HOF-level stars who were derailed by injury

Talent and exhausting work aren’t the one components of a Hall of Fame profession. Longevity is vital, too, and it’s a issue that sadly has eluded many gamers who had been in any other case on monitor to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Here is a take a look at some star gamers whose Hall of Fame circumstances had been derailed by accidents, working backward from the newest. (Each participant’s remaining season is listed in parentheses).

Stephen Strasburg (2022)
Strasburg delivered on his promise as one of the heralded pitching prospects in baseball historical past. The No. 1 total choose within the 2009 Draft made fast work of the Minors, making his MLB Debut in June 2010 only one yr after being drafted. In 68 innings as a rookie, Strasburg had a 2.91 ERA and an outlandish 33.6% strikeout price earlier than present process Tommy John surgical procedure late that season. It was an ominous signal for the younger star, who sadly handled too many accidents later in his profession. Strasburg did, nonetheless, recuperate from surgical procedure to turn out to be probably the greatest pitchers of the 2010s. From 2012-19, Strasburg posted a 3.21 ERA, 33.2 WAR and a 28.9% strikeout price. He was, by all accounts, an ace who averaged 168 high-quality innings a season throughout that stretch. Strasburg’s career-defining second got here when he gained the 2019 World Series MVP and helped ship the primary World Series title to the Nationals. Sadly, Strasburg made simply eight MLB begins after that earlier than he made plans to retire late within the 2023 season.

Dustin Pedroia (2019)
Pedroia was properly on his method to constructing a compelling case for Cooperstown when Manny Machado, then of the Orioles, slid into him on a play at second base in April 2017. That incident started a collection of knee issues that included numerous surgical procedures and stored Pedroia out for all however 9 video games in 2018-19. After lacking all of ‘20, Pedroia introduced his retirement in February ‘21, with one season left on his contract. It was an unlucky finish to a profession that featured an American League Rookie of the Year Award (2007), an AL MVP Award (‘08), 4 Gold Glove Awards at second, 4 All-Star picks and three World Series rings (‘07, ‘13, ’18). Through his age-32 season in ‘16, Pedroia (49.8 WAR, 1,683 hits, 375 doubles, 133 homers, .811 OPS) had a résumé extraordinarily much like that of Craig Biggio on the identical level in his profession (51.1 WAR, 1,680 hits, 333 doubles, 136 homers, .814 OPS). But whereas Biggio performed 9 extra seasons, cleared 3,000 hits and made the Hall, Pedroia by no means received the possibility.

Troy Tulowitzki (2019)
Physical points had been a near-constant impediment for Tulowitzki, starting with a number of stints on the injured listing in what would have been his second full season in 2008. For some time, the dynamic shortstop overcame them. With the Rockies from 2007-14, Tulowitzki mixed properly above-average offense (127 OPS+) with stellar protection at brief (for which he gained two Gold Gloves) to turn out to be one of many sport’s best gamers, with 38.2 WAR. Tulo is certainly one of solely 5 shortstops since integration (1947) to have no less than six seasons of 5 WAR by way of age 29, however he performed in simply 330 video games in his 30s as his assortment of IL stints stretched into double digits.

David Wright (2018)
Over his first 10 seasons, by way of 2013, Wright batted .301/.382/.506 (137 OPS+) and averaged 22 homers, 88 RBIs and 18 steals per yr. His 47.2 profession WAR put him within the high 10 all time for third basemen by way of their age-30 season — forward of the likes of Adrian Beltre and Chipper Jones. But the whole lot modified when Wright sustained a stress fracture in his again in 2011 and spent about two months on the injured listing. While Wright continued to carry out at a excessive stage over the next two seasons, he performed a complete of 77 video games since ’15, when he was recognized with a severe, continual again situation (spinal stenosis).

Grady Sizemore (2015)
He was nonetheless a good distance from Cooperstown, however Sizemore’s first 4 full seasons had been electrical. Following a brief debut in 2004, Sizemore rapidly turned an all-around star for the Indians. From 2005-08, he performed sturdy protection in heart area and put collectively 4 consecutive seasons with no less than 20 residence runs and 20 steals whereas batting .281/.372/.496 (128 OPS+). His 24.6 WAR throughout that point was fourth amongst all MLB place gamers, behind solely Albert Pujols, Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez. Injuries started to intervene in ’09, and solely worsened from there, with Sizemore enjoying solely 313 extra video games from 2010 on, whereas enduring quite a few surgical procedures, together with on each knees.

Johan Santana (2012)
Like Wright, Santana had one thing of a final hurrah with the Mets, though no person knew it on the time. On June 1, 2012, the left-hander tossed the primary no-hitter in franchise historical past, towards the Cardinals at Citi Field. Only 33 on the time, Santana made 10 extra begins that season and has not pitched within the Majors since, regardless of persistent comeback makes an attempt. Yet, from 2004-08 with the Twins and Mets, Santana put collectively a Hall of Fame-caliber peak, going 86-39 with a 2.82 ERA (157 ERA+), greater than a strikeout per inning and two American League Cy Young Awards.

Nomar Garciaparra (2009)
Boston’s reply to Derek Jeter at shortstop, Garciaparra gained the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, when he racked up 209 hits. That was the primary of 4 consecutive seasons through which Garciaparra was price no less than 6.6 WAR, and he earned back-to-back batting titles in ’99 and 2000 by slashing an absurd .365/.426/.601 over these two seasons. A wrist drawback then price him most of 2001, accounting for 2 of his 14 profession stints on the injured listing. While Garciaparra loved stretches of sturdy manufacturing all through the subsequent decade with the Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers and A’s, he final performed a full season in 2003.

Brandon Webb (2009)
He wasn’t an enormous strikeout pitcher, however Webb rode his sinker to a great deal of grounders and nice success with the D-backs. The right-hander started his profession by producing 87 wins, a 3.24 ERA (143 ERA+) and 33.2 WAR from 2003-08 — the sixth most WAR for a pitcher in his first six seasons since integration (1947). Webb gained the National League Cy Young Award in 2006 and was the runner-up in ’07 and ’08. But his Opening Day begin in 2009 turned out to be the ultimate outing of his profession, as Webb subsequently underwent shoulder surgical procedure and by no means made it again on a Major League mound.

Eric Davis (2001)
Davis did some particular issues early in his profession with the Reds. In one 162-game stretch between 1986-87, he batted .308/.406/.622 with 47 residence runs and 98 stolen bases (in 110 makes an attempt). Through his first seven seasons, he had a 140 OPS+, 166 homers, 233 steals and three NL Gold Glove Awards. Yet, accidents suppressed that tremendous expertise. Though he lasted 17 seasons within the massive leagues, Davis by no means performed greater than 135 video games in a yr, averaged solely 86 per season after age 28 and missed all of 1995 whereas combating colon most cancers. He nonetheless completed with 282 homers and 349 steals in his profession.

Dave Stieb (1998)
Stieb’s profession WAR of 56.8 is spectacular in its personal proper, however much more so contemplating that he accrued nearly all of it by way of his age-32 season. That put the Blue Jays righty on a Hall of Fame trajectory, however shoulder and again accidents struck the subsequent yr, and Stieb threw barely greater than 200 extra massive league innings, together with 50 1/3 as a 40-year-old in 1998.

Don Mattingly (1995)
Mattingly was an establishment at first base for the Yankees. The six-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove Award winner and 1985 AL MVP batted .323/.368/.521 (144 OPS+) from 1982-89, topping a .300 common in every of his first six full seasons. But continual again points plagued Mattingly for the remainder of his profession, which ended prematurely at age 34. Though he gained 4 of his Gold Gloves after 1990 and remained above common on the plate, Mattingly by no means regained his standing as an elite hitter.

J.R. Richard (1980)
Like one other tall, wild pitcher named Randy Johnson, it took the 6-foot-8 Richard some time to shake his wildness and set up himself within the Majors. He first began greater than 10 video games in a season with the Astros in 1975, at age 26. Late bloomers have an uphill climb to Hall of Fame standing, however Richard turned one of many hardest pitchers within the Majors, placing out greater than 300 batters in each 1978 and ’79. Richard had a 1.90 ERA by way of 17 begins the subsequent yr when he had a stroke that led to his profession ending at age 30.

Tony Conigliaro (1975)
More than a half-century earlier than Juan Soto debuted, Conigliaro set a document for residence runs by a youngster, swatting 24 at age 19 for the Red Sox in 1964. He hit 32 extra to steer the AL the subsequent yr and nonetheless ranks fourth all time in homers by way of age 22 (104), behind solely Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews and Rodriguez. But on Aug. 18, 1967, an errant fastball hit Conigliaro within the face and stopped his promising profession in its tracks. While Conigliaro managed returned to the Sox in ’69 and smacked 56 extra homers over the subsequent two years, the damage broken his eyesight, and he performed solely 95 video games after the age of 25.