Lou Whitaker Falling Short of Hall of Fame Again is a Shame

With the announcement of Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller's inductions into the MLB Hall of Fame, the Modern Era Committee glaringly left off one deserving player off their ballot.

Once again, Detroit Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker has been denied induction, and that's a shame.

By any metrics, "Sweet Lou" more than deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, whether that be an eye test, statistical, or advanced. As part of the longest-running double play combo in MLB history along with Alan Trammell, Whitaker was undoubtedly one of the best second basemen in baseball during his era.

Whitaker played 19 seasons, all for the Detroit Tigers, and during that time he won the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year, was a five-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover and a four-time Silver Slugger. He hit 244 home runs, 2,369 hits and had a .276 average, which are some of the best offensive numbers posted by a second baseman during his time.

Considering the caliber of players that have recently been elected to the Hall of Fame, especially last year with the induction of Harold Baines, it's disgraceful that Whitaker has been denied inclusion to the Hall of Fame once again.

Trammell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018; his double play partner realistically should've been inducted five years before him. Instead, Whitaker received just 2.9% of votes in his first and only year on the Hall of Fame ballot, in 2001.

Whitaker's next opportunity to be inducted into the Hall of Fame will be for the Class of 2023, when the Modern Era Committee has their next election opportunity. Until then, Sweet Lou will be wrongfully waiting outside the doors of Cooperstown.