2021 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

I really don't understand the need for "in-person" meeting for the old-timers - unless those voting/deciding are Zoom-incapable.

 

Ballot is out. It is smaller than usual, just 25 names:

Bobby Abreu
Barry Bonds
Mark Buehrle
A.J. Burnett
Roger Clemens
Michael Cuddyer
Dan Haren
LaTroy Hawkins
Todd Helton
Tim Hudson
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Jeff Kent
Andy Pettitte
Aramis Ramírez
Manny Ramirez
Scott Rolen
Curt Schilling
Gary Sheffield
Sammy Sosa
Nick Swisher
Shane Victorino
Omar Vizquel
Billy Wagner
Barry Zito

 

Who the hell is Steven Marcus? I mean, besides an idiot.

 

A lot HOFers when it comes to having problems/being a-holes with the media on that list,

 

He wrote this two years ago:

 

In no way do I think he's a HoFer but Bobby Abreu was a heck of a good player.

 

If you have a slash line that has the following over a long career, you’re HOF .3xx/.4xx/.5xx. Period. End of story. Add 12 time All Star. WS MVP. 9 Silver Slugger. Don’t vote for him means you don’t know much about baseball. And you probably got your job on your knees

it’s time to end the charade. Bonds McGwire Clemens are all HOF.

under the Harold Baines rule it’s time to let in the Hall of Very Good or make a clear stand that it was close to an abomination and set the bar even higher.

 

Google says the guy is a former baseball writer for Newsday-LI. How does a former baseball writer still get to vote? Or not vote, in this case?

 

He had eight seasons of 100+ walks, and another of 94, a .395 OBP and an .870 OPS, with almost 300 homers and exactly 400 stolen bases. I'd agree, a very, very good player who was undervalued by most fans of his era.

 

There's easily 10 HOFers on that ballot. When you keep letting people like that vote, all you are doing is making the Hall itself less meaningful.

 

After Schilling (if anybody) this year and David Ortiz in 2022, who else gets in over these next three years? I can see Wagner getting a bump if voters also like K-Rod as the most electable newcomer in 2023, but not enough for either to get in yet. Will the closers then be hurt by sure-fire guys joining the ballot in 2024 (Beltre) and 2025 (Ichiro)?