Hall of Fame Time!

As my loyal readers know, this is one of my favorite posts of the entire year.  With the election results announced tomorrow, it's time for me to unveil my "vote" for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I'm always envious of those actual voters, and this year's ballot isn't remotely close to easy.  Narrowing it down to 10 is incredibly difficult, although the crop of first-year-eligible candidates isn't particularly strong.  There's no obvious first-ballot guy like there was last year with Ken Griffey, Jr. or there will in the jam-packed elections coming up, starting next year with Chipper Jones, followed by Mariano Rivera in 2019, Derek Jeter in 2020 and Mark Teixeira/David Ortiz in 2022.  Which bodes well for the likes of Jeff Bagwell, who came close last year, and Tim Raines in his last year on the ballot.

Also, a note on my selections before I reveal them.  I rank the players based on how much I feel they belong in the Hall of Fame.  With a 10-vote limit, I feel that's the fairest way.  There are more than 10 guys on this list I would've voted for, so I needed some sort of system to determine who made the cut and who didn't.  As a result, my rankings really only get shifted as guys get elected or dropped off the ballot.  Griffey and Mike Piazza got elected last year, while Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds dropped off.  That gave me four spots for new guys and with only two first-ballot players that I felt comfortable with, that opened up two positions for players that, in the past, I've supported in some years and not others.  (Now I get it when writers change their votes on certain players from year-to-year.)

You'll also notice two names that I support every year, but not another who has ties to PEDs.  So why a vote for Bonds and Clemens but not Manny Ramirez?  Well, that's simple.  Whether or not you think they "cheated," Bonds and Clemens didn't break any rules.  Ramirez, meanwhile, actually failed a drug test.  TWICE!  That's enough to disqualify him for me.

Anyway, on to the votes:

1. Barry Bonds, Outfielder (1986-92 Pirates, 1993-2007 Giants): Yes, right at the top.  He's not going to get elected.  I know that.  But, steroids or no, Barry Bonds was among the greatest players of his era.  Arguably THE greatest.  And, like it or not, he's the all-time home run leader.  In 50 years, how are we going to explain that the all-time hits leader and the all-time home runs leader both aren't in the Hall of Fame?

2. Roger Clemens, Pitcher (1984-96 Red Sox, 1997-98 Blue Jays, 1999-2003 Yankees, 2004-06 Astros, 2007 Yankees): Like Bonds, I don't care what Roger Clemens did or didn't put into his body.  Because that doesn't change the fact that, along with Greg Maddux, he was the greatest right-handed starting pitcher of the 80s and 90s.  I understand that a lot people don't agree with me about either Bonds or Clemens.  All they see is "steroids" and refuse to vote for them based on that fact alone.  I don't care.  You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to mine.  And as long as they're on the ballot, my hypothetical check mark goes next to both of their names.

3. Jeff Bagwell, 1st Baseman (1991-2005 Astros): If I had to handicap it, I'd say Bagwell is the most likely guy to get elected.  There's been some suspicion about him and the authenticity of his numbers, but I think a lot of that chatter has subsided.  That's probably why he isn't in yet.  But his resume is one of the best among this year's contenders (and pales in comparison to the guys coming up).  Two years after Craig Biggio became the first Astro with a plaque in Cooperstown, I think his fellow "Killer B" becomes the second.

4. Trevor Hoffman, Pitcher (1993 Marlins, 1993-2008 Padres, 2009-10 Brewers): There are three closers on the ballot and distinguishing between them is going to be hard.  Which is among the reasons why Trevor Hoffman probably won't get elected this year.  But I don't think the comparison between him, Billy Wagner and Lee Smith is really that close.  It's more than the 601 career saves.  It's the longevity.  Trevor Hoffman is the second-best closer in history.  He's probably gonna have to wait for No. 1, but that doesn't change the fact Hoffman belongs.

5. Ivan Rodriguez, Catcher (1991-2002 Rangers, 2003 Marlins, 2004-08 Tigers, 2008 Yankees, 2009 Astros, 2009 Rangers, 2010-11 Nationals): Pudge Rodriguez is going to be the first player who spent a majority of his career with the Rangers to be elected to the Hall of Fame.  It just won't be right away.  Personally, I think he hung around a little too long, and he probably suffered because of it.  But the differences between Pudge Rodriguez and Mike Piazza aren't that great, and there's no comparison between them defensively.  He's not a "first-ballot" guy, so he won't get in this year.  But he may very well share a stage with Chipper next year or one of his former Yankee teammates soon after.

6. Vladimir Guerrero, Outfielder (1996-2003 Expos, 2004-09 Angels, 2010 Rangers, 2011 Orioles): Like Pudge Rodriguez, there's no doubt in my mind about Vlad Guerrero's place in the Hall of Fame.  The only question is Expos hat or Angels hat?  One of the many future stars that the Expos had to get rid of during their final years in Montreal, he won the AL MVP his first year in Anaheim, and the Angels were perennial contenders throughout his six years there.  Yes, he ended his career as a DH.  So what?  He also retired at 36 when he could still play despite having a decent season with Baltimore in 2011 (the year after going to the World Series in his only season with Texas).

7. Tim Raines, Outfielder (1979-90 Expos, 1991-95 White Sox, 1996-98 Yankees, 1999 Athletics, 2001 Expos, 2001 Orioles, 2002 Marlins): Can Raines do what Jim Rice did and get in on his last shot?  My appreciation of him has gone up throughout his 10-year stay on the ballot.  When his name first appeared, I was skeptical.  But I've been convinced.  Tim Raines absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame.  He wasn't Rickey Henderson, and I think the fact that they were contemporaries has led to some unfair comparisons between the two.  It's his final year, and he got nearly 70 percent last year, so, with Griffey and Piazza off the board, Raines will definitely see his support go up.  Will it go up the five percent he needs?  If it does, there's no doubt about what team will be on his hat.

8. Curt Schilling, Pitcher (1988-90 Orioles, 1991 Astros, 1992-2000 Phillies, 2000-03 Diamondbacks, 2004-07 Red Sox): He's become as much of a lightning rod as the Bonds-Clemens tag team, and choosing between Schilling and Mike Mussina is always a difficult proposition.  But I've always been inclined to give Schilling the slight edge.  Why?  When he came to the Phillies, they became a contender.  When he came to the Diamondbacks, they became a contender.  When he came to the Red Sox, he put an already good team over the top.  An 11-2 postseason record, including 7-0 in elimination games, three World Series titles and one World Series MVP.  He was at his best when the situation was the biggest.

9. Mike Mussina, Pitcher (1991-2000 Orioles, 2001-08 Yankees): Welcome back to the ballot, Mike Mussina.  Ballot congestion led to having to make a choice between him and Schilling in the past.  But this year I've got the room, so the Moose is back.  No, he never won a World Series and he only pitched in two of them.  No, he never won a Cy Young (although he did finish second in 1999).  But...he won 270 games and had a winning record for his career while playing his entire career as a starting pitcher in the AL East when that division was a beast.

10. Edgar Martinez, Designated Hitter (1987-2004 Mariners): Eventually the DH stigma is going to wear off.  Unfortunately for Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz is probably going to be the one to do it.  Which is a shame.  Because the DH award is named after Edgar Martinez for a reason.  If you have an award named after you, you belong in the Hall of Fame.  Yes, I've gone back-and-forth on him.  But Edgar gets the nod over Larry Walker for my 10th spot.

In each of the last two years, I've nailed it with who eventually got in, but this year I really have no clue.  I think Bagwell is the most likely to get elected, and that last-year push may put Raines in, as well.  Hoffman I think will get close, but they might be making him wait until after Mariano Rivera the way football made Kurt Warner wait for Brett Favre.