Bochy might be only ‘lock’ for HOF
Nine years after Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling first appeared on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, the debates surrounding their failed candidacies continue to dominate the sport’s late January dialogue.
For anyone tired of listening to voters explain the annual dilemmas they face or sick of hearing an individual’s views on performance-enhancing drugs or politics, there’s a bit of good news: The 2022 ballot marks the last time any member of the trio will be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, so the conversation will eventually shift.
First, some bad news. Next year’s Hall of Fame cycle figures to be incredibly polarizing as Bonds and Clemens will be joined on the ballot by newcomers Alex Rodríguez and David Ortiz (Schilling requested Tuesday to be removed from next year’s ballot).
Good luck to anyone deciding to stay level-headed while participating in that social media discourse.
For all the controversy that’s bound to ensue from the 2022 Hall of Fame election, there’s also a small milestone that San Francisco Giants fans will appreciate.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum is eligible next
year and will appear on the ballot for the first time.
Lincecum’s arrival marks the first time a player who won three titles as a member of the Giants will be eligible for enshrinement, a significant milestone for a fan base that still adores “The Freak.”
There’s not much of a historical precedent for a pitcher who logged fewer than 1,700 major league innings, recorded only 110 wins and finished his career with a 3.74 ERA making the Hall of Fame, but Lincecum’s presence on the ballot will bring the accomplishments of the Giants’ early 2010s dynasty back into the spotlight.
A year after Lincecum’s Hall of Fame ballot debut, Matt Cain will be eligible for the first time. Cain will have a difficult time receiving enough votes to remain eligible, but it’s fitting the duo of pitchers who helped usher in the Giants’ golden era will soon be mentioned among the sport’s all-time greats again.
Their appearances will set the stage for the Giants’ World Series champions with the best chances to be elected to the Hall of Fame, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.
Posey has one of the most impressive résumés of any catcher in the 21st century, starting for three title-winning clubs, securing a MVP Award, Rookie of the Year honors, six All-Star nods, four Silver Sluggers, a batting title and a Gold Glove. There are few honors Posey hasn’t received as a player, but there are many voters who may object to his enshrinement due to the lack of sustained offensive production through his career.
Entering the 2021 season, Posey has 140 career home runs and 673 career RBIs, which are far fewer than the 932 RBIs nine-time Gold Glove Award winner Yadier Molina racked up in 17 seasons with the Cardinals.
Depending on how much longer Posey plays, it’s possible a lack of longevity and a downward offensive trajectory at the end of his career could hurt his chances. It’s also possible a player Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler have referred to as a “future Hall of Famer” bounces back in a significant way, returning to form as an All-Star caliber catcher who can sway more voters with a late career renaissance.
Like Posey, Bumgarner would certainly benefit in the eyes of voters by performing
at a well above-average rate during the second half of his career. Doing so, as the left-hander learned in a rough 2020 season, will be a considerable challenge for a pitcher who has lost a significant velocity off his fastball and cutter in recent years, but Bumgarner will remain motivated to live up to the terms of the five-year, $85 million contract he signed with Arizona last offseason.
Regardless of how Bumgarner performs into his 30s, he’ll have a case for inclusion in the Hall of Fame on the strength of his postseason achievements. The greatest playoff pitcher of his generation, Bumgarner’s extraordinary 2014 postseason continues to carry weight around the sport, particularly
at a time when many managers are seeking to decrease the workloads of starters in late October.
With Posey and Bumgarner still active, it’s too soon to know how voters will ultimately perceive their candidacies. Will the electorate begin to see 200 wins as the type of milestone achievement 300 wins once was? Will a career .300 average, as Posey boasts, make a difference if he doesn’t hit for much power?
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Giants’ three World Series titles in five seasons is that more than 10 years after their short-lived dynasty began, no players from those championship clubs are considered surefire Hall of Fame locks.
The Giants won their titles as a team, relying on clutch performances from oft-overlooked heroes to grind through juggernauts in each postseason.
The manager, Bruce Bochy, will undoubtedly be headed to Cooperstown and more broadcasters — Kruk & Kuip anyone?— could join Jon Miller as Ford C. Frick Award winners, but it’s entirely possible the players who enjoyed three parades down Market Street will never be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
For now, the only guarantee for the likes of Lincecum, Cain, Posey, Bumgarner and others such as Hunter Pence and Sergio Romo is a spot on the Wall of Fame outside Oracle Park.
That doesn’t feel as if it’s enough to commemorate the most incredible era in Giants history, so if the Hall of Fame never comes calling, the Giants may need to start dreaming up ways to honor the players who lifted the franchise to new heights.