About as likely a first-ballot inductee as you'll find, Maddux won four straight Cy Youngs from 1992 to 1995. His 355 career wins and 3.16 ERA are testaments to his 23-year excellence.
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Frank Thomas
"The Big Hurt" is another lock for induction in 2014. His career totals meet the eyeball test: 521 homers, 1,704 RBIs and a .303 average, and he was the best hitter in the AL from 1993 to 1997, winning back-to-back MVPs in '93 and '94.
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Tom Glavine
The Robin to Maddux's Batman, Glavine would have been the ace on any staff besides the Braves'. He was a 20-game winner five times and also cracked the 300-win career mark, making him a mortal lock for first-ballot enshrinement.
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Mike Mussina
The winningest pitcher of the 90s, Mussina was a model of consistency for his entire career. As if to prove the point, "The Moose" went 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA at age 39 in the final year of his career.
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Jeff Kent
Kent posted some gaudy numbers, especially for a second baseman, but was he ever really one of the league's elite players? His supporters will cite the nine-year span from 1997 to 2005 when Kent averaged 28 home runs, 110 RBIs and a .298 average. Tough to argue with offense like that.
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Luis Gonzalez
Gonzalez was very good for a stretch in the early 2000s, pumping out a career year in 2001 with 57 home runs and an OPS of 1.117. In another generation, his lifetime numbers might have been enough to get him in. Unfortunately, the "guilty until proven innocent" culture of today's PED-crazed voters will undoubtedly keep Gonzalez out.
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Kenny Rogers
Rogers was never dominant, but he had a very productive career and always seemed to be on good teams. If nothing else, his five Gold Gloves and 79 career pickoffs are to be appreciated.
