Breaking down the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot

It is that time of year once again. The 2022 Hall of Fame ballot has officially been announced, with 30 players hoping to get the call that means immortality. Ballots are already starting to trickle in, and while it will be weeks until the official results are announced, hope springs eternal.

Of course, that hope is a lot stronger for some players on the ballot. For the vast majority of the 13 newcomers, the hope is to just get a vote or two, an acknowledgment that their careers were solid enough to warrant consideration. Enshrinement may not happen, but that does not change how solid of a career these players had.

A closer look at the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot

For four other players, this is the last chance to be voted in. They have come to the end of their ten years on the ballot, and would need to be inducted by the Veteran’s Committee otherwise. The rest of the players may have more time, but no one wants to wait until the last moment to get that call.

This year, 30 players are hoping to get the call from the Hall of Fame to become immortalized. Let’s take a closer look at the ballot.

One and done

Mark Teixeira, Carl Crawford, Jake Peavy, Justin Morneau, Prince Fielder, Joe Nathan, Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Papelbon, A.J. Pierzynski, Ryan Howard

This is an impressive group of players. We have former Cy Young winners, All Stars, MVPs, and players that made history. We also have a group of players with almost no chance of having a second year on the ballot.

Maybe some of these players will get a vote or two. A couple of them may even come close to reaching that 5% threshold to remain on the ballot for another year. But that does not change the fact that their careers, no matter how noteworthy, are simply not Hall of Fame caliber.

Each of these players had a solid career worthy of being remembered. But the only way they should find their way into Cooperstown is with a ticket.

Surviving for another day

Scott Rolen, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Tim Hudson, Jimmy Rollins

It is entirely possible that several players from this group end up being inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point. Likewise, it is entirely possible that at least one of these players falls off the ballot, perhaps as quickly as this year.

Of that group, Rolen likely takes the biggest jump towards induction. His excellent defense and steady offense have finally started to receive the attention they deserve as his vote total has jumped by more than 35% in the past two years. If he can receive that type of increase in votes again this year, he will be right on the cusp of induction.

Vizquel may be the most problematic of these players for the voters. The slick fielding shortstop would seemingly have a strong case based on his defense alone, but off the field issues cloud his candidacy. His wife had accused him of domestic abuse when she began divorce proceedings in December 2020, and in August 2021, a former batboy for the Birmingham Barons accused Vizquel of sexual harassment. He had already lost votes due to the abuse allegations in December 2020, and is likely to lose more votes due to the latest accusations.

For the most part, these players are going to fall into the Hall of Very Good. These are the players who had a solid career, and deserve to stay on the ballot, but will not get much traction. Maybe, down the line, when their careers are reviewed in the coming decades, that will change. But for now, the majority of these players will remain on the ballot, but fall short of the Hall of Fame.

The PED users

Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez

It is amazing how PED usage, or the suspected usage thereof, can impact a player’s chances at the Hall of Fame.

It is unlikely that either Sheffield, Ramirez, or Rodriguez are voted into the Hall. While Sheffield never failed a PED test, both Ramirez and Rodriguez did – twice. However, all three will fall under the same stigma, leaving their candidacies with little traction.

Then there are Pettitte and Ortiz. Both failed PED tests according to the Mitchell Report, but that stigma does not appear to have carried over. Pettitte issued an apology and admitted to using those substances to get back on the diamond. Ortiz claimed that he did not use them and that he would find out exactly why he failed that test. We are still waiting for that explanation.

While Pettitte may not be a Hall of Fame caliber player, Ortiz has a lot of momentum. His PED usage, which disqualified other candidates from being inducted on the first ballot, is somehow not a problem. His personality helps, as he is the beloved Big Papi, but the general hypocrisy of such voters is astounding.

What of the other PED users on the ballot? They are in the next section.

On their final year

Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa

It is now or never for these four players. Either they are voted in by the BBWAA this season, or they come off the ballot, their hopes resting with the Veteran’s Committee.

Each of these players has flaws. Bonds and Clemens are considered the poster children of the PED Era, two of the greatest players that the game has ever seen, but their accomplishments have been called into question due to potential chemical enhancement. Sosa was essentially convicted in the court of public perception when he “forgot” how to speak English during a Congressional hearing in 2005.

Then there is Schilling. His politics, antagonistic attitude towards the media, constant homophobic, racist, and transphobic remarks, and defrauding of the State of Rhode Island for $75 million have kept him out of the Hall of Fame. After falling short last year, Schilling demanded to be taken off the ballot, saying that he did not want to be considered any longer, a request that was denied.

Maybe that will change this year. Maybe this time, these players will get those needed votes to surpass the 75% threshold, their punishment from the writers at an end. It is entirely possible, although Sosa is not going to gain that many votes.