2014 BBWAA Election

[Nerdlinger]

So next year, the ballot is even more loaded than this year. Who would you vote for? Pretend like this is the actual BBWAA election. You may choose up to 10. Included in the poll is everyone listed here.

[drstrangelove]

Bagwell
Biggio
Glavine
Maddux
Mussina
Piazza
Schilling
Thomas
Trammell
Walker

Raines is my #11, Martinez #12

Wow.....this was not easy, even after I excluded Clemens, Bonds, McGuire and Sosa. If you have those on your list plus McGriff, Smith and Morris, you have to skip even more talent.

I can see that a LOT of good players are going to drop off the ballot next year.... players that would have been elected before are going to drop.

[Nerdlinger]

Narrowing it down to just 10 is the hard part. IMO, there are 18 Hall-worthy candidates here. I can actually see why someone might not vote for a lock like Maddux. It's tactical voting. Since he's likely to get in without my vote, I could theoretically instead vote for someone who might fall off the ballot due to low support and/or their reaching 15 years. Alternately, I could avoid voting for someone like Trammell (even though I think he's worthy) because he probably doesn't stand a chance of being elected anyway before running out of time. Tough calls. Ultimately, I went for a mix of choices, with a lower priority placed on otherwise worthy confirmed roiders. There are so many great players here that I had to cut Biggio. I really would have liked to vote for Trammell, especially since I have him placed above a few players I did vote for, but in all likelihood, he'll end up a VC pick. Maybe he and Whitaker could go in together.

[1905 Giants]

Bagwell
Biggio
Raines
Piazza
Glavine
Kent
Maddux
Thomas
Schilling
Mussina

[John Shoemaker]

My selections (in alphabetical order)

Craig Biggio
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Tom Glavine
Greg Maddox
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Rafael Palmeiro
Sammy Sosa
Frank Thomas

[Cowtipper]

There are 18 players who I would vote for if given the opportunity:

Bagwell, Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, Glavine, Kent, Maddux, McGriff, McGwire, Mussina, Palmeiro, Piazza, Raines, Schilling, Smith, Sosa, Thomas, Walker.

My first cuts are Smith and Walker. I like Smith a lot, but he's one of the weaker candidates I support. I like Walker a lot too, but he is largely a product of Coors Field. It pains me to cut a guy who, from 1997 to 2002, hit .353 with 182 home runs and 590 RBI, but I have to bring myself down to 10 players.

Next off the list is Sosa. He was a great player, but he is also one of the less stellar members of the 500 home run club. He struck out too much and was a liability defensively. I hope others don't follow my lead, it would be a shame if he fell below 5%.

Fred McGriff is next. Jeff Bagwell was at times a superstar during the '90s. McGriff was a steady performer, but he was never much of a superstar despite the numbers he put up.

I hate to drop Schilling, but he, too, must go. He was a steady, if inconsistent, pitcher through 2000, but he only became a veritable Hall of Famer after the turn of the century. His real reign of true, undeniable dominance was only four years or so.

Jeff Kent must depart, because like Schilling, he was steady but not great for a large chunk of his career.

Mussina departs too, but I must do it begrudgingly.

My final cut comes down to Tim Raines and McGwire. I chose to knock McGwire off my list, if only because he was a one-dimensional player as well. Raines could hit for average, he had some power, he was speedy...McGwire hit a lot of home runs.

I feel I should explain why I kept some players, too. Palmeiro doesn't go not only because has over 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, but I feel I must do my part to keep him over 5%. Bonds and Clemens don't get knocked for steroid use, since steroids were just a condition of the game, much like cocaine was in the '80s and greenies were in the '70s.

I really hate cutting Kent and Mussina, because they too don't deserve to fall off the ballot.

My ballot:

Bagwell
Biggio
Bonds
Clemens
Glavine
Maddux
Palmeiro
Piazza
Raines
Thomas

[milladrive]

Alphabetically:

Bagwell
Biggio
Glavine
Maddux
Mussina
Piazza
Raines
Schilling
Thomas

[Nerdlinger]

There are 18 players who I would vote for if given the opportunity:

Bagwell, Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, Glavine, Kent, Maddux, McGriff, McGwire, Mussina, Palmeiro, Piazza, Raines, Schilling, Smith, Sosa, Thomas, Walker.

My first cuts are Smith and Walker. I like Smith a lot, but he's one of the weaker candidates I support. I like Walker a lot too, but he is largely a product of Coors Field. It pains me to cut a guy who, from 1997 to 2002, hit .353 with 182 home runs and 590 RBI, but I have to bring myself down to 10 players.

Next off the list is Sosa. He was a great player, but he is also one of the less stellar members of the 500 home run club. He struck out too much and was a liability defensively. I hope others don't follow my lead, it would be a shame if he fell below 5%.

Fred McGriff is next. Jeff Bagwell was at times a superstar during the '90s. McGriff was a steady performer, but he was never much of a superstar despite the numbers he put up.

I hate to drop Schilling, but he, too, must go. He was a steady, if inconsistent, pitcher through 2000, but he only became a veritable Hall of Famer after the turn of the century. His real reign of true, undeniable dominance was only four years or so.

Jeff Kent must depart, because like Schilling, he was steady but not great for a large chunk of his career.

Mussina departs too, but I must do it begrudgingly.

My final cut comes down to Tim Raines and McGwire. I chose to knock McGwire off my list, if only because he was a one-dimensional player as well. Raines could hit for average, he had some power, he was speedy...McGwire hit a lot of home runs.

I feel I should explain why I kept some players, too. Palmeiro doesn't go not only because has over 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, but I feel I must do my part to keep him over 5%. Bonds and Clemens don't get knocked for steroid use, since steroids were just a condition of the game, much like cocaine was in the '80s and greenies were in the '70s.

I really hate cutting Kent and Mussina, because they too don't deserve to fall off the ballot.

My ballot:

Bagwell
Biggio
Bonds
Clemens
Glavine
Maddux
Palmeiro
Piazza
Raines
Thomas

No consideration for Martinez or Trammell? Not saying you had to vote for them, but you don't think either is Hall-worthy?

Alphabetically:

Bagwell
Biggio
Glavine
Maddux
Mussina
Piazza
Raines
Schilling
Thomas

Only 9?

[Cowtipper]

I'm not too keen on DHs and Trammell, I could take him or leave him. I wouldn't complain if he got in the Hall, but he's not one of the first guys I'd vote for.

[ol' aches and pains]

Bagwell
Biggio
Glavine
Maddux
McGriff
Piazza
Raines
Thomas

[Nerdlinger]

I'm not too keen on DHs and Trammell, I could take him or leave him. I wouldn't complain if he got in the Hall, but he's not one of the first guys I'd vote for.

People tend to forget that Frank Thomas was primarily a DH.

[Nerdlinger]

Bagwell
Biggio
Glavine
Maddux
McGriff
Piazza
Raines
Thomas

Only 8? I thought everyone's ballots would be full.

[Freakshow]

Included in the poll is everyone listed here.

That list omits anyone with less than 10 HOF Monitor points. Some other possible inclusions for 2014:

          Player WAR/pos   PA
      Trot Nixon    19.0 4224
   Damion Easley    17.8 6211
       Jose Cruz    17.1 5448
           Player  WAR     IP
   Steve Trachsel 22.1 2501.0
     Kent Mercker 11.3 1325.1

[jgangstahippie]

Bagwell
Bonds
Clemens
Maddox
Schilling
Sosa
Thomas
Mussina
Glavine
Pizza

Kent just misses.

[Ben Grimm]

Bagwell
Biggio
Bonds
Clemens
Glavine
Kent
Maddux
Piazza
Raines
Thomas