The Hall of Fame is a special place. It is where the best players are honored for their production on and off the field. But more and more recently, the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame has become the Hall of Very Good. The talent level of players in the Hall of Fame has become watered down because of very good players, who were not among the game’s elite, getting the game’s highest honor.

One of the main reasons for the talent getting watered down is because many players get in after they leave the regular ballot and are voted in by the extra committees. Of the four committees, two meet twice every five years, one meets once every five years, and one meets once every 10 years. That is far too often for committees to vote in players who are not eligible for the regular ballot. There are not that many players who are deserving of the Hall of Fame who do not make it from the regular ballot. Yes, there are some, but not enough for the committees to meet that often.

Very few players who do not make it on the regular ballot really should make it into the Hall of Fame, especially if the Hall of Fame is supposed to be the game’s elite players. But the committees find at least one player to induct to the Hall of Fame almost every time they meet. And since there are only 15 people voting in the committees each time, it is easier for players to get inducted through them than with the regular ballot, which has about 400 people voting.

One of the big issues that people have with certain players making the Hall of Fame is that they used performance-enhancing drugs. This poses a bit of an ethical issue, as steroids were not banned by Major League Baseball until 2005, though other performance-enhancing drugs were banned earlier. Because of that, many people feel that players who used steroids before they were banned should not be blacklisted because they did not do anything that was against the rules.

This complicates the Hall of Fame cases of many players who had their best years around 2005, such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Some voters purposely avoid players who used steroids, while others see them the same as every other player. For those who avoid players who used steroids, this leads them to vote for other players who might not have as worthy of a case for the Hall of Fame. If enough voters do that, it can lead to players getting in who might not be in that elite class.

Another issue is that some voters feel that they must vote for 10 players on their ballot. However, the rules state they can vote for up to 10 players, so voting for 10 players is not a requirement. If they feel that less than 10 players are deserving of making the Hall of Fame, then they can vote for less. Voters have understood this better in recent years, and there are not always 10 players who have a strong case for getting inducted.

Two of the main factors to consider when looking at a player’s Hall of Fame case is the era in which they played and their position. The hitting stats for a first basemen may make the player seem average, but the same stats would make the player an easy Hall of Fame pick if they played second base. There are not many second basemen in the Hall of Fame, but many first basemen, probably partly because first basemen typically have better offensive stats, which is what most voters look at. That can make a player like Jeff Kent a surprising candidate for the Hall of Fame to some people, but when considered with the era he played in and his position, it can seem like an easy call. He played second base in a time when many second basemen did not have good offensive stats, and the argument can be made that he was the top offensive second baseman during the time that he played.

There are many factors to consider when deciding who belongs in Cooperstown. Sometimes, it can take a while for players to get the recognition they deserve, but if the Hall of Fame is supposed to only be the game’s elite players, then some of the players who have made it really should not be included. The committees that vote on players who have already fallen off the regular ballot are usually too lenient with deciding who gets inducted. The small number of ballots cast does not help either.

But if the Hall of Fame is the best players and not just very good players, then the talent level needs to rise again among the players inducted.