Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot: FanSided’s SoDo Mojo

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