Baseball Hall of Fame Snub List Includes Former Astros Standout Slugger

Was this Houston Astros slugger snubbed?

Apr 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of Houston Astros second base Jose Altuve (27) hat on the field during batting practice prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are attached to a long line of baseball greats, some of whom continue to receive national recognition for their impact on Major League Baseball.

Notable names like Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell tend to come to mind when thinking of all-time legendary Astros players. Unsurprisingly, the pair were both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, there are a handful of players who seemed to be on track to become Hall of Famers, but ended up missing the mark.

Among those who were snubbed of such an honor was a longtime Houston icon, who Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes was one of the top 30 biggest Hall of Fame snubs in MLB history.

Houston's 1997 First-Round Pick Fell Off Ballot

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Picked 16th in the first round of the 1997 MLB draft, hopes were held high for Lance Berkman's budding baseball career. As most young players experience, his rookie year with the Astros in 1999 was rather uneventful, slashing .237/.321/.387 with a .708 OPS, recording four homers and 15 RBIs.

After gaining a few years of experience, his most productive season came in 2006 when he slashed .315/.420/.621 and a stunning 1.041 OPS. Along the way, he smacked a career-high of 46 homers and reeled in 136 RBIs.

Despite his illustrious career, Berkman was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In fact, his BBWAA voting peak amassed 1.2%, ultimately falling off the ballot in 2019.

During his 12 years with Houston, before being shipped off to the New York Yankees in July 2010 in exchange for Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes, he had slashed .296/.410/.549 with a .959 OPS.

To this day, Berkman's 366 homers rank him sixth for most home runs by a switch-hitter in baseball history. He may not be a Hall of Famer, but his offensive production at the plate can't be debated.

According to Reuter's list, Berkman lands at No. 14 out of the 30 baseball players who he believes were snubbed of a Hall of Fame title. He stated that this is attributed to his "lack of defensive value."

Indeed, Berkman was not known for having defensive prowess, but many would argue that his offensive abilities could have made up for that when it came to the Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, his performance with the Astros remains an integral part of franchise history as he cemented himself as one of their icons.