Marvin Miller should not be on MLB Hall of Fame ballot

Miller’s Legacy

Other accomplishments during Miller’s tenure as the head of the MLBPA include the right to collective bargaining, arbitration of grievances, agent representation, and the ability to reject a trade after accruing enough major league service time. Young players now earn more money through the arbitration process, established players sign much more lucrative contracts, and retired players have enjoyed an increase in their pensions and healthcare benefits.

There’s no question that Marvin Miller should be in the MLB Hall of Fame . Unfortunately, the people in power wouldn’t even put Miller on the ballot until more than 20 years after his tenure ended. He finally made a ballot composed of executives, umpires, and managers in 2003 but received just 43 percent of the vote. He failed to be elected again in 2008 and had the added insult of seeing former commissioner Bowie Kuhn get elected that year.

It was particularly galling that Miller was kept out of the Hall of Fame while the commissioner he often wrangled with was inducted. Also, owners who colluded in the 1980s to avoid competing with each other for star free agent players have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. This was backdoor politics at its worst.

After being snubbed numerous times, Miller believed the only reason he was placed on MLB Hall of Fame ballots was so that it would be publicly revealed when he failed to get elected. The motivation wasn’t to honor Miller by adding him on the ballot but to embarrass him when he was not chosen.