The names on the official 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot were released on Monday, with 32 names eligible for induction into Cooperstown. While some will be one-and-dones (sorry, Chone Figgins, Heath Bell and Jose Valverde) and others were good, but not great, with only one slam dunk on the ballot this could be the year for the exiled. With voters allowed to vote for as many as 10 names on their ballots, here’s who should get the call to Cooperstown on January 21:
Derek Jeter:
The only no-brainer for all baseball fans everywhere. The only question is whether the Yankees’ legend joins Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous Hall of Fame selections in history. With everyone else on the ballot, there’s at least a case for exclusion. Not here – Jeter is in.
Roger Clemens:
Time is starting to run out for the greatest right-handed pitcher of his generation. After starting with just 35.4 percent of the vote in 2014, the seven-time Cy Young winner is up to 59.5 percent. Time has started to heal some of the wounds of the sanctimonious BBWAA, but it isn’t quite there yet. So although Clemens should get in, he likely won’t in 2019. If he gets above 63 or 64 percent of the vote, however, it looks good that he’d get in on the 10th and final try in a few years.
Barry Bonds:
It’s exactly the same deal as Clemens, only for the all-time home run hitter, as opposed to the legendary pitcher. He started at 34.7 percent in 2014 and was up to 59.1 percent last year. Again, he should be in regardless, but he probably won’t this year. It’s silly, especially considering how Bonds is has been a baseball employee since his retirement.
Curt Schilling:
His career bWAR of 79.5 is the highest of anyone not in the Hall of Fame, and is better than that of Tom Glavine, Jim Palmer and Bob Feller, among many others. His 216 wins aren’t great, as he was in the final era of the 300-game winner, but his postseason numbers (11-2, 2.23 earned run average, World Series MVP) should give him the push into Cooperstown. Alas, the BBWAA is a fickle beast, and Schilling’s off-field commentary means he likely will get a boost from his 60.9 percent of the vote, but won’t get the necessary 75.
Larry Walker:
He’s maybe the most underappreciated superstar of his era. Sure, he played at Coors Field, but his numbers away from Denver were as prolific as his numbers in the Mile High City. He won three batting titles, his nearly 383 home runs, won seven Gold Gloves and an MVP award. The Athletic’s Joe Posnanski found a stat that says it best. The only players in baseball history in the top-100 all-time in RBI, runs and defensive runs saved: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Larry Walker.
Todd Helton:
Another victim of playing in Colorado, according to Jayson Stark here are the players with Helton’s career .316/.414/.539 slash line: Cobb, Foxx, Gehrig, Hornsby, Musial, Ruth and Williams. Even when you factor in the new-age “adjusted” stats, which take things like ballpark into account, his numbers are still in the ballpark with the Gehrigs and the Albert Pujols and Willie McCoveys of the world.
