MLB Hall of Fame: Harold Baines not the lowest vote getter to be enshrined

For all the hand-wringing and confusion about Harold Baines being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame, he is not the lowest vote getter to eventually be enshrined.

The induction of Harold Baines into the MLB Hall of Fame was confusing for quite a few baseball fans. Baines was a solid player, a six time All Star and won the 1989 Silver Slugger as a designated hitter. Yet, he was never considered one of the best of his generation, and was not a player that one thought was a future Hall of Famer when seeing him on the diamond. This belief was backed up by the baseball writers, who never gave Baines more than 6.1% of the vote, as he fell off the ballot after five years.

Nonetheless, the Veteran’s Committee voted Baines into the Hall. While this may be a head scratcher, he is not the player with the lowest percentage of votes to ever be inducted. In fact, there are 18 players who received a lowest voting percentage at the height of their candidacy to be find their way into the Hall.

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Some of these players come with an asterisk. Paige was the greatest player in the history of the Negro Leagues, but his candidacy was based on his major league career. Buck Ewing was one of the great players in the early days of the game, and Kid Nichols was the best pitcher of the 1890s. However, other players, like Rick Ferrall and High Pockets Kelly were questionable inductees at best.

Baines had a respectable career in terms of the raw statistics. A 23 year veteran, he produced a .289/.356/.465 batting line, hitting 386 homers and driving in 1668 runs. He finished his career with 2866 hits, which may well have been the major reason as to why he was able to get into the Hall.

As odd as it may seem, Baines is not the most egregious induction into the Hall of Fame. However, his induction has to open the door for several other players. The likes of Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Dwight Evans, Lou Whitaker, and Ted Simmons may get a closer look now that Baines is heading to Cooperstown.

The doors of the MLB Hall of Fame have opened for Harold Baines. While he never received more than 6.1% of the vote, he is not the player with the lowest vote total to eventually find his way to immortality.