Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot: FanSided’s SoDo Mojo

Before this year’s final Baseball Hall of Fame voting is announced on Tuesday, the SoDo Mojo site experts (Chris O’Day and I) decided we’d take a crack at our own ballots. With several notable first-timers on the ballot, as well as a few controversial names appearing for the final time, this year’s voting has certainly been a story to watch.

For those unfamiliar with the Baseball Hall of Fame voting process – a player becomes eligible for the HoF five years after their last appearance on the field, and can remain on the ballot for the next 10 years as long as they receive at least 5% of votes each year. In order to get in while on the ballot, a player must receive 75% of votes. *Each voter can only select up to 10 players in one ballot.

Before we get into our votes, here are our thoughts on how PED usage should affect a player’s Hall of Fame ineligibility, as it is an undeniably important issue to discuss:

Chris: PED usage is a tough subject, and one with a lot of opinions. I don’t like that people did it, but those who owned up and admitted it earned back a portion of respect for me.

Connor: In my eyes, PED usage is wrong, and there is no excuse for those who broke the rules. However, I also believe humanity is flawed, and those who show remorse for their actions deserve to be forgiven. In regard to how PED usage should affect Hall of Fame voting – yes, repentance is imperative, but I believe that if a player’s PED usage made a significantly positive impact on a player’s career arc, they should not be given entrance into baseball’s most hallowed grounds.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at each SoDo Mojo site expert’s 2022 ballots for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Andruw Jones

Career Accomplishments:

.254/.337/.486, 434 HR, 1,289 RBI, 152 SB

5x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger

Chris: Incredible defender (26.7 dWAR from 97-07), big power, and showed up for the playoffs with a .273/.363/.433 slash line. He gets in for me.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Elite center field defense? Check. Elite power? Check. Elite longevity? Nope. Nine years of stellar defense and big power is certainly impressive, but a mediocre contact/speed combination during that run doesn’t bring him into Hall of Fame consideration for me.

Vote: No

Jeff Kent

Career Accomplishments:

.290/.356/.500, 377 HR, 1,518 RBI

MVP, 5x All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger

Chris: Couple of incredible seasons, and a great 3-year run from 00-02 when he won the MVP in 2000. That he was a second baseman helps him, but for now, he’s a no based on who else is available on the ballot.

Vote: No

Connor: Kent was a fantastic hitter with some impressive longevity, but his defense at second base was well below-average. Take a look at his career fielding numbers (at a non-premier position) and tell me he’s a Hall of Famer.

Vote: No

Tim Lincecum

Career Accomplishments:

110-89, 3.74 ERA, 1,736 K

2x Cy Young, 4x All-Star, 3x World Series Champ

Chris: Is it blasphemous to say he’s sort of the “modern day Koufax”… Half his career was incredible. Multi Cy-Young winner, multi World Series Champ, and dominant. Just didn’t last long.

Vote: No

Connor: “The Freak” was electric on the mound, great with the fans, and clutch in the postseason. However, with only four great years on his resume, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be remembered past this generation of fans.

Vote: No

Justin Morneau

Career Accomplishments:

.281/.348/.481, 247 HR, 985 RBI

MVP, 4x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, Batting Title, HR Derby Champ

Chris: No thanks.

Vote: No

Connor: Morneau put up some nice career numbers, but he was actually quite inconsistent during his career, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Vote: No

Joe Nathan

Career Accomplishments:

64-34, 2.87 ERA, 976 K, 377 Saves, 1.120 WHIP

6x All-Star, Rolaids Reliever of the Year

Chris: Incredible closer, but it’s real hard for them to get in the Hall. Sorry Joe.

Vote: No

Connor: If you take a look at the closers who are currently in the Hall, you’ll see two players who were used primarily in one-inning appearances: Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. Unfortunately, Joe Nathan isn’t anywhere near the level of those guys.

Vote: No

David Ortiz

Career Accomplishments:

.286/.380/.552, 541 HR, 1,768 RBI

10x All-Star, 7x Silver Slugger, 3x World Series Champ, World Series MVP, ALCS MVP, HR Derby Champ

Chris: Big Papi definitely gets the nod. Incredible hitter with some amazing clutch moments, and the second-greatest DH of all-time (much love, Edgar).

Vote: Yes

Connor: Ortiz tested positive for PEDs once during the massive survey testing in 2003, but it’s become common knowledge that “those particular tests were inconclusive because ‘it was hard to distinguish between certain substances that were legal, available OTC, and not banned under MLB’s program'”. He never tested positive again after that, and Ortiz remains steadfast that he tested positive for a substance that was not banned.

As for his career role as a DH-only: I believe the DH is a position, and in that position, you need to hit. I think we can all see that Big Papi did a fine job of hitting throughout his illustrious career, which is exactly what was asked of him.

Vote: Yes

Jonathan Papelbon

Career Accomplishments:

41-36, 2.44 ERA, 808 K, 368 Saves, 1.043 WHIP

6x All-Star, World Series Champ

Chris: Nope. Not even close.

Vote: No

Connor: Same situation as Joe Nathan, and Papelbon wasn’t even as good as Nathan.

Vote: No

Jake Peavy

Career Accomplishments:

152-126, 3.63 ERA, 2,207 K

Cy Young, 2x All-Star, Gold Glove, Pitching Triple Crown, 2x ERA Title, 2x World Series Champ

Chris: Uh-uh.

Vote: No

Connor: In spite of Chris’s brevity, I actually think Peavy makes a decent case. A career K/9 of 8.4 as a starter? Steve Carlton, often thought of as one of the greatest strikeout pitchers of all time, had a career K/9 of 7.1. However, it’s the inconsistency that drives me nuts, so he doesn’t nab my vote.

Vote: No

Andy Pettitte

Career Accomplishments:

256-153, 3.85 ERA, 2,448 K

3x All-Star, 5x World Series Champ, ALCS MVP

Chris: He owned up to what he did. Was also great in the playoffs, and was one of the best all-time at holding runners and picking them off.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Pettitte used Human Growth Hormone (HGH) briefly in 2002 and 2004 while recovering from injury, and admitted to his wrongdoing in 2008 while with the Yankees. I don’t believe HGH made a significantly positive impact on Pettitte’s 16-year career, and that longevity combined with his stellar postseason resume earns a vote from me.

Vote: Yes

A.J. Pierzynski

Career Accomplishments:

.280/.319/.420, 188 HR, 909 RBI

2x All-Star, Silver Slugger, World Series Champ

Chris: He’s actually on the ballot?

Vote: No

Connor: This will probably be Pierzynski’s only year on the ballot. Tough squash.

Vote: No

Manny Ramirez

Career Accomplishments:

.312/.411/.585, 555 HR, 1,831 RBI

12x All-Star, 9x Silver Slugger, Batting Title, 2x World Series Champ, World Series MVP

Chris: Incredibly dangerous hitter, fun to watch, and was great for a long time. From 1995-2008, had an OPS+ of 157, with a .317/.424/.599 slash. He hit 508 of his 555 career homers during that time as well.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Manny Ramirez was… wild. Obviously, the incredible career numbers, postseason excellence, and personality would have made Manny a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but his PED usage and acrimonious split from the Red Sox both put big asterisks on his resume.

Ramirez appeared on the Mitchell Report in 2003, was suspended 50 games in 2009 for previous usage of a women’s fertility drug (which he claimed he took without knowledge that it was banned), and tested positive once again in 2011 when trying to make a comeback to the major leagues. At the end of the day, I believe Ramirez’s positive impact on the sport far outweighed his negative impact, and I don’t think his PED usage drastically improved his career arc.

Vote: Yes

Alex Rodriguez

Career Accomplishments:

.295/.380/.550, 696 HR, 2,086 RBI, 329 SB

3x MVP, 14x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, 2x Gold Glove, Batting Title, World Series Champ

Chris: Sorry A-Rod. How you act about how you play, and the tales you tell do have an affect. It’s why I said yes to Pettitte and no to A-Rod.

Vote: No

Connor: Maybe my saltiness towards A-Rod is driven by his spurn of the Mariners in his 2001 free agency, but either way, there isn’t a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame for someone who made several attempts to cover up his PED usage and actively tried to obstruct MLB’s steroid investigation.

Vote: No

Scott Rolen

Career Accomplishments:

.281/.364/.490, 316 HR, 1,287 RBI, 118 SB

Rookie of the Year, 7x All-Star, 8x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, World Series Champ

Chris: Incredible defender, consistently had good pop, and sneaky speed for a while as well. Great at going gap-to-gap – an easy yes.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Rolen was one of the greatest third baseman of all-time, both offensively and defensively, created his own charity during his playing career, and his name hasn’t come anywhere near a PED scandal. He’s one of the easiest votes on the ballot.

Vote: Yes

Jimmy Rollins

Career Accomplishments:

.264/.324/.418, 231 HR, 936 RBI, 470 SB

MVP, 3x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, World Series Champ

Chris: Impact player all over the field, and seemed to be the leader of those great Phillies teams in the late 2000’s.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Jimmy Rollins had a great career, but a career OPS+ of 95 (where 100 is the league average) doesn’t inspire a vote on my end.

Vote: No

Curt Schilling

Career Accomplishments:

216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3,116 K

6x All-Star, 3x World Series Champ, World Series MVP, NLCS MVP

Chris: Schilling was incredible whenever he stepped to the mound. From Philly to Arizona to Boston, he played an enormous role in being a large part of multiple Championship teams.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Schilling had his fair share of controversies in his career, but none of them centered around cheating. He pitched the lights out in almost every one of his 20 seasons in the big leagues, and he was phenomenal in the playoffs.

Vote: Yes

Gary Sheffield

Career Accomplishments:

.292/.393/.514, 509 HR, 1,676 RBI, 253 SB

9x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, Batting Title, World Series Champ

Chris: This should be a no brainer. He made pitchers nervous from 1992-2005. Every. Single. Year. He’s 36th overall in oWAR all-time. First Ballot, put him in. It’s the right thing to do.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Sheffield had arguably the best bat speed we’ve ever seen, and he was one of the biggest threats at the plate in MLB for 14 seasons. Though it was speculated that he used PEDs, he never actually tested positive, so his candidacy is solid.

Vote: Yes

Sammy Sosa

Career Accomplishments:

.273/.344/.534, 609 HR, 1,667 RBI, 234 SB

MVP, 7x All-Star, 6x Silver Slugger, HR Derby Champ

Chris: Regardless of how I feel about the issues surrounding him while he played, I don’t think the career as a whole is good enough to make it.

Vote: No

Connor: Despite appearing on the Mitchell Report in 2003, Sosa has consistently denied receiving a positive test for any drug at any point in his career. It was an odd way to approach the situation, as appearing on the Mitchell Report meant that a player tested positive for some kind of substance, so it’s difficult to trust Sosa at this point.

Vote: No

Mark Teixeira

Career Accomplishments:

.268/.360/.509, 409 HR, 1,298 RBI

3x All-Star, 5x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, World Series Champ

Chris: If he could’ve stayed healthy during his early 30’s, he would’ve made it. Those injuries robbed us of another 5 years of prime Tex.

Vote: No

Connor: It’s Teixeira’s first year on the ballot, so he’s facing long odds to get in this year. However, his numbers and accolades made him a star in his career, so definitely don’t count him out for a potential future election.

Vote: No

Omar Vizquel

Career Accomplishments:

.272/.336/.352, 2,877 Hits, 404 SB

3x All-Star, 11x Gold Glove

Chris: Although he is 9th all-time in dWAR, the bat wasn’t good. Every single team would take him if they could get that career. It’s not good enough for the HOF, though.

Vote: No

Connor: I’m bewildered that most Hall of Fame voters don’t support Vizquel’s election, as I think 11 Gold Gloves at the game’s most difficult position while collecting almost 3,000 hits and over 400 stolen bases should make him a lock.

Vote: Yes

Billy Wagner

Career Accomplishments:

47-40, 2.31 ERA, 422 Saves, 0.998 WHIP

7x All-Star, Rolaids Reliever of the Year

Chris: Other than an odd injury year in 2000, Wagner was lights out. He never had an ERA over 2.85. Career 11.9 K/9, and 400+ saves. He deserves to be in, and is in a different class of dominance compared to Papelbon and Nathan.

Vote: Yes

Connor: Billy Wagner allowed less than one baserunner per inning and struck out 33% of the batters he faced over the course of his 16-year career. He’s not quite Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman, but he’s earned the right to be the third one-inning closer inducted into the Hall.

Vote: Yes