2019 Hall of Fame Ballot

The results of the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot will be released on Tuesday, so I have to give my thoughts ahead of time.  I will start with my ballot and then follow that with whom I think will get the votes.  I would love to vote for Roy Oswalt, but there's just no room.

My ballot:

Lance Berkman

            I realize he is a bit of a homer pick, since he was my favorite Astros player between Caminiti and Springer, but he does have some really good numbers.  I hope he gets somewhere in the 10-15% range to keep him on the ballot.

Todd Helton

            People discount his numbers too much due to playing his entire career in Colorado.  Regardless, he was one of the best, most consistent, first basemen during the steroids era who never had any suspicion about him.

Jeff Kent

            One of the best offensive second basemen of all time, I am surprised he only got 14.5% of the vote last year.

Edgar Martinez

            The greatest designated hitter of all time, he was, plain and simple, a great hitter.

Fred McGriff

            I have written about this before, but I cannot believe people say he does not belong in the Hall because he was seven home runs shy of 500 for his career (which he would have had if not for the strike in 1994).  He was never the flashiest player, but he was a solid offensive force for 15 years.  Unfortunately, because baseball writers are dumb, there is no way he jumps 50% on his final ballot.

Mike Mussina

            Upon further examination, I do think he deserves to be in the Hall.  His numbers are especially good when considering he pitched his entire career in the American League East.  His career totals are essentially the exact same as Jim Palmer and Juan Marichal.

Mariano Rivera

            I hated him, and I think he was overrated, but I cannot deny he belongs in the Hall.

Curt Schilling

            Once again, the only reason why he is not in the Hall is because people do not like his politics.  That’s ridiculous and a shame.  Beyond his postseason heroics, he was one of the best starters for almost 10 years.

Billy Wagner

            I really do not understand why he has received such a small amount of support (11.1%).  He was just a tick below Hoffman and Rivera.

Larry Walker

            Similar to Helton, people discount his numbers way too much with the “Coors effect.”  He was one of the best 5-tool players of his generation.

Who I think will get in:

Roy Halladay

            I don’t see it, but he is getting a lot of support (I hope not because of his untimely death).  He was good, but not for long enough.

Edgar Martinez

            It’s his last year on the ballot, and he was only a few votes shy.

Mike Mussina

            He’s been rising basically 10% each year since he started on the ballot in the mid-20s.  He was at 63.5% last year, I think he gets enough to squeak in, but barely.

Mariano Rivera

            He will be close to 100%

2018 Hall of Fame Ballot!

Once again, tomorrow is the date for one of my favorite debates.  Who should be in the Hall of Fame? 

First, I'm going to go through my "ballot" (remember, you can only vote for 10).  Second, I'm going to give a simple yes or no for whether each guy on the ballot should be in.

My ballot (alphabetical order):

Vladimir Guerrero

            The best bad ball hitter I've ever seen (though I hear Yogi Berra was pretty good).  Tons of power, plenty of speed (though the Montreal turf destroyed his knees), a cannon of an arm.  The only knock was he was pretty bad with the glove, but who cares?  Has to get in his second year.

Trevor Hoffman

            Those who say "he wasn't Mariano" are stupid and have a ridiculously high bar for success.  He was the second best closer of his time.  Plus, there's no beating him entering to Hells Bells (they basically invented the closer walkup music).  The only knock I've seen against him was his postseason record.  I would counter the postseason should only help your chances, not hurt them.  I'm not joking when I say I am waiting for my return trip to Cooperstown until after he is in.

Chipper Jones

            This is a reluctant vote to show I am not biased.  I hated Chipper.  First, because he was a rival (in my mind at least) to Caminiti.  Second, because the Astros could never get past those annoying Braves.  But, I can't argue with his stats.

Jeff Kent

            Added to my ballot this year because there's more room.  One of the greatest offensive second basemen of all time.  He had a decent glove but was apparently not a great teammate.

Edgar Martinez

            The greatest designated hitter of all time (sorry Papi), only injuries and a late start kept him from 3000 hits.

Fred McGriff

            The second greatest casualty (after the Expos) of the 1994 strike, because he fell 7 home runs short of 500.  It's crazy he doesn't get more consideration, especially since people now want to laud clean power hitters from the 90s.

Curt Schilling

            Perhaps the most dominant postseason starter in the modern era, it was also unquestioned that when he paired with Randy Johnson in Arizona they were the best 1-2 punch of their time.  Anybody who doesn't vote for him because of his post-career outspokenness is an idiot.

Jim Thome

            Do you realize he hit 612 home runs?  In any other era, that number would be bonkers.  He also had a lifetime .956 OPS, way better than Sheffield or Sosa (fourth best on the ballot, behind Bonds, Ramirez, and Walker).

Billy Wagner

            Closers are supposed to be dominant.  Nobody, except maybe Mariano, has been more dominant.  Only his lack of innings is keep his consideration down.

Larry Walker

            As someone else said, if you vote for Vladimir you have to vote for Larry.  They were basically the same person, but Larry was less flashy (and he played in Colorado).  He also had one of the strongest arms in right field you will ever see.

So there's my 10, and honestly there's only one other that I would consider:

Barry Bonds - blatant roid user, no

Chris Carpenter - no

Roger Clemens - same boat as Bonds

Johnny Damon - no

Livan Hernandez - no

Orlando Hudson - no

Aubrey Huff - no

Jason Isringhausen - no

Andruw Jones - no, an annoying showoff in the field, he coasted defensively on reputation and offensively on a couple of good seasons, his drop off was dramatic

Carlos Lee - HA! no

Brad Lidge - no

Hideki Matsui - no

Kevin Millwood - no

Jamie Moyer - no

Mike Mussina - Yes - 270 wins and a 123 career ERA+ pitching entire career in AL East (same as Juan Marichal, better than Bob Feller, Eddie Plank, Don Drysdale, Warren Spahn, etc.)

Manny Ramirez - no - twice tested positive

Scott Rolen - no, though he was underrated

Johan Santana - no because of injuries, he still pitched the most impressive game I've seen in person (and I've seen a no hitter)

Gary Sheffield - based on numbers, yes, but no

Sammy Sosa - no, see Bonds

Omar Vizquel - no and I don't understand why there's even a debate.  Sure, he was flashy with the glove (or no glove), but he was terrible offensively and only put up big counting numbers due to longevity

Kerry Wood - no

Carlos Zambrano - heck no (I seriously hated this guy)