When Lou Whitaker will FINALLY get into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Lou Whitaker should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Period. But he’s not.

Instead, the longtime Detroit Tigers second baseman sits patiently on the outside looking in as he prepares to be honored on Saturday at Comerica Park.

On Friday, Whitaker, who will have his full name and iconic No. 1 imprinted on the Comerica Park bricks above the bullpen in left-center field, spoke to the media about not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

[irp posts=”286110″]

“I’ve never been disappointed at all,” Whitaker said. “Things happen. Sometimes, just be patient. I haven’t been made. I may have thought about it a time or two, but I’ve never thought about it like, ‘I belong there. I belong there.’ I’ve never said that to myself.

“I always try to keep myself balanced and not thinking ahead, wishing for too much, as some might say. I’ve heard the fastest don’t always win the race, or something like that. That’s what has probably happened in my case. I haven’t got there yet, but people are still hoping and wishing.”

When Lou Whitaker will FINALLY get into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Lou Whitaker seems to believe that his day will finally come when it comes to getting into the Hall of Fame.

“What am I supposed to say, now I’m up there (on Comerica Park wall), that I belong in the Hall of Fame?” Whitaker said. “My friends would say, ‘Now hold up, Lou.’ As they keep crunching the numbers, that’s their job. That’s not my job. Should I say I belong in the Hall of Fame? What do you think? Should I? Shouldn’t I?

“I will wait for that day. I’m sure that day will come. I might be 99 and walking with a cane saying, ‘Finally, what took you so long?’ But that day will come.”

So, when will Lou finally get into the Hall of Fame?

Whitaker’s next opportunity to get into the Hall of Fame will come in December when the Contemporary Baseball Era players committee meets to consider him as a selection for the HOF’s class of 2023.