Robinson went on to play brilliantly, winning a batting title and a Most Valuable Player Award before retiring. Recent changes to the committee structures have improved things, but even if players like Blue (who's 70) and Wills (who's 87) are eventually recognized as the greats they were, it might be too late for them to enjoy the honor while they're alive. The committee is designed to reconsider players who failed to make the vote during their ten or 15 years of eligibility (depending on when they retired). No one knows exactly how many players were guilty of taking both legal-at-the-time and never-legal drugs to gain an edge, but it was a lot of them, and the inflated statistics of the era are clear evidence that there was essentially wholesale cheating going on in the sport. Toronto Blue Jays. From racism to cheating to steroids, here's the Baseball Hall of Fame's biggest controversies ever. While the New York Yankees are justly proud of their team's legacy, one area that is not a source of pride is the fact that not long after convicted sexual predator Mel Hall left the team, they filled his outfield spot with Chad Curtis. He didn't institute a strong drug screening policy until 2005, which means he basically allowed the so-called PEDs era of baseball to flourish, probably because it was good for business ... until it wasn't. Even Baines admitted to being "very shocked" when he was inducted. Insinuating himself into the lives of kids as young as 12 or 13, he would gain the trust of their parents before secretly manipulating the children into sexual relations. By Sean Fine Published Nov 09, 2014. After multiple stints in prison, Dykstra is currently out on parole. Jesse Haines is the pitching equivalent of Rabbit Maranville in the hall. While this is arguably due to the noticeable lack of black players prior to 1947 (and until 2016, one of the committees under the Eras umbrella could only consider major league players prior to 1947 — who were, of course, all white), plenty of big names haven't made the cut. Author Charles C. Alexander writes that long-time sports reporter Fred Lieb maintained that Hornsby had admitted as much to him, and Hornsby was accused of releasing Catholic players from his teams because of his prejudices. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, left, presided over baseball's segregationist era. 3 years ago. When you think of baseball-related crimes, a couple things immediately spring to mind: steroids and gambling. But worst of all, there are persistent rumors that Hornsby was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Throughout his playing career, Hall preyed upon underage girls. After arguing with the other driver, Machado pulled out an illegal handgun and fired into the car. But his teammates had it easy...because, unlike Bradley's wife, they could get away from him at the end of the day. Inclusion doesn't just mean greatness for a few seasons. Aside from humiliation, like making them launder their own uniforms, he often cheated by benching players in order to prevent them from getting contractual bonuses. In the 19th century, while there were racist and segregationist forces in the game, it wasn't uncommon for teams to have black players. Surprisingly, a game played for money (huge amounts of it in the modern era) doesn't necessarily attract the nicest or most morally upstanding people, and the Hall's voting procedure is weird and open to personal vendettas and crusades, resulting in plenty of controversial choices and decisions. Sports Quiz / 50 Worst MLB Hall of Famers Random Sports or MLB Quiz Can you name the Worst MLB Hall of Famers Based on Wins Above Replacement? There's a paragraph buried deep in his official biography, but overall, the bio mostly focuses on his hitting prowess and supposed reputation as embodying everything that's great about baseball. Comiskey was also a big fan of racial segregation in baseball. The role of commissioner of baseball isn't what it used to be. Just like the country that invented it, baseball has had its ups and downs, its scandals and investigations, and a steady evolution. Granted, the Hall does acknowledge Anson's history but only barely. One of the most controversial aspects of the Hall of Fame is the Eras Committee, also known as the Veterans Committee. The absolute no-doubt tier Albert Pujols (87.2 WAR) Mike Trout (75.7 WAR) In several separate incidents, he was also arrested for sexual harassment, accused of sexual assault, and convicted for sexual misconduct after trying to solicit sex via craigslist on six different occasions. Eight players for the Chicago White Sox were accused of taking bribes to throw the World Series. 9 Worst Hall of Famers in Cooperstown. The sport was segregated from its inception until Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey broke the color barrier in 1947. Turns out, he had also been fired from previous coaching jobs after rumors circulated that he was getting too handsy with the female students. It appeared he was on the fast track to stardom, or at least a long and lucrative pro career. This is one reason it took Walker so long to get into the Hall (2020 was his final year of eligibility). Following the end of his ten year career, like Hall, Curtis went into coaching youth sports. While there are other ways of judging a player's impact, it's pretty clear that Walker benefited from a serious home field advantage. Milton Bradley was a classic five tool player. But it's a question you'll be forced to ask once you take a look at some of the worst crimes ever committed by MLB players. Yeah, me, too. Prior to joining the Colorado Rockies, Walker's career batting average was .282 — a perfectly respectable number but nothing compared to the .334 he hit as a Rocky. A World Series champion with the Florida Marlins and a two-time All-Star, the man known as Oogie to fans also led the league in saves in 1999 as part of a wildly successful 11-year career. He later became a player-manager and was pretty successful in that role, too. While Smith arguably has the stats for inclusion (his 478 saves rank third all-time), Baines never got more than 6.1 percent of the votes during his initial eligibility ... and for good reason. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle", which has occurred 14 times in Major League Baseball (MLB). Share & Export. by deej Plays Quiz Updated Jan 21, 2020 . 8. Peel back the old-timey glamour of baseball as the pure All-American pastime, and you'll find plenty of dark, ugly stuff. 1997 Nellie Fox, 1966 Casey Stengel, 1974 Mickey Mantle, 1982 Henry Aaron, 1946 Joe McGinnity, 1963 Eppa Rixey, 1973 Monte Irvin, 1977 Martín Dihigo, 2013 Hank O'Day, Rape. Well, Walker's numbers are a little on the weak side for the Hall, and he got a boost from Coors Field, a stadium that's notorious for boosting hitting numbers (and ruining pitching numbers).Â, As Forbes reports, Coors Field is "by far the most hitter-friendly yard in the game," and Walker undoubtedly got a boost from it. Ford made it clear that as he aged into his 30s, he lost some of his athletic abilities and was forced to resort to cheating in order to stay competitive. The median adjusted WAR for the group: 59.3 (the typical Hall of Famer averaged a 3.6 WAR over 18 seasons, and a 5.4 in his ten best). So to prove that the Hall isn't "becoming" watered down -- that it's always been that way -- I've put together an "all-star" team of the worst Hall of Famers. It's where the best of the best are enshrined, plastered on walls and bronzed in busts. by kps7179 Plays Quiz not verified by Sporcle . He also oversaw the exciting home run competition between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998, credited with re-sparking fans' love of the game and rehabilitating its image. Armando Benitez, Aaron Boone, Jacque Jones: what do these MLB players have in common, other than average careers? But that all ended one hot summer night in Venezuela when Machado shot a stranger in the head. Despite being frequently injured and not much of a defensive player, he played for 22 years. And yet Selig is in the Hall of Fame despite these failings. Who knows what might have happened if Hall of Famer Cap Anson hadn't been around. As Sports Illustrated put it, "There's nothing to Baines' Hall of Fame case beyond his prodigious hit total, and he got there by piling up thousands of plate appearances as a plodding DH who could barely play the field." Later that year, Monique died at the age of 33, the years of chronic physical and mental abuse having taken too great a toll. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . For example, it's said that when Eddie Cicotte was within one win of triggering a $10,000 contractual bonus, Comiskey ordered him benched. But Cobb was, by all accounts, a truly horrible human being and one of the dirtiest players in baseball. Butch Jones fires back at Spurrier for … After all, the most high profile legal cases in baseball history have either involved one (Barry Bonds and the whole BALCO debacle) or the other (the Black Sox fixing the World Series). The problem is that McGwire and Sosa — and many other players — were both almost certainly using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) at this time, and as Fox Sports notes, Selig didn't take the problem very seriously until years later. The Black Sox scandal of 1919 remains a seminal moment in baseball's history. You’d have an easier time making a case that he’s one of the worst Hall of Famers ever: Of the 157 hitters enshrined, Baines would rank 144th … Lenny Dykstra became a household name among baseball fans as a member of the World Series Champion 1986 New York Mets, and later as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. And after his playing days ended, Hall became a youth sports coach, allowing him even greater access to vulnerable teens and pre-teens. Sure is a long way from Yankee Stadium, huh? In 2007, more than a decade after his MLB career ended, Hall was finally arrested for rape, and in 2009 he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Machado was on his way home from a party when he got in a car accident. When you think of baseball-related crimes, a couple things immediately spring to mind: steroids and gambling. As Deadspin notes, Mike Piazza, one of the most dominant catchers of his time, was widely suspected of steroid use, which almost certainly explains the fact that he failed to get the required 75 percent of the vote the first three years he was eligible.Â. By the time he got out, his major league career was over, just like Edicta Vasquez's life. Worst MLB Hall of Famers. The 25 worst Baseball Hall of Fame selections. A more blatant example of the lingering racism afflicting both the sport and the country can't be found. Most people think they know the story of race and baseball. Constantly in trouble with both his own team and the league itself for on-field tirades, Bradley was traded from city to city as one club after another tried and failed to rein in his temper. But, hey, who knows. Smith’s career slash line is one of the very worst among all Hall of Famers at.262/.337/.328. The (too) many numbers and formulas have changed the way we view the game. That means he made the cut by just four votes. Originally created in the wake of the Black Sox cheating scandal of 1919, the office was intended to rebuild confidence in the game, as well as save the league from the inter-team squabbling that threatened to tear it apart. But unfortunately for him and everyone around him, he also had a sixth tool: uncontrollable rage. Oakland Athletics Interested in Trevor Plouffe by Jason Burke. Forget “who got in” as the biggest Hall of Fame controversy, it’s how the heck did these guys get votes.. A way worse choice than Sutter, who tends to be one of the first worst hall of famers to be brought up. However, there's one man who never suffered despite his obvious role in the scandal — Hall of Fame owner Charles Comiskey. Even during his playing days, though, he was known to be a complete tool. The best and worst of the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame Progress was made on the logjam of deserving Hall of Famers, but there could have been more. Urbina was found guilty of attempted murder and served seven years in prison before being released in 2012, his Major League Baseball career a distant memory. How to Play. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . Still his "situation" serves to clear our criteria up, so without further adieu, here are the 25 Worst Things "Allegedly" Done By Hall of Famers. Despite this, Cobb remains in the Hall of Fame, and there isn't even any meaningful discussion about reviewing whether or not his deplorable actions should lead to a reconsideration. Reportedly angry over a missing handgun, Urbina pinned the blame on a group of farm workers toiling on his ranch in Venezuela. The Eras Committee, also known as the Veterans Committee, is charged with reviewing the careers of players who failed to be elected to the baseball Hall of Fame during their initial eligibility. As The Sporting News noted in 2017, the Veterans Committee "has never enshrined an African-American who played his entire career in the major leagues." Murder. Average Batting HOFer's stats include batters and player inductees only. Toronto Blue Jays Sign Gavin Floyd to a Minor-League Deal by Andrew Schmid. The 1984 Detroit Tigers are one of the few World Series winners in baseball history without a Hall of Famer. As Fox Sports notes, Comiskey was a criminally mean-spirited boss who underpaid his players — in the pre-free agency era, the athletes had little leverage or recourse — and treated them pretty badly. In the modern day, the commissioner is much less independent than originally conceived, but the position is still plenty influential, as Bud Selig proves. But the fact is baseball wasn't always a segregated sport. Let’s look at the nine worst players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 1960 WS Game 7: … It happened on December 8, 1991. MLB History 40 Worst Fielders in Baseball History Doug Mead @ @Sports_A_Holic. Besides unrepentantly using steroids and being a general meathead, Dykstra was also arrested for drunk driving after a 1991 crash inured both himself and a former teammate. After getting off several times without being charged, Bradley was finally convicted in 2013 on nine counts of domestic abuse, including battery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was violent on and off the field. Smithsonian magazine notes multiple reports of Cobb assaulting people, and The New York Times recounts that one time, Cobb actually went into the stands to assault a fan.
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