2017 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

Vlad certainly wasn't as patient as Bagwell, but holy crap could he hit the ball. He struck out a lot less than Bagwell and walked a lot less, probably because he's the only player I've ever seen who could swing at a bounced pitch expecting to hit it. I mean, he literally hit pitches that had bounced and still batted .318 for his career. It's really quite staggering.

I'd most definitely rather have Vlad in my lineup than Bagwell, but the statistical difference is so much closer than I thought it was.

 

Vlad is the guy I wish I had seen so much more often.

 

Guerrero was probably more fun to watch, but Bagwell was the one I'd want in my lineup.

Part of that was things that are tougher to measure in statistics, such as baserunning and defense. Guerrero made a lot of errors for an outfielder and he was a reckless baserunner. I found this article on ESPN.com. It is funny because the writer admits that the statistical analysis is shaky, especially regarding to baserunning, but uses it anyway. I use it with reservations because it does fit what I remember of the player.

Vladimir Guerrero was one of the worst baserunners ever ... or maybe not

 

Freddy Sanchez?

 

Good thing the rules in place now weren't around for the speed freaks of the good ol days when nobody was taking anything. You would have your very, very small HOF that you are looking for.

 

I always assumed his "big sigh" was a relaxation technique or trigger of some sort rather than any sort of "this job sucks" commentary .

 

I did the same thing. Helps to keep from overcompensating.

 

I did write "like", but he also never showed emotion after a win from what I recall from his time pitching for the Red Sox.

 

Early tracking (12 ballots):

Bagwell, Raines and Pudge are 12 for 12
Hoffman and Vlad are 10 for 12
Bonds, Clemens and Smith are 9 for 12

8 ballots are the full 10, only one is under seven.

 

Apparently the Today's Game Committee will be announcing voting tonight: leaks have Selig being elected to Hall of Fame, waiting on word about others.

 

Today's Game Committee puts Bud Selig and John Scherholtz in the Hall of Fame.

 

12 Votes Needed for Election
John Schuerholz (16 votes, 100%); Bud Selig (15 votes, 93.8%); Lou Piniella (7 votes, 43.8%); Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Mark McGwire and George Steinbrenner each received fewer than five votes.