2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

[Bored 0]

Goose Gossage is a lock this year as he got more than 71% of the vote last season with a much stronger ballot. This might be Jim Rice's last and best chance as next year (final year on ballot for Rice) is the year of RICKEY~. Tim Raines is the only first ballot player who deserves enshrinement but he has no shot this year and might never get in. Of course Mark McGwire will once again be a big topic of debate. He had only 23.5% of the vote on his first try last year but that was with several writers using a one-year boycott for known/likely steroid users so he should get a nice bump this year but won't be anywhere close to getting in.

 

Holdovers (pct. of vote last year)

 

 

1. Goose Gossage 71.2% (9th year on ballot)

2. Jim Rice 63.5% (14th)

3. Andre Dawson 56.7% (7th)

4. Bert Blyleven 47.7% (11th)

5. Lee Smith 39.8% (6th)

6. Jack Morris 37.1% (9th)

7. Mark McGiwre 23.5% (2nd)

8. Tommy John 22.9% (14th)

9. Dave Concepcion 13.6% (15th and final year)

10. Alan Trammell 13.4% (7th)

11. Dave Parker 11.4% (12th)

12. Don Mattingly 9.9% (8th)

13. Dale Murphy 9.2% (10th)

14. Harold Baines 5.3% (2nd)

 

Newcomers

 

Brady Anderson

Rod Beck

Shawon Dunston

Chuck Finley

Travis Fryman

David Justice

Chuck Knoblauch

Robb Nen

Tim Raines

Jose Rijo

Todd Stottlemyre

[geniusMoment 0]

I don't vote for anyone off that list, but I've been told before my standards for the Hall of Fame are too high.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I don't vote for anyone off that list, but I've been told before my standards for the Hall of Fame are too high.

There is going to be a drag-out brawl over Tim Raines, but we'll get to that in due time.

[Guest RyechnaiaSobaka]

I just hope Concepcion doesn't make it so we don't have to hear Joe Morgan talk about him any more than is otherwise necessary.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Tim Raines is an absolute no-brainer in my mind. He probably doesn't have a shot with the writers, especially in his first year on the ballot.

 

Gossage, Dawson, Blyleven and Raines should all be in.

[Mik 0]

Gossage, Blyleven, McGwire, and Raines for me.

[Vampiro69 0]

Goose, Blyleven, Dawson, Raines, and Jack Morris.

 

I vote Morris in because he was an innings eater and didn't care if his ERA went up half a run at the end of the season because it would lessen the burden on his bullpen. Plus, he had one of the great pitching performances of all-time in game seven of the 91 World Series.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I think compelling arguments could be made for Jim Rice, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell as well.

[Failed Bridge 0]

rather than argue about it for like the third straight year somebody link me and Al's previous discussions on Jim Rice and the Hall of Fame.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

My picks.

 

Tim Raines: The second greatest leadoff hitter of all time, and the greatest percentage basestealer of all time.

 

Goose Gossage: Now that some relievers have been elected, Gossage rates far above their established standard.

 

Andre Dawson: Naysayers note the low OBP. In his prime, Dawson was a gold glove center fielder with 30/30 numbers.

 

Mark McGwire: Without the steroids cloud he was a devastating offensive force.

 

Bert Blyleven: No brainer, 60 shutouts rate top ten all time.

 

Alan Trammell: Combine offense and defense and he's clearly more valuable than some existing HOFers in only for their offense.

[CanadianChris 0]

Gossage (at last, I hope), Raines, Dawson, McGwire and Blyleven. I'd love to see the old Expo outfielders Raines and Dawson go in together, but that's a pipe dream.

[phoenixrising 0]

Who I'd like to see in: Gossage, Dawson, Raines, McGwire, Blyleven.

 

Who will probably go in: Gossage, maybe Rice. Is there a delay from the time Concepcion is dropped off the writers ballot to when he is eligible for the Veterans Committee? I can see him getting in through the Vets in the next few years.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

If Jim Rice gets in and not Raines, I am going to have to hurt people.

 

The way the veterans' committee is comprised, no one is getting in. Gil Hodges and Ron Santo have all the popularity contests in the world going for them and they can only reach 60%.

[Guest Pizza Hut's Game Face]

Joe Morgan will see to it that Concepcion gets in. Ron Santo will never get in, which is a disgrace.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Tim Raines compared.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/FuvM

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

For those that are stilll wondering what's so special about Tim Raines:

Joe’s take includes a JAWS-based comparison of Raines with Jim Rice, at 63.5 percent the top vote-getter among the returning hitters on the ballot. Since I haven’t revised the numbers yet, we’ll stick with those:

 

EQA BRAR BRAA FRAA WARP3 peak JAWS

Rice .295 648 379 -16 89.3 58.2 73.8

Raines .308 893 596 37 131.8 72.3 102.1

AVG HOF LF 752 477 7 111.1 62.6 86.8

 

Ain’t. Even. Close. Sure, Rice has the 1978 MVP award and the reputation as the game’s most feared slugger in his heyday, but Raines was much more valuable in his prime. He was worth more than 10 wins a year at his peak; that’s two wins a year better than the best of Jim Rice, and more than 40 wins better over the course of his career.

 

Raines, whom JAWS ranks seventh among leftfielders, suffers only in comparison to Henderson, the greatest leadoff hitter of all time and the fourth-ranked leftfielder (178.2/76.1/127.2). The other names in that top seven are Barry Bonds, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski. Some of them could play. Hall of Fame speedster Lou Brock, at 88.2/48.3/68.3, needs to connect at an international airport to get anywhere near that stratosphere. Yes, Brock has 3,000 hits and some incredible World Series performances on Raines, but we’re talking a gap of more than three wins a year at peak. You can’t just handwave that away.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

 

 

Yeah, that's obviously written for a saber audience. The fact is, advanced stats or not, Tim Raines was the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. It's not his fault that the best of all time was one of his contemporaries.

 

Raines was an OBP machine and a monster on the basepaths. The general fanbase can understand that, right?

[majormayhem1 0]

 

 

 

I'll go with Lee Smith, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy as players I'd personally like to see in the Hall. Chuck Knoblauch? I don't think so. Remember when he threw the ball into the dirt on a routine throw to first base during the Yankees/Red Sox series in the 1999 playoff series.

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

 

 

Yeah, that's obviously written for a saber audience. The fact is, advanced stats or not, Tim Raines was the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. It's not his fault that the best of all time was one of his contemporaries.

 

Raines was an OBP machine and a monster on the basepaths. The general fanbase can understand that, right?

I hope so. Here is a general indication of the kind of threat Raines was. In his rookie season Raines stole 71 bases. That would lead the league today. He did it in 88 games!

[snuffbox 0]

No Mark McGwire for me. I still don't get why Blyleven isn't in. And Tim Raines deserves to go in first year.

[Guest Pizza Hut's Game Face]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

 

 

Yeah, that's obviously written for a saber audience. The fact is, advanced stats or not, Tim Raines was the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. It's not his fault that the best of all time was one of his contemporaries.

 

Raines was an OBP machine and a monster on the basepaths. The general fanbase can understand that, right?

I hope so. Here is a general indication of the kind of threat Raines was. In his rookie season Raines stole 71 bases. That would lead the league today. He did it in 88 games!

It's a different game now, though. He wouldn't steal 71 in today's carpet-free National League.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

 

 

Yeah, that's obviously written for a saber audience. The fact is, advanced stats or not, Tim Raines was the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. It's not his fault that the best of all time was one of his contemporaries.

 

Raines was an OBP machine and a monster on the basepaths. The general fanbase can understand that, right?

I hope so. Here is a general indication of the kind of threat Raines was. In his rookie season Raines stole 71 bases. That would lead the league today. He did it in 88 games!

It's a different game now, though. He wouldn't steal 71 in today's carpet-free National League.

He would if Josh Bard was behind the plate.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Good numbers but the problem is making the general public make sense of it all.

 

 

Yeah, that's obviously written for a saber audience. The fact is, advanced stats or not, Tim Raines was the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. It's not his fault that the best of all time was one of his contemporaries.

 

Raines was an OBP machine and a monster on the basepaths. The general fanbase can understand that, right?

I hope so. Here is a general indication of the kind of threat Raines was. In his rookie season Raines stole 71 bases. That would lead the league today. He did it in 88 games!

It's a different game now, though. He wouldn't steal 71 in today's carpet-free National League.

 

But he also increased the degree of difficulty by altering his slide to protect the viles of crack cocaine in his back pocket. Doesn't that count for anything?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

From ESPN's Sportsnation

 

Which players would get your vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

73.7%     Jim Rice (63.5 percent in 2007)
70.3%     Goose Gossage (71.2 percent in 2007)
69.3%     Andre Dawson (56.7 percent in 2007)
68.1%     Bert Blyleven (47.7 percent in 2007)
64.4%     Lee Smith (39.8 percent in 2007)
62.4%     Tommy John (22.9 percent in 2007)
39.6%     Jack Morris (37.1 percent in 2007)
39.1%     Tim Raines (first year on ballot)
37.9%     Alan Trammell (13.4 percent in 2007)
37.4%     Dave Parker (11.4 percent in 2007)
31.1%     Mark McGwire (23.5percent in 2007)
27.9%     Dale Murphy (9.2 percent in 2007)
24.5%     Dave Concepcion (13.6 percent in 2007)
23.0%     Don Mattingly (9.9 percent in 2007)
19.1%     Harold Baines (5.3 percent in 2007)
13.5%     Rod Beck (first year on ballot)
12.0%     Chuck Finley (first year on ballot)
9.7%     Robb Nen (first year on ballot)
9.5%     Brady Anderson (first year on ballot)
8.6%     David Justice (first year on ballot)
7.5%     Shawon Dunston (first year on ballot)
7.5%     Todd Stottlemyre (first year on ballot)
4.9%     Travis Fryman (first year on ballot)
1.7%     Chuck Knoblauch (first year on ballot)
0.9%     Jose Rijo (first year on ballot)

 

Again, what the fuck people? Jim Rice could not carry Tim Raines' jockstrap.

[Bored 0]

I'm more interested in the 7.5% of the public that thinks Todd Sottlemyre or Shawon Dunston is a HOF.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

Again, what the fuck people? Jim Rice could not carry Tim Raines' jockstrap.

 

But...he hit lots of home runs!!!!!!...

 

*looks at McGuire's total*

 

...and didn't look bad in front of a congressional humiliation panel.

[Guest My Pal, the Tortoise]

How hard has Gammons been lobbying for another Red Sock to make it in? That might have something to do wth it.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How hard has Gammons been lobbying for another Red Sock to make it in? That might have something to do wth it.

I haven't heard a peep from Gammons on the subject. The most idiotic voices I've heard thus far are Dibble and Kennedy. I'm sure Dan Shaunessy (sp?) has been vocal but at least he makes coherent arguments.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

Jon Heyman's absurd HOF ballot/ranking

 

In: Gossage, Dawson, Morris, Rice, Concepcion, Parker

 

Out: Raines, Blyleven, McGuire (who has ranked last and wrote up a preachy, sanctimonious paragraph about)

 

Heyman: I worship home runs, unless you might have done steroids to hit them.