Cleveland Indians: Best player not in the Hall of Fame

A recent article looked at the best MLB players not in the Hall of Fame. The choice for the Cleveland Indians was an obvious one.

Debating who belongs in the Hall of Fame is an annual event.

Leave it to some voters to elect Harold Baines and cause the debates to grow even more heated.

Cleveland Indians fans were able to see Jim Thome get inducted in 2018, yet there are others from his era who could eventually be enshrined as well.

Omar Vizquel is on the ballot this year, although I’m not sure he gets close to making it, but another player from the great teams of the 1990s is one who some fans believe should already be in.

A recent MLB.com article by Will Leitch went through every MLB team and picked one player from each who is the best player still not yet enshrined.

His choice for the Indians was none other than Kenny Lofton.

A simple Google search of “Kenny Lofton Hall of Fame” brings up plenty of articles about why he does or does not belong. But given the results of recent voting, Lofton surely looks like he should be in.

Lofton made the All-Star Game every year from 1994-1999 and took home three Gold Glove awards in his career. He ranks 15th in MLB history with 622 career stolen bases and has 2,428 career hits.

A recent WFNY article made the case for how Lofton deserves better from the Hall of Fame voters. The problem for me is that based on how the Hall of Fame should be voted on, Lofton may not qualify. But given the way voters actually carry themselves, Lofton should be in.

What is your opinion on Lofton? Should he be in the Hall of Fame, or is he rightfully no longer on the ballot?