The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2019 yesterday. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 22nd, with induction taking place next July. After Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Trevor Hoffman were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 15 holdovers along with 20 newcomers, which may continue the logjam caused by the current BBWAA rules which limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10 and the ongoing refusal by some writers to vote for players tainted by PEDs, leaving too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots.

Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers.

Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 6
2018 Percentage: 56.4

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the fourth straight time last year, so the PED bias holding him back may be subsiding.  With only 4 more shots with the writers, it remains to be seen if he has enough time to get up to 75%.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 6
2018 Percentage: 57.3

Roger Clemens, he of the 354 career victories and 7 Cy Young awards, also found himself with a fourth consecutive rise after his sixth 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.

Andruw Jones
Years on ballot: 1
2018 Percentage: 7.3

If voters were to stick to his first 11 seasons, Jones looks like a shoe-in for the Hall.  His last 7 seasons, though, were so bad that it makes it hard to consider him.  Based on his initial vote total, those final seasons seem to be holding sway.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 5
2018 Percentage: 14.5

The 2000 NL MVP saw his vote percentage go in the wrong direction last year.  He still has a long way to go and not a whole lot of time left, so the future does not look good for him.

Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 9
2018 Percentage: 70.4

The longtime DH for the Mariners saw another big jump last year, but has 1 last shot to make up that remaining 5%.

Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 9
2018 Percentage: 23.2
With only one more shot at election, 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.

Mike Mussina
Years on ballot: 5
2018 Percentage: 63.5

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.  Halfway through his eligibility, he looks to be gaining steam towards induction.

Manny Ramirez
Years on ballot: 2
2018 Percentage: 22.0

The numerous PED suspensions at the end of Ramirez’s career look to be holding him back, as his vote percentage dropped in his second go-around on the ballot.

Curt Schilling
Years on ballot: 6
2018 Percentage: 51.2

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 started edging up again last year, despite his numerous bigoted screeds on social media gaffes.

Gary Sheffield
Years on ballot: 4
2018 Percentage: 11.1

Another case of PED use derailing what would otherwise be considered a sure-fire HOF career.

Sammy Sosa
Years on ballot: 6
2018 Percentage: 7.8

Sammy Sosa should view this election as a success if he manages to stay on the ballot for another year.

Omar Vizquel
Years on ballot: 2
2018 Percentage: 37.1

I would assume that he will eventually make it in, but may have to wait a while.

Billy Wagner
Years on ballot: 3
2018 Percentage: 11.1

The former Astro and Phillie closer continues to earn little support, but he did increase his percentage a little in year three.

Larry Walker
Years on ballot: 8
2018 Percentage: 34.1

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.