MLB Hall of Fame: Looking ahead to next year's ballot

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The 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place today and three new members will join the most prestigious club in all of baseball. Let’s take a look at next year’s ballot and who could get in.

The BBWAA voted three new members from the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot into Cooperstown. Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez all receive induction into the Hall of Fame today as the 2017 Hall of Fame class. The ceremony takes place at 1:30 p.m. ET. A broadcast of the event is available on MLB Network.

Raines got into the Hall in his final year of eligibility on the ballot. Although Raines never won the MVP award, he finished in the top 20 of the MVP vote in seven of his 21 seasons. He made the All-Star Game seven times, won a Silver Slugger award, a batting title and two World Series in 1996 and ’98 with the New York Yankees. His career stats include a slash line of .294/.385/.425 with 170 home runs, 980 RBI, 1,571 runs and 808 steals (fifth all-time).

Opposite of Raines, “Pudge” Rodriguez reached immortality in his first year of eligibility. An MVP in 1999, Rodriguez also earned 14 All-Star Game appearances, seven Silver Sluggers and 13 Gold Gloves. He holds the record for most Gold Gloves won by a catcher. He won a World Series in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. In his career, he hit .296/.334/.464 with 311 home runs, 1,332 RBI and 1,354 runs.

Bagwell reached the Hall of Fame in his seventh time on the ballot. The powerful first baseman played his entire 15-year career for the Houston Astros and never won a championship. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1991 and MVP in 1994. He was also a four-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger and a one-time Gold Glove winner. In his 15 seasons, he hit .297/.408/.540 with 449 home runs, 1,529 RBI and 1,517 runs.

After tomorrow’s inductions, the focus shifts to the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot. Let’s take a look at next year’s ballot and who could make it into Cooperstown as the class of 2018.

The Remainders

There are 14 players that move onto the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot after not making it into Cooperstown in 2017.

Trevor Hoffman

One of the greatest closers of all time, Hoffman finished his career with 601 saves. When Hoffman retired, he owned the record for most saves in a career, but he sits second on the list with Mariano Rivera passing him in 2011. They remain the only two closers with at least 500 saves. He held a 2.87 career ERA and struck out 1,133 batters over in 18 seasons. He was also a seven-time All-Star.

On the last ballot, Hoffman received 74 percent of the vote. He missed the Hall by just one percent. He enters his third year on the ballot in 2018.

Vladimir Guerrero

Known for his ability to hit any pitch in any location, Guerrero stood out as one of the most feared hitters during his playing days. The star from the Dominican Republic posted a career slash line of .318/.379/.553 with 449 home runs, 1,496 RBI and 1,328 runs.

Last year, Guerrero got 71.7 percent of the vote. He barely missed out on becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Edgar Martinez

No designated hitter has made the Hall of Fame yet. Martinez looks like he could become the first to do so. In 2017, his eighth time on the ballot, Martinez received 58.6 percent of the vote. His percentage numbers continue to climb each year. He has two more chances to make the Hall by BBWAA vote.

Martinez played his entire career with the Seattle Mariners. He was a seven-time All-Star, a five-time Silver Slugger and a two-time batting title champ. He hit .312/.418/.515 with 309 home runs, 1,261 RBI and 1,219 runs.

Roger Clemens

The Rocket, despite all the steroid connections, continues to edge closer and closer to Cooperstown. He jumped nearly 10 percentage points higher from his time on the 2016 ballot to the 2017 ballot.

Arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Clemens would be in the Hall if it wasn’t for his connection to steroids. Clemens was an 11-time All-Star, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner (record), a seven-time ERA title champ and two-time World Series winner with the New York Yankees. He also won an MVP in 1986. He racked up 4,672 strikeouts in his career (third most in MLB history), along with a 354-184 record (ninth most wins) and a 3.12 ERA.

Barry Bonds

Another great player with steroid ties. Bonds had one of the sweetest swings ever, but like Clemens can’t get into the Hall because of the lack of steroid supporters in the BBWAA. He, too, continues to climb in voting percentage. In 2017, he got 53.8 percent of the vote.

Bonds’ numbers speak for themselves. He owns the MLB home run record at 762. His career slash line sits at .298/.444/.607 with 1,996 RBI (fifth most), 2,227 runs (third most) and 514 stolen bases. Not to mention, teams absolutely feared Bonds. He was once walked with the bases loaded.

The Others

The other nine eligible players that remain on the ballot in 2018 all received less than 52 percent of the vote. They include Mike Mussina (51.8), Curt Schilling (45.0), Manny Ramirez (23.8), Larry Walker (21.9), Fred McGriff (21.7), Jeff Kent (16.7), Gary Sheffield (13.3), Billy Wagner (10.2) and Sammy Sosa (8.6).

First Timers

The next group of players includes some of the many new names that will make the ballot in 2018.

Chipper Jones

One of the greatest switch hitters of all time, Jones makes it on the ballot for the first time in 2018. He hit the most homers by a switch hitter in the NL with 468.

Jones played his whole 17-year career with the Atlanta Braves. He won a World Series with them in 1995. He was a part of the team that won 11 consecutive NL East titles (1995-2005).

For his career, Jones hit .303/.401/.529 with 1,623 RBI and 1,619 runs. He won the NL MVP award in 1999. He was also an eight-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and a one-time batting title champ.

Jim Thome

A powerful third/first baseman, and in the latter half of his career a designated hitter, Thome hit a plethora of home runs. He ranks seventh all-time in home runs with 612.

He doesn’t own the flashy numbers or accolades that the others have, but his home runs should carry him to Cooperstown. Thome made five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger. He hit .276/.402/.554 with 1,699 RBI and 1,583 runs.

Omar Vizquel

One of the best defensive players to play the game, Vizquel covered what seemed like the entire infield while at shortstop. He won 11 Gold Gloves in his 24 seasons. He also made three All-Star teams.

Although his glove was special, his bat didn’t carry the same impact. He hit .272/.336/.352 with 80 home runs, 951 RBI, 1,445 runs and 404 steals. Can his defensive wizardry get him into the Hall one day?

Johan Santana

A dominant lefty for the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, Santana won two Cy Young Awards, three ERA titles and a Gold Glove. He also made the All-Star team four times.

However, elbow problems troubled him throughout his career and limited him to a shorter career. He posted a record of 139-78, a 3.20 ERA and 1,988 strikeouts. He also threw the first and only no-hitter in New York Mets history.

His numbers might not make the case for Cooperstown, but he was one of the best during his time when healthy.

Others

Predictions

So who gets into the 2018 Hall of Fame class?

Trevor Hoffman
Vlad Guerrero
Chipper Jones
Jim Thome

For the second time in four years, four new players find themselves inducted into the Hall of Fame via the BBWAA vote. Two first-ballot men make it, one second-ballot and a third-ballot.

Hoffman becomes the sixth closer to make it to Cooperstown, joining Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Rich Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm.

Guerrero joins Pedro Martinez and Juan Marichal as the only members of the Hall of Fame from the Dominican Republic. The big question for Guerrero is whether he enters as an Anaheim Angel or Montreal Expo.

Jones and Thome both jump into the Hall with first-year eligibility. And as a group, they make up one of the top Hall of Fame classes ever.

Next: Magic Johnson guarantees Dodgers' World Series win

With four members joining in 2018, three in 2017, two in 2016, four in 2015 and three in 2014, that would make 16 new members since 2013, the year the BBWAA voted in no players to the Hall of Fame.

Statistics and Hall of Fame information courtesy of Baseball Reference.

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MLB Hall of Fame: Looking ahead to next year’s ballot