Borges’ HOF ballot: Jeter and juicers
I’ve always found it funny how some people see Derek Jeter as this overachiever who relied on fundamentals (and great teammates) for much of his success. Captain Intangibles, he’s been called.
It’s as though when Jeter lined up alongside A-Rod as the left side of the Yankees’ infield for a decade, he was the scrappy go-getter while A-Rod was the superstar with otherworldly talent.
Fact is, Jeter was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft — a year before A-Rod was the No. 1 overall selection. A lot was expected from Jeter from the jump (throw), and boy did he deliver: 3,465 hits (No. 6 all-time), 14-time all-star, five-time world champion, World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-Star Game MVP. He never won regular-season MVP, but he probably should have in 2006 (.343) and could have
in 1998 (.324) and 2009 (.334).
And, of course, there was the clutch play and flair for the dramatic: the jump throw, the flip play, the Mr. November home run, the Jeffrey Maier home run, the 3,000th-hit home run, the walk-off in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat.
When trying to define pornography more than 50 years ago, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said he couldn’t, “But I know it when I see it.”
I can’t precisely define what a Baseball Hall of Famer is, either. But I know one when I see one. Derek Jeter is a Hall of Famer. That’s an easy one.
Jeter is the only one of 18 new names on this year’s ballot that got my vote. Paul Konerko, who lived part of his youth in Connecticut, is a White Sox Hall of Famer, but not a Cooperstown. Cliff Lee and Alfonso Soriano were worthy of a look, but didn’t do enough. Josh Beckett was on that track but fell off quickly. Jason Giambi, too. Bobby Abreu? Chone Figgins? J.J. Putz? No.
Jeter is also the only new player I voted for. My other five votes went to players I voted for last year and, for the most part, the past few years: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling,
Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa. All five spark controversy and heated debate, but here’s my explanation on each one.
Bonds and Clemens: The National Baseball Hall of Fame isn’t complete without these two in it. They are immortal players. Steroids, unfortunately, likely played a role in getting them there, but they were both Hall of Famers long before they were suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame. Ted Simmons is in the Hall of Fame. A man named Rabbit Maranville is in the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall of Fame.
Schilling: If you don’t believe Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer because of his on-field accomplishments, that’s fair. “Only” 216 wins in 20 seasons. Never a Cy Young winner. OK. He does rank 15th all-time in strikeouts (3,116), probably should have won the Cy in 2004 (21-6, 3.24 ERA), and I believe his postseason dominance — 11-2, 2.23 ERA, 2001 World Series MVP, bloody sock, three-time world champ — more than puts him over the top. But if you think he falls a bit short as a Hall of Famer, that’s a fair argument.
If you don’t believe he’s a Hall of Famer because of his political leanings and social media rants, however, that’s just plain wrong. Vote for what he did on the field. In my opinion, the story of baseball can’t be written without Curt Schilling. He belongs in Cooperstown.
Ramirez and Sosa: Here’s where things get tricky. Ramirez is the greatest right-handed hitter in my lifetime. An RBI machine. 555 career homers. Part of the most fearsome 3-4 tandem (with David Ortiz) of the 2000s. Sosa hit 609 career homers. His 1998 Home Run Chase with Mark McGwire was one of the most memorable seasons in the sport. He was one of the few baseball players who was actually bigger than the game at one point.
Ramirez was busted for PED use twice late in his career, and also allegedly was on the 2003 list of players who failed tests. Sosa was also on that list, and there isn’t a person alive who believes his three 60plus homer seasons from ‘98 to 2001 weren’t fueled by ’roids.
The PED debate is so frustrating and can take so many turns that I’ve thrown my hands up in the air and believe we should let them all in, if they’re otherwise deserving. We don’t know who did or didn’t use. Without question, some current Hall of Famers used steroids. We don’t even know if the guys who aren’t in who everyone believes would be in if they had cheated didn’t actually cheat. It’s confusing.
Steroids happened, unfortunately. Ramirez is the
easier pick because he was simply a better all-around hitter than Sosa, who was more of a slugger. But if I vote for Bonds and Clemens, it’s hard to use steroids as an excuse not to vote for Ramirez and Sosa.
There are other worthy candidates on this year’s ballot. Larry Walker, in his final season of eligibility, is getting a lot of love. But he’s a career .278 hitter outside of Coors Field and was hampered throughout his career by injuries. He got 20.8 percent of the vote the first time he was on the ballot in 2011, and now it’s supposed to be a grave injustice if he doesn’t get in? Not sure how he improved so much over the past 10 years without playing a single out.
“I know it when I see it,” and I just didn’t quite see it in 2011, or in 2020.
Andy Pettitte is interesting. Some great postseason performances, but some real clunkers, too. And was he ever even the best starter on his staff ? Gary Sheffield has the numbers, but was never truly a transformative player. Omar Vizquel? Jeff Kent? Todd Helton? Andruw Jones? No. Scott Rolen? Billy Wagner? Not even close.
WAIT ‘TIL NEXT YEAR?
Which brings us to one final point. Next year, there will be no first-time candidates
on the ballot who are shoo-in Hall of Famers. Tim Hudson, Mark Buerhle, Torii Hunter and Barry Zito each had very, very good careers, but it’s hard to think any of those — or others — are Hall of Famers.
Assuming Bonds and Clemens don’t get voted in this year — and it appears to be trending that way — could next year be the year they get in? Schilling may still be on the ballot, too, and maybe guys like Vizquel and Kent get more love. But maybe the ninth time will be the charm for Bonds and Clemens.
Voters who didn’t want to sully the inductions of Jeter or Mariano Rivera or Ken Griffey, Jr. in recent years won’t have to worry about that next year. The voting rolls could continue to shake out some old-timers, who tend to vote against the PED guys, and younger, new voters tend to side with Bonds and Clemens.
Maybe next year is finally the year for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Or maybe it will be the following year, their final year of eligibility, when they’ll be joined by A-Rod and Big Papi on the ballot.
Wow, that’ll be an interesting vote.