The Japanese Ichiro Suzuki makes his debut on the ballots, five years after his retirement.
There is little to argue about the Japanese, one of the finest hitters in the history of baseball, a great defender of the outfield and with impeccable conduct on and off the field.
In fact, Ichiro should be the second player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the voters.
I can’t imagine anyone who, in their right mind, would not vote for the Japanese.
Another who appears for the first time on the ballot is left-hander CC Sabathia was one of the best pitchers in the first two decades of the 21st century.
He won 251 games and was the penultimate pitcher to surpass twenty wins in a campaign (21 in 2010), at a time where that fundamental statistic has been minimized by the overrated new metrics, despite the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to add in the victory box, due to the often incomprehensible new strategies.
Sabathia was a workhorse, surpassing 200 innings of work in eight seasons, seven of them in a row between 2007 and 2013. His 3,093 strikeouts also put him among the pitching elite.
He won a Cy Young Award (2007 with the Cleveland Indians) and was a fundamental part of the New York Yankees in 2009, the last time the team won the World Series.
Left-hander Andy Pettitte is in his seventh year of eligibility, with more than enough numbers to have entered the Temple of the Immortals a long time ago.
In his 18 seasons in the Majors, he never had a season with a losing record and in two of them, 1996 and 2003, he won 21 games, although, inexplicably, he never won a Cy Young award.
He was one of the pillars of the Yankees dynasty at the end of the 20th century and has five World Series championship rings.
His only stain is his link to the use of steroids, which he himself admitted he used to speed up recovery from an injury.
On September 30, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that former pitcher Jason Grimsley, during a raid by federal agents investigating steroids in baseball, named Pettitte as a user of performance-enhancing drugs.
According to the LATimes, Pettitte was one of five names blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court.
However, on October 3, 2006, The Washington Post reported that San Francisco U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan said the Los Angeles Times report contained significant inaccuracies, with neither Pettitte’s name nor Roger Clemens’ name. appeared in the affidavit filed by Grimsley.
Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán appears for the third time on the ballot, after reaching 57.1% the previous year.
A very complete player, he made his quality clear since he won the Rookie of the Year award in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals.
In 20 seasons he had 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, scored 1,582 runs and drove in 1,587. He stole 312 bases and left a lifetime average of .279.
He was in nine All-Star Games, won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Bats, in addition to the Roberto Clemente Award, for his contribution to the community.
One of the most complete players born on the Isla del Encanto, Beltrán multiplied when the postseason arrived, where he shone like few others in history.
He was linked to the sign-stealing scandal of the Houston Astros, champions of the 2017 World Series, for which he was fired as manager of the New York Mets before debuting in 2020.
Venezuelan Omar Vizquel is one of the best shortstop defenders to ever set foot on a baseball field. His 11 Gold Gloves are irrefutable proof of this.
But he was also a hitter well above average for his position, at a time when defense was required of shortstops above any other line.
In his 24-year career, he had 2,877 hits, of which 2,692 were in games in which he defended short stops.
To give you an idea of the value of this statistic, only Derek Jeter has had more hits than Vizquel in games where he played shortstop.
The Venezuelan is in his eighth year on the ballot and a shady incident of alleged domestic violence after his retirement, for which he was neither prosecuted nor convicted, would be what has kept him out of Cooperstown until now.
Venezuelan Francisco Rodríguez is one of the best relievers in baseball history.
Many voters have at times been reluctant to favor firestoppers, but the role of preserving wins is increasingly important in baseball.
In 16 seasons, K-Rod saved 437 games, which ranks sixth all time.
Of the five with more saves than him, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith are in the Hall of Fame, while Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are still active.
Additionally, he had a 2.86 ERA and struck out 1,142 in 976 innings.
Rodríguez, who is in his third year of eligibility, holds the record for most games saved in a season, when he had 62 in 2008 with the Los Angeles Angels.
It appears for the tenth and last time on the ballots, after coming close to immortality last year (73.8%).
Wagner is, for many, the best left-handed reliever of all time, with 422 saves, 1,196 strikeouts in 903 innings, 47 wins and 40 losses and an ERA of 2.31.
If he does not obtain the necessary 75% this time, he will be removed from the BBWAA ballots and his future inclusion in the Temple of the Immortals will be for the consideration of the Veterans Committee.
In the waiting circle for next year: Andruw Jones
It wasn’t this time, but I will consider the Curaçao center fielder next year, since his numbers are on the border of immortality.
Neither ARod nor Manny
Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramírez have plenty of numbers to enter Cooperstown, but…
I am quite flexible on the issue of the use of performance-enhancing steroids, as there was a time when there was no substance control policy and neither the MLB nor the Hall of Fame have commented on eligibility. of consumers.
In fact, several players suspected of having used PEDs during their careers have already been inducted into the Temple of the Immortals.
But, once a policy of control and sanctions was established, Arod and Manny exceeded any allowed limit, being repeat offenders and receiving more than one punishment for violating the rules.
Ramírez is in his ninth year on the ballot and Rodríguez is in his fourth, but they will never have my vote.
