World Series 2016, Game 1, Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago Cubs

Former Indians center fielder Kenny Lofton takes a selfie on the mound before the ceremonial first pitch in Game 1 of the World Series, Tuesday, October 25, 2016.

(Thomas Ondrey/PD)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's a speedy, well-rounded center fielder who stands a chance -- one, final chance -- at joining the sport's elites in Cooperstown next year.

His name is not Kenny Lofton, but his credentials sure resemble those of the former Indians table-setter. It's Tim Raines who is on the bubble. It's the final year Raines' name can appear on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, and he has a decent shot at being elected.

But that prompts a separate, related debate: Where is Lofton's moniker on that sheet of paper?

Lofton first joined the ballot in 2013, and he received a checkmark from only 3.2 percent of the voting body. That dashed his Hall of Fame hopes. Any player who garners less than 5 percent of the vote is dropped from the ballot.

Sandy Alomar Jr., Bernie Williams, Julio Franco, David Wells and Jose Mesa were all among the one-and-dones that year as well. Lofton's dismissal, though, seemed abrupt, too hasty. And he wasn't thrilled about it.

It was the first year that Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa joined the ballot. Some voters weren't sure how to handle players with links to performance-enhancing drugs. Lofton felt he suffered because of the dark cloud hovering over them.

"I really got penalized," he told me in 2013. "I felt like I wanted a chance for people to look at my numbers and look at what I did year after year after year. But now you get off the ballot your first year, it's like you're just kicked to the curb now. But the guys who cheated still have a chance for people to look at them. It's just unreal. I just don't understand. It just boggles my mind how people go about things."

No player received the minimum 75 percent of the votes required for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2013. Raines, in his sixth year on the ballot, merited 52.2 percent. In his first year on the ballot (2008), Raines received 24.3 percent.

Take a look at the credentials of both Raines and Lofton.

Raines proved to be a slightly better offensive player. Lofton might have made up the difference with his defense. He made a habit out of conquering the center-field wall to rob hitters of extra-base hits. He led the American League in stolen bases for five consecutive years. During his prime, from 1993-99, he batted .316 with a .390 on-base percentage. From 1995-2007, he reached the postseason 11 times.

Either way, it's puzzling how there could have been such a sizable gap in the voting for the two players. Would Lofton's vote percentage have increased over the years as Raines' has? We'll never know.

Raines might finally make it, in his 10th and final shot. He received 69.8 percent of the vote last year.

Lofton will have to wait for an opportunity from the Today's Game Committee, which elects overlooked candidates twice every five years.