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Close calls: 20 MLB greats who came closest to Cooperstown but never made it
C & G Collections/Getty Images

Close calls: 20 MLB greats who came closest to Cooperstown but never made it

There will be a special moment for a certain pair of performers who will be honored when the National Baseball Hall of Fame prepares to welcome another class to Cooperstown this summer. Jack Morris and Alan Trammell will finally have their day in the sun, ending their long waits for Hall of Fame nods.

For some, that day has still not arrived. For as many legends who have found ways to get over the hump, there are those who came up short when it was time to get the call for the Hall. Here is a look at the all-time greats who came the closest to reaching Cooperstown, only to never make it over the hump.

(Any recently retired player who still has time left on the IBWAA ballot is not considered here.)

 
1 of 20

Gil Hodges - 63.4 percent

Gil Hodges - 63.4 percent
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Aside from Roy Campanella, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson, Hodges is the most notable player from the Dodgers’ Brooklyn era. An eight-time All-Star who also hit 370 home runs, Hodges had a distinguished career and was a brilliant defender. However, he was hurt by era comparison, as he never finished higher than seventh in MVP voting or led the National League in a single offensive category. Hodges’ contributions were lost in context, as he topped out at 63.4 percent of the vote in his final year of eligibility, in 1983 — the highest IBWAA vote total for a player still not enshrined in Cooperstown.

 
2 of 20

Tony Oliva - 47.2 percent

Tony Oliva - 47.2 percent
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A lifelong Twin, Oliva was one of the best hitters in the American League throughout the 1960s. The outfielder was named Rookie of the Year in 1964 and won back-to-back batting titles in '64 and ’65, adding another in 1971. In five different seasons, Oliva led the AL in hits and on four occasions led the circuit in doubles. However, injuries caused a dramatic fall in his production by 1972, and he played only three more full seasons in his career. As a result, Oliva fell short in cumulative stats, finishing with 1,917 hits.

 
3 of 20

Roger Maris - 43.1 percent

Roger Maris - 43.1 percent
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Although he will forever be immortalized for breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record with his 61 bombs in 1961, Maris’ career was far more than just a one-year explosion. He took home consecutive MVPs over none other than Mickey Mantle in 1960 and '61 and won three World Series between the Yankees and Cardinals. Although he hit only 275 homers in his career, the high marks of that career (along with the five years of hitting over 25 homers) came to be appreciated too late. Maris appeared on over 40 percent of ballots in each of his last three years of eligibility before falling off in 1988.

 
4 of 20

Steve Garvey - 42.6 percent

Steve Garvey - 42.6 percent
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In a lengthy career spent between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey racked up nearly 2,600 hits and reached the 200-hit mark in six separate seasons. In 1974, he was named NL MVP and won a title with the Dodgers in 1981. Although Garvey became one of the most recognizable players of the '80s, it did little for his Hall of Fame chances, as he topped out at 42.6 percent in 1995.

 
5 of 20

Maury Wills - 40.6 percent

Maury Wills - 40.6 percent
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Wills was a terror on the basepaths for the Dodgers in the 1960s, leading the NL in base swipes in six consecutive seasons from 1960-65. The highlight performance in that stretch was his 104 steals in the 1962 season, when he edged out Willie Mays for NL MVP honors. Along the way, he also played a pivotal part in bringing three World Series titles to Hollywood. However, time has not been kind to shining a light on his career, as speedsters Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson eclipsed him in stolen bases in subsequent years.

 
6 of 20

Marty Marion - 40 percent

Marty Marion - 40 percent
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The 1944 NL MVP made seven All-Star Game appearances starting in 1943 and earned a reputation as one of the steadiest defenders in the game, accounting for 25 defensive win shares in his career. Marion won three World Series with the Cardinals during the '40s but topped out with 40 percent of the vote in 1970.

 
7 of 20

Fred McGriff - 39.8 percent

Fred McGriff - 39.8 percent
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The “Crime Dog” was one of the most accomplished hitters of his era, McGriff twice led the National League in home runs and hit at least 30 in 10 different seasons. Perhaps no player has been more impacted by finishing short of the 500 home run club than McGriff, as his 493 are the most by any player not elected to the Hall of Fame. His by-the-book excellence amid an era of steroid abuse running rampant is one of the main credits to his body of work.

 
8 of 20

Harvey Kuenn - 39.3 percent

Harvey Kuenn - 39.3 percent
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Although he would later go on to fame as the namesake of the 1982 Brewers team that came to be known as the "Harvey’s Wallbangers," Kuenn had a distinguished career on the field himself. He ran up 2,092 hits and carried a .303 career batting average over a 15-year career in which he was a regular All-Star for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. He peaked at 39.3 percent of ballots in 1988.

 
9 of 20

Hank Gowdy – 35.9 percent

Hank Gowdy – 35.9 percent
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Although Gowdy hit only .270 with 21 home runs in his career, he was a renowned defensive presence behind the plate in an era when defense reigned supreme. Gowdy threw out 52 percent of would-be base stealers in his career, the sixth best percentage ever. He hit .545 in the 1914 World Series, leading the way in one of the biggest upsets in MLB history when the Boston Braves defeated the Philadelphia A’s. Gowdy appeared on a record 17 HOF ballots but never topped his 35.9 percent showing in 1955.

 
10 of 20

Phil Cavarretta - 35.6 percent

Phil Cavarretta - 35.6 percent
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Cavarretta broke in at age 17 for the Chicago Cubs and provided one of the best seasons amid the prolonged dark days for the organization. In 1945, Cavarretta led the National League with a .355 average, won NL MVP honors and carried the Cubbies to the World Series — the team’s final trip to the Fall Classic for 71 years. He hit .425 over 40 World Series at-bats in 1938 and ’45 combined. He peaked at 35.6 percent in his best year of HOF voting, 1975.

 
11 of 20

Johnny Sain - 34 percent

Johnny Sain - 34 percent
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Along with HOFer Warren Spahn, Sain formed half of one of the most dominant pitching duos of the 1950s, when the "Spahn and Sain, pray for rain" phrase was popularized. The powerful righty won 24 games in 1948 and finished second in NL MVP voting on the year, the same season the Braves advanced to the World Series. Sain was dominant from 1946-50, winning 20 or more games in four of five seasons after losing three seasons to World War II service. However, the loss of time early in his career hurt his overall numbers, and Sain topped out at 34 percent of ballots in 1975.

 
12 of 20

Allie Reynolds - 33.6 percent

Allie Reynolds - 33.6 percent
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Reynolds never fell short of double-digit victories in any year of his career, winning 182 games along the way. He was an All-Star in five of his final six seasons, with his best year coming in 1952 when he went 20-8 with an AL-best 2.06 ERA. After moving over to the Yankees from the Indians in 1947, he was a part of six World Series-winning clubs. The 33.6 percent share Reynolds took home in 1969 was the closest he has come to election so far.

 
13 of 20

Tommy John - 31.9 percent

Tommy John - 31.9 percent
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Although the surgery that bears his name has gained more notoriety than John himself, his career was one of distinction as well. The southpaw won 288 games in his career with more than half coming after his groundbreaking 1974 procedure. However, falling short of 300 wins cost John, who proved the power of so-called "magic numbers" with his vote total topping out at the 31.9 percent, which he received in his final year.

 
14 of 20

Luis Tiant - 30.9 percent

Luis Tiant - 30.9 percent
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Tiant was a force of nature for the Red Sox throughout the '70s, and including his time in Cleveland, he was a four-time 20-game winner and three-time All-Star. Although Tiant twice led the American League in ERA, posting totals lower than 2.00 in each year, and reached double digits in victories 13 times en route to 229 career wins, Tiant’s tenure on the ballot was a rough one. He topped out at 30.9 percent in his first year on the ballot and has struggled to be elected since via the Golden Era Committee.

 
15 of 20

Johnny Vander Meer - 29.8 percent

Johnny Vander Meer - 29.8 percent
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Although Vander Meer’s career record fell south of .500 at 119-121, his incredible feat of back-to-back no-hitters in 1938 loomed large in the minds of the writers once his career concluded in 1951 at age 36. While the Cincinnati southpaw did lead the NL in strikeouts from 1941-43 and made four All-Star teams before turning 30, a late-career downturn saw him top out at 29.8 percent in 1967.

 
16 of 20

Jim Kaat - 29.6 percent

Jim Kaat - 29.6 percent
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In a career that spanned a quarter century, Kaat won 283 games, including three 20-win seasons. One of the great fielders of all time on the mound, Kaat received a record 16 Gold Glove nods as well. Despite these honors, the well-tenured hurler never topped the 30 percent threshold and missed election.

 
17 of 20

Don Mattingly - 28.2 percent

Don Mattingly - 28.2 percent
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The 1985 AL MVP, six-time All-Star and a career .307 hitter, Mattingly was the face of the Yankees throughout the most prolonged dry spell in the franchise’s history. But through it all, Mattingly remained a widely popular presence before injuries ended his career prematurely — and just short of the mid-'90s return to prominence in the Bronx. Voters were not swayed by this, as Mattingly’s 28.2 percent showing in his first year of eligibility marked his best result before falling off in 2015.

 
18 of 20

Ken Boyer - 25.5 percent

Ken Boyer - 25.5 percent
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An 11-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and 1964 NL MVP, Boyer was the best third baseman in the National League after Eddie Mathews and before Mike Schmidt. As captain of the St. Louis Cardinals, he led the team to its first World Series win in 18 years in ’64, when they triumphed over the Yankees. Regardless of these accolades, Boyer’s best showing was 25.5 percent in 1988.

 
19 of 20

Mickey Lolich - 25.5 percent

Mickey Lolich - 25.5 percent
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From the time he was 23 years old all the way through his 34th  birthday, Lolich never failed to reach double digits in victory. En route to a 217-191 career record, Lolich twice won 20 games, including 25 in 1971. He was at his best in the 1968 World Series, when he went 3-0 in leading the Tigers to a World Series win over the Cardinals, which included besting Bob Gibson in Game 7 and winning Series MVP honors. Lolich’s best showing was 25.5 percent outing in 1988.

 
20 of 20

Mel Harder - 25.4 percent

Mel Harder - 25.4 percent
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A baseball lifer, Harder was one of the best pitchers of the 1930s and '40s. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Cleveland Indians, winning 223 games and making four All-Star Games. Such was Harder’s stuff that he held Joe DiMaggio to a .180 average against him for his career. Harder remains the only player in history to spend 20 years with a single team and not make the Hall of Fame, topping out at 25.4 percent of ballots in 1964.

Matt Whitener is St. Louis-based writer, radio host and 12-6 curveball enthusiast. He has been covering Major League Baseball since 2010, and dabbles in WWE, NBA and other odd jobs as well. Follow Matt on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

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