The Hall of Fame Ballot

 

Hall of Famer Sean Adams in Cooperstown, 2012.

Tomorrow's the day we find out if anyone has made the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Personally, I love it. I love the process and the debate. I love the conversation.

So, because nobody asked, I'm going to do my own ballot that nobody wants.

You're welcome, planet Earth.

There are 30 names on the ballot and you can choose up to ten. You're going to like this or not like this. Keep in mind I'm a "small Hall" guy, meaning I'm not Oprah Winfrey.

"YOU GET A PLAQUE! YOU GET A PLAQUE! YOU GET A PLAQUE!"

Let's do this. I'm going to rattle my choices off in no particular order.

1) Barry Bonds. Yup. Look, we're not inducting the best people. Bad people are already in the Hall of Fame, though it's time to stop the myth about Ty Cobb. He wasn't that bad. At all. The numbers are remarkable for Bonds but very stained. The court of public opinion is fairly firm that he used PED's and isn't the home run king. However, the record book says he is. As with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and others, we applauded for the most part*.

*OK, I didn't because I was skeptical and disgusted the whole time. In fact, I remember many people really sickened when he passed Hank Aaron for career home runs. Still, overall, we were complicit as a society. Bud Selig applauded and he was as guilty as anyone. He's also in the Hall of Fame. Shameful.

Still, while not the GOAT people try to make him out to be (Babe Ruth says hi), we have PED users in the Hall of Fame already (I'm glancing towards LaGuardia for some reason). Whatever the case, Bonds would get my vote. His enlarged head should get its own plaque

2) Roger Clemens. You basically can't have one without the other. Look, I can remember getting tickets to Yankees/Red Sox in the Bronx and being legitimately excited to watch Clemens pitch. To an extent, isn't that what it's all about? From there, the numbers are pretty great. Like Bonds, there's guilt even if there isn't enough proof. But I marveled at Clemens. I was there the night he struck out his 4,000th batter and won his 300th game. No bias intended. I'm just saying he was great. He is a Hall of Famer in my eyes.

3) Alex Rodriguez. The numbers are as flawed as Bonds. Completely stained. He admitted guilt. He did his penance. He's also, largely, rehabbed his image. Oh sure people still detest him but he's a fascinated character study. He's also among the greatest ever to play shortstop AND third base. He's also a jackass who used PED's. Still, 3,115 hits and 696 home runs? Certain benchmarks once almost guaranteed you for the Hall of Fame. A-Rod won't get in this year, nor should he necessarily, but I want him on the ballot to continue the conversation. But, man, did he piss me off and I say that as a father of an A-Rod fan years ago.

4) David Ortiz. Oh this is soul-crushing. I'm not big on DH's unless they're next level. And while I think. he's a good guy and glib and charming I also think he's a huge phony who has been a media darling. Thus, given we're all fairly certain (I get it -- conjecture abounds) that he failed an "anonymous test," if I vote for A-Rod, I will vote for Big Papi. He hit 541 home runs and was at the forefront of giving Boston its greatest baseball glory (my God but those words hurt to type). He was monstrous in the postseason. He hits the target for me, regardless of being a DH and a PED user in my eyes.

5) Curt Schilling. This is where you know I'm trying to be fair. As people go he's not exactly a great guy. But he's got one of those key numbers -- over 3,000 strikeouts -- and I'm striving for consistency. I still struggle with certain things but the postseason puts him over the top. Plus it might be fun to see the writers -- who he asked to not vote for him -- vote him in. I don't like him but that's not how this works. To be honest, I could pull him in favor of another name but no. It's the Hall of Fame and I believe in being fair.

6) Sammy Sosa. He has become a pariah in baseball circles but that still doesn't take away 609 home runs. Quick, who has hit over 60 home runs in a season? Now, who hit over 60 three times? Right, Sammy Sosa. You likely cheered him. You likely loved his personality and the tapping of the heart and the kissing of the fingers. As with Bonds, Clemens (and, to me, McGwire, who will also get his day) you were likely complicit and it's OK. 

7) Gary Sheffield. Again, there are certain numbers that work for me. Granted I used to be able to name every member of the 500 home run club and the Steroids Era killed that. But I loved watching Sheff hit. I didn't necessarily love watching him field and that's definitely a downside here. However, 509 home runs. That's enough.

8) Scott Rolen. The offensive numbers don't blow me away but third base is incredibly underrepresented. It's a position where defense is also a star (think Brooks Robinson and I'd have a more realistic conversation about Graig Nettles if we could). But Rolen did hit over 300 home runs and 2000 hits. However, I struggle with "Hall of Very Good." Still, I believe a vote for him keeps him on the ballot to keep reexamining. I think time and defensive metrics will serve Rolen well.

9) Billy Wagner. Here's the thing, Wagner (foolishly) used "Enter Sandman" in the town where the Sandman pitched night after night (though he'd have an Astros hat on his plaque unless you're smoking something strange). Mariano Rivera IS the Sandman. I think there are certain positions -- DH and relievers -- where you have to be past exceptional to make the Hall of Fame. Mariano is. Obviously. Billy Wags was a great closer. He had 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA. In no way -- on no planet -- am I picking Wagner over Mo but the comparison isn't necessary. In a world of Mo, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, and Hoyt Wilhelm, Billy Wagner is a worthy enshrinee.

I'm sold on most of the first nine that I've selected, but I'm arguing with myself over Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, Todd Helton, and a certain Mr. Andrew Eugene Pettitte. I even want to acknowledge Mark Teixeira but I just can't. If I take Andy Pettitte, I'll hear about bias. The guy did win 256 games and was a wonderful postseason performer. In terms of WAR, Pettitte is 10th on the ballot, while Ortiz and Sosa, for instance, are much lower. Additionally, I'm not voting for Omar Vizquel so long as the character issue exists and he has character stuff that would need to be cleaned up. He's not a sure thing to me, so no. I gave this a lot of thought and...

10) Manny Ramirez. I know, he's a wackadoodle but, so what? So was Dizzy Dean, and we find him lovable if we're being fair. Manny B. Manny has 555 home runs and if I'm putting the other steroids users in then I'm going to be consistent. He was as much a part of the Red Sox run as Ortiz but, again, there's an agenda with Big Papi. Manny was never that great with the media.

Tough calls but I can live with these especially since I'm not really doing a ballot. Keep in mind, my ten are as much about making sure these names stay on the ballot for further evaluation as it is to endorse them for the Hall of Fame. I could have been swayed to pull, say, Schilling off for Helton.

I think the BBWAA has a huge task and I'm fine with how (most) of them do it. Tomorrow night, we'll find out how well they did their job for 2021. Keep in mind, Clemens, Bonds, Schilling, and Sosa all fall off the ballot if they don't get in tomorrow. Then they move to the veterans' committee for further evaluation. That will complicate things even more because there will be a logjam but that's a problem for another time.

We get our answers tomorrow.