Roger Clemens Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

Baseball Hall of Fame for 2026

Carlos Beltrán, Andy Petitte, Ryan Braun

“The Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s 2026 Hall of Fame ballot features 27 candidates, including 15 returnees and 12 newcomers. Results of the election will be announced Jan. 20 live on MLB Network.”

Unlike in most years, I’m not seeing 10 people I would have voted for in the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2026. Based solely on the stats, I would have picked ARod (5th year on the ballot, 37.1% of the votes when 75% are needed) and Manny Ramirez (10th and final year, 34.3%). But both were egregiously using Performance-Enhancing Drugs after 2004. In Manny’s case, I’d let some future panel decide.

I’m also not picking SS/3B Omar Vizquel because of stuff.

I would vote for CF Carlos Beltrán (4th year, 70.3%) for sure, a solid player on several teams. His increasing number of votes suggests that the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal is not as much of a factor as before.

SP Andy Petitte (8th year, 27.9%) was PED-adjacent, which I’m sure has hurt his chances. But I supported him before.

RP Francisco Rodríguez (4th year, 10.2%) was known as K-Rod for his prolific strikeout rate. He might fare better on the ballot with weaker competition, although a domestic violence allegation may factor in. IDK.

Of all of the first-timers on the ballot, the only one that I would vote for LF/3B Ryan Braun, a six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger.

I’m on the fence regarding SS Jimmy Rollins (5th year, 18%), even with four Gold Gloves—a possible yes.

CF Andruw Jones (9th year, 66.2%) was a near-lock early in his career, both as a hitter and a fielder (10 Gold Gloves), but his career trailed off substantially—a probable YES.

Contemporary Era

Earlier in November, the National Baseball Hall of Fame released the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot for 2026 induction. The list includes LF Barry Bonds (340), Roger Clemens (332), 1B Carlos Delgado (110), 2B/3B/1B Jeff Kent (123), 1B/OF Don Mattingly (134), OF/3B/C Dale Murphy (116), RF/3B/SS Gary Sheffield (158), and the late SP Fernando Valenzuela (63). The players need 12 of the 16 votes on December 7.

Three players show up on the BALCO investigation of steroids: Bonds, Clemens, and Sheffield. However, “in 2005, Major League Baseball (MLB) introduced a new policy regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) wherein the league would not only suspend but also publicly name any player who tested positive for banned PEDs.” I believe that NONE of them were implicated after 2004, compared with A-Rod and Ramirez. I’d vote for all three of them.

Over 17 seasons, Jeff Kent posted a .290 batting average and .500 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .978 fielding percentage. Kent hit 351 HR as a second baseman, the most in MLB history in either league. Other than being surly with the press, I don’t know why he didn’t get elected by the writers.

I always liked Mattingly. He also had a decent run as the Dodgers manager, but a weak one with the Miami Marlins. Murphy was pretty consistent. Fernandomania was rampant in the early 1980s, but his career stats are so-so.

The 2022 Hall of Fame vote (baseball)

A-Rod, Big Papi

On January 25, 2022, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will “announce the results of its 2022 Hall of Fame vote live from Cooperstown… Any electees will be inducted during Hall of Fame Weekend on Sunday, July 24. they’ll be joined by the previously announced legends.

Of the 30 people on the ballot, 13 of them were on for the first time. Conversely, four players appear for the 10th and final time. They could be elected by a veterans’ committee down the road.

By far, the biggest first-timer is Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, by many statistical standards, is the best player being voted on. As Wikipedia noted, “Rodriguez amassed a .295 batting average, over 600 home runs (696), over 2,000 runs batted in (RBI), over 2,000 runs scored, over 3,000 hits, and over 300 stolen bases, the only player in MLB history to achieve all of those feats.”

The problem is that he was involved in two performance-enhancing drug scandals. I give him a pass on the steroid use prior to 2004. As then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig noted, “at the time of the testing there were no punishments for this sort of activity.”

However, he was suspended in August 2013 for the rest of the season and all of 2014 for his use of human growth hormones. By then, he should have known better. So, if I were a voter, I would pass on him this year.

Similarly, I’d pass on Manny Ramirez (6th year, 28.2% of the voters last year, with 75% needed for induction), who served a 50-game suspension in 2012 for the second violation of the drug policy.

The 10th and final time

In a flip from last year, I WOULDN’T vote for Curt Shilling (10th year, 71.1%). And it has something to do with his public request not to be on the ballot. After last year’s vote, he touted “presidential election-related conspiracy theories; calling for a declaration of martial law; and comparing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, to a Nazi.

“After the December 31 voting deadline, Schilling doubled down by tweeting his support of the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, a move that was a bridge too far for some voters who had otherwise continued to support him.” So, no.

Sammy Sosa (10th year, 17.0%) I would vote no. He was a great home run hitter, but too one-dimensional.

Conversely, I would vote YES on the great players
1. Barry Bonds (10th year, 61.8%) and
2. Roger Clemens (10th year, 61.6%)
who operated before Major League Baseball specifically addressed PED.

Who else

3. David Ortiz, (1st year) – Big Papi, “Played 20 seasons with Twins and Red Sox…10-time All-Star Game selection.” And an interesting character. Even though he played for the evil Red Sox.

4. Gary Sheffield (8th year, 40.6%) long and impressive career. A bit of a hothead, and like Bonds and Clemens, in the steroid accusation period

5. Andy Petitte (4th year, 13.7%) – I owned my bias last year.

In fact, everything I said about
6. Todd Helton (4th year, 44.9%)
7. Jeff Kent (9th year, 32.4%)
8. Billy Wagner (7th, 46.4%)
9. Scott Rolen, (5th year, 52.9%)
last year still applies.

10. Jimmy Rollins (1st year) – speed, power, good glove

I have no idea what the actual voters will do, though I expect Ortiz to get in.

Baseball Hall of Fame 2014: my ballot

I had to leave off players for the Baseball Hall of Fame I most definitely would have considered:

Now that Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre, who rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on the career list of managerial victories, have been “elected unanimously to the Hall of Fame [on December 9] by the expansion-era committee,” it’s time for me to think about the players, who will be voted on by the baseball writers, the results of which will be announced on January 8. “To be enshrined, players must be named on at least 75% of the Committee members’ ballots.”

Here are the players on the ballot. Last year, NO players were inducted – which was too bad – so now, with new players being retired for five years, there’s a real backlog. The sportswriters who vote can select up to 10 players, though most apparently do not.

These are my picks:

1. Jack Morris. It’s his 15th and final year on the ballot. He got 67.7% of the vote last year; put him in.

2. Lee Smith, who had more saves than anyone when he retired in an era when relievers often pitched more than one inning. 12th year on the ballot. He got 47.8% of the vote last year, but this year, I fear he’ll do worse. I’ve supported his selection for years.

3 and 4. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Both pitchers are worthy, and Maddux should be a lock with over 350 wins; Glavine had 305, and 300 has been the threshold for years, probably too high in the five-man rotation. It would be nice if they could go in with their longtime Atlanta manager Cox. Both 1st year on the ballot.

5. Frank Thomas. They didn’t call him The Big Hurt for nothing. He hit 500 home runs, yet also batted over .300 for his career; power hitters often sacrifice average for power.

6 and 7. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Now we come to the Steroid Era players. No one would argue that these aren’t the best position player and pitcher, respectively, on the ballot, and in fact two of the best players ever. The steroids weren’t specifically banned at the time they were allegedly taken them. Last year, I understood why Bonds only got 36.2% and Clemens, 37.6% of the votes; the writers didn’t want them to go into the hall on the first ballot. But they still belong, even cutting their numbers by 25%.

8. Mike Piazza. A good hitting catcher, who was never specifically accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs (PED), but everyone who bulked up in that period was suspected by some. There’s no reason to believe it so. Last year, in his first year of eligibility, he got 57.8% of the vote. Some writers who didn’t want him in in his first year might vote yes in his second.

9. Craig Biggio. Second basemen aren’t usually expected to be selected for power, but for defense. Yet thrice he won both the Gold Glove (for fielding) asnd the Silver Slugger (for hitting) in the same season.

10. Tim Raines. I’ve become convinced that being the second-best leadoff hitter in his era, after Rickey Henderson, is worthy of the Hall. He had over 800 stolen bases in his career.

I had to leave off people I most definitely would have considered: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, whose home run race in 1998 reengerized the baseball fan after the 1994 strike, both tainted by PED use; first baseman Jeff Bagwell, pitcher Mike Mussina, and pitcher Curt Schilling, who I dropped in favor of Raines. Probably three or four others I would have picked in another year.