Delaying Hall ceremony may prop up 2021 class
While Major League Baseball is doing its best to salvage a season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, some familiar staples have fallen by the wayside.
For example, the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York, would have taken place on Sunday, celebrating the accomplishments of Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller.
(Instead, Jeter joined fellow Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera (2019) and Joe Torre (2014) in a live chat on the Hall’s Facebook page.)
But if there’s a silver lining to the one-year delay in the Cooperstown induction ceremonies, it’s that the Class of 2021 may not have anywhere close to that kind of star power.
In fact, it’s possible no one on next year’s ballot will receive the 75% support from the Baseball Writers Association of America needed for election.
The top three returning vote-getters are all controversial figures. Curt Schilling (70%), Roger Clemens (61%) and
Barry Bonds (60.7%) have seen their vote totals increase in recent years, but getting over the hump could be a tall order given the steadfastness of their critics. Schilling seems to have the best chance with his progression of yes votes going 45%, 51%, 61% to 70%. Then again, there’s always a chance any potential swing voters will make all three wait another year, when they reach their final season of eligibility.
In addition, the past two years have seen slam-dunk candidates Jeter and Rivera in their first year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
There’s no one quite like that this time around – with the most accomplished first-timers being pitchers Mark Buehrle and Tim Hudson, plus outfielder Torii Hunter. (None of those three has a career WAR total higher than recent first-time candidates Kenny Lofton, Kevin Brown and Jim Edmonds – who didn’t even get the 5% needed to stay on the ballot.)
So rather than a repeat of 2013, when the BBWAA didn’t elect anyone, perhaps the 2021 Cooperstown ceremony will seem like more of a celebration than a letdown.