I’ve been a follower — and occasional critic — of Hall of Fame voting and the process since I started covering baseball. That picked up when I joined the Tigers beat and realized that not only was Alan Trammell fighting an uphill battle to Cooperstown but Lou Whitaker was one and done on the ballot. Never could I have imagined that 23 years later, I’d still be following Whitaker’s plight, though the Modern Era Committee put Trammell and Jack Morris into the Hall’s Class of 2018 after years of chronicling their vote totals.
Now that I’m finally a Hall of Fame voter, those cases shape how I look at the ballot. I’ve always had a “Big Hall” outlook, viewing the Hall as a living, breathing entity that should evolve and reflect why fans love the game. Too much focus on gating off Cooperstown from all but the best of the best risks turning the Hall into a fossil that fans visit once and forget. It is and should be an exclusive club, but I would rather have too many Hall of Famers than too few. I’ve never heard a fan say they won’t visit Cooperstown because there are too many players honored there.
Not coincidentally, I went to the maximum 10 players on my first Hall of Fame ballot, even in a year with no arguably surefire Hall of Famers. I didn’t go into the process predetermined to use all 10 votes, but I went in knowing how important keeping players on the ballot can be, and how much momentum can mean for a player to get another look.
Carlos Beltrán: By nearly any standard, Beltran is a Hall of Famer. The Similar Batters column on his Baseball Reference page includes seven Hall of Famers plus Gary Sheffield, who I’ve long believed should be in. I get the hesitation over the sign-stealing scandal in Houston, but Beltrán had posted Hall of Fame numbers before that, and adding a World Series to his resume was a bonus.
Andruw Jones: No player on this ballot better demonstrates how perspectives can evolve as long as a player can get the minimum five percent vote to stick around. He was a defensive game-changer for much of his career, and an underrated offensive force in his peak years. The career WAR is a little light because he dropped off fast in his 30s, but five seasons of 6.5 bWAR or better reflects Jones’ dominance.
Both Beltran and Jones are likely getting in based on projections. After them, the candidates required more scrutiny …
Félix Hernández: I’ve come around to the idea that a player who dominates his position for a period of years deserves a long look, even if his career totals or WAR appear light. King Félix was arguably the most feared pitcher in baseball for four to five years despite playing on teams that didn’t win enough. His 2010 Cy Young season on a 101-loss Mariners squad was downright filthy. He could have won two more Cy Young Awards had he played on better squads.
Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia: I get the temptation to hold second basemen to a higher standard because Whitaker isn’t in, but if anything, I believe the influx of worthy candidates shines more light on Whitaker’s case. Utley never finished top five in MVP voting, but he had a bWAR of 7.3 or greater in five consecutive seasons, and he was far and away the best player on the 2008 World Series champion Phillies.
Pedroia didn’t have as long of a dominant stretch, but he won Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons, was a key cog on two World Series teams and was an underrated postseason performer for whom opponents had to game plan.
Andy Pettitte, Cole Hamels: I was initially skeptical of Hamels’ case until I got beyond individual honors and focused on the numbers, including four seasons with 5+ bWAR and five more at 4+. He was a workhorse starter for years who still had enough in the tank to be a very good postseason performer despite a lone World Series title.
Pettitte’s postseason track record is also a big factor, painting a similar profile to Morris (No. 6 on his Similar Pitchers list). While Pettitte is connected to PEDs, his admission and explanation make a difference over others who not only denied connections but sought to pressure witnesses, obstruct investigations or file lawsuits.
Bobby Abreu: Like with Hamels, I wasn’t inclined to vote for a player with two All-Star selections and no top-10 MVP seasons until I looked more closely at a player who quietly produced at peak levels for a long time: eight 100-RBI seasons in a nine-year span, seven 40-double seasons, eight seasons with 100-plus walks, nine seasons with 25-plus stolen bases and seven seasons with a 136 OPS+ or better. He ranks in the top 75 all time in walks (1,476, 20th), doubles (574, t-25th), times on base (3,979, 49th), win probability added (48.95, 52nd), runs created (1,708, 52nd), extra-base hits (921, t-62nd) and stolen bases (400, t-74th).
Francisco Rodríguez, Torii Hunter: I covered both players in Detroit near the end of their careers, but this is more about buying more consideration for two players who have stayed just above the threshold to remain on the ballot. K-Rod’s 437 saves rank sixth all-time, and the three eligible players above him are all Hall of Famers. It’s fair to call him one of the most feared, accomplished relievers in the game during his prime. His career ended in his mid-30s, but it also began at an early age with his amazing run for the Angels in 2002 at age 20.
Like Jones, Hunter was one of the best all-around players in the game in his prime. He didn’t have the same career peak, but he was productive well into his 30s.
