Players who just missed
by Ron Shandler
When you use strict, objective criteria to identify members of a group, you always run the risk of players missing out by the smallest of margins. Our Rotisserie Hall of Fame also has its share of “just misses.” However, it is useful to identify them and see where they fell short.
These players had a handful of terrific seasons — four times ranked in the Top 15 — but it was not nearly enough to boost their peak or career value:
| PLAYER | #Yrs | Avg$ | Peak$ | Top15 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | 14 | $17 | $23 | 4 |
| Mike Scott | 12 | $12 | $19 | 4 |
| Javier Vazquez | 14 | $14 | $18 | 4 |
These players had an excellent 10-year stretch, but the rest of their careers were sub-par, dragging down their eligibility. These are the players who missed out by the smallest margin:
| PLAYER | #Yrs | Avg$ | Peak$ | Top15 |
| Darryl Strawberry | 17 | $18 | $29 | 3 |
| Jim Thome | 22 | $19 | $27 | 1 |
| Bobby Bonilla | 16 | $18 | $27 | 1 |
| Matt Williams | 17 | $18 | $26 | 2 |
| Andruw Jones | 17 | $17 | $26 | 2 |
| Ron Gant | 16 | $18 | $25 | 3 |
| Ray Lankford | 14 | $19 | $25 | 1 |
| Willie Wilson | 15 | $19 | $25 | 1 |
| Barry Larkin | 19 | $19 | $25 | 2 |
| Marquis Grissom | 17 | $19 | $25 | 2 |
| Edgar Martinez | 18 | $18 | $25 | 1 |
| Julio Franco | 22 | $16 | $25 | 1 |
The following are the pitchers who missed out by the smallest margins:
| PITCHERS | #Yrs | Avg$ | Peak$ | Top15 |
| Dwight Gooden | 16 | $13 | $23 | 3 |
| Rod Beck | 13 | $13 | $22 | 2 |
| Dave Stieb | 15 | $12 | $21 | 3 |
| Jose Rijo | 14 | $10 | $21 | 3 |
| Doug Drabek | 13 | $13 | $20 | 3 |
| Kevin Appier | 16 | $11 | $20 | 3 |
| Dennis Martinez | 19 | $10 | $20 | 3 |
| Tom Henke | 14 | $14 | $19 | 2 |
| Derek Lowe | 14 | $14 | $19 | 2 |
| Mark Langston | 16 | $10 | $19 | 3 |
| Bob Welch | 15 | $13 | $18 | 3 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 10 | $13 | $18 | 3 |
| Chris Carpenter | 15 | $10 | $18 | 3 |
These players had excellent careers but missed by just a little bit more:
| PLAYER | #Yrs | Avg$ | Peak$ | Top15 |
| Lloyd Moseby | 12 | $21 | $24 | 3 |
| Steve Sax | 14 | $19 | $24 | 2 |
| Moises Alou | 17 | $19 | $24 | 2 |
| Derrek Lee | 15 | $19 | $24 | 1 |
| Jim Edmonds | 17 | $18 | $24 | 1 |
| Brian Giles | 15 | $18 | $24 | 1 |
| Luis Gonzalez | 19 | $18 | $24 | 1 |
| Tim Salmon | 14 | $18 | $23 | 1 |
| Paul Konerko | 18 | $18 | $23 | 1 |
| Brady Anderson | 15 | $17 | $23 | 2 |
| Ivan Rodriguez | 21 | $16 | $23 | 1 |
| Juan Samuel | 16 | $16 | $23 | 3 |
| Von Hayes | 12 | $20 | $22 | 3 |
| Kevin McReynolds | 12 | $19 | $22 | 1 |
| Ellis Burks | 18 | $19 | $22 | 1 |
| Cecil Fielder | 13 | $18 | $22 | 2 |
| Howard Johnson | 14 | $17 | $22 | 3 |
| Tino Martinez | 16 | $17 | $22 | 1 |
| Gary Gaetti | 19 | $17 | $22 | 1 |
Finally, these players had solid careers but were never able to crack the Top 15 in any season, not even once:
| PLAYER | #Yrs | Avg$ | Peak$ | Top15 |
| Bernie Williams | 16 | $21 | $27 | 0 |
| Kent Hrbek | 14 | $21 | $26 | 0 |
| Brett Butler | 17 | $20 | $26 | 0 |
| Paul O’Neill | 16 | $20 | $25 | 0 |
| Chili Davis | 19 | $20 | $24 | 0 |
| Wade Boggs | 18 | $19 | $24 | 0 |
| Harold Baines | 22 | $19 | $24 | 0 |
| Andy Van Slyke | 13 | $20 | $23 | 0 |
| Carney Lansford | 13 | $20 | $23 | 0 |
| Lou Whitaker | 16 | $20 | $23 | 0 |
| Steve Finley | 19 | $18 | $23 | 0 |
| Scott Rolen | 17 | $17 | $23 | 0 |
| Devon White | 17 | $17 | $23 | 0 |
| Keith Hernandez | 11 | $20 | $22 | 0 |
| Jack Clark | 13 | $20 | $22 | 0 |
| David Justice | 14 | $19 | $22 | 0 |
| Danny Tartabull | 13 | $18 | $22 | 0 |
| Adam Dunn | 14 | $18 | $22 | 0 |
| Wally Joyner | 16 | $17 | $22 | 0 |
| Garret Anderson | 17 | $17 | $22 | 0 |
| Greg Vaughn | 15 | $17 | $22 | 0 |
| Tom Brunansky | 14 | $17 | $21 | 0 |
| Gary Carter | 13 | $17 | $21 | 0 |
| John Olerud | 17 | $16 | $21 | 0 |
| Lance Parrish | 16 | $15 | $21 | 0 |
Why the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame election process is flawed
The Rotisserie Hall of Fame eligibility criteria
Players who just missed getting in