In addition to being one of the most mediated and involved in history, next year’s Cooperstown vote will also be one of the strongest in the nearly eight decades of Baseball’s Hall of Fame in the United States. by the number of houses running that its members hit.
Dominicans Alex Rodríguez and David Ortiz will debut in December with the vote of the jury of the American Baseball Writers Association (BBWAA), along with the first North American basemen Mark Teixeira, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder, among others.
While “A-Rod” (696) is the fifth largest home runner of all time, “Big Papi” (541) is number 17 and Teixeira (409) is number 56. Howard (382) and Fielder (319) are among the 125 sluggers with the most balls out of the park in the major leagues.
They will join the vote with Barry Bonds, the all-time leader for home, with 762, the Dominicans Sammy Sosa (609) and Manny Ramírez (555), the American Gary Sheffield (509) and the curacaul Andruw Jones (434).
In the historic leadership of the major leagues, Sosa is in ninth place, Ramírez in 15th place, Sheffield in 26th place and Jones in 47th place, tied with Puerto Rican Juan “Igor” González.
Those 10 players combined to reach 5,216 rounds at home (an average of 521 per career), the third that a dozen had in a particular Hall of Fame election.
The home record for the top 10 in the vote is 5,274, set in 2018 by Bonds (762), Jim Thome (612), Sosa (609), Ramirez (555), Sheffield (509), Fred McGriff (493). ), Chipper Jones (468), Vladimir Guerrero (449), Jones (434) and Larry Walker 383. The top 10 in 2016 accumulated 5,238 homers, while those in 2014 had 5,173 and those in 2015 added 5,065.
This is possible due to the long period in which Bonds, Sosa and Ramírez remained in the polls, which failed to be elected in 2021. For Bonds and Sosa it was their ninth and penultimate year of eligibility, and for Ramírez the fifth.
All of these players have been linked to the use of performance-enhancing substances in one way or another. While Ramírez was twice convicted of violating the major league anti-doping policy, Bonds and Clemens were prosecuted for taking an oath in connection with it, while Sosa was repeatedly accused of taking advantage of absence of punishment for using the substance when active.
Rodriguez, a three-time MVP, confessed to using performance-enhancing substances in various parts of his career and was even suspended for 2014 due to his role in the Miami biogenesis clinic scandal.
A 2009 New York Times report reported that Ortiz, a three-time World Series champion, was one of the players to test positive in the voluntary and secret Major League Baseball tests in 2003, but the player played the report. and was publicly supported by the commissioner’s office.
“A-Rod” and “Big Papi” were not only among the best players of their generation, but also the most popular. After retirement, they continued to work in the industry, including for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and for networks that broadcast games nationwide.
BBWAA has not selected any players this year for the ninth time. In this way, Bonds, Sosa and pitchers Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling will have their last chance to be chosen by journalists next winter.
Outfielder Carl Crawford, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, catcher AJ Pierzynski and pitchers Jake Peavy, Tim Licecum, Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon will also make their debuts in 2022.
Those returning, in addition to Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, Schilling and Ramirez, include Sheffield, Jones, Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Jeff Kent, Venezuelans Omar Vizquel and Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter and Tim Hudson.