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Top 10 active players on the Hall of Fame borderline

Dave Winfield easily got into the Hall in his first year of eligibility with 435 votes (84.5 percent). V.J. Lovero/Allsport

By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com

It's easy to spot the sure-fire Hall of Famers that are playing today, just as most people knew Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett would have their plaques in Cooperstown one day.

Cal Ripken Jr., Rickey Henderson, Greg Maddux, Mark McGwire, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Ken Griffey Jr. would all be slam-dunk, first-ballot entries if their careers ended today.

Then there are those who have one foot in and are this close to cementing their place in baseball immortality: Randy Johnson, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza and Tom Glavine, to name several.

But what about the boys on the bubble? Is Jose Canseco in? What about Fred McGriff, David Cone and Harold Baines?

Although there may be more than 10 such "bubble" players out there, here is a look the most interesting cases of active players who will be knocking on Cooperstown's door one day. Here's your chance to tell us who you think will make it into the Hall of Fame by voting on the futures of the players below.

Jose Canseco Otto Greule Jr./Allsport Pros: First 40/40 player ... 1988 AL MVP ... '86 AL Rookie of the Year ... '88 AL slugging champ ... HR champ, '88 & '91 ... RBI champ, '88 ... HR every 15.2 at-bats. Career stats Avg: .266 HR: 446 RBI: 1,358 Slg: .516 SB: 198 Cons: Fourth all-time with 1,867 strikeouts ... Had fewer than 400 at-bats in six of 15 full seasons ... Blew out elbow pitching, insuring that no slugging star will ever take the mound again ... Legal run-ins and a comedic HR-off-the-head won't help, either. First Ballot Eventually Never

Edgar Martinez Tom Hauck/Allsport Pros: AL batting champ, 1992 & '95 ... Top 10 in batting seven times ... 2000 AL RBI champ ... Five-time All-Star ... Of the 37 modern eligible players with averages of at least .320, only two -- Riggs Stephenson (.336) and Babe Herman (.324) -- haven't been enshrined. Career stats Avg: .320 HR: 235 RBI: 925 Slg: .529 OBP: .426 Cons: Has been a full-time DH most of his career; only 590 of 1,540 career games are in the field ... Current total of 1,738 hits means he will fall short of 3,000. First Ballot Eventually Never

Harold Baines Otto Greule/Allsport Pros: Six-time All-Star ... Needs 145 hits to join 3,000-hit club, of which all eligible members are in Hall of Fame ... With 16 more home runs, would become eighth player with 400 HR and 3,000 hits ... eight seasons at .300 or higher. Career stats Avg: .291 HR: 384 RBI: 1,622 Slg: .467 H: 2,855 Cons: Full-time DH since 1987; All-time leader in games played as a DH (1,645) ... Never won batting title, MVP or Gold Glove. First Ballot Eventually Never

Fred McGriff Al Bello/Allsport Pros: One of two players, along with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, to hit 200 home runs in both leagues ... 1989 AL HR champ ... 1992 NL HR champ ... Eight 30-plus HR seasons and 20-plus HR 13 times ... 10 seasons of at least 90 RBI ... One of 27 players with 400 HR and 2,000 hits ... All-Star Game MVP, 1994; Five-time All-Star ... Top 10 in league MVP voting six times. Career stats Avg: .286 HR: 417 RBI: 1,298 Slg: .512 H: 2,103 Cons: Recent power binge in the game might make his numbers look less impressive in comparison. He's only fifth on the active HR list, and will soon get lapped by Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. First Ballot Eventually Never

David Cone Jamie Squire/Allsport Pros: 1994 AL Cy Young Award ... Perfect game on July 18, 1999 vs. Montreal ... Top 10 in ERA seven times ... 20-game winner twice ... Six seasons of 200-plus strikeouts ... Eight seasons of 200-plus innings ... 2-0, 2.15 ERA in five World Series starts. Career stats W-L: 184-116 ERA: 3.40 SO: 2,540 BB: 1,067 IP: 2,745 Cons: Last year was the worst of his career at 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA. He needs to reach 200 wins to have a chance, but Hall voters don't look kindly on players who hang on too long. First Ballot Eventually Never

Kevin Brown Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport Pros: Two-time league ERA champ ... No-hitter vs. San Francisco on June 10, 1997 ... Five-time All-Star ... 200-plus innings eight times, including 230-plus in past 5 seasons. Career stats W-L: 170-114 ERA: 3.21 SO: 1,917 BB: 730 IP: 2,660.2 Cons: Despite his current status as a top-tier pitcher, Brown has no Cy Youngs and only one 20-win season. Won only 13 games in 2000 despite winning the NL ERA crown. First Ballot Eventually Never

John Franco Al Bello/Allsport Pros: Second all-time in saves to Lee Smith (478) ... Tops in saves for a lefty ... Two-time NL Rolaids Relief champion, 1988 & '90 ... Tied with Pedro Martinez for lowest ERA among active players (min. 750 IP) ... Four-time All-Star ... Three-time NL Saves leader. Career stats SV: 420 ERA: 2.68 G: 940 W-L: 82-74 IP: 1,097 Cons: Franco's numbers are impressive but only two relievers are in the Hall -- Hoyt Wilhem and Rollie Fingers -- and the lack of support Goose Gossage and Bruce Sutter received this year doesn't bode well. First Ballot Eventually Never

Juan Gonzalez Doug Pensinger/Allsport Pros: Two-time AL MVP, 1996 & '98 ... AL HR champ, '92 & '93 ... 1998 AL RBI champ ... Became fifth player in history with 50 doubles and 40 HR in '98 ... Two-time All-Star. Career stats Avg: .294 HR: 362 RBI: 1,142 SLG: .566 H: 1,554 Cons: If a lackluster 2000 season is a sign of things to come, then Juan Gone is in trouble of becoming the next Jim Rice (i.e. ferocious hitter for seven years before crashing) ... Only three hits and one RBI in past 23 postseason at-bats. First Ballot Eventually Never

Albert Belle Otto Greule/Allsport Pros: Only player in history with 50 doubles/50 HR in same season, 1995 ... Nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons ... Five-time All-Star ... Three-time AL RBI champ ... '95 AL HR champ. Career stats Avg: .295 HR: 381 RBI: 1,239 SLG: .564 H: 1,239 Cons: If his career ended right now, he's not in the Hall. And that might mean he will never be in because a degenerative hip condition is threatening his future productivity ... Lack of cooperation with media over the years might come back to haunt him as well. First Ballot Eventually Never

Rafael Palmeiro Vincent Laforet/Allsport Pros: Has averaged 41 homers since turning 30 ... Five seasons of 180-plus hits ... Three Gold Gloves ... Four-time All-Star ... Seven 100-RBI seasons, including past six in a row. Career stats Avg: .296 HR: 400 RBI: 1,347 SLG: .516 H: 2,321 Cons: The lack of an MVP, batting, RBI or HR title is amazing considering his consistent offensive production ... If his career ended right now, he would be very much on the bubble, but all he needs is one or two more seasons at his current pace. First Ballot Eventually Never

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