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Baseball Hall of Fame: The BYB staff submits their 2017 ballots

No one on our staff gets a Hall of Fame vote, but here’s what would happen if we did!

By Rob Rogacki
Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Devil Rays - August 1, 2006 Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Every year, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) votes to elect new members to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well, except that year they didn’t. Hall of Fame voters have been inconsistent over the years, to put it nicely. Detroit Tigers fans will lament the fact that Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker are not in the Hall, but every fanbase has a snub or two to gripe about.

While I would love to vow that we at Bless You Boys could fix the voting, selecting players worthy of election is no easy task. BBWAA voters have their faults, but by and large, they do a decent job of picking the right players to be enshrined.

Still, the 2017 vote is days away from being revealed, so we thought we would have some fun. I asked the BYB staff for their Hall of Fame ballots. Thirteen writers responded in time. Since a player needs 75 percent of the vote for election, they will need at least 10 of 13 votes in our mock ballot.

Writer Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Player 8 Player 9 Player 10
Writer Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Player 8 Player 9 Player 10
Rob Bagwell Bonds Clemens Martinez Mussina Raines Ramirez Rodriguez Schilling Walker
Kurt Bagwell Bonds Clemens Martinez Mussina Raines Ramirez Rodriguez Schilling
Catherine Bagwell Bonds Clemens Guerrero Hoffman Martinez Mussina Raines Rodriguez Schilling
Peter Bagwell Bonds Guerrero Hoffman Martinez Ordonez Raines Rodriguez Schilling Wakefield
Grace Bagwell Guerrero Guillen Hoffman Martinez Ordonez Raines Rodriguez Schilling Wakefield
Patrick Bagwell Bonds Clemens Rodriguez Schilling
John Bagwell Bonds Clemens Hoffman Martinez Mussina Raines Ramirez Schilling Walker
Ashley Bagwell Bonds Clemens Guillen Martinez Ordonez Raines Rodriguez Schilling Sosa
Jeff Bagwell Guerrero Martinez Mussina Raines Rodriguez Schilling Walker
Jacob Bagwell Bonds Clemens Guerrero Mussina Raines Rodriguez Schilling Sosa Walker
Kyle Bagwell Guerrero Guillen Martinez Mussina Ordonez Raines Rodriguez Schilling Walker
Pat W. Bagwell Bonds Guerrero Hoffman Kent Martinez Mussina Raines Rodriguez Walker
Brandon Bagwell Bonds Clemens Guerrero Martinez Mussina Raines Rodriguez Schilling Walker

This ballot was a surprise, to say the least. We elected six (!) players to the Hall of Fame as a staff, including former Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez. However, Pudge was not the lone unanimous selection. That player was former Houston Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell, who is currently well on his way to induction with almost 91 percent of the public ballot. Rodriguez and pitcher Curt Schilling each earned 12 of 13 votes, while Edgar Martinez and Tim Raines picked up 11 votes. All-time home run leader Barry Bonds squeaked by with 10 votes, while former Orioles and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina just missed induction with nine votes. Vladimir Guerrero received eight votes, and Roger Clemens and Larry Walker fell short with seven votes apiece.

Unfortunately, the actual Hall of Fame class will not be this robust. Bagwell and Raines appear on their way to the Hall with over 90 percent of the public vote, but no other player is above 80 percent. In fact, Rodriguez is the only other player sitting above the induction on public ballots, and his rumored past involvement with PEDs could potentially hurt his standing with those who have not released ballots yet. Former Padres closer Trevor Hoffman did not receive a lot of love in our ballot, but he and Vlad Guerrero are above 70 percent in the actual balloting.

What would your Hall of Fame ballot look like?

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