MLB players with the largest percentage of votes to not make the Hall of Fame

MLB's single-season and all-time home run king, Bonds also won a whopping seven MVP Awards and 12 Silver Sluggers during his career but peaked at just 59.1 percent of the vote in 2019. He received at least 50 percent of the vote in each of the last three years, but his connection to the BALCO scandal and performance enhancing drugs during his career has scathed his name for many voters.

Like Barry Bonds, Clemens has appeared on the ballots of at least 50 percent of the voters over the last three years, topping out at 59.5 percent in 2019. He has a clear Hall of Fame resume with seven Cy Young Awards and 11 All-Star appearances, but his connection to PEDs has been an issue for many voters. Clemens was alleged in the Mitchell Report to have used anabolic steroids during his career.

A first baseman and outfielder for the Cubs and White Sox from 1934-1955, Cavarretta won the 1945 MVP after winning by the NL batting title, hitting .355. Cavarretta never actually came that close to being voted into the Hall of Fame, peaking at 35.6 percent of the vote in 1975.

Garvey had a great 19-year career with the Dodgers and Padres from 1969-1987, finishing his career hitting .294 with 272 home runs. The corner infielder led the NL in hits twice and reached 200-plus hits six times, including his 1974 MVP season. The closest Garvey came to the Hall of Fame was 1995, when he garnered 42.6 percent of Hall of Fame votes.

Gowdy played 17 seasons in the majors, spanning from 1910-1930, for the Boston Braves and New York Giants. His biggest achievement was hitting .545 in the 1914 World Series when the Braves upset the Philadelphia Athletics. The catcher and first baseman was a career .270 hitter. He got Hall of Fame votes in 17 years, but the best he received was 35.9 percent of the vote in 1955.

Harder played 20 seasons for the Cleveland Indians from 1928-1947, winning 223 games and making four All-Star appearances. He won the AL ERA title in 1933 with a 2.95 ERA and retired throwing more than 3,400 innings for his career. He topped out at 25.4 percent of the vote in 1964.

Hodges played 18 seasons in MLB for the Dodgers and Mets, spanning 1943-1963. Appearing at first base and the outfield during his career, Hodges made eight All-Star appearances and hit 370 home runs during his career. He appeared on at least 60 percent of Hall of Fame ballots twice, with the most being 63.4 percent in 1983.

John pitched for a remarkable 26 seasons in the majors, winning 288 games with a 3.34 ERA. Perhaps his most notable contribution is becoming the first player to undergo an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, now nicknamed "Tommy John surgery." John was a four-time All-Star and received 31.7 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 2009.

Kaat pitched in the majors for 25 seasons with five different teams from 1959-1983. He won 283 games over his career and was also renowned for his defense, winning 16 Gold Gloves. The highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes the left-hander received was 29.6 percent in 1993.

Kuenn played for five different teams over 15 seasons from 1952-1966. His most notable seasons came early in his career with Detroit, leading the AL in hits four times and winning the 1959 AL batting title after hitting .353. He was the 1953 AL Rookie of the Year and made 10 consecutive All-Star appearances. A versatile defensive player, Kuenn appeared in the outfield, at shortstop and at third base during his career. The closest Kuenn came to being voted into the Hall of Fame by the writers was in 1988 when he appeared on 39.3 percent of the ballots.

Lolich pitched 16 seasons from 1963-1979, spending 13 years with the Tigers. He finished top three in the AL Cy Young voting twice, including in 1971 when he went 25-14 with 29 complete games and a 2.92 ERA in 376 innings. The lefty garnered 25.5 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 1988, the highest percentage he ever received.

The 1944 NL MVP and an eight-time All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals, Marion won three World Series as the Cards shortstop. The closest he came to being voted in by the writers was 1970 when he earned 40.0 percent of the Hall of Fame vote.

Best remembered for breaking Babe Ruth's single-season home run record by hitting 61 home runs in 1961, Maris was a two-time MVP. The outfielder played 12 MLB seasons, winning three World Series. Maris appeared on more than 40 percent of Hall of Fame ballots three times from 1986-1988, topping out with 43.1 percent of the vote in 1988.

McGriff's left-handed swing is still regarded as one of the prettiest in recent memory, and his career stats over 19 seasons weren't too shabby either, hitting 493 home runs from 1986-2004. He appeared in five All-Star Games and was a three-time Silver Slugger. The first baseman was on 39.8 percent of ballots in 2019.

McGwire is best remembered for his incredible 1998 season, breaking Roger Maris' single-season home run record by hitting 70 with the Cardinals. He followed up that campaign by hitting 65 home runs in 1999. Big Mac also set the rookie home run record in 1987 with 49 for Oakland, helping him win AL Rookie of the Year. He retired with 583 home runs and a .394 on-base percentage over 16 seasons but never came close to being voted into the Hall of Fame, likely due to his connection to PEDs. McGwire appeared on 23.7 percent of Hall of Fame ballots in 2010, the highest percentage he ever received.

Oliva was a staple in right field for the Minnesota Twins over 15 seasons and led the AL in hits five times. He was the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year, beginning a streak of eight consecutive All-Star appearances, and he won three AL batting titles. While he regularly received a significant percentage of Hall of Fame votes, Oliva peaked at 47.3 percent in 1988.

Reynolds pitched 13 seasons in the majors for the Indians and Yankees from 1942-1954. He made six All-Star appearances while with New York and finished top three in MVP voting twice. His best season was 1952 when Reynolds won the AL ERA title with a 2.06 ERA and also had a league-high 160 strikeouts. Reynolds also came up big in six World Series appearances, with a 2.79 ERA over 77.1 innings. He topped out at 33.6 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 1968.

Sain pitched in the majors for 11 seasons despite a three-year hiatus early in his career to serve in the military during World War II. A three-time All-Star, Sain also won three World Series and led the NL in 1948 with 24 wins and 314.2 innings pitched. He topped out with 34.0 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 1975.

Schilling had an excellent 20-year career with five different teams, finishing second in the Cy Young voting three times. He retired with 216 wins and a 3.46 ERA for his career and is perhaps best remembered for his heroic "bloody sock" start in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS with Boston. Schilling appeared on 60.4 percent of Hall of Fame ballots in 2019.

Tiant pitched 19 seasons in the majors with six different teams. The right-hander won two ERA titles and was also a four-time 20-game winner. Tiant finished his career with 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA. He garnered 30.9 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 1988, his first year on the ballot, but he never matched that percentage after that initial run.

Vander Meer had a great 13-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, spanning 1937-1951. He was a four-time All-Star and led the NL in strikeouts three times. He finished his career with a 3.44 ERA. Vander Meer never quite made it to 30 percent of Hall of Fame ballots, peaking at 29.8 percent in 1967.

An accomplished defensive shortstop, Vizquel won 11 Gold Gloves during his 24-year career and made three All-Star appearances. He also swiped 404 bases during his career. The long-time Cleveland Indian appeared on 42.8 percent of Hall of Fame ballots in 2019.

Arguably the greatest Canadian baseball player ever, Walker had a great 17-year career that included the 1997 NL MVP, three batting titles, seven Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances. He enjoyed his greatest success in Colorado with the help of Coors Field, leading the NL in OPS twice. Walker earned 54.6 percent of the Hall of Fame vote in 2019.

Wills arrived to the majors with the Dodgers in 1959 and led the NL in stolen bases for six consecutive seasons, including his 1962 MVP campaign when he hit .299 with 104 steals and won the Gold Glove. The shortstop never received more than 40.6 percent of the vote, which he earned in 1981.