Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 San Francisco Giants.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Giants went 80-82 and were fourth in the NL West.  There were no new entrants, except for one who debuts based on the new algorithm,

As always, we present our top five, which saw one change based on the new algorithm.

1. Willie Mays

2. Barry Bonds

3. Mel Ott

4. Christy Mathewson

5. Carl Hubbell

You can find the entire list here.

The only new addition was George Van Haltren, who as discussed above, enters via the new system.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Two weeks ago, Barry Bonds was inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame along with Jim Leyland and Manny Sanguillen.  Naturally, reports would ask him about the Baseball Hall of Fame afterward.  Bonds tone was a lot different than it had been in previous years:

“I don’t have to worry about those things no more.  I want to hang around my grandchildren and children.  Those hopes?  I don’t have them anymore.”

Bonds, who failed to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the writer’s ballot, appeared on his first senior's ballot, where he received so little support that his vote total was not publicized.  This indicates that the respective senior’s committee holds him in less regard than the writers did, thus leaving him worse off than before.

Bonds seems at peace with that.

He remains #1 on our Notinhalloffame Baseball list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall, and it looks like he will stay there for a long time.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will look at how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland and Manny Sanguillen to their franchise Hall of Fame,

This will be the third class, and the trio will be officially inducted during their home game on August 24.

Bonds was drafted in the first round in 1985 and made his Pirates debut the following year. Blasting 176 Home Runs with 556 RBIs for Pittsburgh, he propelled them to three straight playoffs (1990-92), and won the MVP in 1990 and 1992, with a second-place finish in 1991.  In addition, from ’90 to ’92, Bonds led the NL in bWAR, and won each year's Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.  He went on to win five more MVPs with the San Francisco Giants.

Bonds enters with his longtime manager, Jim Leyland, who months earlier was selected by the Veteran’s Committee to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Leyland was their manager from 1986 to 1996, and had a record of 851-863, which was impressive considering that he did have a lot of talent to work with.

A Pirate for 12 of his 13 MLB Seasons, Sanguillen had 1,343 Hits, was a three-time All-Star and won two World Series rings with the club.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Bonds, Leyland and Sanguillen for this impending honor.

Happy Opening Day!

What better way to celebrate today’s festivities than by unveiling the Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2025?

You can see the entire list of 300 players here, but this is the new Top 10.

This is based on your votes, new entrants, and a blanket look at the candidates.

At #1 is Barry Bonds, the seven-time MVP and all-time leader in Home Runs.  The man was a hitting God but was beset with PED allegations and snubbed by both the Baseball Voters and Seniors.  Bonds may hold #1 on this list forever. 

Lather, rinse, repeat. Roger Clemens is the pitching equivalent of Bonds. He was the best hurler of his generation, but he has the same PED stink that Bonds does. He is ranked #2.

Alex Rodriguez did not fare well in the votes, but we kept him at #3.  The three-time MVP and statistical juggernaut was caught with PEDs, leading to two suspensions, but we are giving him a short leash next year.  If his voting numbers (by all of you) do not improve, he will plummet from his #3.

At #4 is another controversial figure, Pete Rose. The “Hit King” is banned from the Hall, but stranger things have happened (see Ohtani, Shohei), and a loud contingent wants him inducted.

At #5, the highest debut (and likely first-ballot inductee) is Ichiro Suzuki, who has more Hits than Rose if you combine the Japanese League.   Suzuki WILL become the first Japanese player to enter Cooperstown in 2025.

The #6 player is another banned player, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.  He was banned for allegedly participating in the 1919 “Black Sox” Scandal.

Career Detroit Tiger Infielder Lou Whitaker is at #7 and late-1800’s Pitcher Jim McCormick finally breaks the top ten at #8. 

The Top Ten concludes with Bill Dahlen and Dwight Evans.

You know what we want you to do!

Take a look at the names and cast your votes and opinions!

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out, and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 San Francisco Giants.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Giants failed to make the playoffs, and as this team is over a century old, it takes a lot to break into this list.  Nobody did in 2023, and there were no changes, but we always want to acknowledge that we took the last season into consideration.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Willie Mays

2. Barry Bonds

3. Christy Mathewson

4. Mel Ott

5. Carl Hubbell

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Last month, the Baseball Hall of Fame elected Scott Rolen into their midst; a month after the Veteran’s Committee unanimously chose Fred McGriff for the Class of 2023.

This means that for us at Notinhalloffame.com, it is time to revise one of our most important lists, the top 300 Baseball players who we feel are deserving for a look at enshrinement in Cooperstown.

Our list looks at the following criteria:

1. Traditional and advanced statistics.

2. Playoff performance.

3. Impact and influence.

4. Your votes and comments.

We take all of these factors into consideration (especially your input), but as years go by, it becomes more difficult to rank players, especially since many of those eligible are tainted with activity that has kept them out.  Regardless of how Baseball may have decreased in popularity over the past decades, this is still the pre-eminent sports Hall of Fame in North America, and the standard by which all others are judged.

Specifically for the 2023 list, adjustments were made by removing Rolen and McGriff, factoring in your collective input, and adding former players who are eligible for the 2024 vote.

Our entire list of 300 can be found here, but below, we are pleased to present the Notinhalloffame.com Baseball top 20.

Remaining at #1 is Barry Bonds, the all-time leader in Home Runs (762) and is a seven-time MVP.  Controversy overshadows the power hitter, who is universally believed to have taken PEDs, though never tested positive.  Bonds concluded his ten years on the modern era ballot with 66%, and had there been 15 years like there were previously, he might have made it.  He was on the recent Veteran’s Committee ballot that included McGriff, though Bonds failed to gain the minimum votes needed to even have his number made public.  Bluntly, this means that Bonds is further than ever for Hall of Fame induction, as his peers do not view him as worthy.  We suspect that Bonds will forever be the most potent hitter to never see a plaque in the Hall, and could remain #1 here for decades (unless, your votes and comments plumet him from the top spot.

Roger Clemens also remains fixed at #2, and most of what we said about Bonds, applies to Clemens, only that he is a Pitcher.  A seven-time Cy Young winner, the “Rocket” never was suspended for PEDs, but the clouds around him are ominous, and he also did not win over a lot of friends in the media.  Just like Bonds, Clemens had his highest total on his last year of modern eligibility, and did not gain enough votes on his first Veteran Ballot for his tally to be known.  

Remaining at #3 is Alex Rodriguez, who was arguably the top player of the 2000s, and he will enter his third year of Modern eligibility.  There was nobody (Bonds and Clemens included) whose first year on the ballot intrigued us the most.  Unlike Bonds and Clemens, A-ROD DID test positive and served the longest suspension in MLB history.  At one time, he was the most hated man in all of sports, yet here we are in 2023 where he has a job with Fox Sports, and was in a high-profile relationship with Jennifer Lopez.  His marginal improvement in the 2023 vote does not forecast a Hall of Fame for Rodriguez.

With Pete Rose staying at #4, we have another player who looks to be forever to remain on the outside-looking-in.  Baseball’s all-time hit king was banned from Baseball for gambling on the sport, though he has recently made some appearances.  The Baseball Hall of Fame has followed the edict of MLB (although they don’t actually have to) and never added him to a ballot of any kind.  Even if he is reinstated, he would still have to appear on a Veteran’s Committee ballot, and that group would have to choose him.

With “Shoeless” Joe Jackson at #5, we have a top five (our only) where it is likely that none will ever receive the call. Banned in 1920 for allegedly conspiring to throw the World Series from the year before, Jackson maintained his innocence, and there many suspect that the Outfielder, who may have known about it, did not participate, which reflects his 1919 postseason statistics.

This takes us to #6, Adrian Beltre, who enters his first year on the ballot, and is a bona fide threat to enter on his first attempt.  He brings a resume of 3,166 Hits, 477 Home Runs, four All-Stars, four Silver Sluggers and five Silver Sluggers.

Falling one spot to #7 is he former career-Tiger, Lou Whitaker.  The Second Baseman and World Series Champion was a one-and-done on his only year on the ballot and is one of the most egregious omissions from the multi-ballot club.  

Bill Dahlen, a previous Veterans Committee nominee, is at #8.  We expect that he will be on the next one for his respective era. 

Dropping one to #9 is Curt Schilling, whose war with the media (and possibly his right-wing politics) resulted in his perpetual snub.  At the end of his run on the Modern Era ballot, the Pitcher asked the voters not to select him, and many acquiesced.  Schilling was on the same Veteran’s Committee ballot that Bonds and Schilling was on, and though he also was denied induction, he fared much better, gaining 6 votes.

Rounding out the top ten is Manny Ramirez, who though is still on the ballot is running out of time.  If Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to get elected, Ramirez has no shot, as he too was suspended, and has weaker (though Hall of Fame worthy) stats than A-Rod.

Todd Helton stays at #11.  The “Toddfather” missed out on Cooperstown this year with 72.2 of the vote, but next year on 2024 looks promising for Helton, who enters year number six on the ballot.

Boston’s most wanted for the Hall of Fame, Dwight Evans, holds firm at #12.

Pre-1900 Pitcher, Jim McCormick, advances two spots to #13. 

Carlos Beltran had a bit of tumble from #10 to #14.  Like others above, Beltran has the stats, but is paying a penance for his prominent role in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.  He received only…. 1st   And we suspect that many voters wanted to make him wait a year.  Beltran will likely jump significantly on his second vote.

Tommy John, whose career-saving surgery named after him is recognized by the Hall, fell one spot to #15.

The final five of the top twenty all hold the same positions as last year, respectively being; Roger Maris (#16), Dick Allen (#17), Mark McGwire, (#18), Dave Parker (#19) and Rafael Palmeiro (#20).

There are other new entries on our list.  They are:

Chase Utley (#28), Joe Mauer (#37), Bartolo Colon (#77), David Wright (#89), Jose Bautista (#220) and Jose Reyes (#271)

We are now going to begin work on revising or Notinhalloffame.com Football 300, where we rank those to consider for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As always, we thank you for your support, and ask you to continue with your votes and comments.

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 San Francisco Giants.

The franchise began in 1883 as the New York Gothams, changing their name to the Giants shortly after.  In the pre-modern World Series era, New York won the 1888 and 1889 Pennants, and in 1905, they captured their first World Series. The Giants won the World Series again in 1921, 1922, 1933, and 1954, but like the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giants were not going to be the top dog in NYC, and they moved to San Francisco in 1956.

Even though they had Willie Mays in tow, it would take long after he left until the turn of the century for the Giants to win another title.  San Francisco won the 2010, 2012 & 2014 World Series, giving them eight in total.

This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.

Our Top 50 lists in Baseball look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  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 2022 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Willie Mays

2.  Barry Bonds

3. Christy Mathewson

4. Mel Ott

5. Carl Hubbell

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always, we thank you for your support.

Barry Bonds is one of the most controversial players in Baseball history, and he was already a two-time defending MVP when he signed with the Giants as a Free Agent.  What he accomplished with his bat in the Bay Area may never be seen again.

In his first year in San Francisco, Bonds won his first Home Run Title (46), RBI (Title (123), and was also the league leader in OBP (.458), Slugging (.677), and OPS (1.136).  He won his third MVP while also winning the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.  Bonds was as good as he always was and remained an upper-echelon power hitter throughout the 90s.  As proven a commodity as he was, the game was changing around him, and other sluggers were (allegedly) increasing their hitting numbers through the use of PEDs.

At age 35, Bonds set a new personal record for Home Runs (49), and his body appeared to be changing.  There would be no doubt that something was different when in 2001, he shattered Mark McGwire's single-season Home Run record with 73.  Bonds won the MVP again that year, and regardless of how fans and writers viewed him, there was zero doubt that he was the most feared hitter in Baseball.

From 2001 to 2004, Bonds won every MVP, every OBP Title, Slugging Title, and OPS Title.  He was so good that he was intentionally walked with the bases loaded.  No player has ever, and likely will ever, have a four-year run of hitting success like that.

Following 2004, Bonds became oft-injured, but when he was at the plate, he remained unstoppable.  Following his contract's expiry, the Giants nor any other club offered him an opportunity.  He would retire, belting 586 Home Runs, 1,440 RBI, and recording a Slash Line of .312/.477/.666 for San Francisco.

Controversy or not, there will never be another hitter like Barry Bonds again.

The Baseball Hall of Fame may never call his name, but the Giants inducted him into their Wall of Fame in 2017.

Today the Contemporary Baseball Veterans Committee met and voted on, and elected Fred McGriff unanimously, receiving all sixteen votes.

The committee was comprised of Hall of Fame platers, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas, Alan Trammell, Executives, Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Derrick Hall, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter, Ken Williams and Veteran Media Members/Historians Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser. 

McGriff, who played First Base, was a five-time All-Star, received 39.8 percent in 2019, his last year on the writer’s ballot, but this committee is more player driven.  He had 493 Home Runs, and likely would have had 500 had there not been a strike in 1994, likely would have had 500.  McGriff’s induction was largely predicted my many (including us), though the 100% tally is a little bit of a surprise. 

Finishing second was Don Mattingly, who had eight votes.  Arguably the greatest New York Yankee to have never won a World Series Ring in the Bronx, Mattingly won a Batting Title (1985), twice led the AL in Hits, and had a lifetime Batting Average of .307.  He is also a nine-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.  Ranked #35 on Notinhalloffame.com, “Donnie Baseball” was on the ballot for 15 years with his peak coming in year one (28.2%) in his first year (2001).

Curt Schilling was in third with seven votes.  Likely ousted on the regular ballot due to his anti-media stance and right-wing beliefs, Schilling failed to make it past the ten years on the ballot, peaking on his penultimate year, 2021 with 71.1%.

Former two-time MVP, Dale Murphy has six votes.  Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com, Murphy was on the ballot for 15 years, with his highest tally coming in 2000 (23.2%), Murphy’s second year on the ballot.  

Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens received four or less votes.  We do not know how many (if any) these former players received.  In the case of the latter three, it is an indictment that the PED-associated players have an even tougher road than they had with the writers.

McGriff will be inducted along with the rest of the inductees this summer.  Please note that we will not be revising our Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list until the conclusion of the Modern Ballot.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Fred McGriff for earning this prestigious honor.

Days after the Houston Astros were crowned the 2022 World Series Champions, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the eight Contemporary Baseball Hall of Fame ballot candidates. 

Of the former players nominates, should any of the receive at least 75% of the vote from the 16-member Committee, they will enter Cooperstown!  The Committee will be meeting on December 4.

Here are the nominees:

Albert Belle:  Belle was a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger and was named by The Sporting News as the Player of the Year in 1995.  He had 381 Home Runs and a lifetime Slugging Percentage of .564.  Ranked #61 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for two years, peaking a 7.7% in his first year in 2006.

Barry Bonds:  The controversial slugger set the all-time mark for Home Runs (762) and in a single season (73) while winning seven MVP Awards.  A 14-time and 12-rime Silver Slugger, Bonds is also the all-time leader in Walks (2,558) and boasts a lifetime OPS of 1.051.  Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for ten years, finishing as high as 66.0% in his final year, 2022.

Roger Clemens:  Clemens has the same level of polarization that Bonds has, only he was a Pitcher.  A seven-time Cy Young winner and 12-time All-Star, Clemens has the World Series Rings (2) that Bonds does not have, and we think it is a safe bet that he will be the last 350-Win Pitcher in Baseball.  Clemens, who also has 4,672 Strikeouts, is also a two-time Major League Player of the Year.  Ranked #2 on Notinhalloffame.com and was on the ballot for ten years, with his highest total coming in 2022, 65.2%, his last year on the ballot.

Don Mattingly:  Arguably the greatest New York Yankee to have never won a World Series Ring in the Bronx, Mattingly won a Batting Title (1985), twice led the AL in Hits, and had a lifetime Batting Average of .307.  He is also a nine-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger.  Ranked #35 on Notinhalloffame.com, “Donnie Baseball” was on the ballot for 15 years with his peak coming in year one (28.2%) in his first year (2001).

Fred McGriff:  The “Crime Dog” is not closely associated with one team, which overall hurts his Hall of Fame chances, nor does the fact that he played in an era with offensively charged First Basemen, hence why he is “only” a five-time All-Star.  McGriff had 493 Home Runs, and had he made 500, would we be having this conversation?  Ranked #27 on Notinhalloffame.com, McGriff was on the ballot for ten years with his highest tally coming in 2019, 39.8%, his last year of eligibility.

Dale Murphy:  Murphy won the National League MVP in both 1983 and 1984, where the seven-time All-Star smacked 398 Home Runs over his career.  Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com, Murphy was on the ballot for 15 years, with his highest tally coming in 2000 (23.2%), Murphy’s second year on the ballot.  

Rafael Palmeiro:  Palmeiro is one of only three players who had 3,000 Hits and 500 Home Runs over his career, and he was named the Major League Player of the Year in 1999.  The First Baseman was a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, and like others on this list, he is associated with PEDs, though unlike others, he was caught.  Ranked #20 on Notinhalloffame.com, Palmeiro was only on the ballot for four years, with the highwater mark in 2012 (12.5%), his second year of eligibility.

Curt Schilling:  Schilling might be the most contentious former player of this group and think of what that means!  Likely ousted on the regular ballot due to his anti-media stance and right wing beliefs, Schilling failed to make it past the ten years on the ballot, peaking on his penultimate year, 2021 with 71.1%.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the former baseball stars who have made it to this stage.

By paring the number of candidates to be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee to a lean-and-mean eight, and if trends by recent iterations of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee continue, the odds look very good for Fred McGriff to be making an induction speech in Cooperstown, New York, in July 2023 when the committee announces its results during the baseball winter meetings to be held on December 4, 2022.

Why should McGriff start preparing his induction speech? Because the Screening Committee that selected the eight players whose careers began after 1980 to be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee of the Hall of Saints—sorry, make that the Hall of Fame—have gamed the ballot to, in essence, eliminate half of its candidates right off the bat, leaving the slugging first baseman as the most viable candidate for consideration ahead of, in order of descending likelihood, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and Albert Belle.

Is it that time again!

One of our core lists on Notinhalloffame.com, our Baseball list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall of Fame has been revised.

The steps in our revisions are basic:

-Remove all of those who were inducted.  This included David Ortiz (#8), Gil Hodges (#11), Minnie Miniso (#14), Jim Kaat (#20) and Tony Oliva (#27).

-Input those we think worthy who are now eligible.

-Adjust rankings based on your votes and comments.

Before we announce our top ten, note that we did one major change.  We used to have three number ones, with Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson appearing as 1A and 1B since our inception, as both were deemed ineligible.  We have altered this with no multiples at the top, and although Rose and Jackson are still not welcome into Cooperstown, we disagree, and will keep them ranked.

The entire list can be found here, but here is our new top ten:

#1. Barry Bonds.  Bonds’ ten years of eligibility may have ended a few months ago, but the all-time leader in Home Runs leader won seven MVPs, despite there being a cloud of PED suspicion around him.  His chances now lie with the Veteran’s Committee.  Bonds was ranked at 1C last year.

#2. Roger Clemens.  Clemens is like Bonds, in that he too ended his regular stay on the ballot, and was likely excluded due to the belief that he might have used PEDs.  Clemens won the Cy Young seven times, and remains at #2.  

#3. Alex Rodriguez.  Unlike Bonds and Clemens, Rodriguez DID test positive for PEDs, which happened after the 2004 agreement between the players and MLB that outlawed the enhancers.  A-Rod was on his first year of eligibility, drawing only 34.3% of the vote, despite being a three-time MVP.  He holds the same rank as last year.

#4. Pete Rose.  Rose is the all-time leader in Hits, but he has been from baseball for gambling on the sport.  Ranked at #1A last year, Rose drops considerable on this list, but despite the issues of the players of above him, Rose actually has a significantly lower bWAR than Bonds, Clemens and Rodriguez.

#5. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.  Ranked #1B last year, Jackson is ineligible for the Hall due to his possible participation in the throwing of the 1919 World Series.  That being said, there are many, including us, who feel that he belongs.

#6. Lou Whitaker.  The former Tigers Second Baseman might not have lasted more than one year on the Hall of Fame ballot, but he was once on the Veteran’s Ballot, and is considered one of the more egregious snubs by sabremetricians.  He was ranked #4 last year.

#7. Bill Dahlen.  Dahlen was a previous Veteran’s Committee Nominee, and that is still the route in which he needs to gain entry to Cooperstown.  The Shortstop was a two-time leader in Defensive bWAR and won a World Series Ring with the Giants in 1905.  He was ranked #5 last year.

8. Curt Schilling.  Schilling asked to be removed off of the ballot, and that didn’t happen, and many of the voters acquiesced to his later request to be removed from consideration.  On his last year on the ballot, Schilling dropped from 71.1 to 58.6, and despite his resume, it is conceivable that he will never see a Veteran’s Committee ballot.

9. Manny Ramirez.  Ramirez entered the ballot in 2017, and offensively he statistically had a better resume than Ivan Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero, both of which are now in Cooperstown.  He is in the same vein as A-Rod, as he was popped for PEDs as a player.  Ramirez will enter his seventh year on the ballot, but has yet to crack 30%.

10. Carlos Beltran.  Beltran is the only new entry in his first year of eligibility, and the nine-time All-Star has the stats for the Hall, but his recent scandal involving the Astros World Series win, could cost him some votes.

There were other new entries, including closer, Francisco Rodriguez, who debuts at #172.  To close off the list, a new #300 had to come in, which was Derrek Lee.

Thank you all for your support, and we encourage you to cast your votes and offer your opinions.

We love this day!

Though, that does not mean, we always love the results.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the results of the Class of 2022, and it ends an era of sorts as many of the controversial PED associated players are off the ballot.

Let’s get right into it.

The Baseball Hall of Fame elected one player this year, which was David Ortiz, who enters on his first year with 77.9%.  The long-time Designated Hitter led the Red Sox to three World Series Championships, and had 541 Home Runs, 1,768 RBIs and went to ten All-Star Games.  Ortiz becomes the first predominant DH to enter the Hall in his first year.

Here is a look at the rest of the vote:

Barry Bonds. 66.0%, 10^th and Final Year:  Bonds was a seven-time MVP, and let’s be frank: We all knew that he was using PEDs, and so did the people who kept voting him as an MVP.  Saying that, Bonds is one of the greatest offensive baseball players that the game ever saw, and is the game’s all-time leader in Home Runs (762) and Walks (2,558), and has a career Slash Line of .298/.444/.607.  Statistically speaking, we know that Bonds belongs in the Hall, and we also know why the voters kept him out.  He climbed from 61.8% from last year.

Roger Clemens. 65.6%, 10^th and Final Year:  We could “lather, rinse, repeat” with Clemens in regards to Bonds, as he is also a generational superstar who won seven Cy Youngs.  Like Bonds, Clemens was surly, but also was never officially popped for PEDs by Major League Baseball.  Clemens has every Hall of Fame stat you can think of, and shatters many of the inductees, but he will have to exist in an island with Bonds of players that eclipse the actual Hall of Famers.  Clemens reached his highest total, increasing from last year’s 61.6%.

Scott Rolen.  63.2%, 5^th Year:  Rolen, continues to rocket up the votes.  Debuting with only 10.2% in 2018, Rolen had 52.9% last year, and is poised to enter in 2023 with this result.  We would bet on it!

Curt Schilling.  58.6%, 10^th and Final Year.  Schilling told voters not to vote for him, and that is exactly what he got, as he dropped from 71.1% from last year.   While we think he has the resume for Cooperstown, his off-field feud with the media did him no favors.  This was his last year on the ballot, debuting at 38.8% in 2013, and peaking at 71.1% in 2021. Frankly, we feel that this elevates his fame, rather than decreases it, and a martyr factor now exists with Schilling.  His only path is the Veteran’s Committee, and it is likely that he will feel the same when he is eligible in those forums.

Todd Helton.  52.0%, 4^th Year:  Helton has now gone from 16.5 in Year one to looking like he is one or two years away.  We recently named Helton the greatest Colorado Rockies player of all-time.

Billy Wagner.  51%, 7^th Year:  Wagner is the top closer on this ballot, and considering his first three years he was barely over 10%, his ascension has been more than impressive.  This is his first year exceeding 50%.

Andruw Jones.  41.1%, 5^th Year:  Jones did not have double-digits if Hall of Fame votes in his first two years, but made it to 33.9% last year and cracks 40% this year.

Gary Sheffield.  40.6%, 8^th Year:   Sheffield has all of the Hall of Fame metrics, but lacks the name, the team, and the notoriety.  It was a little surprising he got to 40 percent last year, and he has the exact same number this year.  This is not boding well for Sheffield.

Alex Rodriguez.  34.3%, 1^st Year:  We said this for years, in that we were most intrigued of any player in any potential Hall to see where he would finish in terms of his first year of eligibility.  A-Rod was popped for PEDs, was at one time massively unpopular, but only Bonds had better stats of any position player on this ballot, and he is among the top ten ever in terms of skills and stats.  Bluntly, this is way lower than we thought.

Jeff Kent.  32.7%,  9^th Year:  Kent is a former MVP but never got past 30 percent on the ballot until last year (32.4).  A rise of less than half a percent tells us all we need to know about his chances.

Manny Ramirez.  28.9%,  6^th Year:  Unlike other PED-associated players on this list, Ramirez WAS popped and suspended for steroids.  He only climbs up .7% from last year.

Omar Vizquel.  23.9%. 5^th Year:   Ouch!!!!  While we don’t this for sure, has anyone fallen worse than Vizquel?  Since the last vote, he was accused of domestic violence, and it has shattered his chances.  Considering he debuted at 37.0, and he is now double digits lower than this, what chance does he have?  He drops from 49.1% and 52.6% from 2020.

Sammy Sosa.  18.5%, 10^th and Final Year:  Say what you want about Sosa, but this is a player who at one point was considered to be one of the top five players in the game for a half-decade, and was in the upper-echelon in terms of popularity.  For what it is worth, this was the highest result that Sosa received.

Andy Pettitte.  10.7%, 4^th Year:  Pettitte has a lot of the numbers you need, but is an admitted PED user.  For whatever reason, Pettitte dropped from 13.7%.

Jimmy Rollins.  9.4%, 1^st Year:  Rollins enters the ballot and survives to see another day.  

Bobby Abreu.  8.6%, 3^rd Year.  Abreu still has not reached ten percent, but he hasn’t dipped below five either.  He had 8.7% last year.

Mark Buehrle.  5.8%, 2^nd Year.  Buehrle hangs on, but plummets from 11.0% from last year.

Torii Hunter.  5.3%, 2^nd Year.  Hunter is clinging to life on this ballot, and like Buehrle, he suffered a similar drop.  He had 9.5% last year.

The following did not receive the 5% needed to remain on the ballot:

Joe Nathan (4.3%), Tim Hudson (3.0%), Tim Lincecum (2.3%), Ryan Howard (2.0%), Mark Teixeira (1.5%), Justin Morneau (1.3%), Jonathan Papelbon (1.3%), Prince Fielder (0.5%), A.J. Pierzynski (0.5%), Carl Crawford (0.0%) and Jake Peavy (0.0%).

We will rework our Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the end of February.  This will involve removing those who were inducted, and added those worthy and eligible.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate David Ortiz.

Barry Bonds might be one of the most controversial figures in baseball, but other than attitude, that wasn’t the story when he was a Pittsburgh Pirate.

A First Round Pick (Sixth Overall) in 1985, Barry Bonds had the pedigree of a superstar, as the son of Bobby Bonds. Bonds made it to the Pirates the following year, and began 1987 as a starter in Left.  It was evident to anyone watching the Pirates that Bonds was a rare five-tool player, though it was equally apparent that he could be a handful for those who had to deal with him.

Bonds had good years from '87 to '89, but they underwhelmed compared to what was expected of him.  This changed in 1990 when he finally made his first All-Star Game, led the NL in Slugging (.565), OPS (.970), and won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Bonds also won his first MVP and took the Pirates to the NLCS, a pattern that he repeated over the next two years.

The star had another great year in 1991, leading the NL in OBP (.410), with 25 Home Runs and 116 RBI, and was the runner-up for the MVP.  Bonds followed that with his best season in Western Pennsylvania, securing a second MVP with 34 HR, 103 RBI, and a league-leading 127 Walks.  Bonds also was first in the NL in OBP (.456), Slugging (.624), and OPS (1.080).  The awards continued with a third Gold Glove and third Silver Slugger.  

As great as he was, the Pirates fans and media were not enamored with Bonds, and with impending free agency, it was expected that the slugger would leave small-market Pittsburgh.

Bonds signed with San Francisco in1993, and he became the most feared offensive player, perhaps ever.  Over his tenure in Pittsburgh, Bonds smacked 176 Home Runs, 556 RBI, with a Slash Line of .275/.380/.503.  As of this writing, Bonds is the only two-time MVP in franchise history.

On a ballot packed with qualified candidates for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is it possible that none of them will be elected this year?

If that happens, as it did last year, it would be the third time in the last decade that the qualified voters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) have thrown a shutout at the Hall of Fame. This is an odd paradox considering that after the Big Zilch of 2013, the BBWAA in subsequent years went on to elect 22 players across the next seven ballots, with the various guises of the veterans committee voting in another five players (and six non-players) during that seven-year span. (In 2013, the veterans committee did elect three candidates to the Hall.)

Last year, Curt Schilling, who had garnered 70 percent of the vote on the previous ballot, seemed to be a lock for election. Instead, he stalled with a negligible increase in support, then threw a social-media Trumper tantrum declaring that he wanted to be removed from this year's ballot. The Hall of Fame quickly responded that it would not do so.

It’s on!

The 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is officially out with seventeen returning players and thirteen new first year eligible names.

To return on the ballot, a player must be within their ten years of eligibility and received at least 5% of the vote.

The returning former players are: (with their year of eligibility and last year’s result)

Curt Schilling: 10^th Year, 71.1%

Barry Bonds: 10^th Year, 61.8%

Roger Clemens: 10^th Year, 61.6%

Scott Rolen: 5^th Year, 52.9%

Omar Vizquel, 5^th Year, 49.1%

Billy Wagner, 7^th Year, 46.4%

Todd Helton,4^th Year, 44.9%

Gary Sheffield, 8^th Year, 40.6 %

Andruw Jones, 5^th Year, 33.9%

Jeff Kent, 9^th Year, 32.4%

Manny Ramirez, 6^th Year, 28.2%

Sammy Sosa, 10^th Year, 17.0%

Andy Pettitte, 4^th Year, 13.7%

Mark Buehrle, 2^nd Year, 11.0%

Torii Hunter, 2^nd Year, 9.5%

Bobby Abreu, 3^rd Year, 8.7%

Tim Hudson, 2^nd Year, 5.2%

The new former players are:

Carl Crawford

Prince Fielder

Ryan Howard

Tim Lincecum

Justin Morneau

Joe Nathan

David Ortiz

Jonathan Papelbon

Jake Peavy

A.J. Pierzynski

Alex Rodriguez

Jimmy Rollins

Mark Teixeira

Notably Coco Crisp, Marlon Byrd, Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Angel Pagan, Omar Infante, Matt Thornton, Billy Butler, Colby Lewis, Jeff Francoer, Javier Lopez and Ryan Vogelsong were eligible this year, but were not included on the ballot.

The results will be announced on January 25, 2022. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

Last time, we looked at the ALCS or NLCS MVPs.  We have one major baseball award left, the Hank Aaron Award, which is given annually to the best hitter in each league.  It is named after Aaron, who was one of the most prolific hitters of all-time.

The trophy first came into existence in 1999, with one awarded in each league.

So how many Hank Aaron Award winners have made the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Let’s find out!

The following are the past players who have won the Hank Aaron Award who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.

2006 AL: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, Third Base, 14 HR, 97 RBI, .343/.417/.483            

Derek Jeter is one of the most popular players in Yankees history, which is incredible considering how many legends wore the pinstripes.  In 2006, Jeter had already won the World Series four times, and he went to his seventh All-Star Game, while earning his first Silver Slugger.  Jeter was the runner-up for the MVP this year.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

2009 AL: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, Third Base, 18 HR, 66 RBI, .334/.406/.465 (2)            

Jeter finished third in MVP voting this year, and he collected his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger.  He would lead New York to another World Series win, his fifth, and he played until 2014, collecting 3,465 Hits with a .310 lifetime Batting Average.  Jeter was overall a 14-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glove winner, who also smacked 260 Home Runs with 1,311 RBIs.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

The following are the players who have won the Hank Aaron Award who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have not been selected:

1999 AL: Manny Ramirez, Cleveland Indians, Outfield, 44 HR, 165 RBI, .333/.442/.633.            

Ramirez had already proven himself as a star, but this season, he led the American League in RBIs with 165, which would be a career-high.  An All-Star for the third time, Ramirez also led the league in Slugging Percentage, OPS (1.105) and was third in MVP voting.  He also won the Silver Slugger.

Eligible Since 2017.  Ramirez has been on the ballot for five years, finishing as high as 28.2% in both 2019 and 2020.  Ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com  

1999 NL: Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, Outfield, 63 HR, 141 RBI, .288/.367/.635, 1999, NL            

Sosa was the 1998 National League MVP, and was ninth this year in voting.  He was also a Silver Slugger winner, winning it for the third of six times.  While Sosa is a seven-time All-Star with 609 career Home Runs, PED suspicion has kept him out of Cooperstown.

Eligible Since 2013.  Sosa has been on the ballot for nine years, finishing as high as 17.0% in 2020.  Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2000 AL:  Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays, First Base, 41 HR, 137 RBI, .344/.470/.664, 2000, AL            

Delgado was an All-Star for the first time, and he led the AL in Doubles (57) and was fourth in MVP voting.  The First Baseman earned the second of his third Silver Sluggers this year, and he would later play for Florida and New York (NL), retiring on 2009.  Delgado had 473 Home Runs with 1,512 RBIs over his career.

Eligible Since 2015.  Delgado was on the ballot for one year in 2015 and received 3.6% of the vote.  Ranked #82 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2000 NL:  Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies, First Base, 42 HR, 147 RBI, .372/.463/.698, 2000, NL            

2000 was arguably Helton’s best year in baseball as he led the NL in Hits (216), Doubles (59), RBIs, and all three Slash Line components.  This began a five-year streak of All-Star Game appearances, and a four-year run of Silver Sluggers.  Helton, who was fifth in MVP voting this year, played his entire career with the Rockies, and had 2,519 Hits, 369 Home Runs, 1,406 RBIs with a Slash Line of .316/.414/539.

Eligible Since 2018.  Helton has been on the ballot for three years, finishing as high as 44.9% in 2021.  Ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2001 AL:  Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, Shortstop, 52 HR, 135 RBI, .318/.399/.622, 2001, AL            

After establishing himself as a superstar in Seattle, Rodriguez signed what was then the biggest contract in baseball with the Texas Rangers.  Rodriguez delivered with his best year to date, though he was only sixth in MVP voting.  He led the AL in Home Runs (52), Runs Scored (133), and was a Silver Slugger for the fifth time.

Eligible Since 2022.  Rodriguez is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2001 NL:  Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, Outfield, 73 HR, 137 RBI, .328/.515/.863, 2001, NL            

This was the year that Bonds set the single season record in Home Runs, and Slugging Percentage, and while he was wildly unpopular outside of San Francisco, he was the runaway winner for the MVP, his fourth and first since 1993 when he was a Pirate.  Bonds also led the NL in OBP, OPS, and won his ninth Silver Slugger this year.

Eligible Since 2013.  Bonds has been on the ballot for nine years and finished as high as 61.8% in 2021.  Ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com  

2002 AL:  Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, Shortstop, 57 HR, 142 RBI, .300/.392/.623, 2001, AL (2)           

A-Rod was incredible this year, leading the AL in Home Runs for the second straight year, and winning his first RBI Title.  Rodriguez finished second for the MVP, won his sixth Silver Slugger, and defensively won the Gold Glove for the first time. 

Eligible Since 2022.  Rodriguez is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2002 NL:  Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, Outfield, 46 HR, 110 RBI, .370/.582/.799, 2002, NL (2)         

Bonds was again putting up PlayStation like numbers, and while his Home Runs were “only” 46, his OBP rocketed up to .582.  Basically, nobody wanted to pitch to him unless they had to.  Bonds repeated as MVP, winning his fifth overall, and also was a Silver Slugger for the tenth time.

Eligible Since 2013.  Bonds has been on the ballot for nine years and finished as high as 61.8% in 2021.  Ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com  

2003 AL:  Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, Shortstop, 47 HR, 118 RBI, .298/.396/.600 (3)           

While arguably this was his weakest of his three years in Texas, Rodriguez captured his first MVP.  A-Rod led the AL in Home Runs for the third straight season (47), and he won his first Slugging Title (.600).  Silver Slugger number seven came to Rodriguez as did his second Gold Glove. 

Eligible Since 2022.  Rodriguez is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com 

2004 AL: Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox, Outfield, 43 HR, 130 RBI, .308/.397/.613 (2)           

Ramirez joined the Red Sox in 2001, and in 2004, he won his first Home Run Title.  This season, he won his third Slugging Title, third OPS Title, and was third for the AL MVP.  Again winning the Silver Slugger, Ramirez and the Red Sox broke the curse this year, by winning their first World Series since 2019.  Ramirez played until 2012, blasting 555 Home Runs, 1.831 RBIs, with a lifetime Slash Line of .312/.411/.585.

Eligible Since 2017.  Ramirez has been on the ballot for five years, finishing as high as 28.2% in both 2019 and 2020.  Ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2004 NL:  Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, Outfield, 45 HR, 101 RBI, .362/.609/.812 (3)         

Bonds did not win the Hank Aaron Award in 2003, but he won the MVP that year, his third in a row.  He reclaimed the Hank Aaron Award in 2004, along with his fourth straight MVP, where he set a MLB record with a 1.422 OPS season.  Injuries and age caught up with Bonds, and despite being an All-Star in 2007 with a National League leading OBP of .480, he was not signed by any other team afterward.  He finished his career with 762 Home Runs, and 2,558 Walks, both of which are all-time records.  He retired with a lifetime OPS of 1.051.

Eligible Since 2013.  Bonds has been on the ballot for nine years and finished as high as 61.8% in 2021.  Ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com  

2005 AL:  David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, Designated Hitter, 47 HR, 148 RBI, .300/.397/.604.         

Ortiz became the first primary Designated Hitter to win the Hank Aaron Award, and the popular player won the RBI Title for the first of what would be three times.  This was his second year in Boston, his second All-Star season, and he also won his second Silver Slugger.  Ortiz was the runner-up for the MVP.

Eligible Since 2022.  Ortiz is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2005 NL:  Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves, Outfield, 51 HR, 128 RBI, .263/.347/.575.          

This was the best season of Jones’ career, and he won the Home Run (51) and RBI (128) Titles for the only time this year.  Jones also captured his only Silver Slugger this year, and he was the runner-up for the National League MVP.  Jones stayed with Atlanta until 2007, after which he played with the Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees, and retired with 434 Home Runs.

Eligible Since 2017.  Jones has been on the ballot for four years and finished as high as 33.9% in 2021.  Ranked #40 on Notinhalloffame.com  

2006 NL:  Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, First Base, 58 HR, 149 RBI, .313/.425/.659.          

In what was his third Major League season, Ryan Howard was spectacular, and produced his best year in Baseball.  Howard was first in Home Runs (58), Runs Batted In (149), and his Slash Line of .313/.425/.659 were career highs.  Justifiably, Howard won the MVP and the Silver Slugger, and over the next three seasons, he blasted at least 45 Home Runs and 136 RBIs.  Howard slumped after that, losing facets of his game, which considering he couldn’t field or run fast, took him out of any Hall of Fame consideration.  He played his entire career with the Phillies, accumulating 1,475 Hits, 382 Home Runs and 1,194 RBIs.

Eligible Since 2022.  Howard is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

2007 AL:  Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees, Shortstop, 47 HR, 118 RBI, .298/.396/.600. (4)           

Rodriguez joined the Yankees in 2004, and to say it was a tumultuous period would be an understatement.  This did not mean that he did not produce colossal numbers in the Bronx, as he did.  He won his second MVP in 2005, and his third this year, winning his fifth Home Run Title (54), second RBI Title (156), third Slugging Title (.645) and second OPS Title (1.067).  A-Rod also won the ninth of what would be ten Silver Sluggers.  Rodriguez drama began after this season, but he did win a World Series Ring in 2009.  He finished his career with 3,115 Hits, 696 Home Runs, 2,086 RBIs, 329 Stolen Bases and a lifetime Batting Average of .295.

Eligible Since 2022.  Rodriguez is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com 

2007 NL:  Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers, First Base, 50 HR, 119 RBI, .288/.395/.618.          

Prince Fielder followed in the footsteps of his father, Cecil, as he became a stocky power-hitting First Baseman, and this was his breakout year.  Fielder led the American League in Home Runs (50), was third in MVP voting, and won the Silver Slugger.  He had five more 30 Home Run seasons, would become a six-time All-Star and collected three Silver Sluggers.  His career ended abruptly at age 32 due to injuries, and he retired with 319 Home Runs.

Eligible Since 2022.  Fielder is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

2008 AL:  Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox, First Base, 29 HR, 115 RBI, .312/.390/.569.          

This was the best year of Youkilis’ career, where he had career-bests in Home Runs (29), RBIs (115) and Batting Average (.312), and was an All-Star for the first time.  Youkilis was third in MVP voting, and he helped the BoSox win two previous World Series.  He went to two more All-Star Games, and played with Boston until 2012, finishing his career with brief stops in Chicago (AL) and New York (AL) before retiring in 213.  He had 1,053 career Hits.

Eligible Since 2019.  Youkilis was on the ballot for one year in 2019, but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

2008 NL:  Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs, Third Base, 27 HR, 112 RBI, .289/.380/.518.          

Ramirez was an All-Star in 2005, and in 2008, his 11^th Season, He was an All-Star for the second and final time.  This year, he was tenth in MVP voting, equalling his finish in 2004.  Ramirez later played for Milwaukee, going to a third All-Star Game in 2014, and was a Silver Slugger (while still a Cub) in 2011.  He retired in 2015, finishing with 2,303 Hits, 386 Home Runs and 1,417 RBIs.

Eligible Since 2021.  Ramirez was on the ballot for one year in 2021, and received 1.0% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

2016 AL:  David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, Designated Hitter, 38 HR, 127 RBI, .315/.401/.620, AL (2)         

Ortiz had one of the best farewell seasons ever, and fittingly it resulted in his second Hank Aaron Award, 11 years after his first.  For the only time in his career, he led the AL in Doubles (48), and his 127 RBI gave him his third RBI title.  Ortiz also led the AL in Slugging Percentage (.620) and OPS (1.021), and he won the Silver Slugger for the seventh time.  Over his career, Ortiz had 2,473 Hits, 541 Home Runs, 1,768 RBIs with a lifetime OPS of .931.  He was also instrumental in the Red Sox winning three World Series.

Eligible Since 2022.  Ortiz is on the ballot for the first time this year.  Ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com  

Let’s update our tally, shall we?       

So, who is up next?

The following are the players who have won the Hank Aaron Award in MLB who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Baseball Hall of Fame: 

2010 AL: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays, Outfield, 54 HR, 124 RBI, .260/.378/.617           

Jose Bautista seemingly came out of nowhere to become an offensive star, as at age 29, he went from 13 to 54 Home Runs.  Bautista led the AL in Home Runs this year, and earned his first Silver Slugger.  He was also fourth in MVP voting, and began a six-year run of All-Stars.  

Eligible In 2024. 

2011 AL: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays, Outfield, 43 HR, 103 RBI, .302/.447/.608 (2)           

As great as Bautista’s power numbers were in 2011, they were down from what he did in 2010.  Nevertheless, Bautista became a more complete hitter, leading the AL in Walks (132), had his first (and only) .300 season, and he led the league in Slugging (.608) and OPS (1.056).  Bautista was third in MVP voting, and won his second Silver Slugger.  He won a third Silver Slugger in 2014, and had 344 Home Runs over his career, most of which happened after he turned 29.

Eligible In 2024. 

2011 NL: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers, Outfield, 39 HR, 126 RBI, .324/.399/.586            

This was by far the nest season of Matt Kemp’s career, where he led the National League in Runs Scored (115), Home Runs (39) and RBIs, all of which were career-highs.  Kemp was the runner-up for the MVP, and this was his second and final Silver Slugger year.  The three-time All-Star would later play for San Diego, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Colorado, and he had 287 Home Runs.

Eligible In 2026. 

The following are the past players who have won the Hank Aaron Award who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and are still active.

2004 NL: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, First Base, 2004, 43 HR, 124 RBI, .359/.439/.667.

Pujols was in his third season, and the second of which where he finished second in MVP voting behind Barry Bonds.  This year, Pujols, who won his second Silver Slugger, led the NL in Hits (212), Doubles (51) and Batting Average (.359). 

41 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

2009 NL: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, First Base, 2009, 47 HR, 135 RBI, .327/.443/.658 (2)            

After winning his first Hank Aaron Award in 2003, Pujols won the National League MVP in 2005 and 2008, and 2009 saw the slugger win his third.  Pujols won the Home Run title for the first time this year, and he also captured his first OBP crown.  This was also his third time winning the Slugging and OPS Title.  Silver Slugger number five happened this year for Pujols.

41 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

2010 NL: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds, First Base, 37 HR, 113 RBI, .324/.424/.600            

This was Votto’s fourth year in the Majors, and it was his breakout campaign.  Not only did Votto win the Hank Aaron award, the First Baseman won the MVP.  Votto was an All-Star for the first time this year, and he would win his first of seven OBP Titles, and the first of two OPS Titles.

37 Years Old, Playing for the Cincinnati Reds.

2012 AL: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, First Base, 44 HR, 139 RBI, .330/.393/.606            

Cabrera was a World Series Champion with Florida in 2007, and like all of their stars, he was traded, in his case to Detroit.  Cabrera got better in Motown, and this year he went to his seventh All-Star Game, won his second Home Run Title, his second Batting Title, and he won his first MVP.

38 Years Old, Playing for the Detroit Tigers.

2012 NL: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants, Catcher, 24 HR, 103 RBI, .336/.408/.549      

This year, Posey became the first Catcher to win the Hank Aaron Award, which he did in a campaign that earned him the MVP.  Posey, who two years before won the Rookie of the Year, captured the Batting Title this year and he also won the Silver Slugger.

34 Years Old, Playing for the San Francisco Giants.

2013 AL: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, First Base, 44 HR, 137 RBI, .348/.442/.636      

Cabrera went back-to-back for Hank Aaron Awards, and did the same for MVPs.  He was first in the AL in all aspects of the Slash Line, and was first in OPS (1.078), which was a career-high.  Cabrera won his fifth Silver Slugger this year, and would win two more.  Still playing, Cabrera became a member of the 500 Home Run club in 2021.

38 Years Old, Playing for the Detroit Tigers.

2013 NL: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks, First Base, 36 HR, 125 RBI, .302/.401/.651      

Goldschmidt broke out this year, leading the National League in Home Runs (36), RBIs (125), Slugging Percentage (.551) and Slugging Percentage (.952).  He was the runner-up for the MVP, and also won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, while also beginning a six-year streak of All-Stars.

33 Years Old, Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.

2014 AL: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, Outfield, 36 HR, 111 RBI, .287/.377/.561      

Two years after winning the Rookie of the Year, Mike Trout was the proven best player in baseball.  Trout was second in MVP voting in his first and second full year, and this season, he did not only win the Hank Aaron but his first MVP.  This year, Trout led the AL in Runs (115), RBIs (111) and won his third straight Silver Slugger.

30 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

2014 NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins, Outfield, 37 HR, 105 RBI, .288/.395/.555      

This is Stanton’s fifth season, and he led the National League in Home Runs for the first time (37), and won his second Slugging Title (.555).  Stanton was second in MVP voting and he won his first Silver Slugger this year.

31 Years Old, Playing for the New York Yankees.

2015 AL: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays, Third Base, 41 HR, 123 RBI, .297/.371/.568      

Donaldson broke out the year before, going to his first All-Star Game, but it would be his last year in Oakland, as he was traded to Toronto.  In his first year as a Blue Jay, Donaldson had his best year in Baseball, leading the American League in Runs (122), RBIs (123), and he won the MVP and his first Silver Slugger.

35 Years Old, Playing for the Minnesota Twins.

2015 NL: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals, Outfield, 42 HR, 99 RBI, .330/.460/.649      

Harper won the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012, and this year he had his monster campaign, leading the NL in Runs Scored (118), Home Runs (42), OBP (.460), Slugging Percentage (.649) and OPS (1.109). He also won his first Silver Slugger this year.

28 Years Old, Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

2016 NL: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs, Outfield, 39 HR, 102 RBI, .292/.385/.554      

This was Bryant’s second season, and he also won the MVP.  Bryant also led the NL in Runs Scored (121), Offensive bWAR (6.4), was fourth in OPS, OPS+ (146) and third in Home Runs.  More importantly, Bryant led the Cubs to their first World Series win in over 100 years.

29 Years Old, Playing for the San Francisco Giants.

2017 AL: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, Second Base, 24 HR, 81 RBI, .346/.410/.547      

For the fourth year in a row, Altuve led the National League in Hits (204), and won his third Batting Title.  Altuve also won the Silver Slugger and MVP, and the Astros won the World Series, their first.

31 Years Old, Playing for the Houston Astros.

2017 NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins, Outfield, 59 HR, 132 RBI, .281/.376/.631      

In between his first and second Hank Aaron Award, Stanton remained a competent power hitter, but this year he was outstanding, finishing first in Home Runs (59), RBIs (132), Slugging Percentage (.631).  Stanton won the MVP this year and earned his second Silver Slugger.  Stanton signed with the Yankees after this year.

31 Years Old, Playing for the New York Yankees.

2018 AL: J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox, Outfield, 43 HR, 130 RBI, .330/.402/.629      

In his first year with the Red Sox, Martinez was fourth in MVP voting, and was also the league-leader in RBIs.  An All-Star for the second time this year, Martinez won the Silver Slugger both as an Outfielder and Designated Hitter. Martinez was also second in Batting Average, Slugging Percentage and third in OPS.

33 Years Old, Playing for the Boston Red Sox.

2018 NL: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers, Outfield, 36 HR, 110 RBI, .326/.402/.598      

The acquisition of Christian Yelich paid instant dividends for the Brewers, with the Outfielder winning the Batting Title, Slugging Title and OPS Title in his first year there.  Yelich also won the Silver Slugger and won the MVP.

29 Years Old, Playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.

2019 AL: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, Outfield, 45 HR, 104 RBI, .291/.438/.645 (2)     

In between Trout’s first and second Hank Aaron Award, won his second MVP, three more Silver Sluggers, three OBP Titles, one Slugging Title and two OPS Titles.  This year, Trout led the American League in OBP (.439), Slugging Percentage (.645) and OPS (1.083).  Trout won his third MVP this year and captured his seventh Silver Slugger.

30 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

2019 NL: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers, Outfield, 44 HR, 97 RBI, .329/.429/.671 (2)      

Yelich almost won the MVP again, as his late-season injury that cost him significant games kept him from it.  Regardless, he swept the Slash Line, and won his second Silver Slugger.

29 Years Old, Playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.

2020 AL: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox, First Base, 19 HR, 60 RBI, .317/.370/.617.      

This was the second straight year that Abreu led the American League in RBIs, and he also topped the league in Hits (76), Slugging Percentage and Total Bases (148).  Abreu won the MVP this year, his first.

35 Years Old, Playing for the Chicago White Sox.

2021 NL: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, First Base, 13 HR, 53 RBI, .341/.462/.640.      

Freeman earned his second Silver Slugger this year, and after four previous top ten finishes in MVP voting, he won it this year.  He was the league-leader in Runs Scored (51) and Doubles (23), and was second in OPS (1.102).

32 Years Old, Playing for the Atlanta Braves.

The PED situation has lowered the bar significantly for Hank Aaron Award winners to enter Cooperstown, but this average will rise in time.

So, what is up next?

We have another look in Baseball, with the MLB All-Star Game MVP.

As always, we thank you for your support, and look for that soon.

We are a month removed from the Baseball Hall of Fame 2021 vote, and that means it is time to release our new list of those to consider for Cooperstown in 2022.  With nobody elected in 2021, there are no removals from the list, but there are four new entries.  We currently have 108 on this list, and by Spring, we will be expanding it to an even 300, which will be our fixed number moving forward.

As per our first year, there are three number ones, with the rational showing one eligible, and two ineligibles (Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson) due to gambling.

Remaining at #1A is Pete Rose, the man who collected an all-time record 4,256 Hits.  Rose was banned from the game over 30 years ago for betting on baseball.  

Also, staying at #1B, is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.  Jackson was suspended for his alleged participation in the Chicago White Sox throwing of the 1919 World Series.

Barry Bonds is at #1C.  Bonds is the all-time leading Home Run leader with 762, and he is also first in Walks (2,558), Win Probability Added (127.7) and Power-Speed # (613.9).  While never caught, the seven-time MVP was widely suspected of PED use, and the Baseball Hall of Fame voters have kept him out.  He only has one year left of eligibility.  

Roger Clemens is just behind Bonds at #2.  Like Bonds, Clemens has been kept out of Cooperstown due to PED suspicion, and he is also entering his tenth and final year on the ballot.  Clemens is a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and is third all-time in Strikeouts (4,672).

The highest debut is Alex Rodriguez, who appears at #3. Unlike Bonds and Clemens, Rodriguez was twice suspended for PED use, but also, unlike Bonds and Clemens, he seems to be welcomed back as shown by his gig at Fox.  Rodriguez is fourth all-time in Home Runs (696).

Former Detroit Tiger Second Baseman, Lou Whitaker, is at #4.  Whitaker was a member of Detroit’s 1984 World Series Championship team, and is considered one of the best infielders not in the Baseball Hall.  

Bill Dahlen, a former star in the 1900s is in at #5.  Dahlen won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1905, and is still in the top-fifty in bWAR for Position Players.

Curt Schilling is at #6.  The former two-time World Series champion has one year left and has asked to be removed from the ballot after failing to enter the Hall.  He has feuded with media in the past, and his current right-wing politics have alienated many others.  

At #7 is Manny Ramirez.  Like Rodriguez, Ramirez has also been suspended for PEDs twice, and it has hampered his pursuit for a Hall of Fame plaque.  

Our second top-ten debut is at #8, David Ortiz, Ramirez’s former teammate in Boston.  With the Red Sox, Ortiz became the best Designated Hitter that baseball has ever seen, and would win three World Series rings.

Todd Heltonremains in the top ten at #9.  The career Colorado Rockie is trending towards induction in roughly three years.

Tommy Johnrounds out the top ten.  Ironically, the surgery that bears his name, is recognized by the Hall.  His only path for induction is with the Veteran’s Committee.

There are two other new entries, Mark Teixeira at #93 and Jimmy Rollins at #102.

Thank you all for your support, and look for our revised Football list next month.

Is this the year Curt Schilling makes it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Will Schilling be the only player elected to the Hall this year? After all the tumultuous voting activity of the 2010s, has voting for the Hall returned to "normal"?

Only a crystal ball, or the patience to wait until voting results for the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame are announced on January 26, 2021, can give us the definitive answers, but of course that doesn't stop us from prognosticating before we learn the results.

For now, the short answers are:

1. Maybe.

2. Possibly.

3. Likely.

2021 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot: Executive Summary

One of our favorite ballots came out today, that of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The official ballot comprises 25 former players, 14 of which were holdovers from 2020.  To gain entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a candidate must gain 75 percent of the ballot.  Once eligible, they have ten years go gain entry.  If an individual fails to get 5 percent, he falls off the ballot completely.  

The voting body consists of BBWAA members who have been in good standing for at least ten years. Voters can select as few as zero players or as many as ten.

The returning candidates are:

Curt Schilling:  9^thYear, 70% last year.  Had Schilling been more media friendly, the Pitcher would likely have been inducted already.  With the 2020 Class being inducted alongside the 2021 Class, Schilling would not be a headliner, and this could actually help him with voters who dislike him, but want him to receive less of the spotlight.  Ranked #5 on NIHOF.

Roger Clemens:  9^thYear, 61% last year.  It was never proven that Roger Clemens took PEDs but O.J. Simpson was found not guilty. Nevertheless, Clemens (allegedly) took them before Major League Baseball had an agreement in place that prohibited their use (2005), and suspensions for PEDs came after.  The fact that Commissioner, Bud Selig, who presided over the Steroids Era was inducted by the Veteran’s Committee in 2017, made some writers vocally say that it changed their opinion on players like Clemens.  Five years ago, it was considered a long shot for Clemens to get in.  Now it seems like it could happen.  The vote total for Clemens is the most interesting one of 2021.  Ranked #1C on NIHOF.

Barry Bonds: 9^thYear, 60.7% last year. See above.  Everything said about Clemens, applies to Bonds.  Everything.  So, how come each year, they haven’t finished with the same vote total?  Ranked #2 on NIHOF.

Omar Vizquel: 4^thYear, 52.6%.  With a lighter ballot, it is not impossible to foresee Vizquel vault all the way into Cooperstown this year.  Ranked #45 on NIHOF.

Scott Rolen: 4^thYear, 35.3%.  Rolen had only 10.2% in his first year of eligibility and he could crack 50% this year.   Ranked #10 on NIHOF.

Billy Wagner: 6^thYear, 31.7%.  Wagner nearly doubled his vote tally from the year before going from treading water to the realm of possibility.  He is the top reliever on this ballot.  Ranked #59 on NIHOF.

Gary Sheffield: 7^thYear, 30.5%.  Sheffield is running out of time, but he is another with the stats but the alleged PED user did crack the 30 plateau.  It is possible.  Ranked #14 on NIHOF.

Todd Helton: 3^rdYear, 29.2%.  Helton’s number might seem low but he is trending ahead of fellow Rockie, Larry Walker, who got in last year.  Ranked #7 on NIHOF.

Manny Ramirez: 5^thYear, 28.2%.  Unlike Clemens and Bonds, Ramirez WAS caught using PEDs and WAS suspended twice.  This is a delineation mark for many, and while Bonds and Clemens could get in, Ramirez is unlikely to, despite his gaudy stats and World Series rings.  Ranked #6 on NIHOF.

Jeff Kent: 8^thYear, 27.5%.  The former MVP’s total is his highest ever but there is only three years left.  If he does not get to 40% this year, it is not likely for Kent.  Ranked #48 on NIHOF.

Andruw Jones: 4^thYear, 19.4%.  Jones had less than 8.0% in his first two years of eligibility but approaching 20% last year was huge for the former Brave.  Ranked #40 on NIHOF.

Sammy Sosa: 9^thYear, 13.9%.  Sosa certainly has the stats, but unlike Bonds and Clemens, he appears to have no chance.  Sosa is not on the level of Bonds, but is that why he is so low in comparison? Probably not.  Everyone knew when Bonds and Clemens played that they were surly. Sosa pretended not to be and was eventually revealed as a character fraud.  Seriously, this a factor that hurts him that nobody talks about. Ranked #28 on Notinhalloffame.com

Andy Pettitte: 3^rdYear, 11.3%.  Pettitte is an admitted PED user, but handled it in the blueprint way for everyone.  Sadly, not very many people followed his lead (see Braun, Ryan).  A jump to at least 20% keeps him in the conversation.   Ranked #32 on NIHOF.

Bobby Abreu: 2^ndYear, 5.5%.  Abreu barely made it through last year, but is worthy to do so again.  Saying that, it would not be a shock to see him fall under the 5% threshold.  Ranked #79 on NIHOF.

With the 11 new candidates it is very possible that none of them will advance.

The new entries are:

Mark Buehrle: Pitcher, 214-160, 3.81 ERA, 1,870 Strikeouts.  Ranked #74 on NIHOF.

A.J. Burnett: Pitcher, 164-157 3.99 ERA 2,513 Strikeouts.

Michael Cuddyer: Outfield, 1,522 Hits, 197 HR, .277/.344/.461.

Dan Haren: Pitcher, 153-131, 3.75 ERA, 2,013 Strikeouts.

LaTroy Hawkins: Pitcher, 75-94, 4.31 ERA, 127 Saves.

Tim Hudson: Pitcher, 222-133, 3.49 ERA, 2,060 Strikeouts. Ranked #101 on NIHOF.

Torii Hunter: Outfield, 2,452 Hits, 353 HR, .277/.331/.461. 

Aramis Ramirez: Third Base, 2,303 Hits, 386 Home Runs, .283/.341/.492.

Nick Swisher: Outfield, 1,338 Hits, 245 Home Runs, .249/.351/.447.

Shane Victorino: Outfield, 1,274 Hits, 108 HR, .275/.340/.425.

Barry Zito: Pitcher, 165-143, 4.04 ERA, 1,885 Strikeouts.

Notably, Aaron Harang, Adam LaRoche, Alex Rios, C.J. Wilson, Crey Hart, Dan Uggla, Grady Sizemore, Grant Balfour, Jason Marquis, Jeremy Affeldt, Kevin Gregg, Rafael Soriano and Skip Schumaker were eligible for the ballot but left off of it.

The results will be revealed on January 26.  This group will be inducted alongside Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, who were the Class of 2020.