Without a doubt, Tim Raines belongs in the Hall of Fame - ESPN

"Without a doubt, Tim Raines belongs in the Hall of Fame"

Maybe. You can read the article and see if you are convinced, but I linked to it because of this interesting bit of trivia:

"Only 40 players in major league history have reached base 4,000 times. Of those 40 players, 33 are eligible for the Hall of Fame. Of those 33, 32 have been elected to the Hall (the only exception is Rusty Staub)."

Go, Rust-man! I love that guy. Probably the only major leaguer of the post-war era (other than the legendary Gus Triandos) that I could beat in a foot race. Shows you what a great hitter he was. He had a lifetime batting average of .279, and you know that didn't include a lot of bunt singles, or grounders where he beat the throw!

Staub had one of the most amazing surges in baseball history. In 1968 he had six homers in about 600 at bats. The next year he had 29 homers, despite getting fewer opportunities. His batting average stayed about the same, but he started hitting homers instead of singles and doubles. Before the six - ten. After the 29 - 30. Although he was traded out of the Astrodome after the 1968 season, that did not explain his sudden power surge, because when he hit the six in 1968, it included three at home in the Astrodome, and three on the road. When he moved to Montreal, he hit 17 of his 29 on the road! How did he go from three road homers to seventeen in a single year in the era before steroids? You'll have to ask him. It had to have been increased strength because I'm pretty sure those homers weren't of the inside-the-park variety, unless he was playing in Yellowstone. (And even then, I don't see him beating the 13th relay throw unless the outfielder had to wrestle the ball away from a bear.)