Renteria, Beltre also have shot at Hall
July 9, 2010 by Jess Coleman · Leave a Comment
After exploring Johnny Damon and his chances at making the Hall of Fame, I thought it would be interesting to find out if any other players have a chance at accomplishing the ultimate baseball goal. Surprisingly, there are many players that appear on the same lists as sure Hall of Famers such as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, but fail to receive nearly the same attention.
Keep in mind that every eligible player with 3,000 hits has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The first player is the 33-year-old Edgar Renteria. With 2,229 hits, he becomes one of just three active players with over 2,200 hits through age 33. The other two players are Jeter and Rodriguez, sure inductees into the Hall.
Renteria is just the 35th player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat. Of the 32 non-active players to also accomplish that feat, 28 of them made the Hall of Fame. One of the four to not make it into the Hall of Fame is Pete Rose who was banned from the game of baseball for life and thus cannot be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The next is the younger Adrian Beltre. At 31 years old, he has 1,805 hits. He is just the 58th player in MLB history to do that. Of the 51 non-active on that list, 37 of them made it to the Hall of Fame. Again, Pete Rose is one of the 14 to not get inducted.
Six other recently active players have also accomplished that goal. Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Ivan Rodriguez also had 1,800 or more hits through age 31. The last of the six? Edgar Renteria.
Keep in mind, though, that Edgar Renteria is declining in his career. He has just 44 hits so far this season. He has a shot at this point, but, at his recent pace, he will not make it to the Hall of Fame.
Beltre, on the other hand, is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, and is on pace to have over 200 hits this season. However, he is 31 years old, and will need to remain consistent to make it.
And once again, there is always the threat of injury. One reason players miss the Hall of Fame after being on pace to make it is injury. If Edgar Renteria and Adrian Beltre can avoid injury, they have a legit shot at history.
You can e-mail me at jess@jesskcoleman.com or follow me on Twitter @jesskcoleman .
