In the third year of voting for the American Baseball Writers Association (BBWAA) for Cooperstown Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for those members with more than 10 years with the entity, we received a ballot with 25 candidates, 11 beginners and 14 which return from previous processes.
As the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 ceremony (in which Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons should be honored), the 2021 act will include that group and those who receive writers’ approval this winter. . The vintage committees (veterans) did not meet this year, also as a result of COVID-19.
Unlike in recent years, when some of the best players of recent times have become eligible, the 2021 ballot includes several items that have had very good runs, but are not necessarily “safe shots” to get to the hall. . of fame.
According to the recommendations of the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame, the voting process should be based on the statistics of the candidates, their playing skills, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team (s) in which they played (played).
In addition to those basic criteria, my other requirements to be considered a candidate are simple: all players with careers of at least 10 years, who have stood out among their colleagues and who have not violated the anti-doping program from leagues started in 2004), they are eligible in my view.
I do not consider myself a guardian of public morality, nor do I intend or want to be part of a modern form of inquisition, so I reserve the right to change, modify / modify / modify my opinion about players who have been suspended for doping, but for now I’ll take care of the others who don’t carry that heavy burden.
I promise that in no case will I condemn a candidate with sporting merits for suspicion, prejudice or discrimination of any kind.
Finally, I believe that the honor of entering the Hall of Fame is so important that only the most notable protagonists in different fields should be considered annually, but taking into account the fact that there is a large blockage of highly qualified candidates. In the current ballot, I will continue to use almost all allowed spaces (maximum 10) until the ballot is issued.
Due to the absence of super-solid candidates among the first participants in the vote, this year I will occupy only nine of the 10 seats.
Two of my elections last year got 75% approval (Jeter and Walker), leaving eight seeds for the 2021 vote (Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling, Omar Vizquel, Scott Rolen and Billy Wagner) and a place for a new vote.
THOSE WHO RETURN
1. Barry Bonds
One of the greatest players of all time, Bonds participated in 14 All-Star games, won 12 silver bars and 8 gold gloves, was Rookie of the Year, seven-time MVP and won three Hank Aaron awards. in the 22-season National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.
Bonds hit .298 with 2,935 hits, 514 thefts, 1,996 RBIs and retired with career records at home (762) and in a single season (73 in 2001) and all-time WAR leadership (Wins Above Replacement Level, from its acronym in English) with 162.8.
The bonds appear on the ballot paper for the ninth and penultimate time, after receiving 60.7% support last year.
2. Roger Clemens
During 24 seasons he accumulated 354 victories and 4,672 shots in 4,916.2 innings. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards (the all-time record), was an AL MVP in 1986 and appeared in 11 All-Star Games in 24 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston. Astros.
“El Rohete” was a member of two World Series champion teams, and its 139 WARS are ranked third in the advantage of all players. He returns to the vote for the ninth and penultimate time, after receiving 61% support in 2020.
3. Sammy Sosa
“El Bambino del Caribe” is one of the best players with the least support from voters (only 7.8% last year at the sixth ballot). Sosa hit 609 home runs and led 1,667 runs in 18 years with the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.
The Dominican was the most valuable player and Hank Aaron of the National League in 1998, was called up to seven All-Star games and won six silver bats. He is the only player in history with three seasons of 60 or more at home and 11 times exceeded the 30 mark.
Sosa, who was 30-30 times and stole 234 bases, accumulated 58.6 WARS in his career, including 43.8 in the best seven years of his career, however, the 13.9% support he he had it in 2020 makes it unlikely that he will be elected in his ninth and penultimate ballot.
4. Curt Schilling
I admit that I had a great internal debate to keep on my ballot a person who turned out to be the complete opposite of what I preach. But, as I wrote, I will treat this process without prejudice, and in this regard, Curt Schilling, the pitcher, has my vote.
Schilling won 216 games, had an ERA of 3.46 and hit 3,116 batters in 3,261 innings over 20 seasons, mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox. He was key to Arizona winning its first title in 2001 and Boston ending an 86-year drought in 2004.
The left had nine seasons of 200 innings, five of 200 hits (2 of 300), three of 20 wins (eight of 15+) and three times finished second in the Battle of Cy Young.
Throughout his career, he went two in every nine innings and hit 4.38 on the go. Six times the All-Star accumulated 80.6 WAR, far exceeding the average of Cooperstown players.
He comes from the voting of 70% of the juries in 2020 and, if he stays out this year – the ninth and penultimate in the election – he will be responsible for the message of intolerance he lives preaching.
5. Omar Vizquel
When talking about Omar Vizquel’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame, journalists and fans immediately turn to Ozzie Smith as the best point of reference, which is not exactly correct.
Did you know that there are 24 players in Cooperstown who have played first shortstop in their careers and not all have defended like Smith or hit like Honus Wagner and Cal Ripken Jr? Have you read Dave Bancroft, Joe Tinker, Rabbit Maranville and Travis Jackson? Well, they’re all shortstop in Cooperstown, too.
In a game that has long underestimated the value of defense, Vizquel was one of the best in the art of defending the ball. “Manos de Seda” won 11 gold gloves – two less than Smith and two more than Luis Aparicio, the only Venezuelan in Cooperstown – and had offensive numbers quite similar to those of Smith (.262, 580 thefts and 1,257 registered in 19 years) and Aparicio (.262, 506 thefts and 1,335 registered in 18 seasons).
Vizquel hit .272 with 404 steals, 1,445 RBIs and 951 RBIs in 24 major league seasons and retired as the game leader (2,709) and field percentage (.984) and seventh in the defensive WAR among all the breaks in history.
Vizquel was extraordinarily wonderful and enduring and has my vote for the Hall of Fame. In the third year of voting, he received 52.6% of the vote.
6. Bobby Abreu
The player on the right was not only the most complete Venezuelan player of all time, but also one of the most talented of his generation. In 18 seasons, Abreu managed .291 with 288 rounds at home, 574 doubles, 400 stolen bases, 1,453 goals scored, 1,363 RBI and 1,476 transfers.
Abreu was a five-instrument player who hit over .300 on six occasions, surpassed 20 home runs in nine, 30 steals in six and passed 100 walks in eight. In 2004, the outfielder hit .301 with 30 home runs, 47 doubles, 40 steals, 127 walks, 118 run runs and 105 RBIs. That’s how good Abreu was.
One of the most underrated in the last three or four decades (he was called to the All-Star Game only twice, once he won the gold glove and once the silver bat), Abreu recorded an average of 19 rounds at home, 38 doubles, 27 thefts and 99 walks for every 162 career games.
Since 1980, “El Comedulces” is number 18 in the major leagues in percentage of walks received for plateau appearances among players who have made at least 5,000 appearances. His total base hit by kicks, walks and balls (3,949) is number 49 in history.
7. Scott Rolen
I voted for Rolen last year, after ignoring it in 2019, because the ballot was too loaded with better options.
Rolen averaged 25 home runs and 102 RBIs for every 162 games and won eight gold gloves in 17 seasons. He was a starter in 1997 and has consistently contributed to both sides of the game. His 70.2 war exceeds the 68.4 average of all Hall of Fame 3B.
It appears on the ballot paper for the fourth year. In 2020, it received 35.3%.
8. Billy Wagner
Wagner was another candidate we sacrificed in 2019, but saved in 2020. Compared to the best exemptors in history, including those already enrolled in Cooperstown, Wagner seems to deserve a place at the table.
A 5-10 guy who weighed less than £ 160 when he was signed to the pros, managed to save 422 games with an ERA of 2.31 and 11.9 shots in nine innings (1,196 K in 903, 0 IL) during a career inspired by 16 years in adulthood. Wagner never allowed more than eight rounds at home in a season, limited the opposition to 6.0 hits in nine innings and aired 1,196 of the 3,600 fights he faced.
Wagner (853 appearances and 903.0 innings) had a relatively short career, but was extraordinarily effective and that’s what Hall of Fame means, awarding the best. He received only 31.7% support in the fifth year of voting.
NEW ELIGIBLE (0)
Of all those who are running for office, I do not consider any of them to be candidates in the first year at the Hall of Fame. That doesn’t mean you’re throwing them away for future analysis.
SALVAT (I didn’t vote for them before)
9. Andruw Jones
I do not want to compare pears to apples, but if my basic thought for voting for Omar Vizquel is his defense, then part of the same approach should be used to argue in favor of Curaçao.
Let’s start because Jones won 10 gold gloves in midfield, hit 434 rounds at home and amassed 67 WARs (Fangraphs version) in a 17-year career, 12 with the Atlanta Braves. Defensively, Jones has a higher WAR (24.4) than Willie Mays (18.2) and is number 22 all-time, according to Baseball-Reference.
Of all the players who won at least 10 gold gloves, only Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Schmidt shot more balls in the park than Jones. They are all members of the Hall of Fame.
Jones hit 0.254, but hit 20 home runs 10 times, drove 100 or more five times, scored 100 or more four times and stole 20 or more bases in four seasons. In total, he hit 853 extra-base hits, stole 152 bases and had more than 1,200 runs and 1,200 RBIs, with a .823 OPS.
For a player with such defensive credentials, these offensive numbers should be enough to get into Cooperstown, but Jones got little support and last year (third) received only 19.4% of the vote.