Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 26 - Harold Baines

    Despite what most common fans seem to think, Harold Baines was actually pretty impressive. He was more than just a DH because he played 1,062 games in the outfield and led AL rightfielders in fielding percentage in 1985. In 1999, at the age of 40, Baines batted .312 with 25 home runs, 103 RBI's, and just 48 strikeouts as he made his sixth all-star appearance. 

    But this simply isn't enough to merit Cooperstown. Baines hit like a Hall of Famer in only a few of his seasons, and it is true that he did play far more games in the DH slot than he did in rightfield. A DH really should do better than .289/.356/.465 if he wants to make the Hall of Fame. Baines had 2,866 hits - but not 3,000. He hit 384 home runs - but not 500. This proves that, even with his longevity, Baines just wasn't one of the best players in baseball for more than a couple years spread out in different parts of his career. 

My opinion: Although he was a lot better than most writers seem to think, Harold Baines is probably not a Hall of Famer.