5 Red Sox players who should be in HOF

February 4th, 2022

The tradition-rich Red Sox have been defined by their many superstar players through the decades. Thirty-seven of those players have received the ultimate recognition for their greatness with a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Yet there are still some other former Boston greats who should be there and likely will be at some point. In that spirit, MLB.com has asked each beat reporter to rank the top five players from the team they cover who are not in the Hall of Fame.

A couple of rules: The player must be retired. And the player must have played a significant portion of his career with that team.

For example, Adrian Beltre won¡¯t be in Boston¡¯s top five, because he played just one season for the Red Sox.

Here is my ranking of the top five Red Sox players who aren't in the Hall of Fame.

1) Roger Clemens, 1984-2007
Spent first 13 seasons with the Red Sox
Clemens got his best support yet on the BBWAA ballot in 2022, when he received 65.2% of the vote. A candidate needs 75% for election. Unfortunately for the Rocket, it was his 10th and final year on the ballot. His candidacy will now move to the era committees.

Clemens won a record-setting seven Cy Young Awards, the first three of which came when he was with the Red Sox. He also became the first pitcher in history to strike out 20 in a game and then he tied his own record 10 years later. The Rocket had 354 wins -- including 192 with the Red Sox, tying Cy Young for the club¡¯s all-time record. Clemens led the Majors in ERA+ eight times. His 4,672 strikeouts rank third in history behind Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.

How much did performance-enhancing drugs help Clemens reach some of those gaudy numbers, particularly during the latter half of his career? Clemens never failed a PED test, but he was cited numerous times in the 2007 Mitchell Report.

Clemens, according to many who played with him, had a tireless work ethic. He also studied his craft like few others, even having a book on the strike zone for all the umpires. If you go by the statistics, Clemens is the best pitcher currently not in the Hall of Fame. The only pitchers in history with a better career WAR than the 138.7 for Clemens as calculated by Baseball-Reference? Cy Young and Walter Johnson.

2) Curt Schilling, 1988-2007
Spent his final four seasons with the Red Sox
Schilling seemed to be trending toward Cooperstown in 2020 and ¡¯21, when he received 70% and 71.1% of votes on the BBWAA ballot. No candidate with time left on the ballot had ever gotten to that high of a percentage without eventually getting voted in. But then came the letter Schilling posted on social media after the ¡¯21 results were announced, in which he asked the Hall of Fame to remove him from the ballot and said he had no interest in being elected by writers.

The Hall of Fame denied Schilling¡¯s request, but many voters respected Schilling¡¯s wishes, as his voting percentage plummeted to 58.6 in his final year on the BBWAA ballot. Now it is onto the era committees for Schilling.

Perhaps the most clutch starting pitcher of his era, Schilling participated in the World Series four times for three franchises (Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox) and was on the winning side three times, twice with Boston.

While Schilling¡¯s regular-season accomplishments were impressive enough (216-146, 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts), it was his utter brilliance in the postseason that truly sets him apart. In that ultra-pressurized environment of the playoffs, Schilling made 19 starts, going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

3) Dwight Evans, 1972-91
Spent all but the last season of his career with the Red Sox
While it is often said that a player can¡¯t get any better after he retires, Evans is unique in that his offensive strength (getting on base at a high volume) is something that is weighted far more in player evaluations today than when he had his short run on the writers' ballot from 1997-99. The only player who walked more than Evans in the '80s? Rickey Henderson.

But Evans didn¡¯t just walk. He also mashed. Evans led MLB with 605 extra-base hits in the 1980s. The only players with more homers in that decade than Evans? Mike Schmidt, Dale Murphy and Eddie Murray.

Oh, we haven¡¯t talked about his defense yet. Evans won eight Gold Glove Awards for his excellence in the outfield. One year ago, Evans was one of 10 candidates on the Modern Era ballot and received votes from eight of the 16 members on the committee, leaving him four votes shy of election.

Evans played alongside Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, Dennis Eckersley and Wade Boggs and hoped to one day join them with a plaque of his own.

4) Manny Ramirez, 1993-2011
Spent eight seasons with the Red Sox
If it was just about numbers, Ramirez would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His consistent excellence ranks him with Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as the best pure right-handed hitters of this generation. But there¡¯s a problem. Ramirez wasn¡¯t merely associated with performance-enhancing drugs, he was suspended twice for failing tests. That is something that can¡¯t be said of Clemens, Barry Bonds and some others who haven¡¯t been voted into the Hall of Fame due to their association with PEDs.

In Ramirez¡¯s sixth year on the BBWAA ballot, he had a slight increase to 28.2% of the vote. He will have four more chances.

Ramirez was an entertaining, enigmatic hitting machine during his career. The outfielder with a sweet and fluid swing crushed the ball to all fields for many years with Cleveland and Boston. He also stood out during his brief stint with the Dodgers. Ramirez had a career slash line of .312/.411/.585 while belting 555 homers to go with 1,831 RBIs. A big-game player, Ramirez played on two AL pennant-winners with Cleveland and two World Series championship teams with the Red Sox.

The shame about Ramirez¡¯s choice to use PEDs is that it overshadows his legendary work ethic and obsession with his craft. Ramirez would often get to the ballpark at 10 a.m. on the day of a night game to study video, take extra swings and lift weights.

5) Luis Tiant, 1964-82
Spent eight seasons with the Red Sox
El Tiante built a strong r¨¦sum¨¦ as a big-game pitcher but struck out in 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, topping out at 30.9% in his first year of eligibility in 1988.

A great case can be made for Tiant, especially when you compare his career stats to Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter, who gained entry into the Hall of Fame on his third year on the BBWAA ballot. In 500 games and 476 starts, Hunter was 224-166 with a 3.26 ERA, 3,449 1/3 innings and 2,012 strikeouts. In 573 games and 484 starts, Tiant was 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA, 3,486 1/3 innings 2,416 strikeouts. Hunter¡¯s ERA+ was 104, Tiant¡¯s 114.

Both pitchers were strong in their postseason opportunities, though Hunter played for five World Series champions and Tiant never won it all.

When Tiant was at his best, he was a force. In 1968, he won 21 games and had a 1.60 ERA for Cleveland. Tiant had three 20-win seasons in Boston. The Veterans Committee, which has been restructured as the eras committees, viewed his candidacy several times, and Tiant still didn¡¯t warrant enough support. He deserves more consideration.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com