Cooperstown Hopefuls

Seems that a popular conversations among veteran baseball fans is, "who's NOT in the hall of fame, who SHOULD be?" In putting together the new "Hopefuls" sub set for our Cooperstown series (which will be released in a couple weeks), I thought it would be wise to tap into that conversation to help me decide who should get cards. That's when I discovered that there are a lot of unspoken qualifiers to the discussion...

Sometimes, the point of that conversation is to talk about players who have all the qualifications for HOF consideration, but who have been excluded from the hall because of bad behavior. The usual suspects: Pete Rose, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, etc. (Editor's note: the winds seem to be shifting on this. I included Alex Rodriguez on the "exiled" list, although he is on the ballot this year despite having been suspended an entire year (2014) for PED usage. If he or any of the other exiles make it in, we'll card him in our yearly update of newly-elected players.)

In other cases, the discussion centers around current players who are on-track towards an induction ceremony of their own (or not), and how much/little of a shoo-in are they to get one. Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw to name a few.

Then there's the discussion--same question--about "gray area" players, those who have for one reason or another not gotten sufficient votes to be elected to the hall. Usually, this discussion includes comparisons to players who HAVE been inducted who have similar or (as it's sometimes argued) inferior qualifications. To me, this is the most interesting conversation, as it illustrates how various biases and arbitrary standards come into play about who should or shouldn't be honored with a place in baseball's hallowed hall. Different people have different ideas about this.

For the Cooperstown Hopefuls series, I decided to NOT consider players in the first two categories I outlined above. I feel like the "exiles" should have their own series in this collection, although there aren't really that many players who both a) have the qualifications for hall of fame status and b) somehow screwed it up by cheating, gambling, or by taking unauthorized supplements. The second category--current players--really don't fit into the parameters of the set, as their careers are still "works in progress." You can't cite Zack Greinke's career win total or ERA because, well, his career isn't finished yet.

That leaves us with the third category, which as I mentioned before, is a most interesting discussion fraught with arbitrary standards, subjective judgements and volatile opinions. There may be some consensus about many of these players, but widespread disagreement about others. Since it's ultimately up to me to decide who gets cards in the set and who doesn't, I feel pretty free to impose my own arbitrary standards and subjective judgements!

I'll post the list of all 126 Cooperstown Hopefuls at the end of this blog post, and I expect there will be disagreement. To be sure, there are players carded in this series who, realistically, will NOT be going into the hall of fame. But I've included them anyway, not because I think, by current standards, they should be inducted but rather because I think the standards for inclusion could perhaps reasonably be broadened. More on that in a moment. First, let me list a few of the players who come to my mind as being players who are, indeed, worthy of the hall of fame by current standards...

David Ortiz: He's on the ballot this year and will most likely make it in, maybe I shouldn't have even included him as a "hopeful." Anonymous steroid whispers have been disregarded, as Big Papi is considered a "lock." Enough said.

Steve Garvey: To me, Garvey's absence is inexplicable. He has "the stats," he earned "the hardware," he played for "the team," fans loved him, should I go on? 10-time All-Star, Most Valuable Player, a four-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time All-Star Game MVP, etc.

Dick Allen: Another guy who has the numbers, arguably the best hitter in baseball for a decade (1964-74) and who some say helped keep the White Sox from moving out of Chicago. He was seen as "controversial" in his day, although by today's standards the same kinds of comments probably wouldn't even stir up any notice at all.

Omar Vizquiel: It does seem (as some have said) that fielding excellence is de-valued by HOF voters, but if it weren't, this guy would probably be enshrined. One of the best defensive shortstop of all time. Plus, he played until age 45.

Curt Schilling: A three-time Cy Young runner-up, a World Series champion with three different teams and a post-season winning percentage (.846) better than anyone in big league history. His political views, however, have polarized the voting and he "removed" himself from consideration recently.

Orel Hershiser: His '85 season was astounding, as was his 59-inning scoreless streak in '88. He fell off the ballot in 2007, but is being given a second chance for consideration. Hope he makes it.

Don Mattingly: I’m not a Yankees fan, but I tend to give credit to post free-agency players who spent their entire careers with the same team. Especially when they post a .307 career batting average with over 2000 hits AND nine gold gloves.

Dale Murphy: Not only was he a great ball player--he won consecutive MVP awards in 1982 and '83--he was/is also a great human being. He's in three OTHER halls of fame, including the Humanitarian Hall of Fame--just not the one in Cooperstown.

Bill Madlock: His four batting titles are the most of any player not already in the hall.

Jim Kaat: He pitched for 25 years with great success (283 wins--that's almost 12 per year on average) and has also contributed to the game as a broadcaster and an author. (Yeah, I'm one of those folks that feels that more than just stats should be factored in.)

Sparky Lyle: Has been off the ballot for 30 years now, but was one of the best "firemen" of the 1970s. Plus he was a fun guy to hang with, as long as you weren't on the butt-end of one of his legendary locker room pranks. Come to think of it, maybe that's why nobody wanted to vote him in.

Tony Oliva: I think he'll get in on the "second chance" ballot, and he should. Consistently one of baseball's best hitters for fifteen years and a stand-up, team guy.

Babe Adams: Who? Babe played 100 years ago, so you'd be forgiven for not knowing who he is. In 1920, he pitched 240 innings and gave up just 18 walks. He displayed that kind of control for virtually every one of his nineteen big league seasons. But nobody alive saw him play, there's no film and I guess that's the way it goes.

Finally, here are a few guys who most people wouldn't consider for the HOF--but I do, so they are IN this set...

Curt Flood: Every "overpaid professional athlete" should thank Curt Flood, he was the one who got the gravy train rolling. Whether you think it's a good thing or a big problem, fact is Curt Flood changed not only baseball but ALL professional sports. How is he not in the hall, if only for THAT reason? (But people forget, he was a pretty decent ball player, too!)

Johnny Vander Meer: The only guy in big league history to throw consecutive no-hitters, a record that will never be broken. I'll agree that many isolated, single accomplishments perhaps do not make a player hall-worthy, but I would argue that this one does.

Jim Abbott: A guy who pitched ten big-league seasons with one hand. He played with some poor clubs so his numbers were respectable and not stellar, but to be able to overcome a handicap like that and perform with prolonged success on the game's greatest stage--I think that deserves mention, if not inclusion.

Bo Jackson: The only player in the HISTORY of professional sports to be named an all-star in two sports, the same season (1989). As I said, many single accomplishments don't make a player hall-worthy, and this is less "baseball-oriented" than Vander Meer's feat, so maybe I should have saved a card for Bo in a "no hope" Cooperstown series. (But, the set has already gone to print!)

Charlie Hough, Tommy John and Julio Franco: As I get older myself, I am more and more impressed by ball players who are able to perform at a major-league level well beyond their expected career limitations. Hough played 25 years and led the league in starts and innings pitched in ‘87 at age 39. John pitched nearly 5000 innings over 26 years, and was the opening day starter in 1966 and--23 years later--in 1989! Franco played regularly until he was almost 50, and batted .309 at age 45 (2004). Longevity should, I think, be a consideration of greatness, especially at the big league level. At least it is in my book.

So, below you'll find the full list of Cooperstown Hopefuls. Please bear in mind (if you read this far, I probably don't need to tell you this, but...)this is not intended to be "the" definitive list of "players who are not in the hall of fame, but SHOULD be." I have a couple more Cooperstown series to add to the collection down the road, including the previously-mentioned Cooperstown "Exiles" and a set of Cooperstown "Footnotes," players whose have recorded memorable, if not hall-worthy, accomplishments. Plus there are plenty of other memorable ball players who will never be included on a hall of fame ballot, but who nonetheless deserve to be commemorated.

As always, if you have questions, let us know!

• Watch our Cooperstown Hopefuls Exhibition Game on the PLAAY Space LIVE, Monday, April 26th!

Cooperstown Hopefuls Checklist (Legends are #1 through #144, Pioneers are #145 through #278).

#279 Torii Hunter

#280 Mark Texeira

#281 David Ortiz

#282 Carlos Beltran

#283 Todd Helton

#284 Andruw Jones

#285 Scott Rolen

#286 Nomar Garciaparra

#287 Andy Pettitte

#288 Billy Wagner

#289 Jim Edmonds

#290 Carlos Delgado

#291 Jeff Kent

#292 Kenny Lofton

#293 Bernie Williams

#294 Omar Vizquel

#295 Juan Gonzalez

#296 Albert Belle

#297 Jim Abbott

#298 Curt Schilling

#299 Mark Grace

#300 Fred McGriff

#301 David Cone

#302 Will Clark

#303 Bo Jackson

#304 Andres Galarraga

#305 Cecil Fielder

#306 Bret Saberhagen

#307 John Franco

#308 Dwight Gooden

#309 Orel Hershiser

#310 Darryl Strawberry

#311 Joe Carter

#312 Julio Franco

#313 Willie McGee

#314 Don Mattingly

#315 Fernando Valenzuela

#316 Kirk Gibson

#317 Lou Whitaker

#318 Lance Parrish

#319 Dennis Martínez

#320 Dale Murphy

#321 Willie Randolph

#322 Ron Guidry

#323 Fred Lynn

#324 Keith Hernandez

#325 Frank Tanana

#326 Ken Griffey, Sr.

#327 Dave Parker

#328 Bill Madlock

#329 Dwight Evans

#330 Bob Boone

#331 Cecil Cooper

#332 Charlie Hough

#333 Dave Concepción

#334 Don Baylor

#335 Bobby Grich

#336 Bill Buckner

#337 Darrell Evans

#338 Steve Garvey

#339 Vida Blue

#340 George Foster

#341 Thurman Munson

#342 Al Oliver

#343 Bobby Bonds

#344 Joe Niekro

#345 Graig Nettles

#346 Sparky Lyle

#347 Bert Campaneris

#348 Luis Tiant

#349 Tommy John

#350 Rusty Staub

#351 Mickey Lolich

#352 Dick Allen

#353 Tony Oliva

#354 Dave McNally

#355 Boog Powell

#356 Bill Freehan

#357 Jim Kaat

#358 Mike Cuellar

#359 Maury Wills

#360 Vada Pinson

#361 Norm Cash

#362 Frank Howard

#363 Roger Maris

#364 Curt Flood

#365 Ken Boyer

#366 Elston Howard

#367 Rocky Colavito

#368 Bobby Richardson

#369 Dick Groat

#370 Harvey Kuenn

#371 Minnie Minoso

#372 Don Newcombe

#373 Al Rosen

#374 Al Dark

#375 Billy Pierce

#376 Eddie Yost

#377 Eddie Lopat

#378 Gil Hodges

#379 Johnny Sain

#380 Allie Reynolds

#381 Vern Stephens

#382 Dom DiMaggio

#383 Johnny Vander Meer

#384 Phil Cavarretta

#385 Cecil Travis

#386 Bob Johnson

#387 Stan Hack

#388 Paul Derringer

#389 Tommy Bridges

#390 Mel Harder

#391 Pepper Martin

#392 Dick Bartell

#393 Wes Ferrell

#394 Babe Herman

#395 Lefty O'Doul

#396 Urban Shocker

#397 Carl Mays

#398 Cy Williams

#399 Jake Daubert

#400 Smoky Joe Wood

#401 Hippo Vaughn

#402 Babe Adams

#403 Jack Coombs

#404 Bill Dahlen