Our Top 50 All-Time Arizona Diamondbacks are now up
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the World Series in 2001.
As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:
- Advanced Statistics.
- Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.
- Playoff accomplishments.
- Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.
This list is updated up until the end of the 2017-18 Season.
The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article. They are:
We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists. Look for the Top 50 Chicago Blackhawks next.
As always we thank you for your support.
5. Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling did not spend a long time in Arizona (three and a half years) but nobody can dispute the impact that he had as a Diamondback.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 is Announced!
We love this day!
Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com know how much we consider the announcement of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class to be our Christmas. If that is the case, then the announcement of the Baseball Hall of Fame Class is like our Birthday.
Let’s get right into the votes!
As expected, Mariano Rivera enters the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility. Rivera is without question the greatest Relief Pitcher in the history of Baseball and he retired with 652 Saves, the all-time record. A thirteen time All Star who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees, Rivera had a career ERA of 2.21 and WHIP of 1.000, which is outstanding but his post season numbers were even better with an ERA of 0.70 and WHIP of 0.759 over 96 Games including five World Series Rings and a World Series MVP. Even more impressive is that Rivera made history as the first man to receive a unanimous vote, a great sign that the voters are no longer sending in blank votes in protests.
Roy Halladay also enters the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility with 85.4%. Halladay is one of the few Pitchers to win a Cy Young in both leagues (2003 with Toronto and 2010 with Philadelphia) and he was the runner-up for the award twice. He retired with a record of 203 and 105 with 2,117 Strikeouts. Sadly, this induction will be posthumous as he died when he crashed his plane in the Gulf of Mexico in 2017.
Edgar Martinez gets in on his 10thand final try after receiving 85.4% up from 70.4%. The career Seattle Mariner is considered to be the first Designated Hitter voted in (unless you count Frank Thomas and remember Harold Baines was not voted in by the writers). Martinez retired with a .312 Batting Average with 309 Home Runs.
Mike Mussina. Mike Mussina makes in on his 6thtry finishing with 76.7% up from 63.5% from last year. Mussina had a record of 270 and 153 with five All Star Game appearances. We have been open in our belief that Mussina’s induction is long overdue.
Curt Schilling is also on his seventh year of eligibility. Unlike Bonds and Clemens, his obstacle to the Hall has been his himself as he has been openly critical of writers and media alike. On the field, Schilling does have a Hall of Fame resume, which showcases 216 Wins and three World Series Rings where he put on incredible performances which included the infamous bloody sock (Boston 2004) and being named the Co-MVP of the 2001 Fall Classic as an Arizona Diamondback. Schilling has been relatively quiet leading up to this vote, which may have helped his rise in the vote from 51.2% to 60.9%, a significant increase indeed.
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who were both on their 7thyear of eligibility are easily the most successful Pitcher and Position Player on this ballot and both have not yet gotten in due to their alleged link to PEDs. With the addition of former commissioner Bud Selig who presided over the rise of Performance Enhancing Drugs to the Hall of Fame many voters openly altered their stance on the PED users from that era and the two baseball juggernauts whose chances once seemed hopeless have seen their vote tally rise again. Seven time Cy Young Award winner Clemens goes up from 57.3% to 59.%%. Seven time MVP Bonds climbs from 56.4% to 59.1%
Former National League MVP, Larry Walker saw his totals ride from 34.1% to 54.6%. Walker, who still might be receiving a Coors Field bias is on his ninth year of eligibility and with only one year left it looks like it will be hard for him to get in, but the sizable jump does show hope.
Defensive superstar Omar Vizquel remains in a good position on the second year of his eligibility. The 11 time Gold Glove recipient also collected 2,877 Hits over his career. The Venezuelan’s vote total increased from 37% to 42.8%.
This is Fred McGriff’s final year on the ballot and he finishes with a vote of 39.8%, which is significantly higher than last year’s 23.2%. With 493 Home Runs and 2,490 Hits he would not be out of place in the Hall but he was never a huge name and is not closely associated with any team. Many have written that the induction of Harold Baines should pave the way for the “Crime Dog” in a future Veteran’s Committee ballot.
Manny Ramirezwent from 22.0% to 22.8% on his third year on the ballot. Unlike Bonds, Clemens and Sosa, Ramirez was caught taking PEDs and was suspended for it. Since he was caught after Major League Baseball and the Player’s Union came up with their stance on steroids, “ManRam” is in a distinct category all his own.
On his fourth year on the ballot Billy Wagner went from 11.1% to 16.7%, which is by far his best jump.
Jeff Kentstayed in limbo in his 6thyear of eligibility. The former National League MVP went from 14.5%. to 18.1%.
Scott Rolen went up on his 2ndYear from 10.2% to 17.2% and like others, the fact that four people are removed from this group will be a big help to his cause.
Todd Helton debuts with 16.5% which may seem low but in this group is not that bad and does show that there is a chance for his total to rise. To put this into perceptive, Mike Mussina’s first year on the ballot would see him only receive 20.3%.
Gary Sheffield remains in the same grouping that Kent is. Sheffield, who had over 500 Home Runs also has a PED taint around him is on his fifth year of eligibility and his tally went from 11.1% to 13.6%. It does not look good for Sheffield.
Andruw Jones had 7.3% on his first year and received 7.5% on his second, which is not the gain he would have hoped for.
Andy Pettitte just barely made it through with 9.9%. The crowded ballot probably hurt Pettitte more than anyone else as he is an admitted PED user who while he had very good career numbers was only a three time All Star.
If Kent and Sheffield are in Hall of Fame limbo than Sammy Sosa is in purgatory. Like Clemens and Bonds, Sosa is in his 7thyear of eligibility but unlike the other two Sosa has not seen his number drop as with the exception of his first year on the ballot where he accrued 12.5%, he has not gained double digits since. The longtime Chicago Cub has seen his once stellar reputation crumble ever since he feigned the inability to speak English in front of Congress. Sosa received only 8.5%.
Significant names who received votes but did not make the mandatory 5% to remain on the ballot are Michael Young (2.1%), Lance Berkman (1.2%), Miguel Tejada (1.2%), Roy Oswalt (0.9%) and Placido Polanco (0.5%)
Kevin Youkilis, Derek Lowe, Freddy Garcia, Vernon Wells, Ted Lilly, Travis Hafner, Jason Bay, Michael Young, Jon Garland. Darren Oliver, Juan Pierre and Rick Ankiel did not receive any votes.
This group will join Harold Baines and Lee Smith who were chosen by the Veteran’s Committee.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and we will begin work on revising our Baseball list. Look for that in late February.
16. Curt Schilling
Before Curt Schilling helped take both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox to World Series wins, he was a large factor in assisting the Philadelphia Phillies to make the 1993 World Series and actually has comparable career numbers with Philly as he does with Arizona and Boston combined.
The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out
Baseball Hall of Fame season is in full gear as following the announcements of the Today’s Era Finalists last week, Cooperstown has now unveiled the official Hall of Fame ballot.
Let’s take a look at the 35 former players who the Baseball Writers can vote on:
In alphabetical order:
Rick Ankiel: Ankiel is debuting on the ballot and he was the runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year in 2000 as a Pitcher. Injuries to his pitching arm forced him to abandon that aspect of the game and he would come back as an Outfielder and collect over 400 Hits. This is a great story but just getting on this ballot is a win.
Jason Bay: Bay was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2004 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and he would be selected for three All Star Games. The Canadian would have 1,200 Hits with 222 Home Runs but he is unlikely to get any votes.
Lance Berkman: Berkman was the third “Killer B” for the Houston Astros and he would later win a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. This is his first time on the ballot and he is a six time All Star with 366 career Home Runs with an OPS at .943. He will struggle to get past the first ballot. Berkman is ranked #89 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Barry Bonds: Bonds returns to the ballot for the seventh time and he had a high vote of 56.4% last year. The All-Time Home Run Leader and 7 time MVP has seen a 20.2% since he debuted and the “PED” guys have gone from “no chance” to “50/50”. Expect another bump this year. Bonds is ranked #2 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Roger Clemens: How fitting that Clemens alphabetically comes after Bonds! Clemens was to pitching what Bonds was hitting and he was a 7 time Cy Young Award winner with 354 career Wins. Like Bonds, he has on his seventh year on the ballot and he had 57.3% of the ballot last year, well up from the 37.6% from his first year. Clemens is ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com.
Freddy Garcia: Garcia got off to a good start where he was a two time All Star and he was in the top ten in Cy Young voting twice. The Venezuelan Pitcher won 156 Games and he is on his first ballot but he will likely struggle to get any votes at all.
Jon Garland: Garland was an All Star in 2005, which was the same season he was sixth in Cy Young voting and helped the Chicago White Sox win the World Series. He won 136 Games over his career and he is not expected to receive any votes.
Travis Hafner: Hafner spent most of his career with the Cleveland Indians where he would finish in the top ten in MVP voting twice. Over his career he had 1,039 Hits with 213 Home Runs and he would win the American League Slugging Title in 2006. He will be fortunate to get any votes.
Roy Halladay: Halladay is on his first year of eligibility and he has an excellent chance to enter Cooperstown on his first year of eligibility. Over his career, “Doc” was a two time Cy Young winner one in both leagues and he was a top five finisher five times. Halladay had a great record of 203 and 105 with 2,117 Strikeouts. Should he get in, it will be posthumous as he died when he crashed his plane a couple of years ago. Halladay is ranked #5 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Todd Helton: Helton is a five time All Star who spent his entire career with the Colorado Rockies. Helton had 369 Home Runs over 2,519 Hits I n hic career. He is entering his first year of eligibility and while we don’t think he will enter on the first ballot he should receive enough to stay on the ballot. Helton is ranked #10 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Andruw Jones: Jones is on his second year on the Hall of Fame ballot after receiving 7.3 on his debut year. He had great power with 434 Home Runs and he was a ten time Gold Glove winner. Jones had a low vote tally due to a crowded ballot but we think he will see a decent rise this year. Jones is ranked #46 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Jeff Kent: Jeff Kent is on his sixth year of eligibility where he has never escaped the teens, peaking at 16.7% in 2017. The 2000 National League MVP was a five time All Star and he smacked 2,461 Hits with 377 Home Runs. Kent will likely receive the same amount of Hall of Fame support as the previous years. Kent is ranked #52 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Ted Lilly: Lilly had a 15 year career where he was a two time All Star who would have 130 and 113 record. Lilly never received any Cy Young votes and we suspect that he will not receive any Hall of Fame votes either.
Derek Lowe: Lowe was a two time All Star and in 2002 he finished third in Cy Young voting. He would win 176 Games and he helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. Lowe might receive a couple of votes.
Edgar Martinez: The bad news is that this is the last year that former Edgar Martinez is on the ballot. The good news is that he received 70.4% last year and has very solid momentum to get in this year. Arguably the greatest Designated Hitter of all-time had 2,247 Hits with 309 Home Runs and a career Slash Line of .312/.418/.515. He is ranked #14 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Fred McGriff: Like Martinez, Fred McGriff is on his last year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but last year he only had 23.2% of the vote so the odds of him getting another 51.8% seems very unlikely. The five time All Star had 493 Home Runs with 2,490 Hits and will likely have to look at a Veteran’s Committee Induction. He is ranked #32 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Mike Mussina: Mike Mussina is entering his sixth season on the ballot and after a 63.5% finish last year he could gain the support needed to enter this year. Splitting his career between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, Mussina may never been a Cy Young winner but he was in the top six in voting nine times. The Pitcher would have a 270 and 153 record with 2,813 Strikeouts. He is ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Darren Oliver: Oliver had a 118 and 98 record over 766 Games. A 20 year veteran, Oliver probably won’t earn a vote but we are glad to see that he was respected enough to earn a spot on the ballot.
Roy Oswalt: This is Roy Oswalt’s first time on the ballot and the three time All Star would finish in the top six in Cy Young in voting six times. He was a two time 20 Game winner who totaled 163 over his career. A win for him this year would to be to make the 5% needed to stay on the ballot next year. He is ranked #104 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Andy Pettitte: In our eyes, the most interesting first ballot vote will be that of Andy Pettitte who amassed a 256 and 135 record with 2,448 Strikeouts. Five times he would finish in the top five in Cy Young voting and he is a five time World Series winner with 19 post-season Wins. He likely won’t get in on the first ballot and he could conceivably finish anywhere between 20% and 55%. Honestly, we can’t pinpoint this one at all. He is ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Juan Pierre: Pierre was a speedster who would lead his league in Stolen Bases three times and he had 614 in total. He would have 2,217 Hits with a career Batting Average of .295. Pierre might get a couple of votes but will lucky to get even that.
Placido Polanco: Polanco had a good career with over 2,100 Hits and he was a two time All Star who also won three Gold Gloves. Polanco will be in the same boat as Pierre as they were both good players who will be worth a vote or two.
Manny Ramirez: Manny Ramirez will be on his third ballot but unlike other PED guys he went down last year in his votes. He had 22.0% last year and 23.8% the year before. It has to be remembered that unlike Bonds and Clemens, Ramirez DID test positive. Ramirez is a two time World Series Champion with the Boston Red Sox with four top four MVP votes. He also blasted 555 Home Runs with a career Slash Line of .312/.411/.585. Statistically speaking we know that he meets the criteria but the label of forgiveness hasn’t spread to him…at least not yet. He is ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Mariano Rivera: Usually Relief Pitchers are not Hall of Fame locks but there has never been a closer like Mariano Rivera. The Panamanian is the all-time leader in Saves (652) and the career New York Yankee won five World Series titles and his post season record saw him win 8 Games, record 42 Saves and he had a 0.70 ERA and a 0.759 WHIP. It will be a shock if he does not get inducted this year and is the leading vote getter. He is ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Scott Rolen: Rolen received 10.2% of the ballot last year and is entering his second year of eligibility. He brings a very balanced resume of eight Gold Gloves, 316 Home Runs, is a World Series Champion (with St. Louis) and in terms of bWAR he is at 70.6. He might see his number increase but not by much. He is ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Curt Schilling: Schilling won 216 Games with 3,116 Strikeouts and three times he was the National League Cy Young runner-up but he was even more lights out in the post-season where he was a three time World Series Champion (one with Arizona and two with Boston) with an 11 and 2 record and a 2.23 ERA. Schilling is on his seventh year on the ballot with a 51.2% finish last year, but it is down from where it was two years ago (52.3%). Schilling’s past comments against the media have not helped him, which might explain partially why he is still waiting. He is ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Gary Sheffield: Gary Sheffield is another name on the ballot with PED suspicion and has been ballot purgatory for the four years he has been on the ballot finishing anywhere from 11.1% to 13.3%. Sheffield hit 509 Home Runs over his career and perhaps with the less crowded ballot he might increase vote total but it will be difficult to see him rise above the mid-teens. He is ranked #20 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Sammy Sosa: Sammy Sosa has been on the ballot for six years and in his first year on the ballot he received 12.5%. Since that time he never got past 10% and while some PED guys are being forgiven, the former MVP does not seem to be. He had 609 Home Runs with 2,408 Hits over his career, which are incredible numbers yet he will probably struggle to get a double digit vote. He is ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Miguel Tejada: Miguel Tejada won the American League MVP in 2002 and over his career he belted 307 Home Runs with 2,407 Hits. For Tejada, a win here would be to get the 5% needed to remain on the ballot but it will be difficult. He is ranked #95 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Omar Vizquel: Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive players ever accumulating 11 Gold Gloves over a 24 year career that also saw him collect 2,877 Hits. This is the second year of eligibility for Vizquel who got 37.0% last year. While many expected Vizquel to get a higher percentage in his ballot debut this is still a good start on the Hall of Fame path. He might increase by ten percent this year. He is ranked #68 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Billy Wagner: Billy Wagner recorded 422 Saves over his career and he is entering his fourth year of eligibility. He received a high of 11.1% last year but it might be hard for him to reach the teens.
Larry Walker: Larry Walker is a former National League MVP who has a career bWAR over 70, a .313 career Batting Average and 383 Home Runs, which overall seems like a Hall of Fame resume on the surface but the former Colorado Rockies star appears to be the victim of what was then the “Coors Field effect” where he had really good home stats. He only has two more chances and he is coming off a high of 34.1%. He will likely see a vote increase but not much. He is ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Kevin Youkilis: Youkilis would win two World Series Rings with the Boston Red Sox and was a three time All Star who finished third in MVP voting in 2008. He might get a vote or two but he probably shouldn’t.
Michael Young: Young had a pretty good career where he accumulated 2,375 Hits with an even .300 Batting Average. Young was a seven time All Star and should receive a few votes but it is also possible that we won’t have any.
Jose Contreras, Ryan Dempster, Octavio Dotel, Ramon Hernandez, Brad Penny, Yorvit Torrealba and Jake Westbrook played the minimum amount of seasons (10) to qualify for the ballot but they were not included.
The election results will be announced on January 22.
We can guarantee that between now and that time we will have a lot more to write about when it comes to this vote!
Major Update: Our Baseball List has been revised
Recently we uploaded our updated Notinhalloffame.com Rock List. We have another major update as our Baseball list has now been altered following the selection of six new members entering the elite halls of Cooperstown.
Six former players left our list, four via the vote (Chipper Jones #3, Jim Thome #6, Vladimir Guerrero #9 and Trevor Hoffman #20) and two from the Veteran’s Committee (Jack Morris #11 and Alan Trammell #12). This clears up both the top portion of our list but the Hall of Fame voter’s ballot, which should allow for others who have been waiting to enter the Hall.
While four major names left the Hall of Fame ballot the voters have some new names to consider, three of which are in our new top ten with another making our top twenty.
Our new top ten is as follows:
The #1 position is actually split in three, which is how we have done this since the inception of our Baseball list. As Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are not eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, we have deemed them both “1A” and 1B”.
This means that Roger Clemens who is ranked “1C” is the highest eligible player. This is where he was ranked last year.
Barry Bonds remains at #2. Two years ago, Bonds held Clemens’ spot but your votes brought the switch. Regardless, we feel that both Clemens and Bonds are Hall of Famers.
The highest debut this year is Mariano Rivera, the greatest (no, we will not say arguably) reliever of all-time. The career New York Yankee enters our list at #3, but we suspect that he will enter the Hall on his first ballot.
Mike Mussina remains at #4. While he continues to gain support his name is a low-key in comparison to other candidates.
Another Pitcher debuts in the top five in the late Roy Halladay. The former two time Cy Young winner won 203 Games to only 105 Losses and he led his league in bWAR for Pitchers four times.
Bill Dahlen dropped from #5 to #6 while Curt Schilling moved up one spot from #8 to #7. Schilling traded spots with Manny Ramirez, who was #7 last year.
The top ten is rounded out by Lou Whitaker who moved from #10 to #9 and new entry Todd Helton is #10.
Another significant new entry is Andy Pettitte. The five time World Series winner debuts in #15.
There are three more entries with Lance Berkman #89, Miguel Tejada #95 and Roy Oswalt #104.
With these changes we now have 106 ranked former baseball players with our eventual intention to swell the number to 150.
You know what we want you to do!
Take a look at these new entries cast your votes and gives us your opinions as this does affect our future rankings.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 is announced!
Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman have been chosen as all three received the necessary 75% of the vote from the Baseball Hall of Fame voters.
Jones, who played his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, is the highest vote getter this year with 97.2% of the ballot. Jones is one of the greatest hitting Third Basemen in history accumulating 2,726 Hits with a Slash Line of .303/.401/.529. The 1999 National League MVP also belted 468 Home Runs.
Vladimir Guerrero enters the Hall on his second try. The 2004 American League MVP and nine time All Star received 71.4% of the vote last season and easily cruised into the Hall this year with 92.9%.
Jim Thome also enters Cooperstown on his first try. In comparison to Jones, Thome was a vagabond playing for six different Major League teams, but his power prowess had few equals. The five time All Star blasted 612 Home Runs, which ranks him seventh all-time. Thome received 89.8% of the ballot
Trevor Hoffman enters the Baseball Hall of Fame on his third try and becomes the sixth Relief Pitcher to be inducted. Hoffman is second all-time in Saves and is a two time runner up to the National League Cy Young Award. Hoffman finished with 79.9% of the vote.
Now let’s take a look at those who were not chosen.
Edgar Martinez made another significant jump in the votes. He went from 43.4% to 58.6% and this year he went to 70.4%. This is the ninth year that the Designated Hitter was on the ballot and he is considered to be the best ever at that position. Martinez was tracking well and was projected to be inducted this year but he should be able to get in next year.
Mike Mussina saw his total rise from 51.8% to 63.5%. Sabremetrically speaking, Mussina remains one of the biggest snubs on the ballot, but he has only been on the ballot for five years. This increase could see him enter Cooperstown next year but this double digit rise will bring him induction eventually.
Barry Bonds remains a polarizing figure for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but PEDs or not, this was the best hitter of his era and arguably of all-time. The career Home Run Leader and seven time MVP received 56.4% up from 53.8% from last year.
Roger Clemens is in the exact same boat as Bonds. “The Rocket” was also the best of his generation and is a seven time Cy Young Award winner, though he is a two time World Series winner (unlike Bonds). His numbers increased to 54.1% last year and reached 57.3% this year.
The increase (albeit mild) of both Bonds and Clemens votes shows that the voters are becoming more forgiving of the PED era (with many citing the induction of Bud Selig as a catalyst for their change of heart) and it is also indicative of an influx of younger voters. This is the sixth year on the ballot for Bonds and Clemens and there is certainly hope on the horizon for both; something almost unthinkable three years ago.
Curt Schilling has Hall of Fame numbers but he did not exactly endear himself to voters with his anti-media stance and he was one of the few players to see his total decrease last year. He had 51.2% of the vote, which is up from last year’s 45.0% but down from 2016’s 52.3%. He may still need to grovel to the media for his upswing to resume.
Omar Vizquel is also on his first ballot and he received 37% of the vote. The Shortstop won eleven Gold Gloves and is regarded as one of the best defensive players ever. Vizquel also had 2,877 career Hits. He should be very happy with this debut number.
Larry Walker did see his total rise from to 34.1% but he is running out of time. The former National League MVP is still suffering from the Coors Field market and he has only two more years on the ballot.
Fred McGriff continues to tread water. “The Crime Dog” was only at 23.2% of the vote, which is his ninth year on the ballot. The First Baseman finished with 493 Home Runs but has never finished higher than 25%.
Manny Ramirez continues to struggle in his Hall of Fame voting. Ramirez has incredible career numbers, which are definitely Hall of Fame worthy but he was suspended twice for PEDs, something that did not happen to Bonds and Clemens. His tally was 22%, down slightly from last year.
Jeff Kent received 14.5% of the vote and with this being his sixth year on the ballot it is not looking good for the 2000 National League MVP.
Gary Sheffield received 11.1% in his fourth year of eligibility. “Shef” needs Bonds and Clemens to get in to have any real shot of getting into the Hall of Fame. He is a nine time All Star with 509 career Home Runs.
Billy Wagner received 11.1% in his third year of the ballot, which is enough to keep him on the ballot.
Scott Rolen only finished with10.2 on his first year of eligibility. Rolen’s biggest asset is his 70.0 bWAR but his traditional metrics will still give him a look for years to come. He should see his numbers rise in upcoming years.
Sammy Sosa held on with 7.8% of the vote. He is unlikely to make it to Cooperstown.
Andruw Jones received 7.3% on his first appearance on the ballot. The native of Curacao has over 400 Home Runs and is a four time league leader in Defensive bWAR.
Three notable first timers on ballot did not make it to 5%, that being Johan Santana, Jamie Moyer and Johnny Damon.
The others who did not earn enough votes were Chris Carpenter, Livan Hernandez, Orlando Hudson, Aubrey Huff, Jason Isringhausen, Carlos Lee, Brad Lidge, Hideki Matsui, Kevin Millwood, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.
These three will join previously chosen Veterans Committee Selections, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris and Ford C. Frick recipient, Bob Costas.
We will be revamping our Notinhallofame.com Baseball list shortly. Look for that in late February.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. We don’t know about you but this is the most excited that we have been in years about a Hall of Fame Class!
If I Had a Vote in the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame Election
Sounds like voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the last few years, doesn't it?
The good news is that since the Shutout of 2013, when the eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) could not muster the 75 percent of the vote necessary to elect any one ballot candidate to the Hall of Fame despite a wealth of candidates from whom to choose (I counted 14), the BBWAA has sent a dozen players to Cooperstown. Based on that trend, and barring any unusual or unforeseen wrinkle, the writers are certain to elect at least one player for 2018.
The 2018 Baseball HOF Ballot is out
The candidates in alphabetical are:
Barry Bonds: Bonds is on his sixth ballot and enjoyed his biggest jump last year with a 53.8% finish. That increase gives a lot of hope to the PED associated players for Hall of Fame entry. He is ranked # 2 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Chris Carpenter: Carpenter is on his first ballot and the former Starting Pitcher went 144 and 94 and won the Cy Young Award in 2005. He was also a three time All Star.
Roger Clemens: Like Bonds, Clemens enjoyed a significant increase in his vote tally moving up to 54.1%. If the seven time Cy Young Award winner enjoys another gain in his sixth year on the ballot we could see him inducted before his time on the ballot ends. He is ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com.
Johnny Damon: Damon is on his first ballot and will struggle to make a second. He was a two time All Star and a two time World Series Champion. He is ranked #99 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Vladimir Guerrero: Guerrero is on his second year of eligibility and came off a 71.7% result. The 2004 American League MVP likely we will see enough of a rise to gain entry to Cooperstown. He is ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Livan Hernandez: A two time All Star, Livan Hernandez had a career record of 178 and 177. This is his first time on the ballot
Trevor Hoffman: Hoffman was only one percentage point away from Cooperstown last year, thus only a marginal increase in his third year of eligibility should get him in. His 601 career Saves puts him second all-time and he is also a seven time All Star. He is ranked #20 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Orlando Hudson: Making his first appearance on the ballot, Hudson would go to two All Star Games and was a four time Gold Glove winner.
Aubrey Huff: Huff would accumulate 1,699 Hits and 242 Home Runs over his career. He is also a two time World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants.
Jason Isringhausen: Isringhausen is also on his first year of eligibility and he was a two time All Star.
Andruw Jones: Jones is entering his first year of eligibility and brings a decent resume with eight All Star Games, ten Gold Gloves and 434 career Home Runs. He is ranked #47 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Chipper Jones: The career Atlanta Brave is debuting on the ballot and is the most likely newly eligible former player to get inducted immediately. Jones was the National League MVP in 1999 and is an eight time All Star. He won the Batting Title in 2008. He is ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Jeff Kent: Kent is on his fifth year of eligibility and finished with 16.7% of the vote last year, his highest to date. The Third Baseman was the 2000 National League MVP and was a five time All Star. He is ranked #50 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Carlos Lee: Lee is making his first appearance on the ballot and was a two time All Star. He hit 358 Home Runs with 2,273 Hits.
Brad Lidge: The former Relief Pitcher recorded 225 Saves and was a two time All Star. He was also a World Series Champion with Philadelphia and he is entering his first year on the ballot.
Edgar Martinez: The former Designated Hitter is on his ninth try but his 58.6% gives him hope to possibly get in as it was a 15.2% increase from the previous vote. He is ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Hideki Matsui: “Godzilla” was a two time All Star with the New York Yankees and was the 2009 World Series MVP.
Fred McGriff: It is not looking good for Fred McGriff who is on his ninth year of eligibility following a 21.7% vote tally last year. McGriff is a five time All Star with 493 career Home Runs. He is ranked #33 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Kevin Millwood: An All Star in 1999, Kevin Millwood is on the ballot for the first time. He went 169 and 152 with 2,083 Strikeouts.
Jamie Moyer: Playing almost to age of 50, Jamie Moyer makes his Hall of Fame ballot debut. Moyer was an All Star once and retired with a record of 269 and 209 with 2,441 Strikeouts. He is ranked #105 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Mike Mussina: Mussina is on his fifth year of eligibility and finished with a high of 51.8% of the vote. Mussina retired with 270 Wins against only 153 Losses. He would be named to five All Star Games. He is ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Manny Ramirez: Manny debuted last year with only 23.8% of the ballot but the two time World Series Champion and 500 Home Run Club member should see an increase this year. He is ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Scott Rolen: Rolen will be one of the most hotly debated new arrivals to the ballot as his sabremetric numbers far exceed his traditional ones. Still, this is a seven time All Star with a World Series Ring. He is ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Johan Santana: Santana was a two time Cy Young Award winner and four time All Star. He is making his first appearance on the ballot. He is ranked #65 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Curt Schilling: Unlike many others who were on the ballot previously, Schilling actually trended downwards mostly due to his comments against the media finishing with 45% last year as opposed to the 52.3% he had the year before. Schilling is a three time Cy Young runner-up, two time World Series winner and a six time All Star. He is ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Gary Sheffield: Sheffield is on his fourth year of eligibility and received 13.3% of the vote last year. He has 509 career Home Runs with nine All Star Game appearances. He is ranked #21 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Sammy Sosa: Sosa is entering his sixth year on the ballot following an 8.6% vote total. That is concerning as he has only finished in double digits on his first year of eligibility. He is ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Jim Thome: Thome is on the ballot for the first time and brings five All Star Games and 612 Home Runs for consideration. He will likely get in but possibly not on his first try. He is ranked #6 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Omar Vizquel: Vizquel is also entering his first year of eligibility and the defensive specialist should receive enough ballots to remain on future ballots. He is ranked #76 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Billy Wagner: The seven time All Star is entering his third year on the ballot and he received 10.2% on the ballot last year.
Larry Walker: The 1997 National League MVP is running out of time. He is on his eight year of eligibility and he finished 21.9% last year. He is ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Kerry Wood: The former flamethrower is on his first year of eligibility. Wood was a two time All Star and was the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year.
Carlos Zambrano: On his first year of eligibility, Zambrano was a three time All Star who finished with a career record of 132 and 91.
Not everyone who was Hall of Fame eligible for the first time made the ballot. This includes Miguel Batista,Francisco Cordero, Brian Fuentes, Adam Kennedy, Guillermo Mota, Carl Pavano, Scott Podsednik, J.C. Romero, Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan and Jack Wilson.
As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will be very interested to see what will transpire with this latest ballot and we will love watching all of the debates begin!
We are announcing Baseball revisions for the 2018 Vote!
As such, we took into account the following when looking at our Baseball Revisions:
Ranking the now eligible former players. We already have them on our futures sections and your votes and comments have been taken into account.
The votes and opinions that all of you have given based on those who are already on the list.
Remember, we encourage you to keep giving us your opinions and comments as this does alter our rankings as we continue. Also, it is worth noting that we have expanded our 100 to 105.
So, let’s get right to the Top 10!
If you are a regular visitor here, you know that we have a 1A, 1B and 1C on our to accommodate:
1A. Pete Rose: The Hit King remains ineligible for the Hall of Fame due to gambling.
1B. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson: Jackson remains ineligible after nearly a century has passed following the Black Sox Scandal of 1919.
1C. Roger Clemens: It is either Clemens or Bonds in this spot. Rocket gets the duke only because he has a slightly higher vote tally from all of you who voted. Seriously though, can we get off the PED era already?
2. Barry Bonds: The All-Time leader in MLB Home Runs remains #2. While he does not have the vote total that others have who are ranked lower, like Clemens, this is as far as his (and Clemens) basement goes as far as Notinhalloffame.com is concerned, and yes, we know we said that we too take your votes into account! With these two, we re going to hold firm right now.
3. Chipper Jones: The career Atlanta Brave is considered by many to be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. Jones has the stats, both traditional and advanced, a World Series Ring and is very well liked. He is the highest rated new entry.
4. Mike Mussina: Mussina may have dropped one spot, but he is still a major snub in our eyes. The former Yankee and Oriole may have played in high profile markets but his profile is relatively low amongst those who think about Cooperstown. Apparently it is low with the Baseball Hall of Fame voters too.
5. Bill Dahlen: “Bad” Bill Dahlen also drops one spot. Dahlen is one of the few legitimate omissions from the game’s early days and was surly as he was good…and he was very good!
6. Jim Thome: Thome statistically should be a first ballot Hall of Famer, and probably will be, but for someone who smacked over 600 Home Runs with an OPS of .956, he is a player that could easily fall below the radars of voters on the first go around. He is the second highest ranked of the new entries.
7. Manny Ramirez. Manny is being Manny in Japan now, but he got a far higher vote in his first year of eligibility than many people thought he would.
8. Curt Schilling. Schilling took a tumble with the voters this year, the biggest drop of anyone who was on the ballot. It might be worth watching to see if he falls again.
9. Vladimir Guerrero. “Vlad, The Impaler” had the biggest jump in our Top 20, moving up from 14 to 9. Guerrero was very close to entering Cooperstown on his first try, and probably should get in on his second try.
10. Lou Whitaker. The sabremetric darling of the Detroit Tigers infield remains in the #10 spot.
Chipper Jones and Jim Thome are not the only new entries on this list.
Scott Rolen debuts at #18. The former infielder and seven time All Star brings a very interesting case to the Baseball Hall of Fame and we are very curious to see how his first vote goes.
Chipper Jones is not the only high profile former Atlanta Brave to make the top 50 as Andruw Jones debuts at #49.
Johan Santana debuts at #67 though we wonder how much higher he would be if he lasted just two more seasons.
Omar Vizquel is another new entry. The defensive star makes his first appearance at #76.
Johnny Damon and Jamie Moyer appear at #99 and #105 respectively.
You know what we want you to do!
If you haven’t cast your vote for these former baseball players on our list, please do so and offer your opinion!
As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you all for your support!
Hodge Podge of HOF News
We’ll combine a few news items that we think our noteworthy in the “Hall of Fame” world.
Let’s start with the WWE.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard, former ECW World Heavyweight Champion was asked if he ever saw himself in the WWE Hall of Fame in the future. He didn’t exactly imply he wanted in, nor did he have kind words to say about the institution itself:
“It’s such a fake Hall of Fame. I’d only do it because I need the money. I don’t know if I would mother--- everyone or if I would take it graciously, but I don’t consider it a real Hall of Fame. It’s not like the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Football Hall of Fame. They let anybody in it, anybody who could draw money. The real wrestling Hall of Fames are in Iowa and Amsterdam, New York. They look for donations because they’re so broke, but they have s--- from the 1800s.
Vince’s Hall of Fame only has s--- from Vince’s company. If you didn’t work for his company, you’re not in the Hall of Fame. That’s nothing to do with how good you are, it only matters who owned them.”
Notably, Sabu inducted his uncle, The Original Sheik into the WWE Hall of Fame, and he is ranked currently #79 on our Notinhalloffame.com WWE List.
In what is our constant news from the world of Curt Schilling, he told TMZ that he doesn’t care about the Baseball Hall of Fame anymore.
Whether or not he means that or not, the fact will remain that he will be intertwined with Cooperstown until he gets in. Ironically, he will be less associated with the Baseball Hall of Fame if he were to get in.
As we have stated many times before, we know this story isn’t going away soon
Going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former Head Coach, Lovie Smith has said that his former player, Devin Hester, who is expected to formally retire soon, goes down as one of the most prolific Returner in NFL history. He is a three time First Team All Pro Selection, is 8th all-time in Return Yards and 3rd all-time in Punt Return Yards. Hester was considered a game changer for years during his time as a Chicago Bear.
Should Hester retire, he will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
As always, the world of Halls of Fames continue, and we will always be paying attention!
Curt Schilling Fires Back...Again
So did Roger Clemens.
Edgar Martinez had his highest increase and for the first time since he has been on the ballot looks like he has a real Hall of Fame chance
Trevor Hoffman inched closer.
Mike Mussina climbed over 50%.
Curt Schilling dropped seven percent and dipped below 50%.
We know why don’t we? So does Curt Schilling, who this week on the Dan Patrick show sounded off on his snub:
“We all know why. Because I’m not — I’m not quiet. I think if I didn’t talk, I might have gotten in this time.
Listen, if that sacrifices the Hall of Fame, I don’t want to be in anyway… Schilling said.
If the writers that vote for the Hall of Fame are going to invoke, quote-unquote, the character clause, and they’re gonna randomly invoke it, then you know what, so be it. It wasn’t meant to be…If you want to invoke the character clause and vote for (players linked to performance enhancing drugs like) Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, kiss my butt”
It doesn’t sound like Schilling will stay out of our front page does it?
As always, it will be entertaining and we know we haven’t heard the last of the Baseball media Vs Curt Schilling!
The Baseball HOF will induct Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez
That second day is here.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced and let’s get right to it as we have three new Baseball Hall of Famers
The highest vote getter this year is Jeff Bagwell who is selected on his 7th year of eligibility. Bagwell received 86.2% of the vote, well up from his 71.6% last year. It has been believed that his delay into getting into the Baseball Hall has been due to PED suspicion, but that is all there was in his case.
Finishing second on the ballot is Tim Raines, who was on his last year of eligibility. “Rock” had 86.0% and like Bagwell received a more than 15% jump. For many Baseball fans, this is long overdue and many are thrilled to see him get his due.
Perhaps a bit of a surprise is that Ivan Rodriguez entered on his first ballot with 76.0%. Statistically, I-Rod is Cooperstown worthy but he has a direct PED accusation from Jose Canseco though was never named in the Mitchell Report.
Overall, the PED users/suspected players have seen a rise in the totals, a lot of which can be attributed with the elimination of older and inactive baseball writers from the process and the induction of Bud Selig, who presided over the time that PED use arose in the game.
Let’s look at those who didn’t make the cut:
Trevor Hoffman: 2nd Year on the ballot, 74.0%
The prolific reliever did not make this year, but he was only a handful of votes away. He finished with 67.3% last year and should get in next year.
Vladimir Guerrero: 1st Year on the ballot, 71.7%
“Vlad the Impaler” was pegged by some as a first ballot inductee but it won’t take him long to get in. He should be a lock next year.
Edgar Martinez: 8th Year on the ballot, 58.6%
Edgar has only two years left but this was a huge jump from the 43.4% he had last year. Martinez was a Designated Hitter, a position that has hurt him in the past and the fact that three people got in to help thin the ballot somewhat does not hurt his cause.
Roger Clemens: 5th Year on the ballot, 54.1%
This was a huge jump for Clemens and the first time he eclipsed 50 percent. This is up 8.9% from last year and perhaps for the first time we have a strong reason to think that the Rocket could get in.
Barry Bonds: 5th Year on the ballot, 53.8%
See above. Could we see in the future a year where both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens enters Cooperstown together? A few years ago we wouldn’t have thought so, but now that seems like a possibility.
Mike Mussina: 4th Year on the ballot, 51.8%
Mussina doesn’t get a lot of attention as he is not a controversial choice, nor is he one that plays to the media. He did however jump up past the 50% mark for the first time and is going in the right direction.
Curt Schilling: 5th Year on the ballot, 45.0%
Schilling dropped 7 percent, and we all know why don’t we? He angered the media with his comments toward them and is this backlash was long expected.
Lee Smith: 15th Year on the ballot, 34.2 %
This is the end for Smith, who at one point was the all-time Saves leader. Based on how he was trending, he was lucky to make it this far.
Manny Ramirez: 1st Year on the ballot, 23.8 %
This could be the biggest surprise. The suspected PED users went up, but Ramirez was caught and suspended twice. Maybe the writers thought “Manny being Manny” was not enough explanation.
Larry Walker: 7th Year on the ballot, 21.9%
While it doesn’t look like Walker will get in, he did jump up from his 15.5% from last year.
Fred McGriff: 7th Year on the ballot, 21.7%.
McGriff barely budged from his 20.9% from last year. It isn’t looking good for the “Crime Dog.”
Jeff Kent: 3rd Year on the ballot, 16.7%
The former National League MVP moved up…0.1%. Is there a Survivor Hall of Fame?
Gary Sheffield: 3rd Year on the ballot, 13.3%
Sheffield mildly improved but he on such a crowded ballot, he still has time to jump up considering his career stats.
Billy Wagner: 2nd Year on the ballot, 10.2%
Wagner actually went down from his 10.5% from the year before. Realistically, just staying on the ballot is a win for him.
Sammy Sosa: 5th Year on the ballot, 8.6%
Sosa is still alive, so we are stuck debating him another year.
The notable player who did not make the 5% to stay on the ballot was former New York Yankee Catcher, Jorge Posada, received 3.8%.
Others who received votes were Magglio Ordonez (0.7%), Edgar Renteria (0.5%), Jason Varitek (0.5%) and Tim Wakefield (0.2%).
The others on the ballot who did not receive any votes were Corey Blake, Pat Burrell, Orlando Cabrera, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, Carlos Guillen, Derrek Lee, Melvin Mora, Arthur Rhodes, Freddy Sanchez and Matt Stairs.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest Baseball Hall of Fame Class and we will be unveiling our next list in a month’s time.
Curt Schilling Fires Back
It seems like we have been discussing the potential drop off of Schilling’s votes from last year on a weekly basis as three Baseball Hall of Fame voters have openly stated that they will not be voting for him. Curt of course was bound to respond and he had this to say to his former employer, ESPN.
He had the following to say:
“The Hall of Fame vote, to people like Dan and Wallace Matthews and Jon Heyman, is power to them. That’s how it works when you give weak people power. They want to ‘hold it over me’ or something like that? Please. An arbitrary process done by some of the most vindictive and spiteful humans I’ve ever known? One I stopped having control over nine years ago?
I sleep fine. My three World Series rings, trophies and 20-some years of amazing memories are all mine, and always will be.
I hate bullies, and I hate people who make other people feel bad on purpose. Clemens? Bonds? They ruined people’s lives to keep their legacies, which they eventually lost. I’ve never in my life done, nor will do, anything remotely close to something like that.
I know who I am, and this has been an amazing teaching opportunity for my children, and especially my three sons. They know me, so when they read about ‘racism’ and the other bulls— people spew, it affords us a ton of opportunity to talk about how the real world works.
Schilling isn’t wrong in that many baseball writers have taken a lot of moral high ground and there have been occasions where writers have given reasons not to vote for a candidate that have come off as self-righteous.
Either way, Schilling’s vote are likely to drop and there is a war brewing between him and those who decide his Hall of Fame legacy…which whether he admits it publically or not does matter.
Another vote lost for Schilling
We have another Baseball Hall of Fame writer who has stated that he will not be voting for Schilling and furthermore, won’t be voting for anyone for the 2017 Hall of Fame Class. That person is Wally Matthews, a former beat writer for the New York Yankees who had this say to say in a column regarding Schilling:
“If baseball’s Sabremetricians could come up with a way to quantify character, Curt Schilling’s would be a negative number.
But a guy’s personality is not supposed to be the criteria for voting, his performance is. However, voters are human beings and sometimes it is difficult to separate the man from the player.
That is where the question of Curt Schilling’s candidacy comes up for me this year. I have voted for Schilling in the past, based on his superior career WAR (80.7, higher than that of Tom Glavine, Don Sutton, Jim Palmer, Bob Feller, and yes, even Sandy Koufax) and his outstanding post-season numbers.
His personal views have often troubled and at times offended me — he is an unabashed collector of Nazi memorabilia — but I have kept that out of my thought process.
Until, that is, about a month ago, when he retweeted a photo of a man wearing a T-shirt advocating the lynching of journalists, with the comment, “OK, so much awesome here . . .”
Beyond the offensiveness of any reference to lynching, which is profoundly racist in itself, is the threat to the men and women in my profession. That is something I take personally and if Curt Schilling really wants to “lynch” journalists, he can start with me, in a boxing ring with 10-ounce gloves on. That will put an end to his sick little fantasy.”
Did he just challenge Schilling to a fight?
This wasn’t all that Matthews had to say, as other comments showed how he was disheartened with the baseball players in general and their attitude towards the media in general:
“I thought I had reached my breaking point a couple of years ago when, while covering a Yankees road game in a Midwest city, a pitcher who had recently been voted into the Hall of Fame — he was a borderline candidate at best but I voted for him, I must admit, under pressure from some colleagues — came upon the Yankees beat crew waiting for the elevator down to the post-game clubhouse.
This borderline Hall of Famer looked at the group of people, many of whom had voted for him, and turned to a companion. “Look at all the sheep,” he said, derisively. Then he began making ridiculous bleating noises. I couldn’t decide whether to belt him in the mouth or refer him to a psychiatrist. All I know is in that moment, I was profoundly sorry I voted for him and his slightly-better-than average stats.”
We are not sure who sounds more bitter, Matthews, or the former baseball player he is describing.
Matthews also vented about the hypocrisy of the Today’s Game Era Committee selecting Bud Selig for the 2017 Hall:
“As if trying to determine whose numbers are real and whose were inflated by artificial (read: chemical) and therefore illegal means weren’t difficult enough, the Hall has further complicated matters this year by voting in Bud Selig, a co-conspirator with Donald Fehr and Gene Orza in allowing the steroid era to occur in the first place.”
While his argument on the induction of Bud Selig is sound, the fact that someone is just throwing away a ballot is absurd and juvenile. Certainly there are other baseball journalists who would love to have this opportunity.
Either way, the tally for Schilling is not looking like it could possibly be higher than last year.
Schilling losing more votes?
Boston Herald columnist, Dan Shaughnessy stated that he would not be voting for Curt Schilling following a tweet in which he captioned “Ok, so much awesome here…” while taking a picture of a man wearing a t-shirt that read, “Rope. Tree. Journalist: Some Assembly Required” at a Donald Trump rally.
It would appear that this is not the only reporter with a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot that may not be voting for Curt Schilling.
Jon Heyman, who works as an insider for MLB Netowrk and for the FanRag Sports Network spoke to the SportsHub on 98.5 in Boston and had this to say:
“Two of the criteria in a very short paragraph are character and integrity, and I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach to even vote for this guy. Some people can throw out character and integrity, and generally, I don’t put that much stock into it. I basically go on the on-field performance.
I dealt with [Schilling] and did not like him personally, but that doesn’t come into play. I usually like the guys but I’ve voted for a few people I do not like. I do not like Curt Schilling, at all. It has nothing to do with his political views; it’s about character and integrity.
There is a line there to me and he crossed that line by espousing lynching. He did many things before that, and many of those things got him fired at ESPN. I was willing to ignore all of those things, but I can’t imagine why anyone would espouse lynching. I don’t know what he believes. I saw him with some hateful rhetoric on TV and then he went and added this to it. If you think that’s a joke, it’s not a very good joke and it seems to line up with things he espouses.
If someone else wants to just look at his baseball career, I’d certainly understand that. To me, he belongs in the Hall of Shame. I understand if you want to not count character and integrity. If you want to say it only applies to his character as a ball player, that’s fine. But to me, he’s crossed the line and I would not feel good voting for him.”
Ouch.
Schilling did go over the half way mark in votes but both Heyman and Dan Shaughnessy might represent a backlash of writers upset with Schilling’s latest comments.
Didn’t this Baseball Hall of Fame Vote get even more interesting?
One Less Vote for Curt Schilling
Boston Herald columnist, Dan Shaughnessy has stated that he will not be voting for Curt Schilling following a tweet that praised violence towards journalists. Specifically, he tweeted a picture at a Trump rally of a man wearing a t-shirt that read, “Rope. Tree. Journalist: Some Assembly Required” and captioned it “Ok, so much awesome here…”
“Count me out on Curt Schilling. I have held my nose and voted for the Big Blowhard in recent years (11-2 in postseason, ridiculous walk/strikeout ratio), and he was up to 52.3 percent (75 percent required) last year, but I shall invoke the “character” clause this year. Schill has transitioned from a mere nuisance to an actual menace to society. His tweet supporting the lynching of journalists was the last straw for this voter. Curt later claimed he was joking. Swell.”
The Baseball Hall of Fame does state that character is a metric that should be considered, so Shaughnessy is in his right to do so.
This is not the first time that Schilling has come under criticism for his social media posts and right wing beliefs. It actually cost him his job as an analyst with ESPN.
The former World Series Champion has seen his totals rise to over fifty percent and he is entering his fifth year on the ballot.
Will other Baseball Hall of Fame voters change their opinion on Schilling? Don’t be surprised if a few more do just that.
The Baseball HOF has announced their Nominees for 2017.
Our Baseball List has been revised!
The 2016 vote saw Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza selected for Cooperstown, both of who were in our top five. Obviously, they will be taken out of our Baseball 100, but there will be three new eligible former baseball players who will join them.
Let’s take a look at our new Notinhalloffame.com Baseball Top Ten.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 is announced! Griffey and Piazza are in!
Today the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2016 and two former baseball greats will be immortalized in Cooperstown.
As expected, Ken Griffey Jr. breezed through on his first attempt. Griffey Jr. set a new record for voting percentage, receiving 99.3% of the vote.
Griffey’s Hall of Fame co-entrant will be former Catcher, Mike Piazza who enters on his fourth try with 83.0%.
While Griffey and Piazza are excited today, there are certainly a lot of disappointed former baseball stars that were hoping for a certain Hall of Fame call.
Longtime Houston Astro, Jeff Bagwell, continues to be snubbed. Like Piazza, Bagwell is on his fourth year of eligibility however like many on this ballot, he received his highest vote total, with 71.6%.