As fans of the game of baseball, one thing we look forward to the most, aside from the actual baseball season, is the off season and the selection of the new class of players who are to be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July. Every winter, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, or BBWAA, vote on a group of notable past players to determine which of them get to be elected into immortality and be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Babe Ruth. Some guys are deemed locks to be elected, while others tend to cause a fun debate on if they should from this point forward have “HOF” next to their signature. Every fan likes to put together their own hypothetical ballot on who they would vote for, and I’m no different. Here are the first five of my 10 player ballot for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame:
1. Edgar Martinez, DH, Seattle Mariners
Whether some people like it or not, the DH is a position and it’s not going anywhere. Nowadays, it’s a constant discussion on if and when the National League will adopt the DH and how certain players who are defensively inept should be full time DHs because of their ability to hit. In recent years, we had David Ortiz thrive in the position and really solidify the fact that it is a true position in baseball. Big Papi is, in many eyes, a lock for Cooperstown, but there’s one guy who needs to get in first and that is Edgar Martinez. The man considered to be the first true full time DH finished his 18 year career with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs, .933 OPS and 147 OPS+. He also had a career WAR of 68.4. Let’s also not forget the fact that the award for the American League’s best DH each year is known as the Edgar Martinez Award. How does it make sense to have the man the award is named for not in the Hall of Fame for that very position? Edgar enters his 10th and final year on the ballot. He finished with 70.4% last year. I feel strongly in 2019, he gets the necessary 75% needed.
2. Mariano Rivera, P, New York Yankees
This won’t be a long reasoning. Mo is the greatest relief pitcher of all time. Not just closer, but relief pitcher. Yes he collected 652 saves, the most all time, but since many don’t consider the save a legitimate stat, we look at other numbers to prove how dominant Mo truly was. 56.2 career WAR, behind only Dennis Eckersley who had 62.2. Career ERA of 2.21, 1,173 strikeouts, 2.76 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and ERA+ of 205 (remember an ERA+ of 100 is league average.). Let’s also not forget he did all of this with pretty much one pitch, the most devastating cutter the game has ever seen. I know we probably will never see a unanimous vote for a player, but there’s no doubt Rivera is a guy who should not be left off any ballot.
3. Roy Halladay, P, Toronto Blue Jays
Doc Halladay was taken from us too soon last November in a tragic airplane accident at just age 40, but his legacy of being one of the most dominant starters of his era will live on forever. 2 Cy Youngs and 5 other top 5 finishes. 3.38 career ERA, 2,117 strikeouts, 8 years of 200+ innings pitched and career ERA+ of 131. From 2002 to 2011, Halladay was easily one of the top pitchers in the game with both the Blue Jays and Phillies.. He’s also one of only 6 pitchers in history to win the Cy Young in both leagues. It’s a tough call in terms of what cap I’d put on him. If elected, he could go the route of Greg Maddux and go no logo due to his success on both teams, but if I had to put a team for him, I’d go Toronto. Similar to Gary Carter’s 12 years in Montreal to his 5 years in New York, Halladay made more of an impact in his 12 years north of the border than his 4 years in the city of Brotherly Love, but it’s a close one.
4. Mike Mussina, P, Baltimore Orioles
Mussina spent his entire 18 year career pitching in the AL East, which as we know is one of the more difficult divisions to succeed in as a pitcher. Only a handful of guys during the 90s and 2000s had success pitching here. Moose is one of those guys. 83 career WAR. 3.68 career ERA, 2,813 strikeouts, 1,192 WHIP and K/9 of 7.1. If you want to include a win-loss record here, Moose also went 270-153 in 3,562.2 innings with the Orioles and Yankees. He was also a model of consistency, who year in and year out made at least 25 starts. In his final season in 2008 with New York, he made 34 starts with 200.1 innings pitched at age 39. It’s a shame he never won a Cy Young, but don’t let that dictate how much of a competitor he was. He was a workhorse who always wanted the ball every 5th day. If he makes it in, I have him with an O’s cap. 5 All Star seasons in 10 years and overall better numbers in Baltimore.
5. Andy Pettitte, P, New York Yankees
Pettitte was a cornerstone of the Yankees dynasty of the late 90s and is considered by many to be one the best pitchers in postseason history. His 44 career starts and 276.2 innings pitched are the most in MLB postseason history and helped lead the Yankees to 5 World Series championships. His playoff resume should be enough for Cooperstown consideration but he was also no slouch in the regular season either. 3,316 innings, 2,448 strikeouts and 3.85 ERA. Also a career WAR of 60.3. Again, if you want to look at wins, Pettitte did have 273 in the regular season and 19 in the postseason, again a postseason record.
That’s the first five of my ballot. For the most part, it’s these 5 that have the best chance when it comes to getting elected. My next five, however, might have a little more difficulty but cases can be made for each. Who are they? Be sure to check back shortly to find out!
