What an odd process. Over 571 BBWAA voters cast ballots on whom belongs in Cooperstown this past week and boy, was it controversial. Voters that have been away from the game for years are still able to vote because they have a lifetime ballot. Some voters feel that too many electees ruin the ceremony, so they arbitrarily determine that they'll only vote for 3 players even though the ballot goes up to 10. And one voter allowed a website to conduct a poll to determine the votes he would cast.
We here at O's, Bros & Natty Bohs saw the final tally and immediately reacted with a wide range of emotions. One of, if not the most, overstuffed ballots of all time, there were upwards of 12 candidates that arguably deserved to be immortalized in the halls of Cooperstown. The final HOF vote from BBWAA only included 3 of them, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. In addition to the three managers elected from the veteran's committee, we're looking at a six person class for 2014. Yeah, that's better than last year's class when no one was elected, but it hardly does justice to issue at hand.
Your feelings on this ballot largely depend on how you feel about PED allegations that surround MLB. Some, like Rafael Palmeiro, tested positive for banned substances in their careers. Others, like Mike Piazza, never did but still face tremendous scrutiny because of hearsay amongst voters. We wanted to see what our readers thought of the ballot and conducted a poll over a few days to see who would be elected amongst our target audience. The results? Surprising. With a mandatory 75% of the vote required to be elected we saw very similar results to what actually transpired. Was this the most scientific poll ever conducted? No, we took it the day the results were announced, likely biasing people inherently and had a much smaller sample size to work with compared to the 500+ that actually vote. That's fine. We still think the results are interesting and shed some light on the controversy the BBWAA faces.
We outlined the main contenders for the 2014 ballot and what makes them worthy of discussion in our eyes. While Jacque Jones and Armando Benetiz did garner attention from some poor sap, we elected to focus on the most controversial and most one-sided players.
At the end, we (Matt and Tyler) will share our ballots and give a short synopsis of the reasoning behind our voting. We polled 29 of our friends and associates to see who they would have voted for. Many voted for the maximum ten players, while one voter voted for just four players. It was interesting to see the different types of ballots. Without further ado, here are the results of our unofficial Hall of Fame poll:
Voting Tally (22 votes needed out of 29):
Greg Maddux: 29-100%
Tom Glavine: 28-97%
Frank Thomas: 27-93%
Mike Piazza: 26-90%
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Craig Biggio: 21-72%
Roger Clemens: 19-66%
Mike Mussina: 18-62%
Barry Bonds: 17-59%
Curt Schilling: 12-41%
Jeff Bagwell: 10-34%
Jack Morris: 9-31%
Tim Raines, Sr.: 8-28%
Edgar Martinez: 5-17%
Larry Walker: 5-17%
Mark McGwire: 4-14%
Sammy Sosa: 4-14%
Rafael Palmeiro: 4-14%
Alan Trammell: 3-10%
Jeff Kent: 2-7%
Fred McGriff: 2-.7%
Lee Smith: 1-3%
Armando Benitez: 1-3%
Richie Sexson: 1-3%
The Hall of Fame Class (According to You)
Starting Pitcher
1986-2008 (29 of 29 votes, 100%)
The Mad Dog. When he wasn't hazing teammates or pulling pranks he was an OK pitcher. His career WAR exceed 100, won four Cy Youngs, logged over 5000 innings and won 355 games. There's not much to debate. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Period. His impeccable control more than compensated for a middle of the road fastball and his knowledge of what opponent's wanted to do in the batter's box is unrivaled.
Starting Pitcher
1987-2008 (28 of 29 votes, 97%)
Tom Glavine was one of the best left-handers of his generation. Sure, he may have benefitted from being on some stacked Braves teams in the '90s, but his dominance helped form one of the most feared pitching trios with Maddux and John Smoltz. A winner of 305 games and two Cy Young Awards, Glavine's model of consistency makes him a deserving first-ballot Hall of Famer.
DH/First Base
1990-2008 (27 of 29 votes, 93%)
521 home runs, .419 career OBP, 2 MVP awards and 7 seasons with an OPS above 1.000, there's no doubting the candidacy of Frank Thomas. The Big Hurt boasted near super-human strength (and was never even rumored to be in on PED usage) during his longtime career as a DH on the south side of the windy city.
Catcher
1992-2007 (26 of 29 votes, 90%)
The illustrious career of Mike Piazza is highlighted by two signature moments: Being the target of Roger Clemens in the 2000 Subway Series and hitting a home run in Shea Stadium following the 9/11 attacks. Boasting gaudy power numbers for a catcher, Piazza stands with the likes of Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra among the best to ever don a facemask on the diamond. Steroid allegations will continue to plague his Hall of Fame candidacy, but there's no denying where he stands among the all-time greats behind the plate. He is the only player to get elected in our mock election that did not get elected in real life.
The Contenders
Craig Biggio
Catcher/Second Base/Outfield
1988-2007 (21 of 29 votes, 72%)
Craig the Compiler? The lifetime Houston Astro made a career of doing everything slightly above average. 3,060 hits. .281 career average, 668 doubles and 291 career home runs paint a pretty good picture of what kind of hitter Biggio was. He finished top-5 in MVP voting twice and played three different positions to boot, including a very respectable second base. The catalyst to some very good Astros teams loaded with power in the 90's, Biggio never was the biggest name on the team but always appeared in the lineup. He appeared in fewer than 130 games just once in his career after becoming a regular player save for the strike-shortened season. Durable, consistent and reliable epitomize the type of player Craig Biggio was, just don't expect to see flashy milestones besides 3,000 hits. Biggio finished one vote shy of induction in our mock election and it is expected that he will really get elected in the coming years.
Starting Pitcher
1984-2007 (19 of 29 votes, 66%)
Roger Clemens is one of the five greatest pitchers of all time. There is no disputing that. He is in the conversation with Cy Young, Walter Johnson and maybe two or three others. The numbers: 354 wins, 3.12 ERA, nearly 5,000 IP, 4,672 strikeouts, one MVP and seven (!!!) Cy Young Awards. That's not even including dozens of other regular and advanced statistics that show just how dominant he was. Young and powerful in Boston, revived in Toronto, controversial in New York, and the hometown kid in Houston, he was the best. But unfortunately, the steroid cloud hangs heavy over him. He's another example of someone who was a Hall of Famer without PEDs, but the tail end of his career is shrouded in doubt. His vote totals are higher than others like Sosa and McGwire, meaning he may someday get in, but I wouldn't hold my breath just yet.
Starting Pitcher
1991-2008 (18 of 29 votes, 62%)
Moose was a workhorse during his tenure with the Orioles, one of the top right handers in the game but was often overshadowed by the likes of Maddux, Clemens and Pedro Martinez. His quiet demeanor, lack of a Cy Young, and only one 20 win season hurt his case to old timers, but if you look deeper, he is truly deserving of a spot in the Hall. 270 wins, 2800+ strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.192. The ERA is a little high at 3.68, but this is a guy who pitched in the hitter friendly AL East his whole career. Using FanGraphs WAR, Mussina was the 6th best pitcher from 1988-2008 (despite not debuting til '91). Ahead of him? Clemens, Maddux, Randy Johnson, Martinez and Schilling). He nearly made it into the Hall on our mock ballot (due to high number of Orioles fans voting), but will have to wait until the PED users are cleared from the ballot to get in the real Hall. It will take some time, but Mike Mussina will eventually be a Hall of Famer.
Barry BondsLeftfield
1986-2007 (17 of 29 votes, 59%)
One of the most polarizing sports figures in history, Bonds' prolific MLB career spanned two teams and three decades. On paper, there isn't a player that could define "First ballot Hall of Famer" more than Bonds. 762 HR (MLB Record). 73 HR in a single season (MLB Record). 2,558 BB (MLB Record). 7x MVP. 14-time All-Star. There's also wide-spread belief that Bonds used performing enhancing drugs after being linked to BALCO during his latter years with the Giants. Never testing positive, Bonds maintains his innocence to this day after quietly stepping away from the game he dominated in 2007. Bonds also had his moments with the media and certainly did not endear himself to voters and writers with his comments and attitude throughout the years. Bonds has everything a Hall of Famer needs in terms of longevity, consistency, hardware and production. But his alleged foray into PED's may mean it takes a long, long time before we see a bronze bust of Bonds in the halls of Cooperstown.
Starting Pitcher
1988-2007 (12 of 29 votes, 41%)
Schilling is an interesting case. Great raw numbers (over 3,000 strikeout, great postseason record, etc.) but seems to be viewed just outside that top group, similar to Mussina. If not for Randy Johnson, he would have won multiple Cy Young awards in Arizona. In his prime, he was just as overpowering as Johnson and Clemens and has the winning pedigree to back it up. Several injuries and not being a starter until age 25 hurts his totals, but he will eventually be in the Hall.
First Base
1991-2005 (10 of 29 votes, 34%)
Part II of the "Killer B's" that comprised the Astros roster throughout the 1990's, Jeff Bagwell made a living out of hitting for power and squatting wide in the right handers batting box. Winner of the strike-shortened 1994 MVP award, Bagwell mounted an eerily consistent career; from 1996-2004 he never hit less than 31 home runs. His raw total numbers put him in an unparalleled class of power hitting first basemen, despite falling short of 500 career homers. The speculation around potential PED use could keep him out of the Hall for a few more years at least.
Starting Pitcher
1977-1994 (9 of 29 votes, 31%)
In his 15th and final year, Jack Morris failed to get the 75% necessary for induction. It's a shame, because he was arguably the best starting pitcher of his era (80's). Sure, his ERA is high (3.90), but he has 254 wins (led baseball with 162 wins in the 80's), three World Series rings, and was an opening day starter 14 times. In an age when we are caught up in statistics and advanced metrics, I think the writers failed to account for old fashioned workmanship and value. He was also hurt by the stacked ballot in his final years, but Jack Morris should be a Hall of Famer, even if the writers and the younger population don't realize it.
Outfield
1979-2002 (8 of 29 votes, 28%)
Another player who was overshadowed by the ridiculous accomplishments at the leadoff spot (Rickey Henderson). 808 steals, .294 avg, .385 OBP, 2605 hits, 1571 runs. The guy was a stud and is one of the greatest leadoff hitters of all time. He will struggle to get in because he is older now and the stacked ballot will work against him, which is a shame.
The Best of the Rest:
Rafael Palmeiro fell of the ballot this year. It's a shame that one of four 500 HR/3,000 hit members got caught up in PEDs late in his career and was publicly humiliated for it. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, the two men who captivated the nation with their epic home run record chase in 1998 will eventually fall of the ballot. The steroid use and little value beyond home runs makes their cases pretty futile. Under appreciated stars Larry Walker and Edgar Martinez also fell well short. Their career numbers are HOF-worthy, but playing in small markets and being overshadowed by bigger stars hurts them. Jeff Kent (the most homers by a 2B) and Fred McGriff (493 HRs) are more examples of power hitters that aren't being valued by the writers. And finally, Alan Trammell, one of the best shortstops of his generation. Advanced metrics are kind to Trammell, but he doesn't have enough star power to ever get in.
Matt's Ballot & Take:
-Barry Bonds
-Greg Maddux
-Roger Clemens
-Mike Piazza
-Tom Glavine
-Frank Thomas
-Mike Mussina
-Jeff Bagwell
-Curt Schilling
-Craig Biggio
Growing up and discovering baseball during the middle of the PED era has definitely tainted my view of whom I feel deserves to belong in Cooperstown. A few years ago one of my favorite Orioles to ever don the orange and black tested positive for a PED in Rafael Palmeiro. I saw him record his 3,000th hit and anchor the middle of the O's lineup in his two tours through Baltimore. It was tough to watch and I was disgusted that someone would cheat the game. But then reality hit me. It wasn't just Raffy. It wasn't just Miguel Tejada. It was Ken Caminiti, Larry Bigbie, Jason Grimsley. It was probably Sammy Sosa. Probably Mark McGwire. Probably a lot of guys. I'll never know who took PEDs and who didn't. Neither will you. But that's Ok. Baseball did this to itself. Bud Selig knew full well what was taking place in the 90's and early 2000's and he was just fine with it. Baseball was in a bad place in 1994 with the labor strife and roiders put butts back in the seats as majestic home run chases and achievements transpired. Because of that, I'm not able to confidently cast a ballot that picks and chooses based on suspected PED usage. I picked whom I believed to be the most deserving candidates based on their accomplishments on the diamond and overall impact on the game of baseball. You can argue the morality of my ballot ad nausem, but you can't argue the quality of the candidacy of any of my 10.
Tyler's Ballot & Take:
- Greg Maddux
- Tom Glavine
- Mike Mussina
- Jack Morris
- Curt Schilling
- Frank Thomas
- Mike Piazza
- Craig Biggio
- Tim Raines
- Alan Trammell
I agree with much of what Matt has to say, but with such a stacked ballot, felt that my ten votes should go to deserving non-PED users. I would definitely be someone who would flip flop on this stance each year, but this is my stance this year. Bonds, Clemens and Bagwell should be in, and maybe eventually will, but these are ten men worthy of induction. Maddux, Glavine, Mussina and Schilling were the best of their generation, and Morris was the best of his. Thomas and Piazza are no brainers, and Craig Biggio was an all-star caliber player his whole career. Tim Raines is one of the best lead off men of all time and Alan Trammell was an honorary inclusion by me, knowing he will never get in. His career should be recognized and not overlooked.
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