Forget “who got in” as the biggest Hall of Fame controversy, it’s how the heck did these guys get votes.
They are the players that someone out there miraculously thought was deserving of a spot in Cooperstown, even though you wouldn’t trust them as your closer or No. 3 starter or be afraid to pitch to them.
(The list goes from most to least deserving, though none of them deserved a vote)
10. Lenny Dykstra (1 vote in 2002)
Had some very strong seasons with the Mets and Phillies, then crumbled after an out-of-nowhere power season in 1993. Since receiving that one vote it’s gone straight south for “Nails” – linked to steroids, jail time and overall scumbaggery.
9. Danny Tartabull (1 vote in 2003)
The outfielder hit over 30 home runs three times and over .300 twice in his 14-year career and played in one All-Star Game. Not even his impressive “Seinfeld” cameo can save him.
8. Mark Davis (1 vote in 2003)
This voter was in a coma for every year except 1989 because that was the only season Davis put up anything Hall of Fame-worthy. That year, Davis won the Cy Young saving 44 games with a 1.85 ERA for the Padres, but he was a bad starter before that and a middling reliever after.
7. Tony Phillips (1 vote in 2005)
My guess: Some hardline sabermetrics voter was trying to make a point, here because Phillips was strong when it came to on-base percentage. There’s not a lot else to work with, though. This has nothing to do with the voting: Phillips got into a fight while playing independent baseball for the Yuma Scorpions in 2012 at the age of 52. The manager of the Scorpions: Jose Canseco.
6. Steve Sax (2 votes in 2000)
Five-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, truly terrific in the softball episode of “The Simpsons,” but intangibles alone can’t carry you to Cooperstown.
5. Kenny Rogers (1 vote in 2014)
Rogers started (Rangers) and finished strong (Tigers), but was a inconsistent, at best, during what should have been the prime of his career. He will not be remembered fondly by fans around New York for struggling through three years with the Yankees and for walking in the winning run in Game 6 clincher of the 1999 NLCS for the Mets against the Braves.
4. Brad Radke (2 votes in 2012)
This is where things get real ugly. Radke went 148-139 with a 4.22 ERA in his 12-year career with the Twins. He gave up 326 home runs, which inspired this commercial.
3. Aaron Sele (1 vote in 2013)
The curveballer had a 4.61 ERA and zero 20-win seasons over 15 years. There’s nothing else to say.
2. Jacque Jones (1 vote in 2014)
Jones is the first guy on this list whose awards section on Baseball Reference is completely blank.
1. Armando Benitez (1 vote in 2014)
First, the good: Benitez did have 289 career saves and a respectable 3.13 ERA. But would you ever want to trust him in a big game? No, no, no and no.
This is the kind of stuff that happens when you do.