This year, voters for the MLB Hall of Fame have the option to make their ballots public. This needs to become mandatory going forward.
Over the years, there have been ballots for the MLB Hall of Fame that made no sense. We have seen writers like Murray Chass submit a blank ballot, and players like Tom Seaver and Ken Griffey Jr left off of ballots. However, those writers who left those players off their ballots were able to avoid scrutiny, as the ballots have been private.
This past year, that changed. Ballots were set to be made public this year, before that changed. Instead, writers could opt in to having their ballot available for all to see, and to face the criticism that comes with determining who is worthy of the MLB Hall of Fame. Perhaps that criticism is why those writers want their ballots to remain anonymous.
In some way, there is a faction of the voters who seem to regard themselves as some sort of Guardians of the Hall. Only they should be privileged enough to know who they voted for, and how dare anyone question their judgement. The Hall is theirs alone, and but for the grace of the trustees, those plebeians who are not as privileged as they would not be allowed within those hallowed halls.
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It is that kind of thinking that hurts the sport. We see that as ballots come in with only Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel receiving votes, because somehow, Chipper Jones is not worthy of enshrinement. But at least that one was made public.
The MLB Hall of Fame is a constant source of conversation amongst baseball fans. We look at the players as they progress through their careers, and speculate as to who will eventually be enshrined. When the ballots come out, we all delight in looking at the candidates, wondering who will be inducted. We wonder if this is the year that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens break through, with the PED Era finally being enshrined. And we wonder if we will ever see a player voted into the Hall unanimously.
In refusing to make those ballots public, we miss out on a portion of that discourse. Instead, we are reminded, over and over, that the BBWAA is a really cool club, and we are not part of it. How dare we demand to see what happens behind the curtain – just be grateful that we get the results of the elections.
Next: Breaking down the Hall of Fame ballot
The MLB Hall of Fame is a place for the fans. A part of making sure it remains that way is by making the votes public for all the fans to see and discuss.