Maybe the lack of stunning lead-off hitters post-Rickey, Rock era has brought their amazing-ness to greater relief? What I mean is, Cal Ripken, Trammel and Larkin's numbers are less compelling now as we've lived thru A-Rod, Tejeda, et al. Jack Morris and Blyleven's performances are less impressive now than when they retired, as we've grown used to Clemens, Maddux, Pedro, etc. But since Rock and Rickey have retired, there hasn't been anyone that I can think of who've come along to exaggerate their accomplishments in the present age.

I think Raines' accomplishments are more impressive now than when he retired, when Rickey's numbers dwarfed them.

I sincerely hope that Raines has little or no trouble getting in. Not only are his stats worthy, but he passes the qualitative test - when Raines was playing at his peak, he was presumed to be headed for the Hall.

Raines had a game-winning RBI in an extra inning All Star Game ... That is a Cooperstown LOCK with the BBWAA

There are two players that should be no-doubt Hall of Famers who might have some difficulty getting in right away -- Barry Larkin and Tim Raines. I am actually quite confident that both will get in, but they won't be as automatic as perhaps they should be (they're both better players than Tony Gwynn, imo, but Gwynn will be easier to get in).

The problem with them is that neither has traditional, eye-popping career totals in hits, homers, RBIs, and have only one MVP between them, and neither of them spent the last portion of their careers getting anointed by ESPN.

Ironically, I think the sabermetricification of the mainstream media may hurt Raines. It's tough for a corner outfielder to get in with just 170 homers. While everyone is cognizant of the era adjustment, Raines did actually play during some of the home run era. A voter could conceivably look at Albert Belle and wonder how he can justify putting an a left fielder with an OPS 100 points worse.

Raines was an absolutely devastating player from 1981-1987, as good as anyone in baseball.

i think another guy in the larkin-raines group that may suffer in comparison to his contemporaries is robbie alomar...in that their hitting totals are no flaming hell compared to the rest of 1990s hitters. Nevertheless, the fact is they'll all be on the ballot well before the thomases, a-rods and such get on the ballot, and they'll go on the ballot where the writers may feel as if they've been struggling to find worthy inductees (particularly this year). A similar effect may help edgar martinez' cause, among others.

The players who'll get lost in the shuffle will be the ones who are the b-list stars: the gary sheffields, jim edmonds maybe, todd helton maybe, carlos delgado maybe etc. It seems clear now that Palmeiro won't make it thanks to the steroids, but i imagine that second-tier guys won't get many chances because there looks to be a fairly steady stream of stars headed for the hall. Also, i think the examples of McGriff, Canseco, Palmeiro (in my view all unlikely to get in) will give voters justification once they fall off the ballot, but not before. I can easily see a voter years from now saying 'we turned McGriff (.284 avg, 493 hr, won a WS) away...how, then should carlos delgado(.282 avg, 500ish HR) really deserve to get in? Thome isn't much better than that either...one of these guys, i'm sure, is going to be where they draw the line. I thought for some time that McGriff would be the limit because he missed 500 HR...but the more i look at it, the less 500 becomes an exclusive club. Once palmeiro misses the HoF, people will forget the roids ands simply say, that guy was a very good player, 569 HR, but he's not in. The homers are nice but you've got to bring something extra: a .300 average, or good defense, or a likeable character. The day raffy falls off the ballot is the day that a whole lot of guys--ryan howard maybe, paul konerko probably, derrek lee, maybe morneau--lose a lot of their chance at immortality.

Palmeiro's steroid use was bad. And Palmeiro's lying to Congress was bad. But Palmeiro costing Justin Morneau his fair shot at Cooperstown is a crime that can never be forgiven.

I would be absolutely shocked if Roberto Alomar doesn't get into the HoF. 300 career hitter, RoY, 12 All Star appearances, 10 GGs, some pretty good showings for the MVP ballots. It's a shame that the spitting incident exists, and his decline was really rapid, but there's just way too much traditional numbers to overlook.

But since Rock and Rickey have retired, there hasn't been anyone that I can think of who've come along to exaggerate their accomplishments in the present age.

Kenny Lofton has had a pretty good career in the post-Rickey Rock age. Craig Biggio as well.

According to this weekend's Newsday, Rickey Henderson was good but had become "a joke" by the time he got to the New York Mets.

Henderson, Mets OF, 1999: .315/.423/.466, 37 steals, 89 runs scored in 121 games; 7th in OBP and 7th in SB.

I thought back in 1985-86 that Raines was the best player in the National League, and I lived long enough to see Win Shares confirm my impression (it has him second in 1987, as well). Not too many people at the time agreed, but that has to be a retrospective Keltner point in Raines's favor: "Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball?" -- not at the time, but looking back, he was very close. You cannot answer Keltner #1 with "very close" for very many HOF candidates.