Huston Street was a longshot to be part of the Baseball Hall of Fame. After all, there were more decorated closers than he was on the ballot, and they were not guaranteed induction.
It should therefore come as no surprise that he will not get a second year on the Hall of Fame ballot. However, Street was not shut out in the process, as he did collect one vote in his only time on the ballot.
Huston Street gets some recognition for solid major league career
Street certainly deserved his place on the ballot. He had posted a 2.95 ERA and a 1.066 WHiP in his 680 innings, striking out 665 batters with 183 walks. A two time All Star and the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year, Street's 324 saves rank 20th in MLB history.
But it is also fair to wonder what could have been. He battled knee injuries over his final two seasons, retiring at just 33 years old. He had been on pace for what could have been a Hall of Fame career at that time, only to see his knee issues derail what had been an impressive career.
Baseball history is littered with questions about what could have been, how players would have turned out if injuries had not gotten in the way. Street is one of those players, someone who appeared to be on a Hall of Fame track and would have easily surpassed the 400 save mark had he been able to stay healthy. As he is just 39 years old now, this should be the time that his career was starting to wrap up, not back in 2017.
Huston Street earned one vote for the Hall of Fame. If injuries had not derailed his career, he could have been much closer to induction.