2022 Hall of Fame Ballot

2022 Hall of Fame Ballot 

    The following players are on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2022. After I tell you who they are, I will tell you who I would vote for if given the chance. Let's start with the new names, and then go in alphabetical order among the holdovers from last year's ballot.

-Carl Crawford

-Prince Fielder

-Ryan Howard

-Tim Lincecum

-Justin Morneau

-Joe Nathan

-David Ortiz

-Jonathan Papelbon

-Jake Peavy

-A.J. Pierzynski

-Alex Rodriguez

-Mark Teixeira

-Jimmy Rollins

-Bobby Abreu  

-Barry Bonds 

-Mark Buehrle  

-Roger Clemens 

-Todd Helton 

-Tim Hudson 

-Torii Hunter 

-Andruw Jones 

-Jeff Kent 

-Andy Pettitte 

-Manny Ramirez 

-Scott Rolen 

-Curt Schilling 

-Gary Sheffield 

-Sammy Sosa 

-Omar Vizquel 

-Billy Wagner 

Each Hall of Fame voter can choose up to ten candidates who they believe to be Hall of Fame worthy. I personally would choose Bobby Abreu, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Jeff Kent, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Joe Nathan, and Jonathan Papelbon. 

Abreu was a fine combination of consistency (.291 lifetime batting average), power (288 home runs), and speed (400 stolen bases). The two time all-star also collected 1,476 walks and was a Gold Glove award winner in the outfield in 2005. 

Hudson had a terrific 222-133 (.625) lifetime record. He led the AL in wins and winning percentage in 2000 and was a two time league shutout champion. Wielding a fastball and four different breaking balls, Hudson recorded a 3.49 ERA, 2,080 strikeouts, and four all-star selections. 

Hunter was a nine time Gold Glove award winner in the outfield, a five time all-star, and a .277 lifetime hitter. As one of the greatest all around talents in all of baseball during his heyday, he collected 2,452 hits, including 353 homers and 498 doubles. 

Kent is the all time leader in home runs for a second baseman, totaling 377 for his career. The five time all-star was a .290 career hitter with 1,518 RBI’s and 2,461 hits across seventeen seasons, winning four Silver Slugger awards and the 2000 NL MVP Award. 

Rolen was an eight time Gold Glove award winner at third base and the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year. A seven time all-star, he provided power (316 homers) and consistency (.281 lifetime batting mark) with stellar baserunning skills. 

Schilling should have been an automatic Hall of Famer with his 3,116 strikeouts. Schilling led his league in wins, innings pitched, starts, complete games, WHIP, strikeouts, and strikeouts per nine innings at least twice each. The six time all-star won 216 regular season games but is best remembered for his postseason performances. He went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in postseason play, earning three World Series rings, a World Series MVP Award, and a NLCS MVP Award. 

Vizquel was an eleven time Gold Glove award winner at shortstop and a three time all-star. He holds the career record for the highest fielding percentage at short, a remarkable seven points above Ozzie Smith's. Along with his nearly 3,000 career hits, Vizquel scored 1,445 runs, hit 456 doubles, stole 404 bases, and collected 256 sacrifice hits, leading the league in sacrifices four times. 

Wagner ranks sixth in baseball history with 422 saves. He also had a 2.31 ERA and a 47-40 record in 853 games. The seven time all-star struck out an average of 11.9 batters per nine innings across his 16 MLB seasons.

Nathan was a top relief pitcher with 63 wins, 377 saves, and a 2.87 ERA. He was a six time all-star and he won Rolaids Relief in 2009. Today is also his birthday, but that has nothing to do with it.

Papelbon was the best reliever of all time behind Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, and Wagner (yes, he was even better than Trevor Hoffman). Despite making his MLB debut at 24, he collected 41 wins and 368 saves. His 2.44 career ERA includes a 2.33 mark in 396 games with the Red Sox, who play in the most hitter friendly ballpark in the league. He was also 2-1 with seven saves and an ERA of 1.00 in 27 career postseason innings. He's another easy choice.

    Seeing as how only ten candidates are allowed on each ballot, I left Gary Sheffield off this year. You can read about him in last year's post. Sheff's case is complicated; I may go deeper into it if I need to advocate for him in the future. I would also probably vote for A.J. Pierzynski, and seeing as how this is Schilling's final ballot, I'll get to include him next year. Lincecum is a personal favorite of mine and a tempting choice, but there's no way that he's a Hall of Famer. This is a particularly strong Hall of Fame ballot, so picking ten guys could be a little tricky.