MLB Hall of Fame: Looking ahead to next year’s ballot
By Anthony Sosa
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).