Mar 28, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Gary Carter
Tim Raines
It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t gained more traction in recent years towards an eventual election into Cooperstown than Tim Raines. The continued development of advanced statistics has played a big role in Raines’ revival as a candidate, as he seem often overlooked when he first landed on the ballot.
Ultimately, it’s tough to keep out one of the premier players at his position simply because there was someone else during his career who did it better. Raines has always been overshadowed by Rickey Henderson (see: Trevor Hoffman vs. Mariano Rivera).
That career began with a 13-year stretch with the Montreal Expos, during which Raines played in seven All Star Games and batted .301/.391/.437 at the top of the Expos lineup. He’d then spend five years with the White Sox before his journeys took him through New York, Oakland, Baltimore, and Florida.
Raines played in the major leagues for 23 seasons, hitting .294/.385/.425. His 808 stolen bases rank fifth all time. He received 55.0% of the vote in 2015 and deserves to get in.
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