Wednesday, January 9, 2013

My Hall of Fame Ballot

With the upcoming Hall of Fame Induction, I'll show you my who I'd vote for.
First Edgar Martinez. Edgar is the 2nd Greatest DH to ever play the game. People complain that he he didn't field so he shouldn't get in, well closers pitch a single inning and are expected to get in. Edgar is only behind David Ortiz in the DH category. His clutch play in the 1995 playoffs against the Yankees has to play into it. And his lifetime on-base percentage.
Second Craig Biggio. Biggio has the instant entry 3000 hits. He also has almost 700 doubles. Multiple Gold Gloves and played many positions. He was durable and reliable. Not as clutch as Edgar, but a definate Hall of Famer.
Third, Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell fell short of the 500 home run mark, but had a lifetime on-base percentage of over 400. He had Gold Gloves and a Rookie of the Year award. I believe he was an all natural player like Edgar Martinez. I don't believe he was a PED guy.
Fourth Larry Walker. Here's another man suspected of PED use. Well then the rest of the Rockies were on them too. Oh wait, it's the stadium that caused those home runs. If you deny him entrance because of the ballpark, you have to do it for guys like Todd Helton.
Fifth, Mike Piazza. Never proven to have taken PEDs, people still suspect him. But that all it is, suspection. He was by far the greatest offensive catcher of all time. Never the best defender, that didn't stop the Mets or the Dodgers from winning. He also had the greatest single season for a catcher, where he had 200 hits, 40 home runs and a .360 batting average.
Sixth Fred McGriff. The Crime Dog also missed the 500 home run make. That doesn't mean anything. He was reliable, durable and powerful. He wasn't the guy to crush 500 foot home runs, but that's because he wasn't on PEDs. He was a clean player and unleashed great offence.
Seventh Tim Raines. One of the greatest lead-off hitters ever. Only behind Ricky Henderson and Lou Brock as lead off men. He has 800 stolen bases and was a 7x All-Star.
Eigth, Lee Smith. Once the all time saves leader until Rivera and Hoffman. Lee Smith not only had good stuff, he was an imposing pressence on the mound. He's third all time in saves and has a career ERA of 3.03.
Ninth, Steve Finley. He didn't reach the 3000 hit club, but he had 2500. He also had 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. A 5x Gold Golver and a consistant performer. His OPS is lacking, but he still gets my vote.
Finally, Roger Clemens. The only man on my Ballot connected to PEDs. His trainer testified that he started doing PEDs when he joined the Blue Jays. Okay, then as a Red Sox he's still a Hall of Famer. He had 192 wins with the Red Sox, tied with Cy Young for the franchise record. He also had 3 Cy Young awards an MVP and 2500 strikeouts. Those numbers should normally put you in the Hall of Fame. But even if we believe he used PEDs it was never proven. His case is similar to Barry Bonds. Bonds was fantastic before he started using PEDs. But Bonds used PEDs to break records and be the best, if Clemens did PED he did it so he could keep playing. He loved the game and still does. He's a humbled family man now. A man who cried when honored by the Red Sox as their second greatest pitcher all time. If we ignored the fact he's connected to PEDs he is one of the top ten pitchers all time. That's I pick Roger.
Now I mentioned Barry Bonds. Like I said, Bonds did PEDs to be the best. Like McGuire, like Sosa and like Consaco. But I have more respect for McGuire and Sosa. They may have been on PEDs but they saved baseball with the home run race. McGuire went on to admit his use and his regret of using PEDs even though it will cost him entrance into the Hall of Fame. That means alot in my book.
So tell me your picks for Hall of Fame.