The Hall of Fame results are in, and as expected, Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the HOF. Here is the final tally (the list got cut off at the end. Surhoff, Boone, and Santiago also got at least one vote):
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Alomar and Blyleven were absolutely deserving of induction, and as Rob Neyer has been tweeting all afternoon, both are strong Hall of Famers and do not lower the bar for inclusion at all. Barry Larkin made enough progress to suggest he may get in in the near future, while Jack Morris stagnated a bit and may have maxed out his support. Jeff Bagwell actually did fairly well considering the commotion surrounding him, and it seems likely that he will get in eventually. Tim Raines also saw a bump, and I think he will get in at some point, possibly as his eligibility reaches its final years.
From a more negative point of view, Alan Trammell looks to be finished as a viable candidate, and the steroid boys (McGwire and Palmeiro) did poorly enough to suggest that even guys like Clemens and Bonds may struggle to garner votes in the near future. Edgar Martinez actually lost support, but I think his status as the best DH will become clearer over the coming years, and his base of support should be strong enough for him to get close. Finally, Kevin Brown fell off the ballot entirely, which is really a shame. His statistical profile is similar to that of Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, and John Smoltz. I believe he is the worst of the four and may be just on the wrong side of the in-out line, but he deserved better than falling off the ballot in his first year of eligibility.
For a more comprehensive look at the implications of this ballot, check out this post from Craig Calcaterra.
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3 Responses to Blyleven, Alomar Get In, Brown Falls Off Ballot
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TIQ IQ
Have to throw Kevin Brown into the steroid crowd with his linkage in the Mitchell Report.
I’ll be honest: perhaps I’m not a “true” baseball fan, but I pay no attention to the Hall of Fame voting , MVP or other awards, or the All-Star team selection. I care only about whether the Yankees win.
This voting has to be one of the bigger BBWAA jokes in recent history. I am not giving them credit for voting Blyleven and Alomar in, since they were pretty much shoe-ins.
But for Kevin Brown to fall off the ballot- pathetic. I mean, to not even get 5%…really? Even if you are don’t think he is a HOF’er, he is borderline for sure and deserves time on the ballot.
It’s also sad that Bagwell didn’t even get 50% because of rumors, it’s sad Edgar DROPPED (I think he had 36ish% last year), and that Walker only got 20%.
At least Raines improved and I actually think he might be gaining support- can anyone say 50% for him next ballot? I never thought he would even sniff 50% even though he is a clear cut HOF’er.