The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2016 on Monday. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 6th, with induction taking place next July. After Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 15 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem. The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates, so there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time. Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.
Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers.
Jeff Bagwell
Years on ballot: 5
2015 Percentage: 55.7
Bagwell bounced back last year with a small increase, but things continue to look bleak for him thanks to seemingly unsubstantiated PED rumors. I fear he’ll continue to wait for that elusive call.
Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 36.8
The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the first time last year, but not significantly. I doubt he’ll see much more support this year, leaving him on the outside looking in.
Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 37.5
Roger Clemens, he of the 354 career victories and 7 Cy Young awards, also found himself with a slight rise after his third run through the voting process. For some odd reason, perhaps by having played for more teams, Clemens continues to get marginally more support than his fellow PED poster child Barry Bonds.
Nomar Garciaparra
Years on ballot: 1
2015 Percentage: 5.5
Considered at one time on an even keel with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Garciaparra is likely to drop off the ballot after this election.
Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 2
2015 Percentage: 14.0
The 2000 NL MVP saw his support wane in his second year of eligibility. With the number of candidates coming down the pike, the future does not look good for him.
Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 27.0
The longtime DH for the Mariners has had plenty of support from the Internet but not as much from the BBWAA, though his percentage did increase slightly last year. His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.
Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 12.9
Another player with a slight increase in vote percentage from the year before, McGriff seems to be destined to be on the outside looking in, thanks to PED users, the 10 person vote limit, and his missing 7 home runs, leaving him short of 500 for his career.
Mark McGwire
Years on ballot: 9
2015 Percentage: 10.0
In his final year of eligibility, McGwire is no closer to election than he has been since becoming eligible. While he may be back in baseball’s good graces, McGwire, along with all other confirmed or suspected PED users, continues to find himself punished by the writers.
Mike Mussina
Years on ballot: 2
2015 Percentage: 24.6
Mussina, who retired with 270 wins, could have hung on for a few more years to reach 300 victories and a guaranteed election to Cooperstown. Instead, he will likely struggle to distinguish himself in the face of the other pitching talent about to come up for election.
Mike Piazza
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 69.9
Piazza saw another slight increase in percentage last year, leaving him the most likely returning candidate to gain election. If not elected this year, his time will come sooner rather than later.
Tim Raines
Years on ballot: 8
2015 Percentage: 55.0
Tim Raines candidacy has started to gain momentum, picking up an additional 9% of the vote last year, but it seems he will get shafted by the change to 10 years of eligibility, as he only has 2 years left including this year.
Curt Schilling
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 39.2
I certainly never thought of Schilling as an all-time great while he was still playing, but many people view him as an obvious Hall of Famer. His post-season success, with three different teams, certainly helps his case. His totals moved in the right direction last year, although numerous suspensions and media gaffes over the past year may haunt him.
Gary Sheffield
Years on ballot: 1
2015 Percentage: 11.75
Another case of PED use derailing what would otherwise be considered a sure-fire HOF career.
Lee Smith
Years on ballot: 13
2015 Percentage: 30.2
A career save total that has become more pedestrian over time and his perception as a journeyman will leave Smith outside of the Hall.
Sammy Sosa
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 6.6
Sammy Sosa should view this election as a success if he manages to stay on the ballot for another year.
Alan Trammell
Years on ballot: 14
2015 Percentage: 25.1
Trammell’s vocal support seems to be increasing, but, needing an additional 50% of the vote in his last election, things do not look good for him.
Larry Walker
Years on ballot: 5
2015 Percentage: 11.8
Walker seems to get a lot of support in certain corners of the Internet, which is somewhat surprising to me given his years playing in the thin air of Colorado.