2020’S NEW CANDIDATES
NEW YORK – A day after his unanimous election to baseball’s Hall of Fame last week, Mariano Rivera was still trying to grasp the reality of going 425for-425 on the writers’ ballots.
“One hundred percent … it’s hard to comprehend,” he said.
At the St. Regis Hotel, Cooperstown’s Class of 2019 held its first formal gathering, with Rivera, 49, sharing the stage with Mike Mussina (50), Edgar Martinez (45) and family members of Roy Halladay (who died at 40 in 2017).
Now, moving into the Hall’s on-deck circle, is the last Yankees’ captain.
Jeter will have one chance at matching Rivera in the 100 Percent Club. His remarkable career includes those same five Yankees’ World Series championships as Rivera’s, along with a World Series MVP, the most hits in franchise history and a slew of important awards.
But no one, including Rivera, was certain that the iconic Yankees’ closer would pitch a perfect game with the voters.
“I tell you, I only did my job and I treat people the way people need to be treated,” Rivera said. “I respect all the writers .... I respect their job and they respect my job. I made time for everybody. I assume that has to be a part of (why all 425 voters cast their ballots for him). I wanted to give my best.”
In a Players’ Tribune essay congratulating his longtime teammate, Jeter gave an admiring nod to Rivera’s straightforward approach and his Hall of Fame pitch.
“(Everybody) knew he was going to throw that cutter,” Jeter said. “And it wouldn’t matter. Because Mo wasn’t trying to trick you. And in the end, like it or not, he was going to flat-out beat you.”
Mussina received 63.5 percent of the vote in 2018 and felt it would be a tough climb to make the 75 percent threshold needed for election. He received a 76.6 percent share this year.
He had a unique decision about which team to represent in the Hall. As an Oriole, Mussina posted a 147-81 record (.645 winning percentage) with a 3.53 ERA. As a Yankee, Mussina went 123-72 (.631) with a 3.88 ERA.
“Right now, I couldn’t choose one over the other. They’re both instrumental to me sitting here,” Mussina said.
All five of Mussina’s All-Star seasons were in Baltimore, but he pitched on two pennant winners in the Bronx. The ultimate decision rests with Hall officials, though the player has input. “We’ll take a little bit of time here to talk it over with the Hall of Fame and with the people there,” Mussina said. “And I think all of us put together will come to the right decision.”
On Jan. 25, it was announced his plaque would not include a logo on his cap.
High-profile holdovers who could join Jeter include Roger Clemens (59.5 percent this year), Barry Bonds (59.1), Curt Schilling (60.9) and Larry Walker (54.6).
Bonds and Clemens are forever entwined in their Hall candidacies, which began in 2013. While they’ve enjoyed incremental gains over seven years on the ballot — Clemens debuted at 37.6 percent in 2013 and rose to 57.3 percent last year and Bonds began with 36.2 percent and was at 56.4 percent in 2018 — the results indicate a slog toward the 75 percent needed for induction that likely will come down to the wire.
While the two have Hall of Fame-worthy statistics and were by far the best players in their generation, if not in the modern era, their careers have been clouded by their association with performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds is the all-time USA TODAY SPORTS TOM SZCZERBOWSKI/ USA TODAY SPORTS
home run king with 762 and a seven-time MVP. Clemens won 354 games, which ranks third all time, and is a seven-time Cy Young winner.
Bonds was involved in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) doping scandal in the latter part of his career, but he denied any link. Clemens, who was named by his personal trainer Brian McNamee as a steroid user, denied PED use during a congressional hearing and, later, a federal trial.
If they don’t get in within the next three years, chances are referred to an appointed electorate, the Today’s Game Era Committee, for consideration. In December, the committee elected candidates Harold All-Star, 2005 ALCS MVP. Baines and Lee Smith. Here are the top newcomers on next year’s ballot ranked by career Wins Against Replacement:
— .310 career average, 3,465 hits, 14-time All-Star, 5-time World Series champion
— .395 career OBP, 8 seasons with 200+ hits, 2-time All-Star. — 2000 AL MVP, .916 career OPS, 440 home runs, 5-time All-Star.
— 2008 AL Cy Young, 4-time All-Star, 2.52 ERA in 11 postseason starts.
— 3-time All-Star, 2000 NL Rookie of the Year, 314 steals. — 6-time Gold Glove winner.
— 3-time All-Star, 7-3 with 3.07 ERA in 14 postseason games, 2003 World Series MVP.
— 2-time All-Star
— 7-time All-Star, four 30-30 seasons, fourth player in history with 40-40 season (2006).
— 7 seasons with 30+ home runs, 6-time