On Monday, the newest additions to the Hall of Fame will be announced.
The Eras Committee has already done their vote and elected two new members to the Hall of Fame: catcher Ted Simmons, who will likely have a Cardinals hat on his plaque, and labor union leader Marvin Miller. Dwight Evans was the only Red Sox player on the ballot and he finished third in the vote, which hopefully bodes well for his election the next time this committee gets together (2023 I think).
Who is going to join Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller in the Hall of Fame this year? Well, here is the ballot, along with a little bit about each player.
BOBBY ABREU
Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets
Accomplishments: 2x All Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Phillies
My gut instinct was to say no to Abreu, but looking deeper at his numbers reveals a very good hitter who was massively underrated. I still do not think he has much chance and I think he will fall into the category of players like John Olerud, Kenny Lofton, Jorge Posada and others that have dropped off the ballot in the first year but would be good candidates to re-evaluate by the Eras Committee.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes, if only to keep his candidacy active.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Maybe by an Eras Committee.
Teams: Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
Accomplishments: 2x World Series Champion, 3x All Star, ALCS MVP, World Series MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Red Sox
A renowned big-game pitcher who exploded onto the scene with his performance in the 2003 postseason with the Marlins, Beckett was inconsistent, but he was one of the best pitchers in the league at times. I was disappointed that he did not win the Cy Young Award in 2007 when he was the ace of the Red Sox. He was the ALCS MVP that season. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency did him in ultimately.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays
Accomplishments: 3x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Padres
The only thing I remember about Bell was him sliding on the field during an All Star appearance. He was a pretty good closer for a few years, but not nearly long enough.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants
Accomplishments, 14x All Star, 7x MVP, 8x Gold Glove, 12x Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Giants
The best hitter in the game for many years, Bonds holds the all-time home run record. Unfortunately, that does not tell the whole story as chemical enhancement likely somehow helped his career toward the end. That being said, I am not one to hold that against players, particularly if they were never suspended.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Probably not this year, but likely soon.
Teams: Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks
Accomplishments: 6x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Athletics
A very good defensive third-baseman and a decent hitter, Chavez's career was shortened due to injuries that greatly impacted several seasons of his career.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros
Accomplishments: 11x All Star, 2x World Series Champion, 7x Cy Young, MVP, All Star MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Red Sox
One of the greatest pitchers of all time, and certainly one of the best in Red Sox history. Like Bonds, chemical supplements impacted his later career. Still, he was likely headed to the Hall of Fame before that happened. He was one of my favorite players when I first became a baseball fan.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Like Bonds, probably not this year, but soon.
Teams: Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics
Accomplishments: 2x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Reds
A three true outcome player who had some very good seasons and hit 40 or more home runs six times during his career. He came pretty close to 500 for his career.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers
Acccomplishments: World Series Champion, All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Angels
I remember that he was fast and had a few good seasons, but his huge Mariners contract was a massive bust.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins
Accomplishments: World Series Champion, 3x All Star, Rookie of the Year
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Braves, slightly over Dodgers
Furcal was a sure-handed shortstop who won a Rookie of the Year, but never really stood out otherwise. He was a solid player for several seasons though.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians
Accomplishments: 5x All Star, MVP, 2x Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Athletics, probably
Giambi was a fantastic hitter and a big-time slugger who was fairly limited defensively. He had several big years, but he was rarely one of the best hitters in the league.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Colorado Rockies
Accomplishments: 5x All Star, 3x Gold Glove, 4x Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Rockies
Did Coors Field impact his numbers? Who knows, he never played for anyone else. He was not really a power hitter, instead more of a line drive, high average hitter, who was also accomplished defensively.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Probably.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Maybe by an Eras Committee.
Teams: Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels
Accomplishments: All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Mariners
Ibanez was a very good hitter for a lot of bad teams, but he was never elite and he was terrible defensively.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: New York Yankees
Accomplishments: 5x World Series Champion, 14x All Star, 5x Gold Glove, 5x Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year, World Series MVP, All Star MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Yankees
I am not sure I need to say anything about Jeter. I never liked him, but he was a great player.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? If I had more than ten players I thought were worthy of the Hall of Fame, I would consider not voting for him, just because he is a slam dunk, but I cannot honestly say I would definitely not vote for him.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Yes, possibly unanimously.
Teams: Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees
Accomplishments: 5x All Star, 10x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Braves
One of the greatest defensive center fielders of all time, Jones was also a very good hitter for the first several years of his career. He declined significantly with the bat.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Possibly.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Maybe someday.
Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers
Accomplishments: 5x All Star, 4x Silver Slugger, MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Giants
Kent holds the record for home runs by a second-baseman and was the NL MVP in 2000. He famously did not get along with Barry Bonds and I am honestly not sure which one was more at fault for that. He was a very good hitter though.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Most likely at some point.
Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox
Accomplishments: World Series Champion, 6x All Star, ALCS MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: White Sox
Konerko is a fan favorite among White Sox fans and hit a lot of home runs, but he was fairly one-dimensional.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Probably not.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Most likely not.
Teams: Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers
Accomplishments: 4x All Star, Cy Young
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Indians
I will always appreciate that Lee steadfastly refused to pitch for the Yankees. Lee was a great pitcher who was limited by injuries most seasons. He did win a Cy Young Award though.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals
Accomplishments: All Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Rays
Pena was a dangerous hitter with the Rays in 2008 who hit a lot of home runs against the Red Sox that season. He was a late bloomer, but had some great seasons in Tampa Bay, but was mostly one-dimensional, even at his best.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers
Accomplishments: World Series Champion, 2x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Dodgers narrowly over Marlins
I am pretty surprised that Penny made it onto the ballot. He had some good years with the Dodgers and Marlins, but was never elite.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: New York Yankees, Houston Astros
Accomplishments: 5x World Series Champion, 3x All Star, ALCS MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Yankees
Pettitte was one of the Core Four of the Yankees championship run from 1996 to 2000 and came close to a couple of Cy Young Awards. He was a very good pitcher for a long time, but was rarely one of the best in the league.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Possibly at some point.
Teams: Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks
Accomplishments: All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Mariners
Putz was a good closer for a few years, but never led the league in saves and had fewer than 200 in his career. I barely remember him.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays
Accomplishments: 2x World Series Champion, 12x All Star, 9x Silver Slugger, World Series MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Red Sox, narrowly over Indians
Ramirez was one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time and was a hitting savant. He was suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs, which ultimately ended his Major League career.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Possibly at some point.
Teams: Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees
Accomplishments: 2x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Orioles
Roberts led the league in doubles twice and stolen bases once, and he was a solid player. He was one of the few bright spots for a bad Orioles team for a few years, but he is not close to a Hall of Famer.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds
Accomplishments: World Series Champion, 7x All Star, 8x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Phillies, narrowly over Cardinals
Third base is a famously under-represented position in the Hall of Fame. Until I recently looked at his stats, I did not realize how great he really was. His later years were marred by injuries, but he still hit over 300 home runs and drove in over 1,200 runs. He was also a great defensive third-baseman. He is a little underrated, but should be a Hall of Famer.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? At some point, maybe.
Teams: Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox
Accomplishments: 6x All Star, 3x World Series Champion, World Series co-MVP, NLCS MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Possibly blank, arguments could be made for Phillies and Diamondbacks, possibly even Red Sox.
Schilling was a terrific postseason pitcher who player big roles on three World Championship teams and the Phillies, who lost in 1993. He finished second in the Cy Young vote three times and could have easily won at least one. He was a bit of a late bloomer and had some injury problems throughout his career, but he was a great pitcher. Unfortunately, his mouth has kept him out to this point.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? If he comes close this year, he might get in next year.
Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets
Accomplishments: World Series Champion, 9x All Star, 5x Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Marlins, maybe?
Sheffield was a famously difficult player to get along with, but was a terrific hitter. He never stuck around long for teams, because he was so difficult. He was in the top five of the MVP race three times, won a batting title and hit more than 500 home runs. He was one of the players implicated in the BALCO mess, but seems to have come out mostly unscathed from that issue.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? I don't think so.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Possibly.
Teams: New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs
Accomplishments: 7x All Star, 4x Silver Slugger, All Star MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Cubs narrowly over Yankees
Soriano had a ton of talent, and had some great years with various teams. He was poor defensively, especially at second base where he played when he came up. He was a three-time 30/30 man and once even went 40/40 in his sole season for the Nationals. He cooled off significantly in his later seasons.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles
Accomplishments: 7x All Star, 6x Silver Slugger, MVP
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Cubs
Sosa was one of the biggest stars in the game in the late 1990's. When he came up, he was a decent all-around player and was a 30/30 man. Then he became a one-dimensional slugger who hit more than 60 home runs in a season three times and over 600 for his career. Beyond the home runs though, there was not much to him.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Maybe.
Teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets
Accomplishments: 3x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Tigers narrowly over Diamondbacks
I had to look him up to remember who he even was. He led the league in saves three times, and had some decent strikeout numbers. But with only 288 career saves, he is not close to being a Hall of Famer.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? No.
Teams: Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays
Accomplishments: 3x All Star, 11x Gold Glove
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Indians
Vizquel was one of the flashiest defensive shortstops in the game and his reputation as one of the best defensive shortstops of all time was enhanced greatly by the advent of sports highlight shows as entertainment. The metrics do not really support that reputation though and show a player who pales in comparison to someone like Ozzie Smith or Luis Aparicio, two players who are in the Hall of Fame primarily because they were such great fielders. His hitting stats definitely do not make up for it either. Yes, he had almost 3,000 hits, but that is simultaneously impressive and unimpressive when you consider he played 24 seasons. He was a compiler in that category. This all adds up to one of the more overrated players on the ballot.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? No.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? I think so.
Teams: Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves
Accomplishments: 7x All Star
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Astros
Wagner was a terrific closer and has one of the better strikeout ratios of all-time. He was a better pitcher than Trevor Hoffman, who is in the Hall of Fame, but he was never quite as famous for some reason. He never led the league in saves, but he was as dominant a closer as anyone else. If he had kept going for a few more years, this would be a much easier case.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? Possibly.
Teams: Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals
Accomplishments: 5x All Star, MVP, 7x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger
If Elected, Cap Would Be: Rockies
Coors Field may have had an effect on his numbers, but it certainly had an impact on how people view Walker. He is largely assumed to be a product of his hitting environment. Injuries did not help his career, but when he was healthy, he was one of the best in the game. He was also a terrific defensive right-fielder. He is in his last year on the ballot and could see enough of a final season push to get him in.
WOULD I VOTE FOR HIM? Yes.
WILL HE BE ELECTED? He will probably be in this year.
PREDICTIONS
-Derek Jeter is the only lock to get in this year, and will likely match former teammate Mariano Rivera as a unanimous selection. I talked a little about ballot management in my discussion of him, but I do not see ten definite players I would vote for other than Jeter, so I doubt many others will either. Dan Szymborski indicated he would skip Jeter, but he does not have a vote yet.
-Larry Walker and Curt Schilling could go either way. Monitoring the votes that have been made public, they are both above 80% at this time, but that is no sure thing yet. I could see one or both of them making it. If it is just one though, it will be Walker, not Schilling. I suppose if I want to make a firm prediction, I will say Walker gets in this year, Schilling gets in next year.
-Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are polling right around 75% this year, but I think they will both fall short this time. I could see them each making it in next year along with Schilling when the best new players will be Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle and Torii Hunter, three players who are arguably not Hall of Famers.
-Players who are seeing big gains in the polling this year so far are Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel, Jeff Kent and Todd Helton. Even Manny Ramirez is seeing a bit of a push forward. I think each of those players will see a push and possibly get elected in the near future. It would be awesome to see Ramirez get in with David Ortiz.
-Bobby Abreu is the only new player that I think will stay on the ballot after this year.
