MLB History: The best player from each franchise not in the Hall of Fame

Best MLB players not in the Hall of Fame: Baltimore Orioles, Mark Belanger

War value: 40.9

Mark Belanger spent 18 seasons in MLB and 17 of those came with the Baltimore Orioles. He was never a star on offense, but his defense is why he is included on this list.

Belanger won eight Gold Glove Awards during his career as a shortstop in Maryland. He was also a World Champion in 1970 and made an All-Star Game in 1976. In terms of career WAR, he ranks sixth all-time in Orioles history. It should also be noted almost his entire total comes from the defensive side. He leads the franchise in defensive WAR over the likes of Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson.

There seems to be a modern push to solely focus on offensive stats and arbitrary benchmarks, such as 500 home runs or 3,000 hits. But Belanger was a legitimate defensive star in his time. The problem is that he did so little on offense, it took away from his legacy.

Sadly, Belanger passed away in 1998 at the age of 54. His legacy lives on as someone Orioles fans in the 1960s and 70s knew as a sure-hand at shortstop.