The Baines of Hall of Fame voting

There is A LOT of angry fans because Harold Baines got elected to the Hall of Fame yesterday. To a lesser degree the same can be said of Lee Smith, but as many people have already pointed out at least he was the All-Time Saves Leader for over a decade.

Personally I like Harold Baines and at one point considered to make him a player I could power collect from the 80s. I wouldn't feel the need to collect every parallel of his from modern sets and definitely had no desire to add 100s of his signature to my collection.  The reason is purely aesthetic.  His signature is not the greatest looking.

My frustration doesn't end there though. 

Despite being a six time All-Star, Baines played the majority of his career as a designated hitter.  If you are only going to play one side of the game you have to be elite, which Baines wasn't.

In 22 years, Baines posted a career WAR of 38.7.  Compare that to other guys from the 80s who are not in the Hall of Fame.
Dale Murphy 46.5 WAR (with 5 Gold Gloves)

Don Mattingly 42.4 WAR (with 8 Gold Gloves)

Lou Whitaker 72.5 WAR (with 3 Gold Gloves)

Will Clark 56.5 WAR (with 1 Gold Glove)

In a career that has lasted only half the compiled career of Harold Baines, Andrew McCutchen has already surpassed the recently anointed Hall of Famer in career WAR by 5.

If Cutch retired today, would he be considered one of the All-Time greats?

Doubtful.

Fortunately Cutch isn't going to retire and this will lead to my contest announcement tomorrow.