Author: Spencer Reyes
It’s that time of the year for baseball fans where not a lot is happening in the baseball world. While some key players are signing with their respective teams for the 2022 season, 30 former MLB all-stars are waiting to hear their name called on July 24th. 17 players will return on the ballot, which are headlined by Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, who are all on their last year of eligibility on the ballot unless they play another season in the MLB to reset their clock. The other returning players are Scott Rolen, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Tim Hudson. 13 new athletes will get a chance to be enshrined in Cooperstown, and it will be the beginning of many superstars who will clog up the Hall of Fame Ballot. The new players consist of Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Tim Lincecum, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, A.J. Pierzynski, Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira.
For those who don’t know, former MLB ballplayers need to have 15 years of MLB service, must be retired for at least 5 years, have 75% of the votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in order to qualify for Cooperstown. Here is the kicker, each voter from the BBWAA can only vote for 10 people on the list, and you don’t have to vote for 10 people, that is just the maximum. This rule keeps athletes on the ballot for prolonged periods of time. You can also only be on the ballot for 10 years, and I personally don’t think any of the 4 names I listed before will have at least 75% of the vote, especially with big names like Big Papi, A-Rod, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Howard joining the mix. I truly believe David Ortiz will get inducted this year, along with the possibilities of Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard either barley making or missing the cut. I’m not sure if Rodriguez will get enough voters to cast their ballot for him. All members of the BBWAA are writers and are part of the media. A-Rod was not received well during his time in the MLB by the media. He was very demanding behind the scenes and was linked to steroid usage, which has held back Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGuire. He has a better chance than the others at being inducted within his 10-year range, but I don’t think he will be a first ballot hall of famer. All we can do as baseball fans is wait until December 31st. Not only will it be New Year’s Eve, but it is the deadline for the BBWAA members to vote and send in their ballots. Stay tune3d to the Sport Universe as more baseball related news unfolds!
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