Toronto Blue Jays: Carlos Delgado regrets missed chance at Hall of Fame

Toronto Blue Jays legend Carlos Delgado discusses what he could have done differently, to improve his chances of being elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When it comes to discussing the greatest Toronto Blue Jays of all time, Carlos Delgado is in the mix. During his 12-years with the team, he was undoubtedly one of the best ever to play in Southern Ontario.

Certainly, Delgado’s resume makes for impressive reading. He holds the franchise record in a whole host of categories, including home runs (336), RBIs (1,058), runs (889), doubles (343), slugging percentage (.556), OPS (.949); the list goes on.

Unfortunately for the three-time AL Silver Slugger, it still wasn’t enough to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He fell off the ballot in 2015 after his first attempt, due to receiving less than the required five percent of votes.

Ever since, Delgado has wondered what he could have done differently to improve his chances of being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. While he is extremely proud of being in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, there is still some understandable regret.

The 47-year-old discussed what could have helped his case, during a Saturday appearance on Sportsnet Today. As per Tom Ruminski of theScore, Delgado said:

"“This is my thinking: I played parts of 17 seasons, if I go another year and I get to 500 home runs and I get closer to 1,700 RBIs, probably the conversation to the Hall of Fame … would’ve been different.“Am I a better baseball player because I played another year and I got to 500 home runs and (close to) 1,700 RBIs? Hmm, maybe not. It’s just that, sometimes, longevity, it gives you an extra boost.”"

Certainly you can appreciate Delgado’s rationale. During his MLB career, which included tenures with the Florida Marlins and New York Mets, he totaled 483 home runs and 1,512 RBIs.

Of the 27 players who reached 500 home runs, 18 of them are in the Hall of Fame. Delgado is 34th on the all-time list as it is, but 500 home runs was still theoretically a realistic goal.

In respect of RBIs, the two-time All-Star was never going to get anywhere close to 1,700. He is still ranked 55th all-time however, which also makes for impressive reading.

Delgado shouldn’t be too hard on himself though. He battled an increasing number of injuries towards the end of his career, which meant it didn’t matter how much desire he had to continue playing.