Easily forgotten NY Mets player has Hall of Fame numbers, what's keeping him out?

What is it with really good players finishing their career as members of the New York Mets? It seems like a constant theme throughout the franchise’s history. In 2014, they gave Bobby Abreu one last opportunity to pad his statistics before retirement.

Abreu would play in 78 games but log just 155 plate appearances. Used mostly as a pinch hitter, he slashed .248/.342/.338 with a single home run in those opportunities. He’d go on to finish his 18-year career with a .291/.395/.475 slash line, 288 home runs, and 400 stolen bases. He had one in his last season as a member of the Mets.

Best remembered for his early days with the Philadelphia Phillies, a successful stint with the New York Yankees, and the twilight of his career with the Los Angeles Angels, Abreu has wonderful numbers that modern stat junkies can appreciate. Why has he not gone above 15.4% in the Hall of Fame vote?

An easily forgettable Mets player, Bobby Abreu isn’t getting into the Hall of Fame because he was never among the best of his peers

Awards can tell a lot more about a player in certain eras of the game. Abreu was around during the peak of the Steroid Era. Just a two-time All-Star and recipient of a single Silver Slugger, he was often on the B-team in his best years when it came to outfielder power rankings.

Abreu rarely led the league in different statistics and is right around the cut-off of what makes a Hall of Famer when it comes to WAR. He totaled 60.2 in his career, ranking him 191st in MLB history and 126th for position players. More of a doubles machine than an actual power hitter, his 574 two-base hits is the 25th most the league has produced.

A peak which spanned from 1998-2008, those seasons would accrue a .302/.407/.502 slash line. It was Hall of Fame level stuff especially when we factor in all of the doubles, home runs, and stolen bases. And yet Abreu doesn’t feel like a Hall of Fame player.

No batting titles. MVP consideration never above 14th place. Postseason experience limited to 20 games and a team record of 1-4. Abreu left the Phillies a year before they went to the playoffs, left the Yankees before they won a World Series, and happened to be present on the Los Angeles Angels roster the last time they won a playoff game in 2009.

A surface level look at Abreu makes him look like a serious Hall of Fame candidate. A similar sentiment could be said about John Olerud whose numbers stand out from many modern athletes as well as many peers. The problem is, those statistics in the late 1990s and early 2000s were so inflated offensively that the things players like Abreu and Olerud did well went underappreciated in award voting.

Close and yet so far, Abreu is missing a major milestone or moment to convince voters he should get more Hall of Fame consideration. His career WAR of 60.2 is right below other fascinating cases like Jim Edmonds (60.4) and Keith Hernandez (60.3) and yet higher than some of the all-times greats: Ichiro Suzuki (60), Yogi Berra (59.5), and Mike Piazza (59.5). We know better than to put all of our stock in one statistic. Voters will have their voices heard yet again and while Abreu might see a few more head his way, it’s an uphill climb a little too steep.