Also, the only second basemen on the list are Lajoie and Hornsby, pre-integration all-time greats.
Zero of those players are "he's not a Hall of Famer because he wasn't good enough" guys ( full list here). Only 38 players in MLB history have gotten there and, again, it's all Hall of Famers or players easily explained for not being in. Cano had a real shot at 1,500 runs and 1,500 RBI.Only 17 players have reached that plateau and, again, all are in the Hall except those carrying baggage or not yet eligible: Rose, Pujols, Beltre, David Ortiz and Barry Bonds. This number doesn't carry near the same weight as the hits, but Cano is 29 doubles away from 600.This list features someone with a permanent baseball ban, a few PED-related players and a few others who aren't yet eligible but will make it to Cooperstown. The only players with 3,000 career hits not in the Hall of Fame are Pete Rose, Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki and Rafael Palmeiro. Keep in mind that Cano is under contract through 2023 and that he's currently 38 years old. 303 hitter with 2,624 hits, 571 doubles, 334 homers, 1,302 RBI and 1,257 runs.Īmong players whose primary position was second base, Cano ranks 17th in runs, 10th in hits, fourth in doubles, second in homers, fifth in RBI, 20th in average, ninth in slugging (.492) and ninth in OPS+ (126 and this is among Hall of Fame qualifiers).īefore we get into the fallout with the BBWAA Hall of Fame voters, we must discuss what Cano potentially lost in a season-and-a-half from his two suspensions combined.
The eight-time All-Star second baseman has won five Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, an All-Star Game MVP (which isn't a huge deal, but has a small bit of cachet) and a World Series ring. If Cano had no suspensions and retired right now, he'd be a worthy Hall of Famer. First off, Cano's statistical profile is that of a Hall of Famer but secondly, his second suspension for performance-enhancing drugs means he's not getting in. That one involves the now-twice-suspended-for-PEDs Robinson Cano. The ballot for the 2021 class was released earlier this week, but little did we know there would be an additional discussion about someone's chances of one day landing in Cooperstown.
Among plenty of other things happening off the field this winter concerning Major League Baseball, we have our annual discussion on the Hall of Fame ballot.