Despite several very deserving candidates on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, the self-righteous, self-aggrandizing, incompetent drama queens known as the BBWAA strikes again.
There will not be a 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame class. For only the eight time in history, no player was named on 75% of the returned ballots. The number of ballots cast was 569, with 427 needed for election.
Craig Biggo was the leading vote getter, named on 68.2% of the ballots. Biggio, a member of the 3000 hit club, fell 39 votes short of enshrinement.
How did former Tigers on the ballot fare? Not well.
After several years of steadily rising in the balloting and narrowly missing election in 2012, Tigers' ace Jack Morris has plateaued. He was second in the balloting with 67.7% of the vote, a single percentage point more than last year. Missing out on the hall in 14th try, Morris has one year left on the Hall of Fame ballot. Due to what looks to be a loaded ballot in 2013 (even more so than this year, several big name players entering the ballot for the first time), Morris may have had his last, best chance.
Alan Trammell's candidacy seemed to get boost after his NL statistical doppelganger, Barry Larkin, was easily voted into the hall in 2012. But Trammell, just as he was during his long, productive, Hall of Fame quality career, was overlooked by the BBWAA, his percentage of the vote dropping from 36.8% to 33.6%.
It appears Morris and Trammell (along with criminally underrated Lou Whitaker) will have to pin their hall hopes on the Veteran's Committee in order to receive passage into to Cooperstown.
Rondell White, who spent two seasons (2004-05) with the Tigers, received no votes.
Jeff Bagwell was third in the vote at 59.6%. Mike Piazza was named on 57.8% of the ballots, finishing fourth. Tim Raines rounded out the top five, taking 52.2% of the vote.
Players receiving votes:
VOTES | PLAYER | PERCENT |
388 |
Craig Biggio |
68.2 |
385 | Jack Morris |
67.7 |
339 | Jeff Bagwell | 59.6 |
329 | Mike Piazza |
57.8 |
297 | Tim Raines | 52.2 |
272 | Lee Smith |
47.8 |
221 |
Curt Schilling |
38.8 |
214 | Roger Clemens | 37.6 |
206 | Barry Bonds | 36.2 |
204 | Edgar Martinez | 35.9 |
191 | Alan Trammell | 33.6 |
123 | Larry Walker |
21.6 |
118 | Fred McGriff |
20.7 |
106 | Dale Murphy | 18.6 |
96 | Mark McGwire |
16.9 |
75 | Don Mattingly | 13.2 |
71 |
Sammy Sosa |
12.5 |
50 | Rafael Palmeiro | 8.8 |
19 | Bernie Williams | 3.3 |
18 | Kenny Lofton | 3.2 |
16 | Sandy Alomar Jr | 2.8 |
6 | Julio Franco | 1.1 |
5 |
David Wells |
0.9 |
4 |
Steve Finley |
0.7 |
2 | Shawn Green | 0.4 |
1 |
Aaron Sele |
0.2 |
Any player receiving under 5% of the vote falls off future ballots. Dale Murphy also falls off the ballot as this was his 15th and final year of eligibility.
Not receiving votes: Jeff Cirillo, Royce Clayton, Jeff Conine, Roberto Hernandez, Ryan Klesko, Jose Mesa, Reggie Sanders, Mike Stanton, Todd Walker, Rondell White, Woody Williams.