It's Part 2 of the non-HOF team, and for those who didn't read the first one, go do that! But if you don't want to read about the infielders, that's fine (a bit weird, but I don't judge); here are the rules: no steroid users or gamblers, and the players have to be off the ballot and not active.
I'll have one player for each position and an honorable mention, and I'll decide if I think he's HOF-worthy. So, let's get into our outfielders and pitchers!
LF: Jose Cruz
The left field position, similar to short and third, is a bit thin in terms of HOF-caliber talent, but Cruz was still very good for his time. He made a couple of All-Star teams and was an excellent hitter for most of his 19-year career.
Cruz was a fast corner outfielder who hit for more average than power and drew his fair share of walks, but since his value came in a corner spot, his WAR gets a bit deflated due to his positional value, coming in at 54.4 for his career.
HM: Lance Berkman
One of the more recent names on this list, Berkman was a switch-hitting corner outfielder/first baseman who was a great hitter but didn't do much else on the field. His career 144 OPS+ suggests that he might have had a shot at making it in if not for his just coming short of 400 home runs and lack of an MVP.
Unfortunately, he played in the NL during both super-steroid Barry Bonds and the Amazing Albert Pujols, so he missed his chance at making a real run at the award. But he was a really fun switch hitter who played a lot for the Astros in the 2000s, giving them a nice bat to complement HOF first baseman Jeff Bagwell.
CF: Kenny Lofton
One of the best base stealers ever, Lofton also played a really great center field. His skills at the plate weren't always great, as he never hit for much pop, but he could get on base and cause havoc.
Lofton is incredibly borderline for me, and if you argued either way, I wouldn't push back, but I'd have to fall on the side of letting him in. He also played in the peak steroid era and was clean, so there's something to be said about his career being unjustly overshadowed in that regard as well.
HM: Chet Lemon
Lemon is a huge peak guy. During his prime, he coupled his excellent skill out in center with some great hitting seasons, walking a fair amount and hitting for a relatively high average with meh power numbers.
I mainly focused on Lemon because of his awesome name, facial hair, and the fact that he played a really solid center field. Is he a HOF-caliber guy? Maybe, but I might have to say no if I'm being honest with myself and ignoring my enthusiasm for cool sideburns.
RF: Bobby Abreu
Abreu is an analytics darling due to his ridiculously high walk numbers (he was hitting triple-digit base-on-balls totals almost every year during his prime), but I also greatly celebrate his home run derby performance. Just kidding.
Although he did hit for a fair amount of power, Abreu's value is heavily reliant on those other-worldly walk totals, and rightfully so. He ended up with a .342 career OBP and even won a Gold Glove in '05. So yeah, Abreu deserves to be in the Hall, if not just to celebrate the Walk God.
HM: Dwight Evans
Evans is another name that might surprise you that he's not already in Cooperstown (at least he did for me). Evans played in Boston during some lean years and some fun years during the 1970s and 80s, but his 67.2 career WAR speaks for itself. He was a dynamite right fielder who also had a 127 OPS+ and close to 400 bombs.
I'm shocked that Evans isn't already in, and he's one of the most deserving guys on this list.
DH: Dick Allen
Allen was featured on my All-Time team, and I used the DH spot for him simply because he wasn't exactly known as a great fielder, and I had two other first basemen I wanted to include.
Allen's decade-long peak as a hitter is one of the best in baseball history, especially for someone not in Cooperstown; he was at least 40% above league average every year, with an MVP mixed in as well as 8 of those 10 seasons with offensive production 60% or higher than league average. Ridiculous stuff, and a down-right shame that the writers allowed his at-times frosty relationship with the media to influence their decision.
HM: Jeff Kent
Widely considered the best power-hitting second baseman ever, Kent leads the position in homers with 377 and has an MVP and 5 All-Star teams. He played alongside super-steroid Barry Bonds during his prime and was never considered elite defensively at the position (hence my inclusion of him as a DH), but Kent's career was HOF-worthy. He may not be Joe Morgan, but Kent provided immense value throughout his career, just in a different way.
SP: Luis Tiant
Twice, Tiant led the majors in ERA, and those two seasons are amongst the best, with a 1.60 and 1.91 ERA in the two years. He surrounded those peak seasons with some solid efforts, culminating in 66.1 WAR and 229 wins (yuck, I know, but historically, wins can be fun).
Tiant wasn't Bob Gibson or Pedro, but he was a great pitcher. He was certainly worthy of, at the very least, more consideration from a veteran's committee, but in my opinion, he should be let in. He was awesome, and his facial hair was fantastic.
HM: Johan Santana
The biggest peak-HOF case, Santana's star burned brighter than many other players on this list, but unfortunately, he also fizzled out quicker than many other players on this list. The two-time Cy Young winner placed in the top 10 for the award four other times and finished in the top three twice out of those four years. His ERA+ ended up being 136 for his 12-year career, and he had a span of three seasons where he led the league in ERA each year.
Santana is a tough call, but I always lean on the side of inclusion, so I say let him in. For five years, he was the unquestionably best pitcher in baseball, and he did it without steroids in an era filled with hitters juicing.
RP: Dan Quisenberry
Relievers are always tricky because their lack of innings makes their WAR totals consistently low. Quissenberry is no different, with a 24.6 WAR, but he earned MVP votes five times over his very short 11-year career. Quisenberry unfortunately came into the league a bit late, arriving in 1979 at age 26 with the Royals. His save totals are also not as gaudy as closer specialists like Rivera, Hoffman, or even Kimbrel, but it was a different time. He was considered a fireman-type reliever who came in at any point in the ballgame and did his thing. So I'm inclined to take Quisenberry's peak and let him into Cooperstown.
HM: Tom Gordon
Dee Gordon's dad! Tom Gordon was a reliever in the majors for a whopping 21 years, spanning from the late 80s to the late 2000s, and he was pretty consistently effective throughout his time with eight different teams.
Gordon only spent a few seasons as a full-time closer, mainly being used as a setup man, but he was a fine guy to rely on in the late innings. In my book, he's not a HOF-caliber player, but he's still a fun longevity guy to include in this list.
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