookie year and his final year, such as several reporters on the MLB Network, but these same reporters will stand-up for Ken Griffey Jr. who also had gained a noticeable amount of size in his career. It's just part of getting old.

9. Roger Clemens: Possibly the best pitcher of all-time, Clemens was also a name thrown into the steroids accusations. Another player never proven to have taken steroids, he is still judged as one because a disgruntled former trainer of his made claims without proof against Clemens. Brian McNamara testified against Clemens, but it leaked out that he had worked out a book deal worth over a million dollars for throwing several players under the "steroids" bus. McNamara's only supposed evidence was that he had cotton swabs that soaked up the steroids shots he claimed to have gave Clemens and stored them for several years in an empty beer can under his kitchen sink. In the worst of scenarios in court, this would not be admissible evidence. Clemens even drug tested for the Olympics competition and passed. In front of a Congressional Hearing, his only testimony that was proven to be false was a question John McCain had asked him concerning or not if he had ever cheated on his wife. Clemens said no, but was found later to having a relationship with country music star, Mindy McCready, which has nothing to do with steroids use.

Back to his play on the field, Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP, 11 time all-star, had 354 career wins (ninth all-time), 4,672 strikeouts (third all-time), a career ERA of 3.12, but has been passed up three times so far for the Hall. This student of Nolan Ryan was the scariest pitcher in Major League Baseball and that was before he learned to throw a splitter.