Many of baseball’s most prolific players at the turn of the 21st century were indicted on or suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs. Thankfully, there were a few exceptions who showed us that one didn’t need such substances to hit home runs with the best of them. These are your Jim Thome (612 HR), Frank Thomas (521), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), and Fred McGriff (493) types, and somewhat lost amidst them, Carlos Delgado (473).
Thome, Thomas, and the Junior Griffey were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. As for McGriff, he was repeatedly snubbed by the writers. It wouldn’t be until 2023 that he resurfaced on the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot. The committee emphatically supported his candidacy.
Three years later, Delgado hopes to follow in the paw prints of “Crime Dog” as that same committee will convene this Sunday at the commencement of the sport’s Winter Meetings.Â
On the surface, Delgado’s biggest boon is his home run total, which ranks 19th in the divisional era (1969-present). Nine of the 18 ahead of him are Hall of Famers, with two more—Albert Pujols (703) and Miguel Cabrera (511)—seen as slam-dunk picks once eligible. Barry Bonds (762) and Gary Sheffield (509), players with ties to PEDs, are also being considered by the committee for 2026 enshrinement.
Delgado homered 336 times for the Toronto Blue Jays and 104 times for the New York Mets, as well as 33 times during his lone season as a member of the then-Florida Marlins.
The Marlins signed Delgado to a four-year/$52 million contract after 12 seasons with Toronto. He hit the ground running for the Fish in 2005, hitting .300 in April. The subsequent month was even better, featuring eight home runs en route to a 1.085 OPS. Of all hitters in franchise history to take at least 100 plate appearances in May, Delgado’s OPS in ’05Â ranks ninth.
Delgado’s consistency was remarkable and the end result was a .301/.399/.582/.981 slash line. In high-leverage situations (as defined by Baseball-Reference), he was practically invincible, slashing .421/.487/.916/1.403. No MLB hitter has matched that OPS in a single season since (min. 100 PA).
Even when put into the context of 2005’s offensive environment, Delgado had a 161 OPS+ (with 100 representing league average). Of the 144 Marlins hitters to qualify for a batting title, that ranks fourth.
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Delgado finished sixth in National League MVP voting for a Marlins team that remained in playoff contention until late September, ultimately being eliminated after a 4-0 loss to the Nationals on the 26th of that month. Florida would finish the season 83-79, then just their fourth winning season in franchise history, falling six games short of the NL Wild Card.
And just like that, it was time for another rebuild in Miami. The 33-year-old Delgado, despite his obvious value on the field, was jettisoned in favor of younger, cheaper talent. Less than two months following the end of the season, the Marlins traded Delgado to the division rival New York Mets in a deal that netted them Mike Jacobs.
Jacobs would settle in as Miami’s first baseman, hitting 69 home runs over the next three seasons with a respectable 105 OPS+. But to this day, Delgado is the best power hitter that the franchise has ever deployed at the position. Particularly in recent years, first base has been a revolving door of mediocre individuals worried about clearing the replacement-level threshold, to say nothing of the HOF election threshold.
Throughout the vast majority of his career—including 2005—Delgado’s glove was a statistically significant liability. As a Marlin, he posted an MLB-worst minus-20 defensive runs saved. It negated a chunk of his offensive production, hence his lifetime 44.4 bWAR. Hitters rarely reach Cooperstown with such a low total.
At least 12 of the 16Â Contemporary Baseball Era Committee members will need to vote for Delgado in order for him to reach, in his words, “the ultimate goal.”