On Sunday night the Hall of Fame announced its Veterans Committee had voted to induct Lee Smith and Harold Baines into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. Which begs the question — who doesn’t get in?
I can sort of see Smith; he was a dominant reliever who at one time was the all-time saves leader. He also had a fair number of supporters as he lasted 15 years on the writers ballot, topping out at 50%.
Baines, on the other hand, topped out at 6% and fell off the ballot after just five years.
No disrespect to Harold Baines — he was a fine player.