The Baseball Hall Ballot Newbies

Here are the latest to be added to the ballot this year:


Brady Anderson, Rod Beck, Shawon Dunston, Chuck Finley, Travis Fryman, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch, Robb Nen, Tim Raines, Jose Rijo and Todd Stottlemyre.

The five-year wait was lifted for Beck.

I can see Raines, Justice, Knoblauch and Nen getting enough votes to stay on the ballot with only Raines deserving to.

 

My ballot:

Brady Anderson, Rod Beck, Shawon Dunston, Chuck Finley, Travis Fryman, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch, Robb Nen, Tim Raines, Jose Rijo and Todd Stottlemyre.

 

You could argue that Raines is the only one in that group that deserves consideration. I always liked Justice, but no way does he deserve to be in the HOF.

 

Raines definitely belongs. Criminally underrated.

It amuses me that the 5-year wait was lifted for Beck. Somewhere in heaven, Beck is throwing back a Hamm's with a grin on his face flipping off baseball for a "tribute" that is likely to end in his getting an obligatory vote or two from a writer he was friendly with.

 

Talk about a weak first ballot listing. Agreed on Raines, though. He's the only legit one in my mind.

 

Good news for Goose Gossage and Jim Rice

 

Yep. Raines had about 10 seasons better than Jimmy Rollins' "MVP" season.

 

Exactly. If they're going to get in, this is the year.

Raines is the only one worth a second look, though he won't get in on this try -- if at all. Really, the only thing that sticks out on his resume is his stolen-base total: 808. Raines had a .294 average, 2,605 hits and is a seven-time All-Star, so he might get in eventually. I just don't think this is his year.

The list is short, but of the 10 players in big-league history with at least 700 steals, four are not in the Hall -- though Henderson will be when he's eligible.

1. Rickey Henderson, 1406
2. Lou Brock, 938
3. Billy Hamilton, 912
4. Ty Cobb, 892
5. Tim Raines, 808
6. Vince Coleman, 752
7. Eddie Collins, 744
8. Arlie Latham, 739
9. Max Carey, 738
10. Honus Wagner, 722

 

Word.

 

Don't forget Bert, dammit!

 

I've been arguing him since fucking high school. I hope that debate ends in January.

 

My first thoughts, too.

And like Bubbler said, Raines is criminally underrated. You see Coleman's name there, right under Raines on the stolen base list, and you might think they had similar careers because they were similar players. Not even close. Coleman racked up more than half of his career SB total in his first four seasons, then flamed out. Never played close to a full season after he was 26 years old. Raines was productive into his mid-30s (a superb table-setter for the AL West champ White Sox in 1993, and a solid off-the-bench guy for the WS champ Yankees in '96). But he might share the same fate as his fellow hinterlander in Montreal, Andre Dawson, who deserves better, too.