Melvin Mora (1999-2011)
Melvin Mora is better known for his children than for what he did on the diamond. In 2001, when Mora was establishing himself as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, his wife gave birth to quintuplets, capturing the attention of the baseball world.
The fact that Mora was even a part of the Orioles at the time was a bit of a surprise. He only had 39 plate appearances in 66 games as a 27 year old, notching five hits. Then, he entered Game Two of the NLCS for an injured Rickey Henderson, and hit a home run. That led to increased playing time the following season, and served as a springboard to his career.
Mora went from a utility player to establishing himself as Baltimore’s third baseman, rapidly becoming a fan favorite. He produced a .277/.350/.431 batting line, hitting 171 homers and 283 doubles. A two time All Star, Mora won a Silver Slugger in 2004 when he set career highs in virtually every offensive category.
Those accomplishments, however, are not enough to garner induction into the Hall of Fame. Mora only led the league in one category, when he had a .419 on base percentage in 2004. He would occasionally appear on the leaderboards, but he was not a star in any sense of the term. He was a good player, and one that deserved his selections to the All Star Game, but he was not a Hall of Fame caliber talent.
Another player who might top out with a vote or two, Melvin Mora is destined to be one and done on the 2017 MLB Hall of Fame ballot.