[Dukie98]

A deep field of ballot newcomers made the 2045 Hall of Fame Ballot one of the most crowded in years, with four first-time candidates earning induction -- each earning over 90% of the vote. Starting pitchers Steve Barber and Ed Walsh narrowly missed a unanimous induction, garnering 98.6% and 97.4%, respectively. All-time saves leader Chris Short earned 96.8% of the vote, while left fielder Larry Hisle drew 91.4% of the vote. Overall, the ballot was tremendously deep, as 17 candidates received at least one-third of the votes, and six more topped 20%.

Barber, a hard-throwing southpaw, was drafted 8th overall by the Chicago Mules following the 2023 season. As a 21-year old rookie, he notched a 13-13 record with a 3.26 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 184 strikeouts. The following year, Barber took the next step toward stardom, going 19-10 with a 2.34 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 199 strikeouts, allowing just 7 homers in 238 innings. In 2026, Barber posted just a 13-12 record, but sported a 2.42 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, with 230 strikeouts and allowed just 5 homers in 253 innings - a league-best rate -- while finishing third in the Cy Young voting. Barber was even better in the postseason, leading the Mules to the title while going 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP, including a three-hit shutout in Game 1 of the World Series. Over the next three seasons, Barber averaged 15 wins a year, while posting ERA's below 3.00 and averaged over 200 whiffs per season. Following the 2029 season, Barber left Chicago for the Denver Spikes in free agency. In his first season in blue and orange, Barber posted a 17-11 record with a 3.09 ERA, fanning 242 hitters, as he finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting. The following season, Barber won the Cy Young Award, going 21-8 with a 2.25 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 228 strikeouts. Barber opted out of his contract, and signed with the Hartford Huskies as a free agent. After a hard-luck 2032 season, where he went just 11-12 despite a solid 3.23 ERA, Barber notched a 20-7 mark the following year, with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, as he led the league in innings pitched for the third time in four seasons and finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting. He improved to a second-place finish in 2034, going 17-7 with a 2.73 ERA and 218 strikeouts. Barber led the league in victories in 2035, going 21-8 with a 2.99 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 212 strikeouts. The following year, Barber suffered the first significant injury of his career, missing half the year with bone chips in his elbow- but came back for a brilliant postseason run, leading Hartford to a World Series title as he went 7-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in the postseason. Barber notched another 20-win season the following year, going 20-6 with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, finishing third in the Cy Young voting. After seeing his ERA rise by over half a run the following year, he left Hartford for the Vancouver Viceroys in free agency, going 15-9 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 2039. Barber struggled with injuries for the rest of his career, pitching fractions of three seasons with Vancouver, Cleveland, and Baltimore at a high level. Barber retired with a career record of 266-160, ranking 12th all-time in victories, as well as a career ERA of 2.95, a 1.18 WHIP, and 3474 strikeouts (13th all-time). He made 7 All-Star teams, and ranked 9th all-time with 117.9 WAR. Barber was even better in the postseason, notching a career 23-12 record with a 2.73 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and 235 strikeouts, including two dominant runs resulting in the 2026 and 2036 World Series titles.

Walsh, a seemingly ageless workhorse, was tabbed second overall by the Omaha Falcons following the 2018 season. As a 22-year-old rookie, he notched an 8-11 record with a middling 3.93 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 2019. He took the next step toward stardom the following season, posting a 2.16 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP despite an ordinary 10-8 record the following year. In 2021, Walsh went just 10-9 despite a 2.68 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The following year, despite missing a month with a sprained ankle, Walsh posted a 1.92 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in 29 starts-- yet posted just an 8-8 record. After earning 16 wins in 2023, Walsh posted an 18-8 mark in 2024 with a 2.26 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP with 232 strikeouts, finishing second in the Cy Young voting. Over the next four years, Walsh was remarkably consistent, posting ERA's between 2.55 and 3.05, with WHIPs ranging from 0.99 through 1.07 and between 191 and 196 strikeouts per year, but never earning more than 15 wins per year. Following the 2028 season, Walsh signed with the Detroit Purple Gang as a free agent. He posted a 12-5 mark with a 2.93 ERA during an injury-riddled first season with Detroit. He posted a 15-8 mark with a 2.85 ERA the following year, fanning a career-best 255 hitters. After a hard-luck 2031, Walsh went 19-5 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 2032, finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. Walsh then signed with the Atlanta Ducks in the off-season, where he went 15-9 with a 3.15 and a 1.06 WHIP in his debut season. Walsh had his finest season in 2034, winning the Cy Young Award and finishing third in the MVP voting, as he posted a 22-3 mark with a 2.34 ERA, an 0.97 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts, leading the league in victories, ERA, and WHIP. He posted a 17-8 mark the following year before signing with the New Orleans Crawfish, and in 2036, at age 39, he went 16-5 with a league-best 2.29 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, finishing third in the Cy Young voting. Over the following two years, Walsh posted a 26-13 mark with ERA's below 3.50 each season. At age 42, Walsh finally showed signs of slowing down, as his ERA spiked by nearly a run and a half- but he won 8 games for a world championship team, posting a 2.08 ERA in 4 postseason starts. Walsh also was a part of the Crawfish's championship squad two years later. He signed with the Philadelphia Hawks for the final season of his career, where he won his 300th game and retired shortly thereafter. Over his career, Walsh made 9 All-Star teams, as he posted a career record of 301-204 with a 3.18 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, 4023 strikeouts in 4672 innings, and an incredible 149.6 WAR. He ranked 4th all-time in victories, innings pitched and strikeouts, and 3rd in WAR. Walsh also sported a solid 3.21 ERA in 26 postseason starts, despite a modest 7-10 record.

Short was drafted 24th overall by the Washington Ambassadors after the 2020 season and immediately was sent to the bullpen. After a cup of coffee in 2021, Short had an unassuming rookie season, going 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA in 66 innings in 2022. The following year, he was tabbed as Washington's closer, saving 22 games with an underwhelming 3.58 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. But in 2024, Short turned into a lights-out closer, going 6-6 with 36 saves, a 2.24 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP with 93 strikeouts. The following year, he won the first of his six Reliever of the Year awards, going 5-4 with 35 saves, a 2.11 ERA, and 102 strikeouts in 81 innings. In 2026, Short dipped to 26 saves, but he posted a 1.31 ERA, an 0.98 WHIP, and fanned 105 hitters. After spending part of 2027 in the rotation, Short had a brilliant 2028 out of the pen, going 7-3 with 32 saves, a 1.11 ERA, and 0.96 WHIP, allowing just 1 homer in 73 innings, as he earned his second Reliever of the Year Award. Inexplicably, Washington management moved him out of the closer's role over the next two years, as he started 30 games, winning 10 games each season with a sub-3.00 ERA. Short returned to full-time closing duty in 2031, winning his third Reliever of the Year award, going 8-4 with 39 saves, a 2.44 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 74 innings. He took home the hardware yet again the following season, saving 36 games with a 1.88 ERA, an 0.88 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts. After a 10-win, 34-save win season in 2034, Short had an off-season in 2035, posting a 3.48 ERA -- but carried the Ambassadors to the World Series title. Short returned to form with a vengeance the following year, going 5-4 with 31 saves, a 1.26 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts the following year. In 2037, Short had arguably the finest season of his career, saving a league-best 41 games, posting a microscopic 0.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, and allowing just 1 homer in 72 innings. The following year, he posted a 0.86 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, without allowing a single homer in 52 innings. After the season, he signed with Denver in free agency, and after a 35-save season, he hopped to Minnesota. At age 39, he set an HRDL record with 49 saves, while notching a 2.04 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP, winning the sixth Reliever of the Year award of his storied career. After two more moderately effective seasons, he retired with a career record of 122-84, 524 saves (most all-time), a 2.42 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 1850 strikeouts in 1694 innings. Short made 11 All-Star teams and earned six Reliever of the Year awards. Short was surprisingly mortal in postseason play, posting a 7-8 record, 17 saves, and a 3.94 ERA in 89 innings over 11 postseasons.

Hisle, a power-hitting left fielder, was drafted third overall by the Houston Pythons after the 2026 season. Hisle broke in with a bang in 2027, hitting .332 with 27 homers, 87 RBI's, and 37 steals as a 20-year-old rookie, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, he hit .305 with 46 doubles, 27 homers, 100 RBI's, and 19 steals. Over the following two seasons, Hisle topped .310 each season, averaging 35 homers and 105 RBI's. In 2031, Hisle hit .362 and slugged .634, bashing 39 doubles, 40 homers, knocking in 112 runs, scoring 126, and finishing fourth in the MVP voting. The following year, he hit .339 and slugged .667, bashing a league-leading 52 homers, knocking in 139 runs, and scoring 132 times, as he finished second in the MVP voting. In 2033, Hisle hit .303 with 44 round-trippers and 143 RBI's, while swiping 20-of-22 bags, finishing fifth in the MVP voting. The next year, he hit .332 with 87 extra-base hits, including 37 homers and 130 RBI's. In 2035, Hisle hit .346 and slugged .682, setting career highs with 53 homers and 146 RBI's, finishing second once again in the MVP balloting. He smacked 46 and 49 homers each of the next two seasons, plating a combined 258 runs. Following the 2037 season, Hisle signed with the St. Louis Pilots as a free agent. After a disappointing first season, he rebounded with 32 homers and 105 RBI's in 2039, while hitting .321 and slugging .592. In 2040, Hisle led the Frontier League with 50 homers, while hitting .292 and knocking in 141 runs. That proved to be his last hurrah, however, as Hisle suffered from injuries and ineffectiveness in his final two seasons in St. Louis. Nonetheless, he retired with a career slash line of .317/ .400/ .589, smacking 2637 hits, 510 doubles, 554 homers, with 1680 RBI's, 1551 runs scored, 248 steals, and 102.5 WAR. He retired ranking 10th all-time in slugging percentage, 19th in homers, and 22nd in WAR. Hisle made eight All-Star teams, won seven Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove. He hit .301 and slugged .540, with 11 homers and 37 RBI's in 47 postseason games, and won a title with St. Louis in 2042.

Leading vote recipients include:

Steve Barber, LHP, CHI/ DEN/HAR/ VAN/ BAL: 98.6%
Ed Walsh, RHP, OMA/ DET/ ATL/ NOR/ PHI: 97.4%
Chris Short, RHP, WAS/ DEN/ MIN/ ELP/ VB: 96.8%
Larry Hisle, LF, HOU/ STL: 91.4%
Jordan Zimmermann, LHP, ELP/ BUF/ MIN: 66.0%
Larry Parrish, 3B, ANA/ CHA: 53.9%
Jack Clark, RF, STL/ TOR/ ELP/ LON/ LA: 52.7%
Brian McCann, C, SEA/ ELP/ ATL: 48.4%
Gary Sanchez, C, BAL: 47.6%
Ralph Garr, RF, MIL/ WAS/ HOU/ OKC: 47.3%
Frank Robinson, RF, MIA: 44.4%
Jerry Mumphrey, RF, ANA/ NAS/ PHI/ MEM: 41.5%

Notable players who fell off the ballot include five-time All-Star High Pockets Kelly, who topped 3500 hits and 450 homers, fellow five-time All-Star Gil Hodges, two-time MVP Harry Lumley, two-time Reliever of the Year Gregg Olson, and righthander Bob Gibson, who won 181 games and made four All-Star teams.

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