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The 20 players with the most hits who aren’t in the Hall of Fame

Kevin Kaduk
·5 min read
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These players have a lot of hits, but no plaque

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto collected career hit No. 2,000 on Monday night. That it took Votto, one of the best pure hitters of his era, 15 seasons to reach 2,000 hits came as a bit of a surprise to many baseball fans. But it also just underscored the difficulty of racking up big hit totals, particularly in the age of the three true outcomes (homer, strikeout, walk). The general rule is that 3,000 career hits is an automatic ticket to induction in the Hall of Fame and that generally remains the case, though there are a handful still on the outside looking in due to situations of their own making. Here's a look at the 20 most prolific hitters who aren't in the Hall of Fame. Some will be coming off this list soon. But others are there for good. It's an interesting look.

1. Pete Rose — 4,256

(Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network)

Rose has more hits than anyone who's ever picked up a bat, but his decision to bet on baseball has kept him the sport's most famous living outsider.

2. Albert Pujols — 3,294*

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

(*Still active) Pujols will obviously make the Hall of Fame one day, but right now the biggest question is if he reached the top 10 for most hits ever. He currently ranks 12th and 25 hits away from tying Paul Molitor, who currently occupies 10th place.

3. Adrian Beltre — 3,166

(Getty Images)

Beltre put up amazing numbers before retiring after the 2018 season. He's first eligible for Cooperstown in 2024.

4. Alex Rodriguez — 3,115

(Getty Images)

A-Rod's unpopularity with the public and his suspensions for PED use means he'll likely require a ticket to visit Cooperstown for the forseeable future.

5. Ichiro — 3,089

(Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Ichiro is only renting space on this list. He'll be a first-ballot inductee for the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class.

6. Rafael Palmeiro — 3,020

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Palmeiro's steroid use led to everyone discounting his monstrous numbers. He's basically a forgotten star at this point.

7. Miguel Cabrera — 2,951*

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

(*Still active) As of this writing, Cabrera was also just one homer away from No. 500. It's taken him a bit to reach both the magic numbers of 3,000 and 500, but he seems determined to get there.

8. Barry Bonds — 2,935

(Photo by JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Bonds would've reached the 3,000 hit mark had a club offered him a contract for the 2008 season — or if he hadn't walked a MLB-record 2,558 times.

9. Omar Vizquel — 2,877

(David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

Vizquel had a borderline Hall of Fame case, but that's gone after the sexual harassment and domestic abuse allegations that have been recently leveled against him.

10. Johnny Damon — 2,789

(Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

Damon is no longer on the writers' Hall of Fame ballot, but his consistency and starring roles on both Red Sox and Yankees title teams might get him in one day.

11. Vada Pinson — 2,757

(Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Pinson is a somewhat forgotten star of the 1960s Reds and a great bat to have atop the lineup. He led the National League in hits in both 1961 and 1963.

12. Al Oliver — 2,743

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Oliver was a career .303 hitter over 18 seasons and won the 1982 NL title with the Expos as a 35-year-old. Baseball's collusion case in the mid-80s brought an early end to his career. With another 2-3 seasons, he would've reached the magic 3,000 number that would've almost assuredly ensured his induction.

13. Carlos Beltran — 2,725

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Beltran becomes eligible for the Hall in 2023, and his case will be among the most controversial in recent memory due to his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing saga.

14. Rusty Staub — 2,716

(AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky)

Staub's numbers aren't quite Hall of Fame level, but his longevity (23 years) is off the charts.

15. Bill Buckner — 2,715

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Buckner won the 1980 NL batting title as a member of the Chicago Cubs and had two seasons of 200+ hits.

16. Dave Parker — 2,712

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Cobra won two batting titles with the Pirates (1977-78) and won the 1978 NL MVP award. Like Dale Murphy, he consistently gets dinged for having too short of a peak.

17. Doc Cramer — 2,705

(AP Photo/Joe Caneva)

Cramer played a total of 20 seasons from 1929 to 1948 and had long stints with the A's, Red Sox and Tigers. He led the American League in at-bats seven times and took advantage to pile up over 2,700 hits — only 37 of which were home runs. A five-time All-Star, he was not quite a Hall of Famer.

18. Lave Cross — 2,651

Cross was a deadball era standout from 1887 to 1907, who played most of his career in Philadelphia. He ranked fifth in all-time hits when he retired.

19. Steve Garvey — 2,599

(Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports)

The 10-time All-Star won the NL MVP in 1974 and led the NL in hits in both 1978 and 1980. He had six 200-hit seasons and finished his 19-year career with a .294 lifetime average. His Hall of Fame case remains one of the most controversial and he's been bypassed by the Veteran's Committee four times.

20. Luis Gonzalez — 2,591

(JOHN MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Gonzalez racked up his total over 19 seasonas and 10,531 major league plate appearances and led the. NL in hits in 1999 with 206. He's never been close to being considered a bona fide Hall of Fame candidate, though. More from List Wire: The most recent no-hitter by all 30 MLB teams. Ranking all 32 NFL helmets from worst to first.

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