2015 Baseball HOF ballot released

I'd love for it to be Johnson, Pedro, Smoltz and Biggio (especially for backlog reasons) but I can't see the writers putting in four at one time.

Smoltz is going to suffer because Biggio isn't get held out again after falling two votes short.

 

I think four will get in. Isn't Smoltz a favorite of the writers?

 

Agreed. What is interesting about Delgado's numbers is that there is no huge spike in production the way there was in some of the guys who used. Of course, for all we know, he was using the whole time.

 

For me Smoltz is a no-brainer: 157 wins (WINS!) before the surgery. Comes back to save 154. Becomes a starter again and wins another 50.

3.33 ERA in 3,473 innings, 3,084 strikeouts.

Playoffs: 15-4, 2.67 in 209 innings.

The 14-time division champion Braves were 14-time division champion Braves because of Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz. Maybe he has to wait a year but he's a no-brainer.

 

The last time the writers put in four guys was 60 years ago. The don't even like to go to three -- last year was the first time since 1999 and only the third time since the mid 80s.

Smoltz might be a favorite but he's going to get dinged for a couple things as a first-timer. He will end up sliding in next to Griffey in 2016 because after Junior the next level for potential candidates is Hoffman, Edmonds and Wagner so Smoltz slots in well above them, making him an overwhelming second choice for voters with small ballots.

 

I forgot that Fisk didn't get in on the 1999 ballot.

 

I also love that there were 27 first-time guys eligible to make it on and not only did they chop in down to 17 on a loaded ballot but Eddie Guardado was worth keeping.

I would have just kept the first-timers at Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Percival and Brian Giles.

 

History has shown that every Hall of Fame ballot has no fewer than seven eventual guys that make it. But the writers refuse to fill all their slots. Last year was an blip of their own devices by forcing Alomar to wait / not putting in anyone two years ago / steroid issues

 

Ballot arrived in today's mail. Ridiculous. I got to nine just with the no-brainers. Guys I will leave off will be most deserving candidates, like Sheffield, McGriff and Trammell. But whaddaya gonna do? The steroid police still atoning to themselves for missing that story are going to wind up screwing players who never came near PEDs by splitting all these votes.

 

Johnson, Martinez and Biggio will be elected.

I'm guessing at least Sosa drops off the ballot with less than 5% this year. I'm also skeptical of Delgado or Garciaparra garnering 5% support in their first ballot. We'll have to watch the published ballots carefully to get a feel for the second-tier newcomers.

 

Rainman, it was very interesting to see Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci on the MLB Network yesterday saying they voted for the max 10 candidates and that the backlog of worthy candidates has become a major problem for the Hall. Those two are the complete insiders, and it's possible they represent a sea change in attitude within the BBWAA electorate, as well as in MLB's attitude towards its museum. So there might be more than three elected this year.