The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2018 on Monday. 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. Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands. And that doesn’t even take in to account Joe Morgan’s letter.
Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates. Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.
Chris Carpenter
He put together some monster seasons, but lost nearly 4 1/2 seasons due to injury, leaving his numbers well short of enshrinement.
Johnny Damon
Probably would not get anywhere near enough support, but he spent many years in a Red Sox or Yankees uniform, so who knows.
Livan Hernandez
The Cuban ex-pat may get a vote or two, but it should be one and done for him.
Orlando Hudson
I can’t imagine a world where Orlando Hudson, who finished out his career with the White Sox in 2012, earns a Hall of Fame vote.
Aubrey Huff
Not that he was going to garner any support anyway, but his recent social media posts, falling for the worst of the right wing conspiracies, certainly aren’t helping.
Jason Isringhausen
This has been a weak batch of newly eligible players. no?
Andruw Jones
Now here is an interesting conundrum. If we stick to his first 11 seasons, it seemed like he was destined for the Hall. His last 7 seasons, though, were so bad that it makes it hard to consider him. This would be a tough choice.
Chipper Jones
Ah, there we go. A sure-fire, first ballot selection for the long time Brave.
Carlos Lee
The former White Sox outfielder may get a little support, but not enough to keep him on the ballot for a second go-around.
Brad Lidge
Lidge was on the mound when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, but that won’t erase the memories of the huge home runs he gave up in the 2005 post-season, to Albert Pujols and Scott Podsednik.
Hideki Matsui
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As the Cubs and Giants prepare to kick off their NLDS series later today, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the 20 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.
