gold star for USAHOF

Orlando Hudson came a long way from the 1997 43rd Round Pick to make the Jays roster in 2002, and the defensive-minded Second Baseman used his glove to show his worth on the Majors. 

Hudson went into 2003 as Toronto’s starter at Second, finishing the season with a 1.5 Defensive bWAR and batted .268.  He then had his best year as a Jay, leading the American League in Defensive bWAR (2.7) with 12 Home Runs and a .270 Batting Average.  Hudson then won the Gold Glove in 2005 (he should have won it in 2004) with similar metrics.

Toronto sent Hudson to Arizona in 2006, leaving the Infielder with 437 Hits and a Defensive bWAR of 7.5.

Orlando Hudson would be traded to Arizona from the Toronto Blue Jays and the D-Backs were not disappointed with the defensive presence that he would bring to their infield.

Strategic voting. What you have to do when you have too many choices and not enough time or opportunities to realize all those choices.

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.