[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by thurman merman

My top 10, in order of awesomeness, and separated by HOFers and non-HOFers.

DEFINITELY SHOULD BE IN THE HALL:
1. Barry Bonds - It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Good Guys. He was far and away the best player of his era, steroids or not. Plus, he's famous.
2. Mark McGwire - See above, except for the part about the best player.
3. Tim Raines - This one is just mind-boggling. Sixth year on ballot and he's not in? 808 stolen bases and a career .385 OBP. Amazing player.
4. Mike Piazza - Record-setting numbers for a catcher, and Hall of Fame numbers regardless of position.
5. Roger Clemens - 7 Cy Young Awards.
6. Jeff Bagwell - 162-game average: .297 AVG, .408 OBP, 34 HR, 115 RBI. Those look like Hall of Fame numbers to me.
7. Sammy Sosa - 609 homers. Enough said.

NOT QUITE:
8. Larry Walker - Great player, but probably not quite Hall of Fame-worthy.
9. Fred McGriff - The nickname Crime Dog alone should get him in the Hall, but I don't think it will.
10. Edgar Martinez - An excellent hitter but loses some credibility for being a DH and not having overwhelming power numbers.

I'd put Rafael Palmero at 8.