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3 Mets whose Hall of Fame path was derailed due to injury

By Alan Karmin |
New York Mets
New York Mets / Ronald C. Modra/GettyImages
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I’ve always wondered how some players were elected to the Hall of Fame…players like Bill Mazeroski, Elston Howard, and Phil Rizzuto. And I’ve also wondered how some players were snubbed by the HOF voters…players like Dick Allen, Dale Murphy, and Omar Vizquel. If you really break it all down, there is no rhyme or reason as to how, or why, members are chosen…and that especially goes for three New York Mets.

Keith Hernandez should be a sure thing Hall of Famer

He was to first base what Ozzie Smith was to shortstop…frankly…the best fielding first baseman ever to play the game, winning 11 Gold Glove Awards good for tops of any first baseman. And he could obviously hit too. Hernandez hit .296 for his career, finishing with 2,182 hits. He received over 1,000 free passes, sporting a high on base percentage of .384.

Hernandez didn’t reach some of the numbers that are considered “automatics” for inductees (500 home runs or 3,000 hits), but, apparently, neither did some other first basemen who are in the Hall – guys like Frank Chance, George “High Pockets” Kelly, and George Sisler.

Hernandez began losing productivity during his last couple of years with the Mets, beginning at age 33 with a bad back. The injury limited his time on the field to less than 100 games for two straight seasons and zapped his strength and reflexes. Perhaps had he been healthy and been able to play on a somewhat productive level for another few years, his numbers would be more appealing to the voters?

And even with his career cut somewhat short, why should a middle infielder like Ozzie be considered so much for his fielding, but not a first baseman like Keith?

Hernandez was on the ballot for nine years and received less than 5% in that ninth year dropping him from eligibility.

Johan Santana was a Cy Young Award winner with the Minnesota Twins before coming to the New York Mets

Santana won the pitching Triple Crown in 2006…leading the Majors in strikeouts (245), ERA (2.77), and wins (19).

He came to the Mets prior to the 2008 season and it was discovered that he had thrown most of the season with a torn meniscus in his knee, requiring surgery, yet he still led the National League in starts (34), innings (234), and won the ERA title (2.53) while winning 16 games.

Santana missed starts in 2009 and 2010, and for the first time since becoming a full-time starter in 2003, failed to reach 200 innings. Yet, he was always effective. He went 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA in 2009 and 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA in 2010.

His 2010 season would end early as he would need to undergo surgery to repair the torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Santana would be forced to sit out the entire 2011 season and, unfortunately, would never be the same.

Santana came back for the 2012 season and was struggling. But in his 11th start back from the surgery, on June 1, 2012, Santana gave Mets fans something that they had never seen before in team history – a no-hitter. Not Tom Seaver…not Jerry Koosman nor Nolan Ryan nor Jon Matlack. Not Dwight Gooden…not Ron Darling nor David Cone nor Sid Fernandez. A lot of tremendous pitchers. A lot of hard throwers. And it was the guy with the tremendous changeup who did it.

But after a couple of more starts, ineffective starts, Santana would again be on the sidelines, and for good.

A career record of 139-78 and an ERA of 3.20…and out of baseball by the age of 33…thanks to a bad knee and a bad arm.

Santana was a dominant pitcher. He wasn’t flashy. But he was efficient and did what was needed to win. There are pitchers like Jack Morris and Bert Blyleven who may have lasted longer, but who were clearly not as effective as Santana. Did Morris and Blyleven have longer careers? Yes. But Sandy Koufax didn’t last nearly as long. And, quite frankly, none of those three matched the magic automatic number of 300 wins. In fact. Koufax was “only” 165-87 in his short career.

Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame voters forgot about the Koufax rule and in 2018, Santana’s first year of eligibility became his last year of eligibility as he received a mere 2.4% of the votes and was removed from the list.

You would THINK New York Mets captain David Wright would be an automatic Hall of Famer

During the six-year stretch from 2005-2010, Wright hit for a .305 clip averaging 40 doubles, 25 home runs, 104 RBI, 22 stolen bases, 99 runs scored, with an OBP of .386. He became a member of the 30-30 club in 2007 when he hit 30 home runs and stole 34 bases.

The injuries took their toll on his body and Wright was zapped of his power. Robbed of a big part of his career in his prime due to spinal stenosis, he still put up some pretty respectable numbers and had a stretch of years that made him the premier third baseman in baseball.

Wright only played eight seasons where he got at least 500 at bats. He was a seven-time All Star, two-time Silver Slugger and won two Gold Glove awards. He retired with a career average of .296, 246 home runs, 970 RBI, 196 stolen bases, and OBP of .376.

Ralph Kiner, the beloved Mets broadcaster gained entry into the Hall after an abbreviated 10-year career, one cut short due to…a bad back. Wright has comparable stats to the third basemen in the Hall, and it could be said that he was a whole lot better than guys like Ron Santo and Scott Rolen. Certainly, if Wright wasn’t cut down at the age of 31, he could have put up some more attractive numbers.

It begs the question…is what Wright did enough to gain entry into the Hall of Fame? Using the logic vested in Kiner, one would think so.

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