25 current MLB players who will end up in the Hall of Very Good

Being late to make a splash in MLB helps keep you from being too successful, or too ingrained in the minds of fans. Rooker didn’t make an impact in MLB until his age-28 season. However, he was an all-star with the Athletics that year, and he’s been a 30-homer guy consistently since. Of course, we also mentioned the Athletics, a team that became vagabonds during his tenure, which doesn’t help in establishing yourself with local fans, much less national fans.

Frelick has played for the Brewers while they have been quite good, but he is not their best player. He’s flashy in the field, Gold Glove worthy, but not considered one of the very best defenders. Frelick can hit, but he doesn’t have a ton of power. He’s the kind of player baseball fans tend to enjoy watching, but likely will never threaten to be good enough to merit consistent national attention.

Muncy has been a long-time Dodger, and playing for a signature franchise helps. It also helps to have a lot of power. What doesn’t help is always being surrounded by guys who are stars, who are future Hall of Famers, who both garner you more attention but also overshadow you. Additionally, Muncy has had trouble staying healthy, and nobody sees much of you when you are on the injured list. He’ll go down as a beloved Dodger, but even there, he will come to mind after several of his teammates.

Arraez is notable for one single skill, but also the fact that said skill gives him an archaic kind of game. He hits for average. Arraez has led both the American League and the National League in batting average. He never strikes out in a way that is remarkable, save for the fact that people rarely remark on not striking out in casual baseball conversations. Arraez has no power and is honestly a bad fielder. Still, you win three batting titles, you end up remembered. When you do nothing else, though, it’s, “Hey, do you remember that Arraez guy who hit a ton of singles?”

To be a pitcher who ends up remembered in this way, you have to flash some skill and have some good years, but you can’t ever be too good. Flaherty once finished four in Cy Young voting, and that’s about as high as you can go. It helps Flaherty in the race to be remembered, but not prominently, that he had some tough times and bounced around since. However, he can still flash his skills as a mid-rotation starter. Aces get immortalized, fringe rotation arms get forgotten, number-three guys become fun names to bring up in conversation.

The threshold for being well-remembered as a reliever, even a closer, is high. Honestly, you basically have to make the Hall of Fame, or be a fringe case. If you want evidence of that, look at the list of career leaders in saves and see how many names make you think, “Oh yeah, that guy.” That is Diaz’s future, in our opinion. He’s been an all-star a few times over and may even do it again. Troy Percival made four All-Star Games and won a World Series. When’s the last time you thought about Troy Percival?

Kyle Schwarber is overrated as a player because he’s such a great power hitter, but his power is so lauded that he’s going to be remembered too fondly and too frequently to end up on a list such as this. You can’t lead the National League in homers twice with the Phillies and fall too far by the wayside. Bryce Harper is, of course, a future Hall of Famer. Bohm, though, is a different story. He’s pretty good! He was runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year in 2020, and he’s been to an All-Star Game. The third baseman might even make a second someday! Owing to the franchise he’s played for, he’s been seen by a lot of fans, and he’s often played well. Bohm is just not good enough or flashy enough to register as a name to be bandied about unless you’re talking about 2020s third basemen or 2020s Phillies.

More like Alejandro Quirk. Nailed it! Look, Kirk is a pretty good player and a good hitter for a catcher. Some other catchers who are better hitters will be forgotten, though. Kirk stands out because he’s 5’8’’, broadly built, and slow. However, he’s risen above that to be a viable MLB starter. That means people will remember you, but it doesn’t mean you’ll get even one Hall of Fame vote or end up with a retired number.

In terms of being in front of baseball fans, Olson has played in all 162 games five times in his career (and played in all 60 in 2020). Olson is a very good hitter and has also won two Gold Gloves. At first base, though, you have to really wow to pop. That goes double when you spend part of your career in Oakland (and Atlanta isn’t exactly New York or LA). If Olson and Pete Alonso (a similar player) swapped employment history, Olson would be talked about constantly for years, and Alonso would be a “the real baseball lovers know” kind of name to pull. Such is life.

There was a time when a guy coming over from Japan was enough to make him a big name in MLB history. Suzuki missed that time, though. While promising players opting to leave Japan for the United States will still draw a lot of attention (and usually end up with them signing with the Dodgers), Suzuki didn’t generate quite that level of fanfare. Oh, attention was paid to him, and he’s been a good player for the Cubs. He’s just not remarkable enough historically or production-wise to imagine him being well-remembered.

Every MLB team wants a steady, reliable starter. Steadiness doesn’t yield great careers, though, and it doesn’t earn you much love outside of the fanbases that have rooted for you. Castillo is considered a rotational rock, and he’s been to three All-Star Games. However, the only thing he has ever led a league in is games started and losses.

For a minute there, Hader seemed like he was heading toward being a Hall of Fame-caliber reliever. That isn’t the case any longer, and he seemed to effectively fly under the radar with the Astros in 2024 and 2025. It’s not like the days back with the Brewers, though, when Hader was considered the best reliever in baseball. The buzz was so buzzy back in the day, and relievers can have long careers. It just feels like Hader will only be top of mind to people who were baseball fans during a specific three-year span.

What if you were part of a massive trade as a top prospect and then you were just, you know, good? Abrams is a good shortstop. He’s been stuck playing for some bad Nationals teams, which doesn’t help his Q rating, but he has 20-homer power and the speed to swipe 30 bags. However, if Abrams hadn’t been part of the Juan Soto trade, he might only be known to Nationals fans. Unless Washington turns things around, he’ll be a good player who gets little attention, other than from people trying to remember the details of the Soto trade.

Carpenter has been helped by having some big hits in the postseason when more eyes have been on him and the Tigers. He’s a lefty who will have some incredible, highlight-reel homers against right-handed pitchers. That’s the long and short of it, though. Still, that allows him to generate enough highlights that people will remember his name, but not enough success to end up in any serious baseball discussions.

With a name like “Jazz Chisholm,” he may have been a “that guy” baseball figure even if he had spent his entire career with the Marlins. We don’t have to wonder, though, because he has gotten to spend at least some time in his career as a Yankee. Having a 30/30 season as a Yankee will go a long way, but if the likes of Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada can fade into “that guy” status, that can happen to Jazz Chisholm as well.

On three occasions, for three teams, Semien has finished third in the AL MVP voting. That’s great, but he’s also been in three All-Star Games. The peaks certainly help, but the overall picture is akin to another former Ranger, Ian Kinsler.

Glasnow has long hair, and he strikes a lot of guys out. When he’s on, he makes an impact. He’s also gotten to spend part of his career with the Dodgers, but prior to that, he was with the Rays and Pirates. Time in Dodger Blue aside, Glasnow has had an issue staying healthy enough to really carve out any substantive legacy, the kind you can look up online. When you see him pitch, you recognize the skill, but he’s been to one All-Star Game and never gotten a Cy Young vote.

Gausman’s stick-to-it-tiveness is impressive, and that can be part of a narrative. It’s just that he’s not likely to have too many baseball fans delivering that story. He wasn’t really an above-average pitcher until his age-29 season, but since then, he’s been an all-star twice and finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting three times. If he had won a Cy Young, his story would be oft-discussed. It’s less common to be regaled with tales of a pitcher who found his footing late in his career and then finished third in Cy Young voting.

A first name that starts with an “X” always helps. Of course, so does playing in All-Star Games as a member of the Boston Red Sox. However, there are a couple of things that have led to the cultural slide of Bogaerts as a figure in MLB. One, he left Boston, but without the tumult of Mookie Betts or Rafael Devers. Two, since joining San Diego, he’s been wholly unremarkable.

What if you are a good MLB player, but you spend your entire career with a franchise that has been largely irrelevant? That’s the nature of Reynolds’ career. He once hit .300, and he’s had two seasons with over 20 homers and double-digit stolen bases. Reynolds is even a switch-hitter, which is fun. However, he’s done it all with the Pirates. He’s never played in the postseason. Plus, now, he’s not even going to get tapped as the lone All-Star Game representative for the franchise.

Lowe is one of the best power-hitting second basemen ever. That’s not hyperbole. He’s had two 30-homer seasons at a position where that kind of power is rare. On the other hand, there is also a reason he has only two 30-homer seasons. Those are the two years Lowe has managed to play over 110 games.

You can make the Hall of Fame by spending much of your career with the Colorado Rockies. You can even become a notable MLB star with the Rockies. Well, you could, at least. These days, the Rockies are the worst franchise in baseball, maybe in the four major American sports leagues. Goodman emerged in 2025 as a catcher who hit over 30 home runs. He did it for one of the worst baseball teams in history, though. There are people who are genuinely serious baseball fans who have never heard the name Hunter Goodman.

Baseball fans like blazing fastballs and wicked breaking balls. They like strikeouts and flash on the mound. So what if you’re a really good pitcher, but what you do best is keep the ball on the ground? Valdez has been a high-level pitcher for half a decade with the Astros, a prominent team. He’s done it, though, by keeping the ball in the park and relying on his teammates to make outs in the field. Hey, it’s worked. People see his numbers, and they are impressed. It’s just that watching him play makes less of an impact.

Miller was a rookie in 2024 and an all-star with the Athletics. However, we already have him pegged to be an “MLB that guy.” He’s a relief pitcher, so the big fastball and the strikeouts have to really be piled up. Miller was traded, for quite the return, during the 2025 season. The Padres then turned him into a set-up man. He wasn’t even the team’s closer. In 2024, there were murmurs of “the next great closer” around Miller. He’ll close again, but that door does already feel closed.

We’ll end with another young guy who we are already confident will end up at this level. Remember Juan Pierre? Of course you do, but only because we prompted you to remember Juan Pierre. Simpson is going to be his generation’s Juan Pierre. He’s an outfielder who is a remarkable base stealer. As a rookie, he stole 44 bases in 109 games with the Rays. Simpson also hit .295, which qualifies as a good average these days. He also slugged .345 and had zero home runs. There’s nothing wrong with being the new Juan Pierre, but nobody grows up playing baseball dreaming of being the new Juan Pierre.