The Big Reveal is tomorrow to find out who the BBWAA selects to join Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller in the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame class. I’ll save my applause or complaints for tomorrow. For now, here’s how the publicly announced ballots are looking, per Ryan Thibodeaux’ BBHOF tracker with about 45% of the expected ballots in:
Derek Jeter is at 100%. Assuming that doesn’t change, and it would take a voter with a bee up his butt/personal animosity having little to do with Jeter’s resume as a player to keep him from becoming the second unanimous choice to the Hall.
Larry Walker stands at 85.9%. This represents a huge bump from last year’s final tally in the 54% range. If it holds up, I’ll be grinning big tomorrow as a big ol’ Walker fanboy. The problem is, the anonymous voters tend to be the curmudgeonly, and frankly less informed, voters. If a voter stops his/her thinking at counting stats and home games at Coors Field, he does fall short (and I read an article just this AM from a voter whose thinking was just that teaspoon deep). However, (1) Coors had zero to do with how excellent a base runner and fielder he was and (2) if one is going to be fair about the “Coors effect,” then one should look at the whole picture. If the home games are at Coors, a plurality of away games at in LA, SF, Arizona, and SD—all pitchers parks, thus suppressing away split hitting stats, making the home/road split look worse. Yet Walker was still a near .300 hitter on the road. Okay, off the soap box for now; nearly 86% of the vote looks good…I hope enough of the remaining ballots have his name on them for him to stay at/above 75% so he gets elected. He deserves it. If not, I doubt he’ll have to appear on a Today’s Game ballot more than once.
Curt Schilling is running at 79.5%. He, like Walker, has in the past done significantly worse among the older anonymous voters. Since I’m predicting it will be close for Walker, I have to predict Schilling misses the cut this year…but has a great shot next year with no shoo-in names coming on the ballot.
My mythical ballot:
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Scott Rolen, Gary Sheffield, Todd Shelton, Billy Wagner, and Andruw Jones.
Fan Interference 
Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, Roger Clemens, Lou Whitaker, Vada Pinson, Dwight Evans,
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Buck O’Neil. Till he’s in, screw the Hall.
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Barry Bonds. Derek Jeter. Curt Schilling. (Only if we can duct tape his disgusting, ignorant mouth shut.) Larry Walker. Todd Helten. Roger Clemens. Billy Wagner.
Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel, Gary Sheffield are on my bubble.
I reserve the right to chance my picks at any time since I did all this from memory and spent approximately 5 mins on it.
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The announcement is in: Jeter of course is in, but one unknown-at-this-time voter did not choose him, denying him a unanimous selection…which nobody should actually care about. Aaaaand Larry Walker made it too! He had 76.6% of the vote, surpassing the 75% threshold by 6 votes. A true 5-tool player who is very deserving. He’s also the second ever Canadian born player elected by the BBWAA.
Congrats to both.
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How anyone can look at this class and justify just two players is fucking insanity and further proof the hall needs to be completely disbanded
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Kenny Rosenthal made a good point regarding unanimous vs non-unanimous induction… or 99.7% vs 76% for that matter… it’s all the same Hall of Fame, and all inductees get the same ceremony and the same perks. I hope there isn’t some silly lynch mob mentality toward whoever didn’t cast a vote for Beep Beep. To be perfectly honest, though, his not getting 100% doesn’t upset me one iota.
At least now Fergie Jenkins has some Canadian company in Cooperstown.
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Agree with all of that.
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Word’s out. Beep Beep is in, one shy of unanimously (call it his “Cloacal Discount”) and Walker’s in, six over the minimum (call it his “Ignorance about the Coors Effect” discount).
Now, the beeg question is whether any curret Hall of Famers, notably Andre Dawson, will be the first sitting members to snub a coronation over the way the clueless wonder treated him when he took over the Feesh and had him fired by the Chihuahaua instead of handling it personally. Me, I hope Dawson goes fishing instead.
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I don’t know how Valverde pulled a 0% vote, but his vote total should be negative like the WAR he rode out on.
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OK I’ll come clean….I didn’t vote for Jeter.
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I fooled everyone… I didn’t vote for Mo last year.
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Booooo!!!!!
/throws popcorn
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Sheffield finished with a .292/.393/.514 slash (.907 OPS) & 509 HR. The dude flat out raked! But, a poor glove, an abrasive personality, and links to PEDs will likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame.
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