While having until January to cast my annual IBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot, I decided to get it in before the holidays this year. Once again, the IBWAA is not part of the Official BBWAA vote to enshrine players in Cooperstown but with a large voting body this is a fun process to partake in each season.
The IBWAA selection process allows for 12 candidates to be
voted. My previous ballots can be found here:
I didn’t hit the 12 max but did decide to open up my
restrictions a bit. I’ve never been a “Small Hall” type but keeping out those
on the border doesn’t make much sense to me considering there’s always going to
be more worthy players.
After Larry Walker and Derek Jeter were inducted last cycle, I have just three holdovers this time with seven new candidates. Let’s get into it:
Alex Rodriguez 113.7 fWAR
Arguably one of the best to ever play the game, Rodriguez
rubbed plenty the wrong way, but his numbers are otherworldly. I’m still mad he
missed 700 homers by just four, but the career .930 OPS is beyond impressive.
Rodriguez also racked up three MVP awards and was a 14-time All-Star. He’s
remade his image a bit after his playing career while being an analyst, but regardless
of what you think about him, the talent was something that doesn’t come around
often.
Curt Schilling: 79.7 fWAR
Bloody sock nonsense aside, Schilling is a three time Cy
Young runner-up, and six-time All Star. He struck out 3,116 batters in his
career and owns a 3.46 ERA while totaling more than 200 wins. Three World
Series rings, an MVP, and a 2.23 postseason ERA do him favors as well. Since
voting for him last year, Schilling has made plenty of splashes in the media.
He's not well liked off the field, but the character clause is among the most
dated pieces of inclusion into the Hall of Fame. On baseball merit alone, he's
worthy of the nod.
Scott Rolen 70.1 fWAR
Vastly underappreciated, Rolen started as a Rookie of the
Year winner, and went on to tally eight Gold Glove awards. He was a seven time
All Star and among the best to ever field the Hot Corner. With an .855 career
OPS, his bat more than does enough to supplement what was an exceptional
defensive career.
Andruw Jones 67.1 fWAR
Jones's 17 year career is often going to be questioned as he
held on for five uninspiring seasons to closer out his time as a big leaguer.
That aside, the 10 year stretch from 199-2007 was one for the ages. With 10
Gold Glove's and five All Star appearances, he was easily among the greatest in
the game for a decade.
Manny Ramirez 66.3 fWAR
In 2002 Manny Ramirez picked up his only batting title with
a .349 average. He’s a career .312 hitter and has a .996 OPS. He’s a member of
the 500 home run club with 555 and picked up MVP votes in nine-straight
seasons. Ramirez won nine Silver Slugger’s and was a part of two World Series
championship teams. One of the best pure hitters to ever step on the diamond,
Ramirez is worthy of induction.
Gary Sheffield 62.1 fWAR
Sheffield grabbed his batting title with the San Diego
Padres in 1992 with a .330 tally. His .907 OPS is borderline for induction, but
the 509 career home runs is enough to get it done for me. Sheffield picked up nine
All-Star appearances and won the Silver Slugger five times. He was part of the
1997 Florida Marlins World Series team and was consistently a
middle-of-the-order hitter.
Sammy Sosa 60.1 fWAR
Giving baseball one of the best home run chases in history,
Sammy Sosa tangled with Mark McGwire during the amazing 1998 season. Sosa won
his MVP that season hitting 66 homers and finished his career with 609. Sosa’s
.878 career OPS isn’t all that special, but I can’t continue to ignore the
career home run tally.
David Ortiz 51.0 fWAR
It took a while for the Hall of Fame to make room for designated
hitters, but David Ortiz is among the best of them. He’s been both an ALCS and
World Series MVP while picking up three rings. His career 541 home runs is
beyond impressive, and the fact that he finished his career at 40 with a 1.021
OPS continues to be among the best seasons ever.
Billy Wagner 24.0 fWAR
Relievers are very under-represented in the Hall of Fame and
Billy Wagner is another good one to get in. His career 2.31 ERA is impressive,
and the 11.9 K/9 was ahead of his time. Saves are an overrated metric, but
Wagner has 422 of them. A seven-time All-Star, put him in.
Joe Nathan 19.5 fWAR
Not far off from the man above him, Nathan falls into the
category of relievers needing to make their way to Cooperstown. He posted 377
saves and owned a 2.87 ERA. Nathan’s K/9 of 9.5 wasn’t spectacular, but he was named
to six All-Star games of his own.
