I'm not old enough to comment on Gil Hodges' worthiness to the Hall of Fame.
But If you look at baseball reference and compare Gil Hodges to Norm Cash the similarities are almost eerie. So, what's the reasoning behind Cash having no chance of ever getting in while Hodges has been mentioned for decades as the player most deserving who always fell short. Cash even has a batting title that Hodges doesn't have.
And he once tried to use a table leg to bat against Nolan Ryan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je8tttn017Q
Gil Hodges
SUMMARY
Career
WAR
43.9
AB
7030
H
1921
HR
370
BA
.273
R
1105
RBI
1274
SB
63
OBP
.359
SLG
.487
OPS
.846
OPS+
120
Norm Cash
SUMMARY
Career
WAR
52.0
AB
6705
H
1820
HR
377
BA
.271
R
1045
RBI
1104
SB
43
OBP
.374
SLG
.488
OPS
.862
OPS+
139