2016 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

[oriolesmeep]

My ballot: in order of most deserving

Bonds
Griffey
Clemens
Sosa
Piazza
Bagwell
Hoffman
Wagner
Schilling
Mussina


This is not to say others are not deserving - just that those are the ten I would vote for. I view McGwire, Lee Smith, and Trammell as lost causes that I hope the Veterans Committee votes in. Other near cuts included Jeff Kent, Larry Walker, Gary Sheffield, and Edgar Martinez.

[swampdragon]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Maybe the BBWAA should consider an unlimited ballot just to clean up some of their mess.

It wouldn't matter. The 10 player limit is only a problem for the voters voting for the steroids guys, and they're not getting in regardless of how big the ballot can be. I don't think any more players would be elected. Fewer players would drop off the ballot, which would get even bigger next year.

[metsguy234]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Why is there no love for Billy Wagner? The guy was 5-10 and threw 100 MPH. That right there ought to be enough to get you in the Hall of Fame!

I think Wagner belongs, it was just tough on a crowded ballot to fit him in.

[actionjackson]

Here is your weekly update on the voting so far, through 20 ballots. Still need to hear from stormfall as to whether his post is a ballot, and if so who exactly is on that ballot. Keep those ballots coming folks. The announcement is Wednesday January 6th, 2016 and the voting won't close until just before the announcement. Through 20 ballots, here's what we're looking at:

J. Bagwell 65.0%
B. Bonds 55.0%
R. Clemens 55.0%
J. Edmonds 10.0%
N. Garciaparra 5.0%
K. Griffey Jr. 100.0%
T. Hoffman 40.0%
J. Kent 15.0%
E. Martinez 35.0%
F. McGriff 30.0%
M. Mussina 40.0%
M. Piazza 80.0%
T. Raines Sr. 80.0%
C. Schilling 60.0%
G. Sheffield 15.0%
L. Smith 5.0%
S. Sosa 5.0%
A. Trammell 45.0%
B. Wagner 10.0%
L. Walker 15.0%
Write-In Votes (H. Baines 5.0%, J. Jackson 10.0%, P. Rose 10.0%, L. Whitaker 5.0%)

Candidates require 75% for enshrinement, so we've currently put Griffey Jr., Piazza, and Raines Sr. into our HoF. The zero club so far includes:

G. Anderson, B. Ausmus, L. Castillo, D. Eckstein, T. Glaus, M. Grudzielanek, M. Hampton, J. Kendall, M. Lowell, M. McGwire, Mike Sweeney, and R. Winn. McGwire's the only one that looks out of place there, but it is a very crowded ballot. Keep bringin' those ballots folks. You keep bringin' them, I'll keep tallyin' them.

[AirmenSmith]

1. Griffey
2. Piazza

I am very strict when it comes to the hall. Even in game I make it almost impossible for players to get in.

[The Game]

when is the HOF inductees announced? Also what about veterans comittee? Watching a round table on MLB Network, they said that the voting pool is smaller and younger then it has been in years past. How many accused steroid users will get in?

[AirmenSmith]

Originally Posted by The Game

when is the HOF inductees announced? Also what about veterans comittee? Watching a round table on MLB Network, they said that the voting pool is smaller and younger then it has been in years past. How many accused steroid users will get in?

Jan 6th is when the results are released. Not sure about how the veterans comittee works though.

It did look like the hall of fame took away about 100 writers votes but I don't thing that will make a difference in getting roid users in.

[swoboda]

Today is the day
Pulling for Piazza, but based on the voting made public so far (mlb tv) looks iffy.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by swoboda

Today is the day
Pulling for Piazza, but based on the voting made public so far (mlb tv) looks iffy.

Based on 146 ballots, he was 87% - I'd call that reasonably optimistic at least . Bagwell and Raines were just above the 75% mark.

Did mlb.tv have more than 146 public ballots?

[swoboda]

That was about it last night
They said the percentages tend to drop when the other ballots come in

[AirmenSmith]

Originally Posted by AirmenSmith

1. Griffey
2. Piazza

I am very strict when it comes to the hall. Even in game I make it almost impossible for players to get in.

I was right!!!!

[rjl518]

Congrats to Ken Griffey Jr. who should go in as a Seattle Mariner.
Congrats to Mike Piazza, who BETTER go in as a New York Met!

[Jason Moyer]

Depends on whether you go with who he played the most games for, or who he played the best with. His best seasons, easily, were with the Dodgers.

[actionjackson]

I'd say Piazza should go in as a Dodger, as that's where he accrued his greatest value as a player. His three best seasons were in Dodger blue (1997, 1993, and 1995), and that is definitely where the legend was born. Griffey is unquestionably a Mariner, as he unfortunately was injured a lot with Cincinnati. Congratulations to both on great careers and well deserved.

[actionjackson]

Here are the final results of our 2016 HoF ballot (stormfall, your vote can still count, just let me know if it was a vote or not, and if so what that vote was ). 21 ballots were cast:

J. Bagwell 61.9%
B. Bonds 52.4%
R. Clemens 52.4%
J. Edmonds 9.5%
N. Garciaparra 4.8%
K. Griffey Jr. 100.0%
T. Hoffman 38.1%
J. Kent 14.3%
E. Martinez 33.3%
F. McGriff 28.6%
M. Mussina 38.1%
M. Piazza 81.0%
T. Raines Sr. 76.2%
C. Schilling 57.1%
G. Sheffield 14.3%
L. Smith 4.8%
S. Sosa 4.8%
A. Trammell 42.9%
B. Wagner 9.5%
L. Walker 14.3%
Write-In Votes: (J. Jackson 9.5%, P. Rose Sr. 9.5%, H. Baines 4.8%, L. Whitaker 4.8%)

So, we "elected" three to the HoF (in bold) while the writers put in two. I hope Raines gets into the RL HoF next year. I loved watching him as a player, and for pure on-base + speed leadoff hitters there was Rickey (#1 of course) and then there was "The Rock". We shall see. In the meantime G. Anderson, B. Ausmus, L. Castillo, D. Eckstein, T. Glaus, M. Grudzielanek, M. Hampton, J. Kendall, M. Lowell, M. McGwire, M. Sweeney, and R. Winn received a total of zero votes. N. Garciaparra, L. Smith and S. Sosa each received one vote (italicized) and would therefore fall off our ballot along with the members of the zero club.

Next year will see the arrival of Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero, and once again the ballot will be stuffed. Will Bagwell and Raines be able to continue their forward momentum? Will Hoffman jump up and take the prize in his second year of eligibility? I guess we'll have to tune in/re-convene then. Thanks for participating folks. See you round the boards and see you in the 2017 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot thread.

[rjl518]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

I'd say Piazza should go in as a Dodger, as that's where he accrued his greatest value as a player. His three best seasons were in Dodger blue (1997, 1993, and 1995), and that is definitely where the legend was born. Griffey is unquestionably a Mariner, as he unfortunately was injured a lot with Cincinnati. Congratulations to both on great careers and well deserved.

Yeah...so randy johnson went in as an Arizona Diamondback...explain that to me, Sir...Johnson should be a Seattle Mariner as well. mike piazza is a MET! just like gary carter SHOULD have been one too

oh yeah..he hit more HRs as a MET!!! not as a dodger...and it guess it counts against him that he was in the decline of his career as a when he was with the NYM...not his fault and not the Mets' either...in that case...put him in as a SD Padre, or an OAK Athletic..why dont you.

MIKE PIAZZA IS A NEW YORK MET!!! TAKE THAT DODGER BLUE!!!

[Déjà Bru]

Well, it's looking up for these guys:

Bonds got 44.3 percent of the vote and Clemens 45.2 percent. Bonds’s previous high had been 36.8 percent, and Clemens’s high had been 37.6. They have six years left on the ballot to gain about 30 percent of the vote.

The jig is up, or almost up, for these guys:

The former slugger Mark McGwire (12.3 percent) finished with 583 career home runs but now falls off the ballot after 10 tries. McGwire, who admitted to using steroids, staged a memorable home run race in 1998 with Sammy Sosa, who is also tainted by ties to banned drugs. Sosa had 609 career homers but received only 7 percent of the vote in his fourth try.

And it's "thanks for stopping by, guys" for:

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by rjl518

Yeah...so randy johnson went in as an Arizona Diamondback...explain that to me, Sir...Johnson should be a Seattle Mariner as well. mike piazza is a MET! just like gary carter SHOULD have been one too

Johnson should be a Diamondback. Your using bold type doesn't make it any less so. That's where he was at his most valuable, and dominant. Five of his best six seasons came as a D-Back (2002, 2001, 1999, 2004, and 2000). The other season was 1995 in Seattle. He may have become the Big Unit in Seattle, but he perfected his craft in Arizona.

As for Gary Carter, as Hawk Harrelson would say: "You've gotta be bleepin' bleepin' me!". He's an Expo through and through. Eight of his best nine seasons came in Montreal (1982, 1984, 1983, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, and even the strike shortened season of 1981). Only 1985 with the Mets breaks up the string of awesome with the Expos, and that slots in between 1983 and 1980. The franchise may no longer exist, and the Nationals don't seem to want to honour the greats from Montreal (Carter, Dawson, Raines, Vladdy - and that's their prerogative), but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be an Expo. I mean outside of 1985 and 1986, he was kind of meh as a Met, so I don't see why you're arguing that he should be one in the HoF. The HoF is the museum of baseball history and the Expos, whether people like it or not, were a part of baseball history, and may yet be again.

Piazza's three greatest seasons came as a Dodger, and 4 of his 5 greatest seasons were as a Dodger. 1998 was his best season with the Mets, and it doesn't come close to 1997 or 1993, and it even slots behind the lock-out shortened 1995.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by rjl518

Yeah...so randy johnson went in as an Arizona Diamondback...explain that to me, Sir...Johnson should be a Seattle Mariner as well. mike piazza is a MET! just like gary carter SHOULD have been one too

oh yeah..he hit more HRs as a MET!!! not as a dodger...and it guess it counts against him that he was in the decline of his career as a when he was with the NYM...not his fault and not the Mets' either...in that case...put him in as a SD Padre, or an OAK Athletic..why dont you.

MIKE PIAZZA IS A NEW YORK MET!!! TAKE THAT DODGER BLUE!!!

Did you seriously just show me a BB-Ref page that shows Piazza's OPS+ with the Dodgers at 160, and his OPS+ with the Mets at 136, and then claim in the same breath that he should be a Met? Tut-tut rjl518, your bias is showing.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

...And it's "thanks for stopping by, guys" for:

Disappointed Jim Edmonds got no love, but none of the other ones are a surprise. That old saying: "No glove, no love" sure didn't help him out because he had plenty of glove at a defense-first position with a 132 OPS+. Nearly 2,000 hits and 400 HR at a defense-first position and straight off the ballot? Ridiculous.