With the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 to be announced tonight, the writers of Belly Up Sports have convened to bring to you, the Belly Up Sports Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020. I and 18 staff members at Belly Up Sports have agonized over the ballot and have recognized only one candidate worthy of induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Inducted
Derek Jeter (17/19)
While Derek Jeter was not unanimous among the Belly Up staff, he still has a chance to be only the second player unanimously voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with former teammate Mariano Rivera. While Jeter was not as dominant as Rivera was, Jeter was always Mr. Reliable. Over his 20 year career, Jeter played in 145 or more games 16 times including his final season, at the age of 40. His 3465 hits put him 6th all-time and his 200 postseason hits are by far the most all-time. While I believe players like Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays deserved to be unanimous over Jeter. He is more than deserving of the honor.
Just Missed the Cut
Barry Bonds (14/19)
Arguably the greatest hitter of all time, Barry Bonds 762 home runs remain one of the seemingly unbreakable records in baseball. Bonds also holds the all-time record for walks and intentional walks, showing the fear he struck into opposing pitchers. He was intentionally walked 688 times in his career, more than double Albert Pujols’ total of 311 for second all-time. Bonds alleged steroid use leaves him out of our Hall of Fame.
Roger Clemens (13/19)
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are often seen in the same light in voter’s eyes. Both were dominant players in an era where more and more players are being linked with potential steroid use. For our staff members, Clemens fell one vote short of making our hall. With seven, yes, seven Cy Young awards to his name, Clemens remains one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. With award shares than Roy Halladay and Sandy Koufax combined, Clemens has an argument for best pitcher ever.
Curt Schilling (12/19)
Curt Schilling appears to be a victim of the Hall of Fame’s unwritten “character clause”. Schilling is vocal about various political topics on social media and his outbursts rub many the wrong way. His numbers, especially in the postseason, speak for themselves. An 11-2 record with a 2.23 ERA to go along with the 2001 World Series MVP highlight an excellent postseason resume. His finest postseason moment, however, came in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. Pitching on a bad ankle, and by bad I mean recently surgically repaired, Schilling allowed one run over seven innings and helped the Boston Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino.
Manny Ramírez (11/19)
Manny Ramírez’s hall of fame case is also clouded by steroid use. However, unlike Bonds and Clemens, Ramírez has multiple failed drug tests to his name. His numbers, however, speak for themselves. His 555 home runs rank 15th all-time and 9th among right-handed hitters. His .312 batting average also shows his impressive bat to ball skills that some feared sluggers lacked. His career OPS of .996 ranks 9th all-time and places Ramírez squarely in the conversation of best right-handed slugger of all-time.
My Ballot: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramírez, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner, Larry Walker.
Others Receiving votes
Sammy Sosa (7/19), Andy Pettitte (7/19), Larry Walker (7/19), Cliff Lee (6/19), Gary Sheffield (6/19), Scott Rolen (5/19), Omar Vizquel (5/19), Bobby Abreu (3/19), Jason Giambi (3/19) Todd Helton (3/19), Andruw Jones (3/19), Jeff Kent (3/19), Raúl Ibañez (2/19), Brad Penny (2/19), Billy Wagner (2/19), Paul Konerko (1/19), Carlos Peña (1/19), Alfonso Soriano (1/19)
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