Trends don’t look good for a ’21 Fame class
The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results will be revealed Tuesday night, and it’s looking like a real possibility nobody will be voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for the first time since 2013.
In their ninth and penultimate year on the ballot, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling are the top holdovers, needing to receive 75% of the vote to earn a spot in Cooperstown, New York.
Others receiving significant support include Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, Gary Sheffield and Billy Wagner.
A number of writers in the USA TODAY Network are Hall of Fame voters and their selections in 2021 project a wide variety of opinions on the worthiness of the candidates.
Here’s a look at who the eligible USA TODAY Network reporters and editors voted for this year.
Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter
Gabe Lacques (@GabeLacques): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Scott Rolen,
Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield Same as it ever was.
Bonds’ and Clemens’ annual, nominal gains make this feel like an exercise in futility, one that will come to a close in 2022.
Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Scott Rolen, Sammy Sosa, Billy Wagner
On my first Hall of Fame ballot, I’m casting a wide net. I pay particular attention to a player’s peak, which opens the door for Jones, Sosa and Helton. My dividing line on the PED issue is when MLB instituted league-wide testing in 2004. That’s why Bonds and Clemens make the cut and Manny Ramirez doesn’t. The toughest call for me is with Schilling, whose career accomplishments put him above the line, but whose post-career behavior has been over the line. In the end, character is part of the voting criteria, but in trying to be as objective as possible, a candidate’s playing career is what I weigh most heavily.
Peter Barzilai (@ByPeterBarzilai): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa
Pete Caldera (@PCaldera): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Omar Vizquel
The issue of PEDs lingers, but a Hall without Bonds or Clemens enshrined is hard to reconcile, Ramirez was the most fearsome right-handed hitter of his time and Sheffield’s slugging rings authentic. Vizquel’s wondrous glove work over a lengthy period and Schilling’s historic strikeouts-to-walks ratio and postseason excellence rate entry to Cooperstown.
Mark Faller (@FallerAZ): Todd Helton, Scott Rolen, Gary Sheffield, Omar Vizquel
Paul Daugherty (@EnquirerDoc): Curt Schilling, Omar Vizquel
Schilling was the hardest yay vote I’ve ever made. Not for his politics, though they don’t help him. His career was borderline HOF. I try not to put too much weight on postseason heroics, because it’s not a fair measure given appearances in October vary so widely. What turned it for me was Schilling’s ERA+ and his WAR, which is 26th best in history, among pitchers. There were also the strikeouts and his forever willingness to take the ball. I didn’t like voting for him. But I did.
Vizquel owned 11 Gold Gloves and 2,877 hits. He was better than Ozzie Smith in nearly every offensive category, save stolen bases. That’s good enough for me.
Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Todd Helton, Jeff Kent, Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones
My first ballot was no cakewalk. Zero no-brainer picks (i.e. a Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera or Ken Griffey Jr.) and plenty of controversial ones. But I feel comfortable with my choices.