Rox Pile's unofficial baseball Hall of Fame ballots (Part 3)

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TUCSON, AZ – FEBRUARY 24: Right fielder Larry Walker #33 of the Colorado Rockies takes a swing during spring training on media day February 24, 2003, at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Editor’s Note: We here at Rox Pile have all decided to make our own hypothetical Hall of Fame ballots since the results of the real Hall of Fame ballots will be released in less than two weeks. We started on Wednesday with editor/co-expert Noah Yingling’s hypothetical Hall of Fame ballot. Yesterday, we featured the hypothetical ballot of Brady Vernon, one of our contributors here at Rox Pile, in our second installment in our Hall of Fame ballot series.

Today, we feature Ryan Ladika, another one of our contributors, and his ballot as the third installment of the series.

Whether they are surefire first-ballot inductees or veterans spending their final years on the ballot, the 2017-2018 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is full of talented and deserving players. Total, there are 33 total players on this year’s ballot: Barry Bonds, Chris Carpenter, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Livan Hernandez, Trevor Hoffman, Orlando Hudson, Aubrey Huff, Jason Isringhausen, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Jeff Kent, Carlos Lee, Brad Lidge, Edgar Martínez, Hideki Matsui, Fred McGriff, Kevin Millwood, Jamie Moyer, Mike Mussina, Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen, Johan Santana, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Larry Walker, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.

That said, only ten players can receive votes. I wanted to give some insight as to who I would vote for on this year’s ballot if I had a vote.

DENVER – MAY 25: Larry Walker #33 of the Colorado Rockies throws the ball in from the outfield during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on May 25, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Giants 5-1. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Now, out of those 33, I would vote for these ten: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Larry Walker, Chipper Jones, Edgar Martínez, Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa and Scott Rolen. I’ll break my reasoning up into three sections: the under-the-radar players, the case for Bonds and Clemens, and my final five.

Under-the-Radar: Larry Walker

Starting with Larry Walker, I’m going to give you the stats first. Over the course of his 17 year career, Walker hit .313./.400/.565 with 383 home runs and 1311 RBIs. He stole 230 bases, and his career OPS was .965. Additionally, if you’re a fan of advanced metrics, Walker was a 72.6 win player and had a park-adjusted OPS+ of 141. He was a five-time All-Star, won seven Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, as well as three batting titles. He was also named the NL MVP in 1997.

Two of the most used reasons for docking him are, first, the fact that he played 9+ seasons calling Major League Baseball’s most infamous hitters’ paradise, Coors Field, home. Second, he was not durable. Walker eclipsed 140 games played just four times during the span of his career.

The durability factor is a fair point, but if you take a look at Walker’s MVP season, his home slashline was .384/.460/.709 with 20 home runs and an OPS of 1.169, and away from the Mile High City he hit .346/.443/.733 with 29 home runs and an OPS of 1.176. This illustrates how Larry Walker was a complete player who could hit very well at home and on the road. He was not a “Coors Field Product,” and is deserving of a plaque in the Hall of Fame.

ST. LOUIS – JUNE 28: Scott Rolen #27 of the St. Louis Cardinals plays third base during the game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 28, 2005 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images). /

Under-the-Radar: Scott Rolen

Next, I’ll go into depth on Scott Rolen. The career third baseman played for 17 seasons, similar to Walker. Over his 17 seasons he hit .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs and 1287 RBIs. His career OPS was .855. He was also a dead-even 70 win player with a career OPS+ of 122. He was named to the NL All-Star team seven times, won the 1997 Rookie of the Year, eight Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger in 2002. Rolen also helped lead the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals to the 10th World Series title in franchise history.

Under-the-Radar: Trevor Hoffman

Next on my list is Trevor Hoffman. The longtime San Diego Padres pitcher gets a bad rap because he spent his whole career as a closer, but I think that good closers should be honored when taking into consideration the importance of their job.

Hoffman’s career lasted 18 years, from 1993 to 2010. He had a career record of 61-75, along with a 2.87 ERA and 1133 strikeouts. He converted 601 saves and had a 1.06 WHIP. Going into advanced metrics, he was a 28.4 win player and had a park-adjusted ERA+ of 141, as well as a 3.08 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), which measures a pitcher’s effectiveness at preventing hit by pitches, home runs and walks, while causing strikeouts, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The fact that he did such a hard job so well for such a long time makes him worthy of the Hall of Fame.

MIAMI, FL – FEBRUARY 22: New Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds during a Miami Marlins workout on February 22, 2016 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

The Case for Bonds and Clemens

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are two names that some voters struggle with, mostly because of the dark cloud that is the steroid problem that hangs overhead. Yes, they both used steroids. That doesn’t mean they weren’t exceptionally great players during their time on the field.

The reason I would give these two my vote is the fact that I believe these two would’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame even if they hadn’t made the choice to cheat. After all, the Baseball Hall of Fame is also a museum made to celebrate the greatest talents and records in our favorite game’s history. Like it or not, Bonds still holds the official single-season home run record that he set back in the 2001 season after mashing 73 long balls, as well being the official leader on the all-time Home Runs list with 762.

Starting with Bonds, he hit .298/.444/.607 with 762 home runs and 1,996 RBIs. His career OPS was 1.051, and his park-adjusted OPS+ was 182. He was also a 162.4 win player. His trophy case is busting at the seams, as well. He was a 7-time MVP, a 14-time All-Star and a 3-time Sporting News Major League Player of the Year. He won eight Gold Gloves and 12 Silver Sluggers, as well as two Batting Titles. Someone with a resume like that deserves to be honored in Major League Baseball’s most prestigious museum.

Clemens

Clemens was an equally-distinguished player on the other side of the ball. Throughout his 24-year career, he amassed a 354-184 record with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He struck out a total of 4672 hitters in 4916.2 total innings. He was also a 140.3 win player and had a park-adjusted ERA+ of 143, as well as a 3.09 FIP.

Clemens was also a rare MVP-winning pitcher in 1986, a 7-time Cy Young Award winner, 2-time Pitching Triple Crown winner, 11-time All-Star and 7-time ERA Title winner. Additionally, he won back-to-back World Series in 1999 and 2000 with the Yankees, won an All-Star Game MVP, and a Sporting News Major League Player of the Year Award.

Yes, those numbers and awards very well may be tainted, but I believe that in an environment such as the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Bonds and Clemens both go above and beyond the desired criteria.

Former Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Getty Images. /

The Last Five

I saved these five players for last on purpose because I believe there isn’t much push back or debate for whether or not they deserve enshrinement.

Chipper Jones

I’m going to start this section with Braves legend Chipper Jones. He played his entire 19-year career in Atlanta, hitting .303/.401/.529 with 468 home runs and 1623 RBIs. His career OPS was .930, and he had a park-adjusted OPS+ of 141. Jones was worth 85 WAR during his time on the field, and was an 8-time All-Star. He won two Silver Sluggers, a NL Batting Title in 2008 (.364 BA), a NL MVP award in 1999, and led the Braves to a World Series title in 1995.

Edgar Martinez

Next is Mariners star DH and third baseman Edgar Martínez. Like Jones, Martínez spent his whole career with one team, staying in Seattle for 18 seasons. Martínez hit .312/.481/.515 with a .933 OPS. He hit 309 home runs and drove in 1261 runs. He was worth 68.3 WAR and a 147 OPS+, as well. Martínez slugged his way onto seven All Star teams and won five Silver Sluggers and two batting titles.

Vladimir Guerrero

Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Angels star right fielder Vladimir Guerrero also deserves enshrinement. Over the course of his 16-year career, Guerrero hit .318/.379/.553 with an OPS of .931. He mashed 449 home runs and drove in 1496 runs. He was also a 59.3 win player. Guerrero won an AL MVP award in 2004 with the Angels, made nine All-Star teams and won eight Silver Sluggers.

Jim Thome

The longtime Indians infielder and DH Jim Thome is next on my list. He spent most of his 22-year career in Cleveland, but spent time in Philadelphia, the South Side of Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles (Dodgers), Minnesota and Baltimore as well. Thome hit .276/.402/.554 with an OPS of .956. He hit 612 home runs, good for 8th on the All-Time list, and drove in 1699 runs. He was worth 72.9 WAR and had a 147 OPS+. Thome also made five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger award in 1996.

Sammy Sosa

Finally, I’m ending with Cubs star right fielder Sammy Sosa. Sosa spent most of his 18-year career in the North Side of Chicago, calling the iconic Wrigley Field home, but also spent time in the South Side, Texas and Baltimore. Sosa hit .273/.344/.534 with an OPS of .878. He hit 609 long balls, good for 9th on the All-Time list, and drove in 1667 runs. He won a NL MVP in 1998 with the Cubs and was a 7-time All-Star. He won 6 Silver Sluggers, one Hank Aaron award in 1999 and one Sporting News Major League Player of the Year Award as well.

The main area of pushback on him is because of steroid allegations against him.

Final Thoughts

The 2017-2018 Hall of Fame ballot contains many players that are controversial for different reasons, and not everyone can receive a vote, either.

Next: Rockies young stars setting pace for Denver’s youth movement

What we can be sure of, though, is the fact that the players that end up receiving 75+ percent of the vote will be more than deserving of enshrinement in baseball’s most renowned museum.

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Rox Pile’s unofficial baseball Hall of Fame ballots (Part 3)