On November 16th, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the ballot of 25 former players eligible for induction to the Hall. This ballot includes 14 holdover players from previous ballots and 15 new players. For the first time since 2013, we are looking at a ballot that will most likely not include a first-year inductee. While some of these players had very great careers, none of the names have a slam dunk case for induction.
This ballot has a great combination of controversial greats and under-appreciated players who are seeing improvement in ballot success. It also includes a good handful of players who we can smile about and acknowledge their solid careers, while also laughing and saying, “Why are they on this ballot?” With no candidates that are guaranteed to get the call on January 26th, it makes for a great debate on who is deserving. Because of that, let’s dive right into it.
The One and Dones
Being put on the ballot is an honor within itself. To be eligible for Hall of Fame consideration, a player must play a minimum of 10 seasons in the Majors. Along with the 10 years, the player obviously had to have left his mark to be remembered enough to be up for election. While these guys can enjoy a comfortable retirement and enjoy the great moments of their careers, they will not be receiving a call to the Hall. Those players include A.J. Burnett, Michael Cuddyer, Dan Haren, LaTroy Hawkins, Aramis Ramirez, Nick Swisher, Barry Zito, and Shane Victorino.
Some of these guys had career accolades to be remembered by. Cuddyer won the 2013 National League Batting Title. Zito was the 2002 American League Cy Young. Ramirez was the 2008 National League Hank Aaron Award winner. These guys enjoyed All-Star appearances and awesome playoff runs. However, their time on the Hall of Fame ballot will be brief.
The Ones Trying to Stay On
This part of the ballot is never a comfortable one to be in. While these players might gain enough support to hang around on the ballot, there is no guarantee that they will ever get the much-anticipated phone call for their induction. Let’s run through the five players that have as good of a chance at seeing their name on the ballot in 2022 as being off of it after this year.
Bobby Abreu
Bobby Abreu was a two-time All-Star, had 12 consecutive seasons of at least a .369 on-base percentage, and had eight seasons of at least 100 RBIs. For someone who played in some big markets like Philadelphia and New York, Abreu just never seemed to garner the amount of recognition for someone who put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. Hopefully, the voters realize how underappreciated he was during his career. He only received 5.5% of votes last year on the ballot which leaves him closer to falling off the ballot rather than getting elected.
Mark Buehrle
A World Series champion and owner of a no-hitter AND a perfect game, Mark Buehrle will always be remembered as one of the better pitchers of his era. He pitched at least 200 innings in every season of his 15-year career except for one. That season, he only has 198.2 innings. Plain and simple, Buehrle was just a workhorse that we don’t see nowadays. However, Buerhle only had one season where he received Cy Young consideration. That might not be enough to cut it for the lefty.
Tim Hudson
Tim Hudson, like Buehrle, was another very good pitcher during their generation. After being a part of the Big three in Oakland, he had a very successful tenure in Atlanta before winning a World Series with the Giants in the twilight of his career. A four-time All-Star, Hudson was a Cy Young runner up in 2000 and also received consideration for the award in three other seasons. Hudson may run into the same problem as Buerhle, though. He simply just wasn’t as dominant as other pitchers during their time, and it may cost him.
Torii Hunter
Torii Hunter was simply incredible to watch roam around centerfield in his prime. With nine straight Gold Gloves in centerfield, Hunter was on par with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr. in terms of defensive ability. Unfortunately, he never provided the thump that those guys did. While he did collect nearly 2500 hits in his 19-year career, Hunter will be hoping to stay on the ballot rather than expect to be elected this year.
Andy Pettitte
The starting pitcher in the Yankees Core Four that won five World Series titles, Andy Pettitte will always be remembered fondly in the Bronx. However, Yankees fans aren’t the ones deciding who gets elected. The ones with the vote will remember the lefty admitting to being an HGH user. With this in the mind of the voters, it is hard to envision Pettitte ever getting enough support to join Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in the Hall of Fame.
The End is Near
Jeff Kent
One of three second basemen to ever hit 300 home runs, the 2000 National League MVP is one of the most offensively dominant players at the position. However, he has never gotten the support from the voters to support this. Going onto his eighth year on the ballot, Jeff Kent only received 27.5% of the vote last year. While Kent’s lack of success on the ballot may be due to his rocky relationship with the media, he has deserved way more support than he has gotten Sadly, he may not have enough time left to get that support.
Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were the driving forces in bringing baseball back to relevance following the 1994 strike. Owner of 609 home runs, Sosa was an explosive hitter in an era where a lot of home runs were being hit. While Sosa has never admitted to being a steroid user, the voters are clearly convinced of the opposite. Entering his second to last year on the ballot, Sosa only received 14% of the vote last year. He isn’t going to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame, but fans will always remember his 1998 season fondly.
Ballot Purgatory
The players in this category were all dominant players. However, for all different reasons, they have yet to even receive 50% of the vote. This has these players facing a long road ahead for potential enshrinement.
Andruw Jones
This one is the most mind-boggling one for me, personally. Jones burst onto the scene in 1996, hitting bombs in the World Series as a 19-year-old. From there, he only went onto win 10 straight Gold Gloves in centerfield. In that 10 year span, he also had 7 seasons with at least 30 home runs. So an elite defender and an impact bat protecting Hall of Famer Chipper Jones over a 10-year peak? That sounds like a player who is Hall of Fame-worthy to me. Maybe voters just remember how ugly Andruw Jones’s last five seasons were. Regardless, after only seeing 19.4% of the vote last year, it’s going to be a tough hill to climb for Jones.
Manny Ramirez
A 12-time All-Star, a two-time World Series Champion, and 555 home runs. Love him or hate him, Manny Ramirez could rake. He should’ve been a first-ballot Hall of Famer five years ago. Instead, with two PED suspensions on his resume, it is unlikely that he will ever get there. He has yet to gain over 30% of the vote in his four years on the ballot so he may see more support over the back half of his time on the ballot, Manny most likely will not see his plaque in Cooperstown.
Gary Sheffield
Another should have been first-ballot Hall of Famer, Gary Sheffield also finds himself in the middle ground of this ballot. With over 500 home runs and nine All-Star appearances, Sheffield is also clouded by admitting to using steroids. Unlike Manny, Sheffield gained a substantial jump on the ballot last year, going from 13% to 30% on the ballots. With only four years left to make up 45% of the vote, it may be tough for Sheffield to cover that much ground. Regardless if he makes the Hall or not, he will always remain relevant by anybody who picks up a bat and imitates his batting stance.
Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner had one of the most elite peaks by a closer in MLB history. Ranking sixth all-time in saves, Wagner compiled nine seasons of at least 30 saves to go along with his seven All-Star appearances. However, as we saw with Lee Smith not getting elected until he was on the Veteran’s Committee ballot, relief pitchers don’t always have great support from the voters. While Wager saw a similar jump to Sheffield last year, with his time halfway up, he might simply run out of time to get the call from the BBWAA.
Trending Towards Cooperstown
These three guys will most likely not get the call this year, but I would be stunned if they do not eventually have their day on the stage in Cooperstown. Between time left on the ballot and the percentages they have gotten thus far, these guys can be happy with the direction they’re heading.
Todd Helton
Now that Larry Walker has broken the glass for Rockies players to make the Hall, Todd Helton’s time will be here soon. While he still has ground to gain after receiving about 30% on his second year, Walker getting in will bring more attention to how great Helton was. In his 10 year peak between 2000-2009, aside from his injury-riddled 2008 season, Helton had a .300 average, a .400 on-base percentage, and at least 38 doubles in every year. Using Coors Field against him is a poor reason for preventing him from reaching the Hall of Fame. His numbers don’t lie, the lifetime Rockie will be a Hall of Famer soon.
Scott Rolen
Scott Rolen went from under-appreciated in his first two years on the ballot to doubling his vote total in year three. The seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glover, and the 1997 National League MVP and 2006 World Series Champion, Rolen’s resume speaks for itself. While Rolen was never a truly dominant offensive force and battled injuries, his 10-year peak from 1997-2006 showed that he was one of the best third basemen of his era. Now that voters are starting to come around on his candidacy, Rolen will soon have his day in Cooperstown.
Omar Vizquel
While Omar Vizquel contributed very little with his bat, the defense alone makes him Hall of Fame worthy. His 2,877 hits were more of a result of his 24 years in the bigs. However, his 11 Gold Gloves including 9 straight put him on par with current Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. Vizquel has received a good amount of support in his three years on the ballot. Receiving over 50% last year, Vizquel is on a good trajectory for eventual enshrinement.
The Final Three
This ballot has it all. From steroid suspicion, to underrated greatness, to just humor of being on the ballot (looking at you Nick Swisher), it is the time where we just look at the names and remember the good and bad of them all. With that, there are three names that are on their ninth year on the ballot who just shouldn’t be here. Whether it is steroid influenced or not being able to stay off Twitter, they find themselves on the ballot despite being far and away the three best players on it. Let’s discuss them and their chances.
Barry Bonds
Did he take steroids? We may never know the real answer despite the suspicion. What we do know is that Barry Bonds is the most feared hitter in baseball history. The all-time home run leader got intentionally walked with the bases loaded. That is just one moment that displayed his greatness. If you really want to dive into everything, how about a 7-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, 7-time Gold Glover, the all-time leader in walks, and 514 stolen bases. Not only was he the most feared hitter, but he might also be the greatest baseball player that ever stepped foot on a field. He should have a place in the Hall despite the suspicion. Whether he does or not is in the hands of the voters.
Roger Clemens
All of the points that were just made for Barry can easily be used for Roger Clemens pitching-wise. Over 350 wins, 4,672 strikeouts, 11 All-Star appearances, seven Cy Young awards, and an MVP, Clemens was flat out dominant over his 24-year career. Unfortunately, his legacy is clouded by steroid suspicion just like Bonds. Clemens and Bonds are essentially tied to the hip for voters. If you vote for one, you vote for the other. At about 61% each last year, they have two years to gain at least 14% more of voters’ support.
Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling will always be remembered for his playoff dominance. Alongside Randy Johnson in the 2001 World Series and his bloody sock game in the 2004 ALCS, Schilling was a postseason legend. While his postseason dominance will stand out, he definitely not a slouch in the regular season. With over 200 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, six All-Star appearances, and three Cy Young runner-ups, those are certainly Hall of Fame numbers. After falling just 20 votes shy last year, that should bode well for Schilling’s chances this year. If the guy would’ve just kept his political views off of Twitter, he would’ve already had his day. Regardless, he is on the brink of enshrinement now.
Predictions
Ultimately, I expect Curt Schilling to be the only nominee elected in 2021. I think Bonds and Clemens are close, I believe the voters intend to make them wait the full 10 years. I also expect Vizquel to finish around the 65% mark and Helton and Rolen racking up close to 50%. This year’s ballot does not include the best first-year candidates. 2022’s ballot will make up for it when David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira are eligible for the first time.
Follow me on Twitter @MaxStinesBUS for more sports content. Check out Belly Up Sports for great coverage and follow us @BellyUpBaseball on Twitter for all things baseball.
