The forgotten Dodgers slugger who should be in the Hall of Fame

When we think of aggrieved MLB players who had careers good enough to warrant Hall of Fame consideration but never got the call, there are a number that come to mind. Outside of the nefarious PED guys, players like Kevin Brown, Bobby Grich, and Kenny Lofton all had outstanding careers, but just couldn't muster enough support to get voted in by the BBWAA.

There's an oft-forgotten Dodgers outfielder who falls into that latter group, as well. Though he didn't spend his entire career in LA, Reggie Smith spent six of his 17 years in Dodger blue. He arrived in Los Angeles in his early 30s and put up strong numbers through his age-35 season, in which he was an All Star.

In total, Smith amassed 64.5 bWAR and hit .287/.366/.489 with 314 home runs and 137 steals. He was a seven-time All Star, won a Gold Glove award in his age-23 season, and had two top-5 MVP finishes, both of which were with LA. He was also part of the 1981 Dodgers' World Series championship squad, albeit that year he was working his way around a labrum tear and shoulder surgery that severely hampered his performance at the plate and in the field.

Smith was called a superstar by former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, and for good reason. During those two MVP-caliber years with LA, Smith hit a combined .302/.406/.568. He led the league with a .427 OBP in the first of those years while putting up 6.1 bWAR, and finished with 4.5 bWAR in 1979 despite playing in just 128 games.

Former Dodgers outfielder Reggie Smith deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame

In total, Smith's 64.5 bWAR is good for 16th-best of all time among right fielders. That puts him ahead of many other Hall of Famers, including Dave Winfield and Vladimir Guerrero, recent inductee Dave Parker, and the sure-to-be-inducted Ichiro Suzuki. The biggest knock against him is that he played in a very competitive era, and has little in the way of black ink on his Baseball Reference page (black ink denotes a player leading the league in a particular stat).

That said, Smith was one of the best players of his time. He appeared in seven All-Star games, and received MVP consideration in seven seasons. His 314 homers are the ninth-most all-time by a switch hitter and he was an exceptional fielder with a cannon for an arm, especially in his younger years.

Despite all Smith had going for him, he got swept off the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot in his first appearance. He debuted on the ballot in 1988, and while he did face some tough competition in future Hall of Famers Willie Stargell, Jim Bunning, and Tony Oliva, among a few others, just three voters listed Smith on their ballots. His 0.7% vote share was nowhere near close enough to keep him on the ballot in future years and he went out without much fanfare.

Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame's new Era Committee, formerly known as the Veterans Committee, hasn't ever seemed to take his case seriously, either. Far inferior players have been shuttled in the Hall's back door over the years, but Smith has never gotten the chance, despite having a strong case on paper.

The next opportunity for Smith would be in 2027, when the Classic Baseball Era Committee (pre-1980) will vote on a segment of eligible players for inclusion in the Class of 2028. The list of nominees will likely be announced in November of that year. It would be a shame if the Committee never reconsiders Smith's case, as it's a strong one. He's a more qualified candidate than most of the players who've been left out, and he's certainly not getting any younger. He'll be 82 when the Committee gathers three years from now. They ought to try to get him into the Hall now, rather than wait and do it posthumously, because Smith deserves to be in Cooperstown.