Baseball Hall Of Fame Ballot Annonced

Every year, baseball fans wait to see who is going to get into the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame. By definition, a Hall of Famer is a group of individuals in a particular category (as a sport) who have been selected as particularly illustrious. First opened in 1936 the Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum now houses 310 members who have been enshrined. In the Hall, there are 215 former major league players, 28 executives, 35 Negro leaguers, 22 managers and 10 umpires. This year, there is a new list that has been announced. On this list are the names of 32 players who are trying to get into the hall of fame. The list of players looking to get into the hall in 2016 is a pretty good list.

Here's the exact list (players and what year they are on the ballot):

Mike Piazza 4th
Jeff Bagwell 6th
Tim Raines 9th
Curt Schilling 4th
Roger Clemens 4th
Barry Bonds 4th
Lee Smith 14th
Edgar Martinez 7th
Alan Trammell 15th
Mike Mussina 3rd
Jeff Kent 3rd
Fred McGriff 7th
Larry Walker 6th
Gary Sheffield 2nd
Mark McGwire 10th
Sammy Sosa 4th
Nomar Garciaparra 2nd
Ken Griffey 1st
Jim Edmonds 1st
Jason Kendall 1st
Troy Glaus 1st
Mike Hampton 1st
Luis Castillo 1st
Randy Winn 1st
Garret Anderson 1st
Mike Lowell 1st
Billy Wagner 1st
Trevor Hoffman 1st
Mark Grudzielanek 1st
Mike Sweeney 1st
David Eckstein 1st
Brad Ausmus 1st

Here's where things get interesting. Of the names on this list, I can only see a couple names getting the call this year. Of the guys returning to the Ballot, this will finally be the year for Piazza. He has come close last year, missing out by 5.15% to get in. This year he finally gets in. He's the greatest hitting catcher to ever play the game, hitting 427 home runs and driving in 1,335 runs. Nobody was as clutch a power hitter from behind the plate then Piazza. Jeff Bagwell is also another guy I see getting in (just not this year). Over 15 years in Houston, Bagwell hit 449 homers and drove in 1,529 runs. If you average that out over 162 games, Bagwell hit 34 a year, driving in about 119 a season. The guy was a solid hitter and solid defensive 1st baseman.

As for the new guys on the Ballot, I can see two getting in without a doubt. One is Ken Griffey Jr. Over his 22 years in the Majors, Griffey hit 630 home runs, driving in 1,830 runs. Most people remember him for his days in Seattle, where he had his best numbers. What I think is a down side for Griffey is that when he finished up his career in Cincinnati, he was so martered by injuries, he wasn't nearly as productive as he was while out West. His best year in Cincy was in 2007 where he managed to stay healthy and hit 30 homers, showing that he still had a touch to his game. What made Griffey so good was he had one of the sweetest swings in all of baseball. The guy was just so graceful with a bat in his hands. He made it look so easy swinging it wasn't even funny. He was a graceful swinger and one of the best in the outfield. There wasn't a ball that was hit that Griffey couldn't run down.

Then there's Trevor Hoffman, a man who nine times during an 18 year career saved 40 or more games in a season, will go down as one of the greatest closers of all time. Yes people are going to remember him for some of the games he's blown during his career. But he had the tools to be a good pitcher in the bigs. His repertoire by then included primarily of his changeup, a four-seam fastball, a slower cut fastball that moves in towards a left-handed batter, and the occasional slider and a curveball. Now would I put him at the top of the list among great closers? No. That's Mariano Rivera, no doubt about it. But in this generation, Hoffman has to be right behind him at two. He will get in there's no doubt about it, but the only question mark is when is Hoffman going to get in.

In order to be elected to the Hall of Fame you need 75% of the votes to get in. The committee will announce the Hall of Fame class in January 6th.