Part 4 of our Hall of Fame ballot series: a very small ballot

Jim Thome

Although it’s only his first year on the ballot, Jim Thome is one of the best players to add to the hall of Fame. The one thing you could always notice with Thome was the power he had. The way the bat would pop and you’d see him drop his bat knowing that it was a no doubter. Even his batting stance was intimidating to a pitcher.

The man made baseball fun and interesting. He hit 612 homers over his 22 year career and always put up incredible numbers and showed his strength and perseverance. He did this while also being the veteran many young guys could look to when they needed help. After retiring, he ended his career with a .276 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage, .554 slugging percentage, and a whopping 1699 RBIs. He also ranked in MVP voting nine times in his career and came in the top seven in voting four times (1997, 2001-2003).

In addition, he had nine seasons of 100+ RBI (and another two seasons over 90 RBI) and 12 seasons of 30+ home runs, including six seasons of 40+ and three of 47+. Jim Thome was one of the greatest first baseman to ever grace the game and he’ll be one of the greatest first baseman in the Hall of Fame.

Chipper Jones 

Being an Atlanta native I grew up supporting the Braves and Chipper Jones was the third baseman of my childhood. It’s nostalgic to me to recall all the things that Jones has done for the Braves. You have to love the fact that during his 19 year career he stayed with the team. It’s amazing. With Chipper, you have an MVP (1999), 8-time All Star, and a two-time recipient of the Silver Slugger award. And that’s only the accolades.

Chipper Jones had monster numbers his entire career: 468 home runs, 1,623 RBIs, and a lifetime batting average of .303, a career on-base percentage of .401, and a career slugging percentage of .529. He also played very well in the postseason as in 93 games, he had 13 homers, 47 RBI, and a .287/.409/.456 slash line.  Just stellar numbers from the former face of the Braves.

With his great hitting also came his great defensive work. The man was a good third baseman putting up a lifetime fielding percentage of .957 with over 20,000 innings. The stat, Defensive Runs Saved, only started being tracked in 2003 but his 2008 featured 10 DRS (zero is league average) as well as 7 DRS in 2004 and 4 in 2007. When you hear the name Chipper Jones, you automatically think the number 10 Braves legend. This year, when you hear the name Chipper Jones, you should think Hall of Famer.

Edgar Martinez

Edgar Martinez is also another guy that stuck with one team in his entire career. Martinez is going on his 9th year on the ballot. Why exactly? This guy is a 7-time All-Star, 5-time Silver Slugger, and won the batting title 2 times. I mean where to start, just reading his accolades tells you what he’s accomplished at the plate.

Over his 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners he had 309 home runs, a batting average of .312, an on-base percentage of .418, a slugging percentage of .515, and an OPS+ of 147. He also had seven seasons of 98+ RBI, including a league leading 145 RBI in 2000. In his prime years, from 1995-2001, he averaged 146 games played with 100 runs, 171 hits, 42 doubles, 28 home runs, 110 RBI, 107 walks (compared to only 91 strikeouts), an astounding .329/.446/.574 slashline, and an outstanding 164 OPS+.

After he retired, the American League designated hitter award was named after him so that shows how dominant he was as a designated hitter. The main reason that he hasn’t been voted in yet is because Martinez played 68 percent of his games as a designated hitter. However, with the numbers that he put up in his career and having an award for a specific position named for you, you are probably Hall of Fame worthy.

I’m still confused on why Edgar Martinez hasn’t been inducted. Hopefully, this will be his year.

Trevor Hoffman 

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This will be Trevor Hoffman’s 3rd year on the ballot which makes it the perfect time for him to get inducted. Hoffman was known as one the top relievers of his day and there is hardly anything to disprove that. Hoffman is a 7-time All Star and a two-time Rolaids Relief Award Winner. Through his 18 seasons with 4 teams, (most of his years were with the San Diego Padres), he proved himself to be a dominant pitcher. In any situation in late innings, this is the man you want to give the ball to.

Trevor Hoffman was no doubt a lights-out pitcher that posted 601 saves and 1,133 strikeouts. When it comes to thinking of the top MLB closer obviously you have two guys that come to mind. There’s Mariano Rivera and there’s Trevor Hoffman, not only was he the face of the Padres for the entirety of his career, but also a legend among pitchers. Maybe three times is the charm to get Trevor Hoffman in the Hall of Fame.

Final Thoughts

Moving onto the topic of PEDs and all of that I don’t believe they should be allowed. I’m not griping on Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, I just don’t believe they deserve to be in the Hall. We all know this argument will get bigger once A-Rod is eligible so it’s best if the BBWAA decides now on how they all feel as one on that subject.

I truly did wrestle over with who I was going to pick on my ballot. I realize that we can pick up to ten but I saw no point. That being because the men I put on my ballot are those who I believe not only have a chance THIS year, but also deserve to be in the Hall.