The list of players upon which the BBWAA can vote for Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2016 is now out, and the debates about sabermetrics, and PEDs, and ballot limits, and all manner of (fun) ridiculousness can begin.
First, the list of holdovers from last year’s ballot who did not receive enough votes for the Hall (requires that the player be named on 75% of the ballots cast):
Mike Piazza (69.9)
Jeff Bagwell (55.7)
Tim Raines (55.5)
Curt Schilling (39.2)
Roger Clemens (37.5)
Barry Bonds (36.8)
Lee Smith (30.2)
Edgar Martinez (27.0)
Alan Trammell (25.1)
Mike Mussina (24.6)
Jeff Kent (14.0)
Fred McGriff (12.9)
Larry Walker (11.8)
Gary Sheffield (11.7)
Mark McGwire (10.0)
Sammy Sosa (6.6)
Nomar Garciaparra (5.5)
Sammy Sosa will be at risk for falling off the ballot this time around. Ultimately, when I consider everything, including the era, I think Sosa probably deserves to be a “Hall of Very Good” type, rather than a “Hall of Famer” type – and that’s without getting into the PED stuff. Lee Smith, the other guy in whom you may have a personal voting interest, is simply not ever going to get there via the voters.
It’s fair to wonder if guys like Bonds and Clemens will get another bump, as attitudes continue to shift. Piazza will likely get in this time around, and maybe Bagwell and Raines finally get more serious support.
And the group of newly-eligible players:
Garrett Anderson
Brad Ausmus
Luis Castillo
David Eckstein
Jim Edmonds
Troy Glaus
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Mark Grudzielank
Mike Hampton
Trevor Hoffman
Jason Kendall
Mike Lowell
Mike Sweeney
Billy Wagner
Randy Winn
Griffey is a no-brainer, and Hoffman might get the support, too.
The results of the vote will be revealed on MLB Network on January 6.