Why are three one-time New York Mets being snubbed by the Hall of Fame?

Billy Wagner, who registered over 400 saves during his 16-year career, three-plus seasons with the New York Mets, is a bit of a conundrum because it is so tough when it comes to relief pitchers.

For a long time in MLB history, relief pitchers were simply the members of the staff who just weren’t good enough to start. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the relief pitcher became so prevalent. And that was only if the pitcher was a “closer.”

There are eight pitchers currently in the Hall of Fame elected specifically for their achievements as a relief pitcher – Hoyt Wilhelm, Rich “Goose” Gossage, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, and Mariano Rivera.

At one point it was an amazing feat to reach 300 saves. All but Wilhelm (228 saves) reached that mark.  Rivera and Hoffman each surpassed 600.

Wagner had a lifetime record of 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and a total of 422 saves. A seven-time All Star, he pitched to a WHIP of 0.998 and struck out an amazing 11.9 batters per nine innings.

So why the snub? Since relief pitchers being tapped into the Hall of Fame is relatively recent – Wilhelm was the first to be honored in 1985 – it’s difficult to present an argument as to why a player should or shouldn’t be in the Hall. Wagner is one of only six pitchers to earn over 400 saves, the others being Rivera (652), Hoffman (601), and Smith (478) are ranked 1, 2, and 3, while two other one-time Mets – Francisco Rodrigues (437) and John Franco (424) are just ahead of Wagner.

So do benchmark numbers truly mean something? And how can you do a real comparison when it comes to deciding on Billy Wagner? For now, he is still waiting in the bullpen to be waved in.

Keith Hernandez, who spent parts of seven seasons with the New York Mets, was to first base as Ozzie Smith was to shortstop.

Watching Hernandez field his position was just as awe-inspiring. 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.

As good as he was as a hitter, Hernandez did not reach that mythical number of 3,000 hits. It doesn’t seem to matter that he was the batting champion and co-MVP in 1979, was a five-time All Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and captured 11 Gold Glove Awards. Apparently, the one thing that is keeping Hernandez from getting elected to the Hall of Fame is that he only slugged 162 home runs with 1,078 RBI at a position that is unfortunately known for power hitters. Or is it?

So why the snub? Numbers don’t say everything about a player. But, certainly, Hernandez’s numbers compare to some other first basemen in the Hall of Fame:

Frank Chance, elected in 1946, of Tinkers to Evers to Chance fame, had career totals of 20 home runs, 596 RBI and 1,274 base hits.

George “High Pockets” Kelly, elected in 1973, played 16 years in the Major Leagues, and had what amounts to seven good seasons for the New York Giants in the early 1920’s. Kelly batted .297 and collected 1,778 base hits, including 148 home runs with 1,020 RBI.

George Sisler, elected in 1939, played 15 seasons in the early part of the 20th century. He had 2,812 base hits while hitting .340 with an OBP of .378. Sisler hit 102 homers and drove in 1,178 runs.

Two other members of the Hall, Dan Brouthers, elected in 1945, and Roger Conner, elected in 1976, each had 18-year careers prior to 1900. Brouthers was a five-time batting champion with a .342 career average and 2,303 base hits. He hit 107 home runs. Conner also won a batting title, finishing with 2,467 hits and a .316 career batting average.

Hernandez didn’t reach some of the numbers that are considered “automatics” for inductees, but, apparently, neither did some other first basemen who are in the Hall. And why should a middle infielder be considered so much for his fielding, but not a first baseman? And a first baseman who had some pretty good offensive stats. Speaking of middle infielders…

One-time New York Met Jeff Kent is probably the biggest headscratcher of all.

Kent, who spent five years with the Mets, hit .291 over his career, banging out 2,461 base hits including 366 homers while driving in 1,467 runs. Kent was a dominant force at the plate, and served as the protection for Barry Bonds in the San Francisco Giants line-up for a number of years. He played for multiple teams and was successful wherever he put on a uniform.

During a nine-year span with the Giants (six seasons), with the Houston Astros (two seasons), and his first season with the Dodgers, Kent dominated at the plate when he hit for a .295 average with 28 home runs and 110 RBI. He won four Silver Slugger Awards, he was selected to play in five All Star Games, and he was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 2000.

So why the snub? Given his numbers, given his longevity, given his quiet yet hard-nosed, old school approach every game, every season, how does he not rate with the second basemen who are in the Hall of Fame?

Of the second basemen in the Hall, not one has more home runs than Kent, and only Nap Lajoie, elected in 1937 (1,599 RBI) and Rogers Hornsby, elected in 1942 (1,577 RBI) have more RBI. Hornsby is the only one with a higher slugging percentage (.577 to Kent’s .500).

Kent is probably most favorably compared to Ryne Sandberg. Elected in 2005, Sandberg hit .285 with 2,386 hits, including 282 home runs with 1,061 RBI. Sandberg was a 10-time All Star, won nine Gold Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards, and won one MVP Award. While Kent had superior offensive stats, Sandberg had an edge defensively.

The same could be said in comparison to Joe Morgan. Morgan, elected in 1990, hit only .271 but had an OBP of .392 as he walked over 1,800 times. He hit 282 home runs and drove in 1,061 while collecting 2,386 base hits. He was a 10-time All Star, won five Gold Glove Awards, one Silver Slugger Award, and won back-to-back MVP Awards. Again, Morgan had the defensive edge on Kent.

Then this is where you have to question what the voters are thinking. Bill Mazeroski, who hit one of the most famous home runs in World Series history against the Yankees in 1960, was elected in 2001. He batted .260 over his career with an OBP of .299, collecting 2,016 hits. He hit a total of 138 home runs and drove in 853. Mazeroski was selected to play in 10 All Star games (three times he played in both games during the season).

The rationale that Mazeroski was so great with the glove – he won eight Gold Glove Awards - that he just HAD to be elected.

So this all begs the question…why is Kent not given serious consideration? His offensive stats are not only comparable to his contemporaries, they are better. Was his fielding so bad that it so outweighs his offensive prowess that someone like Mazeroski, with far inferior offensive stats, could draw more interest from the voters than he could…or should?

Whether it be the Baseball Writers Association or any variation of any of the “veterans committees” now sitting, the voting will all be way too subjective. Standards? Criteria? Seems pretty obvious that objectivity either doesn’t or, possibly, can’t exist when it comes to electing players to the Hall of Fame.

That certainly seems to hold true for the three one-time New York Mets Billy Wagner, Keith Hernandez, and Jeff Kent. The credentials are there. But what’s it going to take?