MLB Network's Top 40 Non-Hall Of Famers

[philliesfiend55]

I caught the very end of an MLB Network show yesterday "Baseball's 40 Greatest Non-Hall Of Famers". This show aired originally in February and was repeated this weekend since it's Hall Of Fame Induction weekend. Does anyone have the entire list available to post? I'd really appreciate it if someone can post their Top 40.
I just caught the final 15 minutes and their top choices were:

1. Tim Raines
2. Jack Morris
3, Mark McGwire
4. Minnie Minoso

Minoso fans & supporters take heart. Since the top three's candidacies are all still before the baseball writers association (BBWAA) then according to MLB Network, that makes Minoso their #1 choice among Veterans Committee candidates. Perhaps Minnie's time for election will finally come next time around (December 2014 election for July 2015 induction - Class of 2015).

[Muncus Agruncus]

I saw part of it yesterday too.

I don't have the order but I saw these guys on it
Rafael Palmiero
Lee Smith
Keith Hernandez
Dale Murphy
Jim Wynn
Dick Allen
Albert Belle
Don Mattingly
Tony Oliva
Juan Gonzalez
Larry Walker
Tommy John

[philliesfiend55]

There's certainly a modern era bias. Minoso who was a star 60 years ago goes back the furthest in time. Is MLB Network aware that baseball was played before 1940 and there should be some decent candidates from that era for their list?

[ol' aches and pains]

Minoso fans & supporters take heart. Since the top three's candidacies are all still before the baseball writers association (BBWAA) then according to MLB Network, that makes Minoso their #1 choice among Veterans Committee candidates. Perhaps Minnie's time for election will finally come next time around (December 2014 election for July 2015 induction - Class of 2015).

Hopefully Minnie can hang on until then, and the Committee does right by him. I'd hate another Ron Santo-type scenario.

[EnterSandman]

http://brettkiser.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/mlb-networks-top-40-non-hall-of-famers/

I agree with him that Bags should be #1. Whitaker should absolutely be higher. Morris is definitely too high.

[Bothrops Atrox]

http://brettkiser.wordpress.com/2012...all-of-famers/

I agree with him that Bags should be #1. Whitaker should absolutely be higher. Morris is definitely too high.

The article's comments are as off as the original list.

[EnterSandman]

The article's comments are as off as the original list.

I posted it more for the list (because nobody else had found it in its entirety) than the analysis.

[Bothrops Atrox]

I posted it more for the list (because nobody else had found it in its entirety) than the analysis.

It was nice to see the list. Thank you!

[epaddon]

He says Tommy John doesn't deserve induction because he didn't "dominate" as in not registering strikeouts. This is precisely the reason John *should* be in, because IMO you can seriously overrate a pitcher based on his strikeout numbers. Nolan Ryan, to be perfectly blunt, was just as much a "Rusty Staub" type pitcher who racked up numbers based on longevity and who never had dominating won-loss records over the years. If Ryan were a sinkerball pitcher like John, he's facing the same problem John still is and I don't see why John should be penalized just because he got results with the ground ball rather than the strikeout.

John also has one other advantage over Ryan: A better postseason pitcher. Yes, TJ unfortunately didn't win a championship being on the losing end in 77-78 with the Dodgers and the Yankees in 81, but in each of those WS he pitched well, and proved he was a better postseason pitcher than Ryan who came up bad in the biggest game of his career in Game 5 of the 80 NLCS.

[philliesfiend55]

http://brettkiser.wordpress.com/2012...all-of-famers/

I agree with him that Bags should be #1. Whitaker should absolutely be higher. Morris is definitely too high.

Thanks so much, Sandman for posting that article. With so much verbiage and analysis that readers may or may not agree with, I thought I'd simplify things in case readers don't want to wade through that long article to find out the rankings. Since the list was done for a Television show, I think finding good footage of players became important. That's why the baseball era before 1945 or even 1950 was totally ignored. I guess they decided to leave the job of minting some new hall of famers from baseball's earliest era to the committee that will meet this December to elect some early stars from the 1871-1946 period to the Class of 2013.
The only players who made the Top 40 list to play before 1950 were Gil Hodges and Negro Leaguers Buck O'Neill and Minnie Minoso (Minnie only managed a few MLB games in 1949 and his major league career didn't begin in earnest until 1951, but in the '40s was primarily a Negro Leaguer) and O'Neill's playing career is the only one to go back before 1940.

Here's the list:

1. Tim Raines. 2. Jack Morris. 3. Mark McGwire. 4. Minnie Minoso. 5. Jeff Bagwell. 6. Lee Smith. 7. Alan Trammell. 8. Ted Simmons. 9. Richie Allen. 10. Jim Kaat.
11. Luis Tiant. 12.Dale Murphy. 13.Ken Boyer. 14. Joe Torre. 15. Dwight Evans. 16. Rafael Palmiero. 17. Steve Garvey. 18. Gil Hodges. 19. Don Matingly. 20. Keith Hernandez.
21. Edgar Martinez. 22. Tommy John. 23. Lou Whitaker. 24. LARRY WALKER. 25. WILL CLARK. 26. Tony Oliva. 27. Dave Parker. 28. Ron Guidry. 29. Maury Wills. 30. Buck O'Neill.
31. Albert Belle. 32. Dave Concepcion. 33. Juan Gonzalez. 34. Jimmy Wynn. 35. Bill Freehan. 36. Bobby Grich. 37. Harold Baines. 38. Fred McGriff. 39. Mark Grace. 40. Roger Maris.

-philliesfiend55-

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Cecil Travis, Bill Dahlen, Mickey Vernon and Billy Pierce shoulda been mentioned on that list. Jeez they really give Buck O'Neill no justice ranking him number 30. I would figure the MLB Channel would have him in the top 5.

[philliesfiend55]

There's certainly a good number of 19th Century greats and early and mid- 20th Century greats who were left off the list all the way up to the end of World War Two in 1945. Again this is the province of the Early Era Committee to select good candidates for the Hall Of Fame. It's such a huge territory chronologically, (about three-quarters of a century) to cover. We can only hope that they do a thorough job and elect candidates from most of the decades of this era and that its not weighted too heavily towards anyone time period.

[EnterSandman]

Thanks so much, Sandman for posting that article. With so much verbiage and analysis that readers may or may not agree with, I thought I'd simplify things in case readers don't want to wade through that long article to find out the rankings. Since the list was done for a Television show, I think finding good footage of players became important. That's why the baseball era before 1945 or even 1950 was totally ignored. I guess they decided to leave the job of minting some new hall of famers from baseball's earliest era to the committee that will meet this December to elect some early stars from the 1871-1946 period to the Class of 2013.
The only players who made the Top 40 list to play before 1950 were Gil Hodges and Negro Leaguers Buck O'Neill and Minnie Minoso (Minnie only managed a few MLB games in 1949 and his major league career didn't begin in earnest until 1951, but in the '40s was primarily a Negro Leaguer) and O'Neill's playing career is the only one to go back before 1940.

Here's the list:

1. Tim Raines. 2. Jack Morris. 3. Mark McGwire. 4. Minnie Minoso. 5. Jeff Bagwell. 6. Lee Smith. 7. Alan Trammell. 8. Ted Simmons. 9. Richie Allen. 10. Jim Kaat.
11. Luis Tiant. 12.Dale Murphy. 13.Ken Boyer. 14. Joe Torre. 15. Dwight Evans. 16. Rafael Palmiero. 17. Steve Garvey. 18. Gil Hodges. 19. Don Matingly. 20. Keith Hernandez.
21. Edgar Martinez. 22. Tommy John. 23. Lou Whitaker. 24. LARRY WALKER. 25. WILL CLARK. 26. Tony Oliva. 27. Dave Parker. 28. Ron Guidry. 29. Maury Wills. 30. Buck O'Neill.
31. Albert Belle. 32. Dave Concepcion. 33. Juan Gonzalez. 34. Jimmy Wynn. 35. Bill Freehan. 36. Bobby Grich. 37. Harold Baines. 38. Fred McGriff. 39. Mark Grace. 40. Roger Maris.

-philliesfiend55-

Thank you! That's very helpful!