Who he is: Bret Saberhagen wasn’t disappointed, just a little surprised when he debuted on the writers ballot for the Hall of Fame in 2007 and received only seven votes, barely one percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Saberhagen said in 2006 that he would decline induction so long as Pete Rose remained ineligible for betting on baseball, so he didn’t expect to get in. But he hoped for a little more consideration.
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While injuries curtailed the career of the former Royals ace, limiting him to 167 lifetime wins, Saberhagen ranks by other measures as one of the best pitchers in baseball history not in the Hall of Fame.