Weighing in on the Hall of Fame Ballot

I never do this but this year I thought I would weigh in on the Hall of Fame Ballot.  To put my post in perspective here are some things I believe about the HOF:

• I think guys who chemically enhanced their numbers should not go in.   I mean, it is a game of numbers, right?   If you can't do an apples and apples comparison then you can't really determine if a guy is worthy.  And who knows how much someone's numbers were enhanced by the enhancements, so to speak.   These guys have made a lot of money due to their chemical enhancements and I think, in so doing, they forfeited the right to be in the HOF.
• I think guys who have violated other rules outside of the white lines should be able to go if it is at least 10 years after their death.   So Pete Rose not yet but Joe Jackson, yes.  

That being said, here are my comments on this year's ballot:

I see a surprise this year with NO ONE getting in although a lot of guys will get close.  Here's why

1. Roy Halladay - Some day but not yet

2. Todd Helton - Probably never.  Like a lot of guys, just not enough sustained greatness or greatness ABOVE their peers to get him into the HOF

3. Andy Pettitte - Not right now

4. Mariano Rivera - If not this year then definitely next year or the year after

5. Lance Berkman - Like Helton, a nice career but not enough to get him in.

6. Roy Oswalt - Definitely not this year, maybe never given that he did not put up numbers that would convince voters to put him in.  I think he steals votes from guys like Mussina and Schilling, though.

7. Travis Hafner - If Edgar Martinez gets in then maybe down the road but I really don't think he has the numbers.  He was more than a solid player but not enough to be a HOFer.  

8. Edgar Martinez - I don't think DHs should get in if that is the vast majority of their work.   That being said, he will get in sometime, just hopefully not this year.

9. Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling - Man, guys like this will probably get in but I think it may be from a veteran's committee down the road, especially since I think Halladay and Pettitte will split their vote enough that they won't get in.

10. Omar Vizquel -  Look, I have seen Ozzie Smith and Vizquel for years.    Omar deserves to be in.   There is no doubt about it.   You can pull all the analytics out of your butt that you want but Omar deserves to be in.   One other point:  I would venture to say that there are guys in the HOF right now, maybe a lot, who analytics would say clearly don't belong there and yet they are there.   I don't like retrofitting analytics to something that is a gut feeling decision and my gut tells me how great Omar was.   I doubt he gets in this time but my hope is that he gets in in the near future because he really does deserve it.

9, Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds - See comment above about chemical enhancements

10. Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield - These guys should never get in.   They were great players in their time but not THE best players in their time.   There is a difference between making the HOF and making a few all-star teams.   Longevity and standing head and shoulders above the competition puts you in the HOF if you are chemically clean and these guys just don't have the numbers to say that they are anything but very good major leaguers.

11.  The rest: Rick Ankiel, Jason Bay, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Ted Lilly, Derek Lowe, Darren Oliver, Juan Pierre, Placido Polanco, Miguel Tejada, Vernon Wells, Kevin Youkilis and Michael Young. - I don't see any of these guys getting enough votes to stay on the ballot past this year.