2015 MLB Hall of Fame Induction: Ranking the top 5 classes post 2000

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Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

With the latest round of MLB Hall of Fame inductees now having a home in Cooperstown, where do Craig Biggio (left), John Smoltz, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez (right) rank in terms of prestigious classes of players to be inducted in the last 15 years?

A difficult process to endure at times is the BBWAA voting, though the four above players are assuredly a special group. While names like Pete Rose remain in enshrinement purgatory and the likes of career home runs leader Barry Bonds and 300 game winner Roger Clemens continue to face scrutiny and might find themselves in Rose’s shoes one day, the BBWAA got the 2015 class right.

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The three pitchers are no doubters, while mild arguments could be made against Biggio. True, he ranks second in career WAR (65) for the Houston Astros — a franchise that has been around since 1962 — and he compiled 3060 career hits while pocketing five Gold Gloves at second base and making seven All-Star Games. None of that can be taken away from him. But for many baseball and Astros fans alike, it’s tough to acknowledge Biggio in Cooperstown without Jeff Bagwell, who compiled a 79 WAR number during a career that also never left Houston.

Factoring in things like career WAR, popularity and individual acclaims during their playing days and of course, championships won, here are the top five MLB Hall of Fame induction classes of the 21st century. 2013 was the only year no one achieved the necessary number of votes for induction.

Next: Number 5