Former MLB outfielder Johnny Damon has expressed his belief that he had a Hall of Fame career. The initial thought of Johnny Damon in the Baseball Hall of Fame does not make much sense. He was not considered one of the best players of his era, was never the best on his team or the best at the center field position, and he only made two All-Star teams. The two-time World Series champion and 18-year MLB veteran seems like the perfect candidate for the compensatory and imaginary “Hall of Very Good.” However, upon further consideration and a deep look at the numbers, Johnny Damon is right. He did have a Hall of Fame career.
2,759
Throughout Damon’s eighteen-year career, he quietly amassed 2,759 hits, ranking 55th All-Time. Only seven players in baseball have more career hits than Johnny Damon and are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
| Player | Total Hits, Rank | Reasons for not be in the Hall of Fame |
| Pete Rose | 4,256 hits (All-Time Leader) | Banned from baseball in 1989 (Bet on Baseball) |
| Albert Pujolos | 3384 (10th All-Time) | Not yet eligible retired in 2022 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 3174 (17th All-Time) | Not yet eligible retired in 2023 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 3115 (23rd All-Time) | PED Scandals |
| Ichiro Suzuki | 3089 (25th All-Time) | Update 2025 Inductee |
| Rafael Palmero | 3020 (30th All-Time) | PED Scandal |
| Barry Bonds | 2935 (38th All-Time) | Likely used PEDs |
| Omar Vizuel | 2877 (44th All-Time) | Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment Lawsuits |
The chart above illustrates that Johnny Damon has the most hits of any baseball player who has been eligible for the Hall of Fame but was not inducted (with no cheating scandal or violent crime attached to his legacy). Recently, we have seen BBWAA put less emphasis on milestones such as hits. This is a positive thing, as hitters like Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, and Scott Rolen are getting recognized. Still, the incredible feat of 2,769 base hits, 55th out of over 20,700 to play in the Major Leagues, is an incredible accomplishment worth celebrating. In the 21st century, we have learned that the total hits a player has are not the be-all and end-all, but we have begun to undervalue them. Johnny Damon’s lack of Hall of Fame consideration has proved that. Damon has more hits than 0.26% of baseball players in MLB history and nobody seems to care!
His number of base hits alone makes me believe that the BBWAA got it wrong with Johnny Damon. But there is more evidence that Johnny Damon belongs in Cooperstown.
Johnny Damon was a well-rounded offensive force.
Johnny Damon was not just a player who quietly accumulated hits, but he was one of the most well-rounded and effective leadoff hitters of all time.
His career total of 2,500 hits, 200 home runs, and 400 stolen bases is a rare feat shared by only seven players in the history of baseball. They are Joe Morgan (HOF), Paul Molitor (HOF), Barry Bonds, Roberto Alomar (HOF), Craig Biggio (HOF), and Johnny Damon. Damon played the second-fewest games on this list and is the only player on this list not in the Baseball Hall of Fame who also does not have a PED Scandal attached to his legacy. His unique combination of skills, his clean record and the difficulty of playing in the steroid era make him a truly worthy candidate for the Hall of Fame. His career total of 2,500 hits, 200 home runs, and 400 stolen bases is a rare feat shared by only seven players in the history of baseball. They are Joe Morgan (HOF), Paul Molitor (HOF), Barry Bonds, Roberto Alomar (HOF), Craig Biggio (HOF), and Johnny Damon. Damon played the second-fewest games on this list and is the only player on this list not in the Baseball Hall of Fame who also does not have a PED Scandal attached to his legacy. His unique combination of skills, his clean record and the difficulty of playing in the steroid era make him a truly worthy candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Johnny Damon’s numbers line up with an average Hall of Famer.
In addition to having more base hits than 75% of the position players in the Baseball Hall of Fame and being one of just seven players in baseball history with 2,500 hits, 200 home runs, and 400 stolen bases, Johnny Damon’s career aligns with that of the average Hall of Famer.
The average Hall of Famer Wins Above Replacement falls between 50-70; typically, the average is 60.0 Wins Above Replacement. Johnny Damon’s career 56.3 Wins Above Replacement falls in line with that of an average Hall of Famer and is higher than 48% of the players who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Damon’s WAR is higher than that of Hall of Famers Joe Mauer, Tony Perez, Kirby Puckett, and Jim Rice. So how was he overlooked and only received one year on the ballot?
The Steroid Era
What truly hinders Johnny Damon’s legacy is the unfairness of the steroid era. The game’s biggest stars were Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramirez. Everyone was on steroids; everyone was stronger and faster than we thought possible. In such an environment, players like Damon can’t stand out. The real injustice of the steroid era was how it hurt the legacy of the players who played the game the right way.
Johnny Damon was not on steroids; his accomplishments were done quietly due to the level of talent around him. And compared to the names I previously mentioned, his play was great but not as eye-catching. His clean record in the steroid era is a testament to his integrity and the challenges he faced in standing out among players who were using performance-enhancing drugs.
Major League Baseball classifies the steroid era from 1994-2004. Damon’s first full Major League season was in 1996. From 1996-2004, Johnny Damon had the fifth most hits in baseball behind Derek Jeter (HOF), Alex Rodriguez, Garret Anderson, and Chipper Jones (HOF). Damon had more base hits than several superstar-caliber players such as Craig Biggio (HOF), Manny Ramirez, Jeff Bagwell (Hall of Fame), Iván Rodriguez (HOF), Roberto Alomar (HOF), and Rafael Palmero. Damon also swiped 256 bases from 1996-2004. Johnny Damon was a spark plug for every lineup he was in and is one of the most effective leadoff hitters in baseball history. Again, Damon accomplished this with the difficulty of being a clean player in the steroid era.
Since 2004, Major League Baseball has done an excellent job of policing the game and preventing PEDs from being a significant issue in the sport. The MLB and the BBWAA have punished players such as Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire for using PEDs by banning them from the Hall of Fame. However, they did not reward the players who played the right way in that era, such as Johnny Damon, who was overshadowed by the players in his era who cheated the game.
Conclusion
I feel that I have made a convincing case for Johnny Damon’s Hall of Fame candidacy. I am sure there are people who will disagree and cannot be swayed. That is fine. But at the end of the day, the Baseball Hall of Fame is a museum that tells the story of baseball. How can you tell that story without Johnny Damon? The only man in the last ninety-two years to play and win a World Series, both the Red Sox and the Yankees, a feat that underscores his unique and significant contribution to the game’s most storied rivalry.
One thing Red Sox and Yankee fans can unite on that one year on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with just 1.7% of the vote is an insult to Johnny Damon and his accomplishments. He is one of many examples of the BBWAA’s inadequacies. They are tasked with the great responsibility of electing players to the Hall of Fame. It’s time for them to do it better and avoid failing to recognize players who played the game the right way such as Johnny Damon. Hopefully, the Veterans committee recognizes Johnny Damon as a Hall of Famer.
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