Six Baseball Players Who Should be in Hall of Fame…but Aren’t
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Schilling probably won’t ever make it into the Hall of Fame, but he should. Most voters pass on Schilling because he only three 20 win seasons, a twenty-year career only generated 216 wins, and he gave a lot of home runs. But wins are the most overrated pitching stat in baseball and there are plenty of other reasons to include Schilling on the ballot.
The native of Anchorage, Alaska played the majority of his career with the Phillies and during that time he turned in one of the best World Series performances in recent memory. Schilling tossed a shutout in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series to force a sixth game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Schilling struck out 300 batters in each of three seasons including back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998.
Schilling reintroduced himself to the national consciousness during the 2001 season, now with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won 22 games for the eventual World Champions, but finished second behind his teammate Randy Johnson in the Cy Young Award voting. He won 23 games in 2002 and again finished second behind Johnson in the Cy Young voting.
In 2004, now with the Boston Red Sox, Schilling won 21 games and during the miracle playoff run for the Red Sox, Schilling left an indelible mark on postseason lore with the “Bloody Sock” game. After leading the Red Sox to their first World Series title since 1918, the right-hander was also a member of the 2007 title team. Schilling’s final postseason stat: 11-2, 2.23 ERA, and a .968 WHIP.
Those numbers should alone demand consideration among voters, but Schilling’s career numbers (216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3116 SO) are good enough that he should wind up in Cooperstown someday.