2025 Classic Baseball Ballot

Juan Soto's free agency has been the dominant topic of baseball's offseason and will continue into the start of the Winter Meetings this weekend.  It will also likely end sometime this weekend (Monday at the latest), as Soto seems set to make a decision fairly soon.  His signing won't be the only action at the start of the Winter Meetings, though.  It probably won't even be the first action.  That will be the announcement of the first Hall of Famers who'll be joining Ichiro in Cooperstown next summer.

This year, it's the Classic Baseball Era that's up for election.  Although, the definition of "Classic Baseball" certainly has changed.  It goes all the way until 1980, and the ballot reflects that wide range.  Two of the candidates played in the Negro Leagues.  Two played primarily in the 60s.  And of the other four, three played well into the 80s.

The last time this committee met, they did some necessary clean up.  Four players were voted in, and their elections felt long overdue.  It was nearly five.  Dick Allen missed out by only one vote, and he likely would've joined Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva had the voters been allowed to vote for more than four people.  The makeup of the committee is different this year, but I'd be surprised if Allen doesn't get enough votes this time.

So, who do I think will join Allen (and Ichiro)?  I'll get to that at the end.  First, I'm ranking the eight candidates from 1-8.  And, since you can only vote for four, those top four candidates would obviously be the ones who receive my vote.

1. Dick Allen, First Baseman (1963-69 Phillies; 1970 Cardinals; 1971 Dodgers; 1972-74 White Sox; 1975-76 Phillies; 1977 Athletics)-When Allen was on the ballot three years ago, I wasn't very high on his candidacy.  Then, when he just missed election, I took another look and rethought my position.  The definition of "Hall of Fame-caliber" has also changed significantly since Harold Baines was elected.  Allen was one of the most prolific sluggers in the Majors during his 15-year career.  He won a Rookie of the Year in one league and an MVP in the other and was a .292 career hitter...while playing the first half of his career in a pitcher's era.

2. Steve Garvey, First Baseman (1969-82 Dodgers; 1983-87 Padres)-He lost his Senate race.  Will this election go better for him?  I've long been on the Steve Garvey Hall of Fame bandwagon.  I think he's one of the more underrated players of the 70s.  He was the anchor of that Dodgers infield (which hasn't had a single member inducted into the Hall of Fame) and played in an NL-record 1,207 consecutive games.  That's 7 1/2 years during a 19-year career.

3. Tommy John, Pitcher (1963-64 Indians; 1965-71 White Sox; 1972-74, 1976-78 Dodgers; 1979-82 Yankees; 1982-85 Angels; 1985 Athletics; 1986-89 Yankees)-There are two reasons why I think Tommy John's career is Hall of Fame worthy.  The first is obvious.  The man has a freaking surgery named after him that has saved many a pitcher's career!  He missed the 1975 season before the surgery.  He ended up pitching until 1989!  The second are his sheer numbers.  John had 288 wins.  Yeah, he pitched a long time.  But that's still more wins than any pitcher since 1900 who isn't in the Hall of Fame except for Roger Clemens (who isn't in for different reasons).

4. Vic Harris, Outfielder (1922-47 Negro Leagues)-It was a tough call for my fourth "vote," but I ended up going with Vic Harris.  He was great as both an outfielder and manager for the legendary Homestead Grays.  Harris was a career .303 hitter over 18 seasons.  As a manager, his teams won seven pennants and a Negro World Series, and he has the highest winning percentage in history.

5. Dave Parker, Outfielder (1973-83 Pirates; 1984-87 Reds; 1988-89 Athletics; 1990 Brewers; 1991 Angels; 1991 Blue Jays)-Harris got the nod over Dave Parker, although I really wish I had a fifth vote so that I could go with both of them.  Parker was an outstanding defensive right fielder on those excellent Pirates teams in the late 70s, but he also won two batting titles and an MVP in Pittsburgh.  Then, later in his career, he became a solid DH.

6. John Donaldson, Pitcher (1908-40 Negro Leagues)-Donaldson pitched for more than 30 years, mainly for barnstorming Black teams, but also for a short time with the Kansas City Monarchs.  Among the stats that have been able to be verified are 420 wins, 14 no-hitters (including two perfect games) and 5,221 strikeouts.  His real totals are almost certainly higher.  Many consider him the greatest pitcher of his era.

7. Luis Tiant, Pitcher (1964-69 Indians; 1970 Twins; 1971-78 Red Sox; 1979-80 Yankees; 1981 Pirates; 1982 Angels)-Before Fernando Valenzuela was looking towards the heavens during his windup, Luis Tiant was turning his back to the batter and facing second base during his.  Tiant won 20 games four times and led the AL in ERA twice.  And, of course, he's best known as the ace of those Boston teams in the 70s.

8. Ken Boyer, Third Baseman (1955-65 Cardinals; 1966-67 Mets; 1967-68 White Sox; 1968-69 Dodgers)-Boyer was an 11-time All-Star and was the NL MVP in 1964, when the Cardinals won the World Series.  He still ranks among the Cardinals' all-time leaders in most offensive categories and was the second third baseman ever to hit 250 career home runs.  His number has been retired in St. Louis for 40 years, which shows how revered he is in Cardinals lore.

OK, so who gets in?  With only 16 voters, it's really tough to say.  I'm inclined to say Allen, who's fallen one vote short twice, will get over the hump this time.  It's possible that the other votes will be so spread out among the other candidates that he'll end up being the only one.  Regardless, it won't be the four we got three years ago.

I think it'll be two.  For some reason, I think Tommy John will get enough support.  There's a different appreciation for his career and his longevity, and the legacy that revolutionary surgery has left can't be ignored, either.  He had a very similar career to Jim Kaat, who did get in last time, which is another thing I see working in his favor.  So, if I had to guess, I'd say Dick Allen and Tommy John get the nod from the Classic Baseball Era Committee and become the first two members of the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.