My 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot, If I Had One

Happy New Year!  Lots of sports going on right now, but my first focus is on tomorrow's Baseball Hall of Fame announcement.  In the past, the BBWAA has been extremely stupid in their voting.  There are some years where they do not induct anyone at all into the Hall of Fame.  Thankfully, this year seems to one where we are guaranteed at least one Hall of Famer.  Ken Griffey Jr has a chance to break Tom Seaver's record of the highest vote percentage ever, and deservedly so.  The question will be who joins him.  If I had my way, here are the 8 candidates I'd vote for:

1. Ken Griffey Jr
          - Obvious pick.  He may be the best player of the 1990s, and took the game by storm.

2. Jeff Bagwell
          - The other half of the Killer B's with Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.  The only reason he isn't in the HOF already is the unsubstantiated claim that he may have used PEDs.  Unlike with Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, or McGwire, there is absolutely no proof to support these claims at all.  Bagwell deserves to be in.

3. Mike Piazza
          - One of the greatest offensive catchers of all time, he has also suffered the same fate of Jeff Bagwell.  Again, no proof.  Piazza should be in.

4. Tim Raines
          - The second best leadoff hitter of his generation, if not all time, who is overlooked because Ricky Henderson  On-base percentage numbers that rival those of Tony Gwynn.  I am unsure as to why Raines has been overlooked for so long.  I think this could be the year he finally gets in.

5. Edgar Martinez
          - One of the greatest hitters I have ever seen, Edgar Martinez is every bit a Hall of Famer as anyone else on this list.  Career .312 hitter, 7-time All Star, and the backbone of those 1990s Mariners teams with Griffey, he is perhaps the most beloved figure in Seattle baseball history.  The hang up here is that he was primarily a DH.  While that is an excellent point, we should also look at one of the one-dimensional defensive players already enshrined in the Hall.  Ozzie Smith, the Wizard of Oz, is a career .266 hitter.  His .666 career OPS is far less than  Martinez's .933 OPS. He is a defense-first player, but is in the Hall of Fame.  Why keep out Martinez for being a mainly-offensive minded player?

6. Mike Mussina
          - He played his entire career in the AL East at the time of both the Yankees dynasty and the Red Sox resurgence.  He was the ace for the O's and the Yankees.  He could have stayed on for two or three more seasons after his retirement, and would have almost certainly reached 300 wins.  Instead, he retired, and his candidacy has suffered due to it.  He is also the victim of  pitching in the same era of so many great pitchers.  Still, his case is very strong.

7. Trevor Hoffman
          - Trevor Hoffman is the second best closer of all time.  At the time of his retirement, he was the greatest closer of all time.  Mariano Rivera passed him after Hoffman retired.  In modern baseball, the closer is a legitimate and important role.  If we are willing to put in Rivera, who is almost certainly going to be in the Hall of Fame, then we must put in Trevor Hoffman.

8. Curt Schilling
          - I think that Curt Schilling is a loudmouth, a blowhard, an idiot, and a gasbag.  However, I also think he was a fantastic pitcher.  While putting up borderline-HOF regular season numbers, his post season stats put him over the top.  He went 11-2 with a 2.33 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 19 starts and 133.3 career playoff innings.  Schilling won three World Series, was the MVP of the 1993 NLCS, and the co-MVP of the World Series with Randy Johnson in 2001.


There are other candidates that are close, such as Gary Sheffield, Larry Walker, Billy Wagner, and Jeff Kent.  There are also the PED-linked (with proof) players.  Eventually, they should be in the Hall of Fame.  They just should.  Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were probably Hall of Fame-worthy before their late-career explosions.  That is what is so depressing about it.  So, yes, they should be in the Hall at some point.  However, until the HOF and the BBWAA decides how to deal with their inclusion (such as a mention on the plaque, or a special place just for them) I'd say keep them out.

So, there you are.  We will see if the BBWAA actually elects anyone other than Griffey, though I think that Piazza has a great chance.  I would love to see Bagwell and Raines in as well, just to make some more room on the ballot with other deserving players coming in the next few years.