Pursuing Veritas

In addition to the hot stove, it’s Hall of Fame season for Baseball. Below are some of my brief thoughts on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. If you want to track the writers who have actual ballots, check out Ryan Thibodaux’s HOF Vote Tracker.

Nice Career, but not a Hall of Famer

Each of the players in this category had remarkable careers and are worthy of serious consideration for Baseball’s highest honor. And while Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Reyes, Victor Martinez, James Shields, and Brandon Phillips were valuable ballplayers, I do not think they will garner even enough votes to stick around on the ballot past this year.

Steroid Guys

I have written previously about my thoughts on the steroid era and how baseball needs to find consistency when it comes to evaluating (potential) steroid users based on the rules of the game when they played. Fortunately, we are squarely in the “steroids were clearly against the rules when these guys tested positive or admitted their use,” and for that reason, I would not vote for Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte, or (as much as it pains me) Bartolo Colon.

Hall of Very Good

These are players for whom cogent Hall of Fame arguments can be made, but who I think are better suited in the “Hall of Very Good” category for a variety of reasons. Whether we are talking about accumulators who did not hit major benchmarks (Mark Buerhle, Francisco Rodriguez, Torii Hunter, and Omar Vizquel) or stars whose peaks did not last quite long enough (Matt Holliday, Jimmy Rollins, and Jose Bautista), these players fall a little short. However, if the Hall of Fame had a “best baseball nicknames” wing, Joey Bats and K-Rod would need to be included.

If I Had a Vote

I will leave longer arguments for or against certain candidates to people like Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs. But in short: Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer seem like obvious Hall of Famers, all of whom I hope are elected this year. I would also vote for Carlos Beltran, Chase Utley, and Billy Wagner[1], each of whom helped define their positions during their careers.

As a “big hall” guy, I would also advocate for Andruw Jones, Gary Sheffield, and Bobby Abreau. Apart from Sheffield (who hit 509 home runs), none of these candidates hit some of the more traditional Hall of Fame marks. Yet each fares well in advanced metrics, and stacked against current Hall of Famers, each more than holds their own. I’m less confident that these guys will get in, but I would vote for them regardless.

Finally, with my tenth vote, I would vote my heart for David Wright. Although his career was cut short by catastrophic injury, the first ten years of his career were certainly Hall of Fame trajectory.

What about you? Who would you vote to induct into Baseball’s Hall of Fame?

[1] Closer has been a specific role in baseball since 1969 and it is high time we recognize what teams, GMs, and fans have known for a while: closers play outsized roles but are still vital for constructing winning teams and telling the story of baseball.