The Baseball Writers Association will announce its inductees to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.
When voting, there is certainly more to just picking the best baseball players on the ballot, especially when you factor in the rules for qualification. To be inducted, players must receive votes from 75 percent of the voters. If a player does not reach the 75 percent threshold, they still might have a chance in future ballots. They have 10 chances, but they also must receive above five percent of the votes to be eligible for next year’s ballot.
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This year was harder than most years to fill out a ballot. I do not have an official vote, but in this article, I outline who I would vote for if I did. To be clear, all of my votes are made strictly based on how a player performs on the field. Some voters choose to remove players from their consideration due to cheating allegations, character issues, or other off-the-field reasons. While this logic is understandable, I think that voting on anything except how they played and what they accomplished in their career makes things a bit too hairy, especially given the fact that several cheaters and awful people have already been inducted to the Hall in past years.
Gary Sheffield
This is Sheffield’s final chance to be inducted by the BBWAA. In Sheffield’s 22-season career, he was a nine-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger award winner, and won 1992 National League batting champion. He also finished among the top 10 in MVP voting six times and was on the Detroit Tigers championship team in 1997. Furthermore, he is one of 28 players in baseball history to hit 500 home runs. Someone with these numbers and accolades is usually a lock for the Hall. However, his name was on the 2007 Mitchell Report that exposed 89 players for using steroids, which has been a big no-no for a high percentage of the voters.
Last year, he finished with 55 percent of the votes. As of Jan. 13, 2024, he was at about 74.5 percent of reported votes. Though not likely, Sheffield’s chances of getting in this year are certainly not at zero despite what many thought after last year’s results.
Billy Wagner
This is Wagner’s ninth year on the ballot. The fact he has not been inducted yet is a crime. Yes, he was a reliever and did not pitch too many innings. However, he is still debatably the second-best closer ever. He was a seven-time All-Star, finished top six in Cy Young voting twice (which is super impressive for relievers), and received MVP votes in two seasons. Wagner was also among the top 10 in WAR for NL pitchers in 1999, top 10 in NL saves 10 times, and ranks sixth all-time in career saves. For his career, he averaged 34 saves, a 2.31 ERA, and a 187 ERA+ (league average is 100). All of these numbers and accolades certainly make up a Hall of Fame resume.
Manny Ramirez
Ramirez is a player who I knew was a legend but did not realize how insane his numbers were. He led the American League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in once while also leading in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging three times. Ramirez also finished top-10 in OBP 10 times, slugging 11 times, and OPS 12 times. Furthermore, he ranks 15th all-time in home runs. These crazy numbers led him to be a 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger, and two-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox.
Just like Sheffield, the only reason he has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame is steroid usage. He was suspended 50 games in 2009 and might get in one day, but it probably won’t be through the BBWAA.
Andruw Jones
Jones is one of the most underrated players of the 2000s. He was a five-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a Silver Slugger. The only players with over 400 home runs and 10 Gold Gloves are Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, and Ken Griffey Jr. All three of these players are slam-dunk Hall of Famers.
There are a couple of reasons Jones has not been inducted yet. First off, the back end of his career was pretty brutal. He only played over 100 games once in his last five seasons. In those five seasons, he had a 95 OPS+. He was also arrested in 2012 for domestic violence. However, his votes have been on the rise for the past couple of years, and I think he will get in eventually.
Todd Helton
This is Helton’s sixth year on the ballot, and he is hoping it will also be his last. Helton finished with over 72% of the vote last time around. Historically speaking, those players usually get in the year after. Helton is a five-time All-Star, won the Silver Slugger four times, the Gold Glove three times, and finished top-10 in NL MVP voting three times. He also finished among the top 10 in batting average nine times, OBP ten times, OPS seven times, OPS+ five times, and WAR four times. Being at the top of the league in all of these important stats means a whole lot.
Alex Rodriguez
All scandals aside, Rodriguez is the best player on the ballot. Where do I even begin? Should I start with the fact that he has three MVPs and seven more top-10 finishes? Or perhaps the fact that he is sixth all-time in home runs and fourth all-time in RBI? Or that he finished top-10 in OBP 10 times, in OPS nine times, and in OPS+ nine times? Rodriguez has an argument to be the greatest shortstop of all time. So what’s the holdup? Well, just like other players on the ballot, he allegedly used steroids. As a result, he was suspended in 2014. I believe he will get voted in one day. However, it probably will not be through the BBWAA.
Carlos Beltran
This is Beltran’s second year on the ballot. He was a nine-time All-Star, has three Gold Gloves, and won two Silver Slugger awards. Beltran would probably have even more awards from the beginning of his prime if he did not have to compete against Ramirez, Sheffield, or Vladimir Guerrero Sr. His best season came in 2006 with the Mets when he hit 41 homers, drove in 116 runs, and had a .982 OPS, 150 OPS+, and 8.2 WAR. Beltran was also the best defensive center fielder in his prime.
The only reason Beltran is not in yet is because he was allegedly the ringleader of the Astros’ cheating scandal. However, as of Jan. 16, Beltran was at a net +15 of public voters from last year. Though he will likely not get in this year, he should in two or three years.
Adrian Beltre
This is probably the biggest no-brainer of the entire ballot. In 21 seasons, Beltré won four Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves, and two Platinum Gloves. Plus, he finished among the top 10 in MVP voting six times. However, his accolades don’t nearly do justice to how filthy of a player he was. The fact that he has five Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves doesn’t even relay the fact that, in his prime, Beltre was probably the best defensive third baseman ever. He also finished top-10 in homers and OPS+ five times while having seven top-10 WAR seasons. Beltre’s 93.5 WAR ranks 27th all-time and he is a lock to be inducted on Tuesday.
Analyzing First-Year Candidates on 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
Joe Mauer
Mauer is a top-two catcher of his generation. He was a six-time All-Star who won three Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, the batting title three times, and MVP in 2009. Mauer and Buster Posey are the only two catchers in the 21st century to win MVP. In addition to all his accolades, he finished top-10 in batting average seven times, OBP twice, OPS four times, OPS+ six times, and WAR twice. Just like Beltre (but to a lesser extent), it is not a matter of if Mauer gets in, but when he gets in.
David Wright
There are only two athletes whom I could defend for hours upon hours: Eli Manning and David Wright. When people talk about Wright’s legacy, the first thing they say is, “He was an awesome player and would have made the Hall of Fame if it were not for his injuries.”
While this may be true, I will die on the hill that he should be in the Hall of Fame despite the injuries. He was a seven-time All-Star, won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, and finished top-10 in the MVP race four times. He also finished top-10 in batting average four times, OBP three times, OPS four times, OPS+ four times, and WAR three times.
The main argument for Wright is that the median WAR for Hall of Fame inductees is between 50 and 70. Wright’s lifetime WAR is 51.2. The Hall of Fame is for players who were the best in the game, and Wright is one of those. When evaluating a player, the voters should value peak over longevity. Few players peaked higher than Wright.
Just Missed the Cut for the Hall of Fame
- Francisco Rodriguez (dropped from my ballot since last year)
- Chase Utley
- Bobby Abreu
There are few guarantees in life. One of them is that at least one of these players will find their way onto my ballot next year.
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