International Players on the 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot
By Tim Boyle
Aug 7, 2014; Frisco, TX, USA; Former Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez watches the game between the Frisco Rough Riders and the Springfield Cardinals from the dugout at Dr Pepper Ballpark. Springfield beat Frisco 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last 20-plus years, Major League Baseball has fully embraced international players. Players from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Japan, and anywhere else baseball can be found have sent their best to play in the most competitive league in the world. It’™s not a completely new phenomenon to see international players in starting lineups everywhere. We will learn exactly what this means for baseball with the 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot.
When the new calendars for 2017 are placed up on bedroom walls, one thing to look forward to is a Hall of Fame class that includes a lot of international players. Many of the prominent first year eligible players for 2017 election are foreign-born. The three most likely to get enshrined are Ivan Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, and Manny Ramirez.
Born in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez is a lock to get into the Hall of Fame. His defense alone bears serious consideration. The 13 Gold Gloves he won are complemented greater by his career 2,844 hits. Rodriguez also won the 1999 American League MVP and a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003.
Although he was never quite as popular as Rodriguez, Guerrero has everything a Hall of Famer needs in terms of individual numbers. He finished his career with 449 home runs, 2,590 hits, and a .318 batting average. Only because he spent the first part of his career with the forgotten Montreal Expos was he rarely a focal point of the media. A native to the Dominican Republic, Guerrero belongs in Cooperstown and has a good chance at getting what he deserves.
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Finally, there’s Ramirez. Another son of the Dominican Republic, he grew up in New York City, but still qualifies as an international-born player. Ramirez certainly belongs in Cooperstown if baseball skills from an unbiased BBWAA were the only things to be considered. He hit 555 home runs in his career and was absolutely vital in winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. The problem with Ramirez, though, is his link to PEDs and other personal issues. He will have to hope voters believe that anything he did wrong was just “Manny being Manny.”
In terms of the Hall of Fame’s history, we have yet to see a huge influx of international players enshrined in Cooperstown. The first was Roberto Clemente in 1973. The second came along 10 years later when Juan Marichal got the call.
In a new century where it’s been common to see an entire outfield made up of international players, we are about to see the best of the bunch born outside the United States start entering the Hall of Fame on a more regular basis.
So far the only time we have seen more than one international player elected in the same year was in 2011. That year, Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were inducted into Cooperstown. Alomar is a native of Puerto Rico, while Blyleven was born in the Netherlands.
It’s possible all of the aforementioned Rodriguez, Guerrero and Ramirez trio receive enough votes to be part of 2017 Hall of Fame class together. This would make it the biggest international induction in history.
Other notable first time eligible players for 2017 born outside of the United States include Edgar Renteria, Magglio Ordonez, Javier Vazquez, and Jorge Posada. None of these four are first ballot players.
Eventually, a time will come when international players in the Hall of Fame is nothing unique. At the rate foreign-born players are reaching the big leagues, an international airport in the small district of Cooperstown may not be such an overly ambitious idea.