Best MLB players not in the Hall of Fame: New York Mets, Dwight Gooden
WAR value: 41.6
There was simply no denying Dwight Gooden’s dominance on the mound during his time with the New York Mets. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1984 before becoming the Cy Young Award winner a year later. He continued to play at an elite level in the following years, but off-the-field issues started to slow his potential.
Gooden spent 11 years with the Mets and had 157 wins, along with 1,875 strikeouts. His 1984 season is one for the ages. Gooden logged 276.2 innings and had a league-leading 268 strikeouts. The craziest thing is that he had 276 strikeouts a year prior in only 218 innings.
He looked like a true superstar from the start and his 12.2 WAR in 1985 draws modern comparisons to what Jacob deGrom is doing with the team.
Substance and legal issues ended up contributing to Gooden’s downfall. He was able to pitch until 2000 with the New York Yankees, but was never the same after being suspended for the 1995 season.
Gooden finished his career with 194 total wins. That number easily could have been 300 if he did not have the off-the-field issues, which makes his case a sad one. Still, he remains an important player in Mets history and is in the team’s own Hall of Fame.