The Hall of Fame List is Going to Skyrocket

One has said that a player can never get into the baseball Hall of Fame unanimously. For one thing, technically that’s not true. Two players, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell, were elected unanimously into the baseball Hall of Fame. Here’s the catch: Gibson and Bell played in the Negro Leagues, and they were not selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), who vote on players now, but rather the Veterans Committee based on the Negro league career.

So no MLB player has ever been selected unanimously. How is that possible? Who ever said, “No, I don’t think Babe Ruth should be in the Hall of Fame.”

I don’t think it’s a reason for that, but rather a matter of if they get elected on the first ballot or not. Remember, when a player is on the Hall of Fame ballot, if they don’t get in the first time, they have plenty of more years to try and still get in. In fact, Jack Morris is in his last chance to be on the ballot, after being on it for 14 years.

Yet some do get it on the first ballot, and some do almost get it unanimously. Of the 297 individuals inducted (236 players, 20 managers, 9 umpires, and 32 pioneers and executives), only 33 have been inducted with 90% or more of the vote. Besides Gibson and Bell, the players receiving 98% or more of the vote are Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Ty Cobb, and George Brett.

Last year, nobody was inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first time that happened since 1996, and only the 8^th time in history. Craig Biggio led the voting with 68.2%, with Morris closely behind him with 67.7%. You need 75% support to be elected.

Luckily, for this year, as well as the next few years, the Hall of Fame lineup is stacked, and there are some guys that will get in for sure. The 2014 list is led by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Mike Mussina, and Jeff Kent, along with guys like Moises Alou, Luis Gonzalez, Kenny Rogers, and a bunch of other names that have no real chance in getting in. But hey, it’s still an accomplishment to be on the balloting.

Why did I question so much how nobody has been voted in unanimously? Because of this 2014 lineup. How can you tell me that Greg Maddux does not deserve the Hall of Fame?

 

I’ll be honest, Maddux might break the BBWAA record of Seaver’s 98.84%. Maddux is arguably in the top 5 greatest pitchers of all time, putting him up there with Walter Johnson and Cy Young. In an steroid era with guys like Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa (who all, to be noted, are also on the Hall of Fame balloting), Maddux recorded some of the lowest ERA’s in history.

From 1992-1998 (yes, 1998 even, with the Sosa-McGwire home run duel), Maddux was able to pull out 127 wins with a 2.15 ERA, a 190 ERA+, and a combined 54.7 WAR. Some of the guys on this ballot don’t have a career 54.7 WAR. Maddux is 8^th all-time with a 104.6 WAR (arguably 7^th if you rule out Bonds).

Maddux played almost all of his career with the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs. When the Cubs did not resign him in the 1992 offseason, after winning his first Cy Young award, Maddux went on to the Braves to win three more… in a row.

Another notable stat by Maddux is how amazing of a defender he was. He leads pitchers all-time with 18 Gold Glove Awards- 14 of those in a row.

Maddux finished his career with 355 wins and a career 3.16 ERA in over 5000 innings pitched. So how can you say he isn’t a unanimous pick?

Greg Maddux will be in the Hall of Fame on January 8^th, there’s no doubt about it.

It’s safe to say that Greg’s partner in crime in Atlanta, Tom Glavine, is a sure-pick this year as well. Another 300 game winner, Glavine is a two-time Cy Young winner with a career 74.0 WAR.

 

In 1988, his first official year in baseball, Glavine led the NL with 17 losses. Then suddenly he wins over 100 games in the next six-seven years. Hey, things can change. Glavine led the NL five times in wins, getting at least 15 wins in 10 of his 22 years.

Glavine is no Greg Maddux, but he sure is incredible. As one of the best duo’s in pitching that baseball has ever seen, both deserve to be first-ballot hall-of-famers.

It’s safe to say that Frank Thomas and Craig Biggio will get in this year, but they won’t get in unanimously. This is Frank Thomas’ first year on the ballot. The Big Hurt slugged 521 home runs and 1,704 RBI’s in his career, winning back-to-back MVP’s in 1993 and 1994. He has a career .301/.419/.555 slash line, which is incredible for anyone that plays 19 years.

What I love about Frank is that he was in an era filled with PED users, yet he was one of the big men that was a huge advocate against the use of steroids. That’s what makes him stand out among guys like Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds. I think he deserves to get in this year, if not next year.

 

Craig Biggio was your all-around player for the Houston Astros in the 90’s. A member of the 3000-hit club, Biggio enters the year on his 2^nd year of eligibility. He could do everything, from hitting for contact, power, and was an amazing defender and baserunner. He also has 285 career hit-by-pitches.

Biggo and Thomas will get in… it’s just a matter of when.

Some guys on the bubble are Mike Mussina, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, and Jeff Kent. Kent and Mussina are on the ballot for the first time. Morris might get in because this is his last year on the ballot, and Mussina, Raines, and Kent might just have to wait a while to get in.

There won’t be no inductees like last year for a long time now. In fact, the list only gets better and better. Next year, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Gary Sheffield, and John Smoltz will be on the list. In 2016, Ken Griffey Jr., Trevor Hoffman, and Billy Wagner will be on the list.

It’s the biggest honor that a baseball player can get. It’s time to honor the greats that have played. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd