2019 Baseball Hall of Fame Balloting (Part 1)

Each year, the many sportswriters that cover the game of baseball vote on possible inductees to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Located in Cooperstown, New York, the Hall of Fame is a shrine to all legends of "our national pasttime". With the latest round of voting in progress (results will be announced in January of 2019), it's time to reveal my picks for "baseball immortality".

To start off, let's examine the roster of first-time candidates, listed in no particular order (my votes are listed as “yes”, “no”, or “leaning yes/no”

• Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees) - Yes. Everything about Rivera says class and excellence, right down to his introduction music (Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”). MLB’s all-time leader in saves should be a first-ballot selection; the only real question is whether or not he will get in on an unanimous vote.

• Roy Halladay (Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays): Yes. With his untimely death as a factor, I believe that Halladay will have the votes to get in this year. Performance-wise, his 2010 perfecto seals the deal for me.

• Andy Pettitte (New York Yankees, Houston Astros): No. Pettitte could be lights out on the mound at times. Nevertheless, his lean years in Houston find him being just short of earning my vote.

• Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies): No. Helton had a big bat, and could hit the ball like nobody’s business. However, he was quite sluggish in the field; therefore, he comes up just short (see Andy Pettitte).

• Lance Berkman (Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals): No. Berkman was part of some excellent Astros and Cards teams, but his numbers aren’t quite where they need to be.

• Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, New York Yankees): No. "The Rocket's" stats pan out, but his use of steroids turns me off. He'll probably have to wait on induction for a couple more years.

• Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants): No. Bonds is the MLB's all-time home run king, having hit seven hundred and sixty-two "dingers" in his career (the world record for career homers is held by Japan's Sadaharu Oh, who hit eight hundred and sixty-eight of them). However, Bonds had a bad attitude in the clubhouse, and most of his home runs were, IMHO, steroid-aided. As such, I don't think he's worthy of my vote (although he will, eventually, be inducted).

Some Recurring Candidates:

• George Steinbrenner (owner and executive, New York Yankees): Yes. Whether you liked him or not (and for better or for worse), you have to give him credit for bringing the Yankees back from some very “lean years” in the late sixties/early seventies. Steinbrenner was the catalyst in creating a second New York Yankees dynasty; for that, he gets my vote.

• Lee Smith (Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, others): Yes. Smith has the third most saves in MLB history, behind only Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. I don’t know why he’s not already a Hall of Famer.

• Will Clark (San Francisco Giants): No. Although Clark was the Giants’ long time lynchpin at first base, we’re not giving awards for longevity alone here. Clark was good, but not great; this is the Hall of Fame we’re talking about, not the “Hall of Good”.

• Orel Hershiser (Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians): Yes. Dubbed the “Bulldog”, Hershiser was one of the best pitchers of his time, IMHO. I still remember him owning Mets batters during the 1988 National League Championship Series (NLCS), which his Dodgers won quite handily.

• Harold Baines (Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox): No. Why is Baines even on the ballot? During his career, he was never anything more than mediocre, and trade bait. When it comes to hall of famers, Baines shouldn’t even be in the conversation.

Part 2, featuring more returning candidates, is still to come.