Tag / Barry Bonds

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2019 Hall Of Fame Election Thoughts


All eyes turned towards the small hamlet of Cooperstown yesterday, as the votes were tallied and four new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2019: Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, and Mike Mussina.  Rivera, in his first year of eligibility, becomes the first player ever to be elected with 100% of the vote.  Halladay, who passed away in 2017, earned 85.4% in his first year on the ballot.  Martinez, in his tenth and final year of eligibility, also found himself on 85.4% of the ballots.  Mussina snared 76.7% of the vote in his sixth year on the ballot, just 7 votes more than the minimum needed for enshrinement.

Four others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Curt Schilling, who jumped up to 60.9%.  Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds saw modest increases, which makes their eventual induction unlikely with only three more elections for each.  Larry Walker, heading in to his final shot on the ballot, saw a huge increase, going from 34.1% to 54.6%.  Fred McGriff scored 39.8% of the vote in his final go around.

Michael Young, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada led the list of 16 players who failed to get 5% and will drop off the ballot, including local stars Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Ted Lilly, and Juan Pierre.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Rivera pitch 9 times, followed by 6 career games for Martinez, 3 for Mussina, and 2 for Halladay.  These 4, along with Harold Baines and Lee Smith, who were previously elected by the Today’s Game Era Committee, will enter the Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 21.

Mariano Rivera’s numbers in games I’ve attended were: Continue reading →

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2019 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers


baseballhofThe 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
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2018 Hall Of Fame Election Thoughts

All eyes turned towards Cooperstown yesterday, as the votes were tallied and four new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2018: Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman.  Jones, in his first year of eligibility, garnered 97.2% of the vote, the 11th highest percentage of all time.  Guerrero rose to 92.9% in just his second year on the ballot.  Thome, also in his first year of eligibility, found himself on 89.8%of the ballots.  Hoffman snared 79.9% of the vote in his third year on the ballot.

Five others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Edgar Martinez, who fell just short at 70.4%.  If history is any indication, he will be inducted next year, his final on the ballot.  Mike Mussina saw a large increase, moving up over 10 percentage points to 63.5%.  Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds remain in the mid 50s, while Curt Schilling just squeaks in at 51.2%.

Jamie Moyer and Johan Santana led the list of 14 players who failed to get 5% and will drop off the ballot, which includes local stars Kerry Wood, Carlos Lee, and Carlos Zambrano.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Thome play 139 times, the most of any Hall of Famer.  I only saw Guerrero play 22 times over the course of his career, followed by 12 career games for Jones, and a mere 4 appearances from Hoffman.

Chipper Jones’s numbers in games I’ve attended were:

Continue reading →

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2018 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

baseballhofThe BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2018 yesterday. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 24th, with induction taking place next July. After Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 14 holdovers along with 19 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: 5
2017 Percentage: 53.8

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the third straight time last year, so the PED bias holding him back may be subsiding.  Having hit the halfway point in his election cycle, whether he has enough time to get up to 75% remains to be seen.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 5
2017 Percentage: 54.1

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

Vladimir Guerrero
Years on ballot: 1
2017 Percentage: 71.7

The former Expo and Angel should have no issue getting in this year, considering he was only 15 votes short last year.

Trevor Hoffman
Years on ballot: 2
2017 Percentage: 74.0

One of only 2 pitchers with over 600 saves, Hoffman missed election last year buy a mere 5 votes.  I would expect him to break through this year.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 4
2017 Percentage: 16.7

The 2000 NL MVP managed a slight increase in vote percentage last year, but 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: 8
2017 Percentage: 58.6

The longtime DH for the Mariners saw another big jump last year, but has only 2 elections left and may not have enough time to build up to the necessary 75%.  His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.

Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 8
2017 Percentage: 21.7 Continue reading →

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2017 Hall Of Fame Election Thoughts

All eyes turned towards Cooperstown yesterday as the votes were tallied and three new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2017: Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez.  Bagwell, in his seventh year of eligibility, garnered 86.2% of the vote.  Raines, in his last year on the ballot, scored 86% of the vote.  Rodriguez, a surprise based on publicly released ballots, surpassed the necessary 75% by 4 votes in his first year of eligibility.

Six others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Trevor Hoffman, who fell a mere 5 votes shy of election, and Vladimir Guerrero, who was 15 votes short.  Following Edgar Martinez, who raised his total to 58.6%, were Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who both surpassed 50% for the first time and saw enough increased support to lead one to believe the will eventually be voted in.  Mike Mussina was the final player to finish above 50%, coming in at 51.8%.

Lee Smith garnered 34.2% of the vote in his final time on the ballot.  Jorge Posada and Magglio Ordonez led the 16 first timers who failed to get 5% and will now fall off the ballot.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Rodriguez play 19 times, mostly during his stint with the Tigers towards the end of his career. I only saw Bagwell play 13 times over the course of his career, followed by 9 career games for Raines.

Jeff Bagwell’s numbers in games I’ve attended were:

Continue reading →

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2017 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

baseballhofThe BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2017 on Monday. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 18th, with induction taking place next July. After Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 15 holdovers along with 19 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.

Jeff Bagwell
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 71.6

Bagwell was less than 4% away from induction last year and seems guaranteed to get elected this time around.

Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 4
2015 Percentage: 44.3

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the second straight time last year, so the PED bias holding him back may be subsiding.  Whether he has enough time to get up to 75% remains to be seen.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 4
2015 Percentage: 45.2

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

Trevor Hoffman
Years on ballot: 1
2015 Percentage: 67.3

One of only 2 pitchers with over 600 saves, Hoffman came close to election on his first time on the ballot.  I would expect his to break through either this year or next.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 14.0

The 2000 NL MVP earned the exact same percentage of the vote as he did the previous year, meaning the future does not look good for him.

Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 7
2015 Percentage: 43.4

The longtime DH for the Mariners saw a big jump last year, but may not have enough time left on the ballot to build up to the necessary 75%.  His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.

Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 7
2015 Percentage: 20.9 Continue reading →

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HOF Election Thoughts

baseballhofAll eyes turned towards Cooperstown yesterday as the votes were tallied and two new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2016: Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.  Griffey, in his first year of eligibility, set the all time record by being named on 99.3% of the ballots, eclipsing Tom Seaver’s mark of 98.8% in 1992.  Piazza earned 83% of the vote in his 4th year of eligibility, an increase 13.1 point increase from last year.

Four others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Jeff Bagwell, who fell a mere 15 votes shy of election.  Next was Tim Raines, who only has one more chance to boost his total from 69.8% to the required 75%.  Trevor Hoffman had a surprisingly strong showing in his first year, garnering 67.3% of the vote.  Finally, Curt Schilling showed a big improvement in his 4th year on the ballot, going from 39.2% to 52.3%.

The news continued to be bleak for the alleged PED users, as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa still failed to gain entry.  McGwire, in his 10th year of eligibility, now falls off the ballot, as does former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammel.  13 others failed to reach 5% and will also fall off the ballot.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Griffey play 37 times, mostly during his stint with the White Sox in 2008, including the ALDS against the Rays. I only saw Piazza play 7 times over the course of his career.

Ken Griffey Jr’s numbers in games I attended were:

Continue reading →

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2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

baseballhof

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 Continue reading →

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Franchise Four – NL West

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the National League West.

F4Dbacks

The Diamondbacks have only been around since 1998, so there isn’t a ton of history to choose from.  6 of the 8 nominees played on their 2001 World Championship team.  My selections would be Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, and Steve Finley.

F4Rockies

The Rockies franchise dates all the way back to 1993, so they are in a similar boat as the Diamondbacks, but without the championship to boost their roster.  Not surprisingly, no pitchers made their list of 8 nominees.  I would go with Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette, and Troy Tulowitzki.

F4Dodgers

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Election Thoughts

mlb_hof

The votes were tallied in Cooperstown and, for the first time since 1955, four former players were elected to become members of the Hall of Fame.  Ballot newcomers John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, and Randy Johnson, along with third-timer Craig Biggio, became the newest members of baseball’s greatest fraternity, garnering more than 75% of the votes.  Only three other candidates, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, and Tim Raines, managed to top 50% of the vote.

The news for players with PED connections was mixed, with Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds gaining a little ground, while Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire lost votes.  Don Mattingly falls off the ballot after 15 tries.  17 candidates who were eligible for the first time will drop off the ballot due to not receiving 5% of the vote.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve somehow seen 755 baseball games over the past 30 years, none of which included Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson.  John Smoltz I saw twice, during his closing phase.  Craig Biggio, as an everyday player, was the enshrinee I saw most often, including Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.

Craig Biggio’s numbers in games I attended were:

Continue reading →