It is true that each of the candidates has not connected a hit or has obtained a victory since their retirement, but with the arrival of sabermetry one begins to see certain players in a different way with these new statistical formulas. And then the so-called “Age of Steroids” and the “character” clause also come into play.
I have always said that my job is to vote for the one I consider to be a “Hall of Famer” and that I am not a moral police officer in baseball because it is not a “Precinct of the Saints” although it is I have put a line from the agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association on the use of drugs. If you tested positive, I will hardly give you my vote, although I will analyze the circumstances.
Nor can I ignore other events that can fall under the line of “integrity” and “character”. That is why – for the first time – I withdrew two candidates for whom I had previously voted.
My selections for the Class of 2022 are: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, David Ortiz, Scott Rolen, Sammy Sosa Y Billy Wagner.
Big Papi
David Ortiz must be a line to enter your first year of eligibility, but there will always be some naysayers. In his favor, he was one of the best designated hitters in history with a .286 batting average, 541 homers and 1,768 RBIs, as well as hitting .289 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs in the playoffs.
Against him, the Dominican allegedly appeared on an “anonymous” list of players who tested positive in 2003 to identify the magnitude of substance use in baseball. Ortiz has denied that he consumed anything illegal, and it has also been rumored that there were false positives on the list. In your case, you never tested positive in official MLB tests, therefore you have my vote.
The letter that comes with the ballot says that “Voting will be based on the player’s history, skill on the field, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team (s) the player played for.”
That part you mention “integrity”, “sportsmanship” Y “character” it’s causing a headache for voters.
The absent
The Venezuelan Omar Vizquel has always received my vote and pitcher Curt Schilling has also received since 2019, but this year I left them out.
Let’s start with Vizquel. Last year there were allegations of domestic violence by his wife in the middle of a divorce process which led to an investigation by MLB that has not released details of the same. Even so, I gave him my vote after a long time of reflection.
But this year there is a new controversy. He was sued for alleged sexual harassment by an autistic former batboy for the Chicago White Sox affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, and the details are very disturbing, which is why I made the decision not to include him..
The lawsuit alleges that Vizquel was exhibited on multiple occasions, among other events, to the boy who is now 25 years old. And an investigation by the White Sox resulted in the termination of the organization’s relationship with Vizquel, so something was certainly not right.
And then we come to the case of Schilling, who last year fell just 16 votes (71.1) from his election. The pitcher has merits (216 wins, 3.46 ERA, 3,116 strikeouts, 11-2 postseason record and three World Series rings), but he can’t help getting into controversy.
omar-vizquel-acusado-afp.jpg
AFP
When the results were released last January, Schilling revealed a letter he wrote to the Baseball Hall of Fame criticizing voters. “I will not participate in the last year of voting. I request that they remove me from the electoral ballot, “he said. “I will refer to the Veterans Committee and the men whose opinions really matter and who are in a position to judge a player. I don’t think I am a Hall of Famer as I have often said, but if former players believe I am, I will accept it with honor. “
In recent years most voters have overlooked his comments such as comparing extremist Muslims to Nazis, an anti-transgender tweet that cost him his job at ESPN, and another tweet in which he found it “fabulous.” a T-shirt that read: “Rope. Tree. Journalist…”.
Last year 285 of 401 participantsIncluding me, we still gave him the vote and then came his controversial statements of support for the Capitol riots on January 6 in Washington DC, which will surely cost him some votes.
I don’t care about his political affiliation and, proof of this, is that I previously voted for him, but his hateful rhetoric could end with digging his own grave in what will be his last turn. The former pitcher was also very clear in saying that he did not mind being chosen by the BBWAA voters and preferred in any case to wait for the Veterans Committee. Said and done, he lost my vote and his wish to wait several more years may be fulfilled..
Another name that stands out among the absent is Alex Rodriguez, who appears for the first time on the ballot. There is no doubt that he was one of the best players in history (.295, 696 home runs, 3,115 hits and 2,086 RBIs), but was suspended during the 2014 season for violating Major League Baseball regulations on performance-enhancing substances. It doesn’t go on my ballot.
The Three Musketeers
Since the first year I voted in 2014, Bonds, Clemens and Sosa have been included on my ballot and there was no change this time in the trio’s last year of eligibility.
Every year I repeat it: It’s hard for me to think that Bonds, who is perhaps the best hitter of his generation, the all-time home run leader (762) and a seven-time MVP winner, doesn’t have his badge in Cooperstown like Clemens, who hit 354. wins and won seven Cy Youngs.
Yes, they have both been linked to steroid use, but they never tested positive, and to me they were “Hall of Famers” before the so-called “Age of Steroids.”
Barry Bonds
AP / FILE
Bonds from 1986 to 1998 had 411 home runs, 403 doubles, 445 stolen bases, 1,216 RBIs, 3,679 total bases, and an OPS percentage of .966. In addition, he had already been an eight-time All-Star, with three MVP awards, eight Gold Gloves and seven Silver Bats.
In Clemens’ case, from 1984 to 1997, he had a record of 213 wins and 118 losses for a winning percentage of .644, as well as a 2.97 ERA and 2,882 strikeouts. He was also a six-time All Star with four Cy Young awards and an MVP.
As for Sosa, he hit 609 home runs and had 1,667 RBIs, extraordinary numbers to be considered.But last year he got just 17% of the vote.
The debutante
For the first time I voted for Andruw Jones. I have always considered that the Curaçao outfielder was a step towards the Hall of Fame before a disastrous fall in the last five seasons of his career.
COn the Braves, he hit 368 home runs and drove in 1,117 runs, and won 10 consecutive Golden Gloves. and he had a 26.6 defensive WAR in his 11 full seasons in Atlanta. In the last five seasons with four different teams, he hit just 66 home runs and ended his career with .254, 434 homers and 1,289 RBIs.
The numbers may put him borderline, but those years with the Braves were some of the best and using today’s metrics he is the best center fielder in history.
Others who repeat
Billy Wagner: If the Hall of Fame has great fire extinguishers like the Panamanian Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage y Bruce SutterThen there should be the best left-handed closer who had 422 saves, 2.31 ERA and 1,196 strikeouts in 16 bells.
Todd Helton: The first baseman hit over .300 in 12 of his 17 seasons and won a batting title with a .372 average. For life he had excellent numbers: .316, 2,519 hits, 369 home runs and 1,406 RBIs.
Bobby AbreuHe never won a hitting or home run title and he doesn’t have magic numbers like 500 home runs or 3,000 hits, but the Venezuelan was a great player: 2,470 hits, 574 doubles, 59 triples, and 288 home runs and 400 stolen bases. He’s a borderline candidate, but his 60 WAR is on par with fellow outfielders Andre Dawson (64.8), Dave Winfield (64.2), Vladimir Guerrero (59.4) and Kirby Puckett (51.1) who are in the Hall of Fame. Fame.
Abreu is grateful to have returned to the big top. (AP)
Scott Rolen: The third baseman nomination received a huge boost, receiving 52.9% last year after a career in which he won eight Gold Gloves and had solid offensive numbers (.281, 316 home runs, 2,077 hits and 1,287 RBIs).
Jeff Kent: One of the best offensive second basemen in history. He had a career .290 hitter with 2,461 hits, including 377 home runs and 560 doubles, and 1,518 RBIs. He leads in homers for a second baseman with 351 and fourth in RBIs with 1,467, and won an MVP award (.344, 33 HR, 125 RBI’s) in 2000.
In summary, The good thing about this ballot is that I will no longer have to talk, listen and think about the candidacies of Bonds, Clemens, Sosa and Schilling when I receive the one next year.
