6 surprising Hall ballot one-and-done hitters

This is Tim Raines’ 10th and final year of eligibility on the Hall of Fame ballot, and the campaigning for Rock has been strong. But there will also be, inevitably, those among the candidates who never get that full run of chances.

Since 1979, in one form or another, the 5-percent rule has applied for potential Cooperstown inductees: receive at least five percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America’s votes, stay on the ballot for another year; fall short of that mark, fall off future ballots. (The number of votes needed for election to the Hall is 75 percent.)

There are 19 players who are appearing for the first time on the 2017 ballot. Many will likely not receive the votes needed for a second go-round. They’ll join a host of one-and-dones through the decades of Hall of Fame voting, some more surprising than others. MLB.com takes a look at some of the players who missed the 5-percent cutoff — despite comparing favorably to certain Hall of Famers — and never got a second shot at election, beginning with position players.

Jim Edmonds, CF, 1993-2010Career stats: .284/.376/.527, 1,949 H, 393 HR, 1,199 RBIs, 1,251 R, 60.3 WAR (Baseball-Reference.com)Hall of Fame voting: 2.5 percent of ballots in 2016

Edmonds could have been a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. Instead, the Angels’ and Cardinals’ longtime star center fielder found himself off the ballot after his first year. Edmonds’ counting stats might come up a little short compared to some Hall of Famers, but he accumulated more than a 60 career WAR and played elite defense at a premium position. In his career, Edmonds made four All-Star teams, won eight Gold Glove Awards (including six straight), one Silver Slugger Award and placed in the MVP voting six times. At his peak, a five-season stretch from 2000-04 book-ended by top-five MVP finishes, Edmonds averaged more than a 6.0 WAR per year and helped lead the Cardinals to four playoff appearances.

Compares favorably to: Jim Rice. Edmonds has a higher career WAR than many Hall of Fame outfielders, with Rice the most recently elected example. Edmonds played fewer career games than Rice, but his 60.3 WAR is well more than Rice’s 47.4. Rice’s best season, his MVP year in 1978, slightly edges Edmonds’ best in 2004 (7.5 WAR to 7.2), but Edmonds’ peak five years (32 WAR) beat Rice’s best five (30.3). Edmonds also had more career home runs and an OPS almost 50 points higher than Rice.

Carlos Delgado, 1B, 1993-2009Career stats: .280/.383/.546, 2,038 H, 473 HR, 1,512 RBIs, 1,241 R, 44.3 WARHOF voting: 3.8 percent in 2015

Delgado was one of the premier power hitters in baseball for the duration of his career, but he was overshadowed playing …

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