First-Timers on the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
Conversation about Baseball Hall of Fame exists in two stages: 1 day congratulating those enshrined, and 364 days debating who will get in the next time around. Today marks Day 1 of the latter stage. There are still some incredible players left from this week’s vote that will have another shot in 2018. Trevor Hoffman and Vlad Guerrero feel like locks after their vote totals were revealed Wednesday. The Rocket and Barry Bonds are rising. Still, there are some notable players who will appear on the ballot for the first time in 2018. Let’s look at a few of them.
Chipper Jones
Chipper Jones is at the top of the newcomers list. Jones was a mainstay at third base for the Braves throughout the 90s and 00s. His 468 home runs would put him third amongst Hall of Fame third basemen, trailing only Mike Schmidt and Eddie Matthews. A lifetime .303 hitter, you could always count on Chipper Jones to put together a good at-bat (just ask Mets fans). Jones also hit remarkably similar from the left side (.294) and the right side (.303). On a team known for its pitching, Jones was Atlanta’s best all-around hitter. He should have no problem getting the requisite votes in his first year on the ballot.
Jim Thome
Who doesn’t love Jim Thome? Everywhere he went, Thome was lauded for his positive attitude and affable nature on and off the field. But that’s not why he’s on this list. Jim Thome is one of the more-notable newcomers because he mashed for the better part of twenty years. Thome finished his career with 612 home runs, good for sole possession of seventh on the all-time home run list. He hit 40 or more home runs six times, including a career-high 52 with the Indians in 2002. Thome was more than a wasteful slugger, though, as shown by his .275 career batting average and .402 on-base percentage. He might get dinged for the amount of time he spent as a DH, but I’m not sure anyone can ignore those sorts of power numbers. Thome gets in at some point.
Scott Rolen
Here’s one of those “How much does defense matter?” guys. According to Baseball Reference, Rolen posted a WAR of 70.0 for his career. I’ll save you the reading and just point out there are many players with significantly fewer WAR already in the Hall, many of them achieving induction on the first ballot. Rolen was a fine player for the Phillies and Cardinals, putting up a number of solid-if-unspectacular seasons. The problem isn’t only that much of Rolen’s value was derived from his defensive play. Scott Rolen just doesn’t have the name power of many of the players he’ll be up against for induction. He won seven Gold Gloves while batting .281 for his career with 313 home runs and a .364 OBP, but aside from one awesome year in 2004, there isn’t much that jumps off the page with him. Unfortunately, it may take a down year for voters to come around on the third baseman.
Omar Vizquel
Want to talk about defense? There may only be a handful of better defensive shortstops in baseball history. Vizquel put together 11 Gold Glove campaigns, including nine in a row from 1993–2001. He formed one of the most exciting double play combos of all time with Roberto Alomar in the late 90s. Despite everything he brought to the table defensively, his candidacy will hinge on how much voters are willing to look past his offensive deficiencies. Vizquel put up a decent .272 career batting average but not much else in the way of statistics. He’ll be compared to Ozzie Smith, but when push comes to shove, I’m not sure voters will consider his exploits on par with The Wizard. Vizquel never ends up making the Hall.
Andruw Jones
I don’t know what to do with Andruw Jones. His later years definitely marred my view of him, because I fully expected to look at his page and see a bunch of empty 20 home run seasons. On the contrary, I rediscovered the fact that Andruw Jones was an excellent center fielder for a full decade in Atlanta. In an 11 year span from 1997–2007, Jones hit 363 home runs, maintained an .841 OPS, and won 10 Gold Gloves at a premium defensive position. If he had compiled a few more years at 75% of that productivity, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Fact of the matter, though, is that Andruw Jones’ performance fell off a cliff after leaving the Braves. He quickly turned into a guy who could hit some home runs but not do much else. In the end, Jones’ prime was probably 2–3 years too short for most voters.
