The 2022 Hall of Fame class has been loaded. When Jimmy Rollins, Tim Hudson, and Prince Fielder are some of the lower-level freshmen, and two of them don’t even get five percent of the vote, you know it’s a class of madness. Between Álex Rodríguez, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, 2022 is one of the most anticipated Hall of Fame votes in years. But with every great high comes a terrifying low, and the 2023 Hall of Fame class is just that.
Just look at this picture. Horror to see the names the official MLB Twitter account is trying to recognize as worthy of Fame. It’s despicable. There’s only one guy on this list who has any real shots at Cooperstown, and that’s Francisco Rodriguez. Everyone else can also start writing their Twitter compulsive frustration posts, because they have a much better chance of getting into the Lobby like when I got back to the San Diego Zoo after I tried to steal one of the their giraffes.
The emotional part of my brain wants to put three people on this list in the Hall: Carlos Beltrán, Jered Weaver, and K-Rod, but the rational part of my brain knows the truth. The first two have no chance in hell.
Beltrán is by far the best-positioned player in this year’s class. Not only does he lead all the top players in percentage terms on a career, OPS and OPS-plus basis, but he’s also one of the best defensive central players of all time, scored 40 times Defensively saved center during his 14 seasons in the position. In other words, Andruw Jones, arguably the greatest defensive midfielder of all time, has scored 60 DRS in 14 years playing in the center. Torii Hunter, another highly regarded defensive midfielder, scored 36 DRS in 14 seasons in the center position. Basically, Beltrán has a huge counter-attacking play and his club is the best in the class of 2023.
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That said, his involvement in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal will keep him from leaving Cooperstown. He won’t be the First Elected, but that makes himself as solid as someone outside the bubble Cooperstown is looking at. The rumor that Beltrán was actually the first Astro to start stealing signs certainly doesn’t help, and forgive he makes cheating also not a pretty look. Telling people that you’ll stop if you know it’s illegal doesn’t really make sense when the whole organization keeps cheating low, because they know it won’t be perceived in the same way. fairness. If you’re hiding something you’re doing, it may not be a legal action.
If Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens weren’t in the Hall of Fame, Beltrán certainly wouldn’t either. He’s not at their level from a statistical point of view and his cheating scandal is only slightly more deplorable than theirs. Bonds and Clemens have never particularly come close to the Hall. Beltrán certainly won’t, and if he does, then the Baseball Writers Guild of America (BBWAA) needs to take a hard look at himself in the mirror.
For Francisco Rodriguez, the argument comes down to how highly touted closed people are. Like full-backs in football, the closer position has lost a lot of weight in recent years as the likes of Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, and even Aroldis Chapman have to some extent all experienced it. through the hills and valleys. The closer position became a revolving door for most teams with no one able to hold the fortress in the ninth inning. Don’t get me wrong, having someone with that mentality who can finish ninth is appreciated, but it’s no longer a mandatory position like it was in the 2000s.
While K-Rod is a closer phenomenon, it’s hard to argue he’s on the same level as any of the painkillers that have come to Cooperstown in recent memory: Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith. Rodriguez is in better form (e.g. 62 saves in the 2008 season), but BBWAA has always appreciated longevity compared to his prime, and to be honest, Rodriguez is too short. That combined with a decline in value for the closer position doesn’t bode well for Rodriguez. Personally, I would vote for him, but I don’t see a future where he’s involved.
Every other freshman falls into one of two categories: 1) good, but never excellent, or 2) excellent, but not long enough. Jered Weaver is probably the closest to breaking out of these categories. He had a 5-year stint from 2009 to 2013, where he had an ERA under 4 and an ERA-plus over 100 in each season. He also has 3 Cy Young finishes in the top 5. However, I’ve always believed that eight years of dominance is the bare minimum for a Hall of Fame bid.
More, Refer to baseball has a Hall of Fame meter that compares players to Hall of Famers and determines how likely they are to be voted based on their stats, achievements, and lifespan. Anything over 100 is considered likely. Anything below is unlikely. Apart from Beltrán and Rodriguez, the highest rating for any player this year belongs to Huston Street with 57. John Lackey has 48. Jered Weaver has 47. Even that is not close to where they should be.
The lowest rating to earn a bid in the Hall of Fame since 2010 goes to 2017 presenter Tim Raines (91), so there’s a chance for someone below the threshold to vote, but Street, Lackey and Weaver are too far, too far away.
As I said earlier, there is a chance for Francisco Rodriguez, but that chance is slim. Overall, this is possibly one of the weakest Hall of Fame classes we’ve seen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are only two players on the ballot in 2024.
