2015 Baseball HOF ballot released

First known no-Pedro vote not due to ballot limits is Rich Gosselin:

Johnson, Biggio, Bagwell, Clemens, Bonds, Raines, Trammell, Smoltz and Mattingly. That's nine folks.

 

But we should respect the people who have a vote.

 

Jerry Green votes for 10 (including Clemens but no Bonds) -- but not Smoltz. Why, you ask? Because he's no Jack Morris:

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/op...n-hall-fame-voting-serious-business/21242617/

"It must be noted that I did not vote for John Smoltz, who is likely to make it.

Again, these votes involve personal opinion. I do not consider any of my votes to be frivolous.

Smoltz won 213 games, mostly as a starting pitcher, and saved 154 as a reliever for the Braves. Great stats.

Jack Morris had greater stats with 254 victories, mostly for the Tigers. He was a dominant pitcher in his World Series and playoffs starts. He pitched for four World Series winners.

Morris was rejected 15 times by the voters of the BBWAA, some of whom just didn't like him because he was too often abrasive to the media. My opinion. Not frivolous.

In 1991, Morris vs. Smoltz was the greatest pitchers' duel ever — again, my opinion. Game 7 of a World Series, Twins vs. Braves, 0-0 into the 10th inning. Two magnificent pitchers in suspenseful battle. Smoltz was yanked by Hall of Fame Atlanta manager Bobby Cox in the eighth. Morris refused to be yanked when Twins manager Tom Kelly tried — and tried again.

In the 10th, the Twins scored a run. Jack Morris won the duel, 1-0, a complete-game winner over the Braves' bullpen."

 

Again, I would love to hear the justification for leaving Martinez off the ballot, not that there is a good reason to do it.

 

At the 25 percent mark less than 48 hours before the announcement (145 ballots)

99.3 - Johnson
97.9 - P. Martinez
88.3 - Smoltz
82.1 - Biggio
77.2 - Piazza
————————————
66.2 - Bagwell
66.2 - Raines
53.8 - Schilling
42.8 - Bonds
42.8 - Clemens
37.9 - Mussina
30.0 - E. Martinez
23.4 - Trammell
19.3 - Smith
15.9 - McGriff
14.5 - Kent
8.3 - Walker
8.3 - Sheffield
6.9 - McGwire
————————————-
4.8 - Sosa
4.8 - Mattingly
1.4 - Pete Rose (Write-In)
0.7 - Garciaparra
0.7 - Delgado

Smoltz is polling almost equal to Thomas votes last year as the third guy
Biggio is almost three percent higher than last year
Piazza isn't going to stay above the cut line but it sets him up for next year as he is 10 percent above this point from 2014.

 

Why does Goose have a baseball HOF vote? He's a football guy.

 

Barry Stanton has a fun ballot: Johnson, Pedro, Smoltz and Schilling.
Howard Bryant has a funner one: Johnson, Pedro, Raines

 

True story: I sent in my ballot before December 1. I got an e-mail from the Hall just before Christmas saying they didn't get it. I sent back a frantic email and was told they'd look into it. Then I went to Florida to my Mom's and haven't given it a thought. But if somebody loses by one vote and I'm not listed as a voter, there will be further inquiries at least on my part.

 

I mailed mine about Dec. 20. Yesterday I got an email from the HoF which said something like: "OK, you can breathe easier now. Your ballot has arrived." Weird.

 

I also got an email confirming my ballot was received.

 

Interesting aspect of the online registration: Wallace Matthews said on Twitter that he missed the deadline to be eligible to vote because of family issues. Here's a guy who voted for 10 guys last year and is based online so it isn't like he's technologically impaired.

How many older to super old voters aren't in the mix because of the online component? I've heard rumors that even with the first-timers coming on board, and there are 11 already that have announced their vote, there have been voters from previous elections not casting this time and getting to last year's total of 571 wasn't going to happen,

 

I'm not a voter, but i feel like it's too easy (relatively speaking) to get in. Pedro & Unit are locks, as are Bonds and Clemens if youre willing to overlook the steroids. Smoltz too should be in, though not necesarily of the automatic, no-brainer variety of Pedro and Unit.

The rest? Hall of Very Good. I guess my definition is more stringent than others' but when i hear the argument that some players are receiving votes simply to keep them on the ballot for future debate... If he has to be debated, he shouldn't be in.

Perhaps the Hall could go to some sort of tiered system, with guys like Ruth and Williams and Mays in the penthouse and guys like Bagwell and Edgar Martinez in the basement, the other receiving votes wing of the Hall.

But if i had a vote, it would have only 3 names. As great as the others were, and they were very good, they aren't HOF in my opinion.