5 Undeserving MLB Hall of Famers (and Who Should Replace Them)
Walking through the plaque gallery at the National Baseball Hall of Fame fills baseball fans with a feeling unlike any other. There's so much history, so much nostalgia, and so much pure greatness flowing from the hundreds of plaques that line the walls of the magnificent showcase. You can reminisce on your childhood heroes, gawk at the lofty statistics of the game's all-time greats, and even touch the plaques of your favorites (though you're not supposed to).
Thus, it's all the more disappointing when you see a plaque of a Hall of Famer that just doesn't quite fit in with the rest.
This is the Hall of Fame. The most exclusive Hall of Fame of any of the major sports. According to the Hall of Fame's website, only 235 of the 19,000-plus players to step foot onto a Major League diamond are enshrined, for about a 1% induction rate. And even still, the Hall feels a little too generous in who it lets in. Not everyone can be a Babe Ruth, a Hank Aaron, a Cy Young or a Ken Griffey Jr.
But these five guys, among others, just don't feel like they boast the same greatness as the majority of the other members. It feels a little like the "Hall of Very Good" when you look at these players' accomplishments in comparison to some of the legendary figures at the same position. And though they're not going to be removed from the Hall of Fame and replaced, the presence of these five guys should mean that a much more deserving group of five is in the Hall, as well.