top of page
file.jpg
Writer's pictureEthan Semendinger

BN: Beltre, Mauer, Helton to BBHOF!

Breaking News: Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton were all announced to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!

 

Tweets:

 

Quick Thoughts:

  • The writers got this ballot right this year. All three of these players are worthy of the baseball hall of fame and it is a good thing that they all got in.

  • This years ballot had 26 players with 14 returning names. Next years ballot will include 15 returning names.

  • It appears that Billy Wagner (who missed by just 5 votes) will get in next year. If you're a "small-hall" guy, this will annoy you. I personally can get behind the vote, though he will slot in as a lower-end hall of famer when he does get in.

  • Adrian Beltre immediately runs in as an inner circle guy. The 95% vote total is lower than I would've thought. We already knew he wasn't unanimous (thanks to the tracker by Ryan Thibodaux), but 5% of people not voting for Beltre is odd.

  • Mariano Rivera retains his crown as the only unanimous player. Next year, I hope he gets company with Ichiro!

  • Joe Mauer's induction should have many people looking back at the cases of other catchers who maybe should be in. This is especially important for Yankees fans as guys like Thurman Munson and Jorge Posada could start gaining bigger cult followings for induction.

  • Todd Helton is a solid pick to silence the "Coors Effect" crowd. Regardless of where he played, Helton was great and his numbers were worthy.

  • Interestingly, only Beltre had more than 400 home runs in his career. Helton was at 369 and Mauer only had 143. It appears home runs alone don't win hall of fame votes.

  • Speaking of home runs, Gary Sheffield is now off the ballot, even after getting 63.9% of the vote. Now his case is entirely up to the veterans committee. To me, 500 home runs is a benchmark for auto-inclusion. And, if Sheffield gets in that will make it even more ridiculous that Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa, McGwire all aren't in.

  • Homer-ism acknowledged, but Andy Pettitte deserves better than 13.5% of the ballot. If Jack Morris can get in on the backs of postseason status, Pettitte should've been in years ago. My guess is he'll get in via veterans committee one day.

  • (Below are some predictions of mine.)

  • Andruw Jones will get in via the vote. He has 3 more years to get that final 15%. Arguably the best defensive center fielder ever, and he has 400 home runs? I'm sold.

  • Beltran will get in 3 years from now. Right now he's the one facing the biggest punishment from the trashcan scandals of 2017. If both Cora and Hinch can be managers in the MLB currently, it is time to end the Beltran boycott. The hypocrisy is stupid at this point.

  • Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez will not get in on the ballot. They'll waste away for another 7 and 2 years respectively. A-Rod will get close (probably like Gary Sheffield) but he'll ultimately miss the hall. (Which is egregiously bad.)

  • Chase Utley has a HUGE uphill battle over the next 9 years. He won't get in via the ballot. To earn another 50% of the vote is going to be incredibly hard for him.






4 Comments


Robert Malchman
Robert Malchman
Jan 24

"And, if Sheffield gets in that will make it even more ridiculous that Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa, McGwire all aren't in."


All the more reason to keep Sheffield out!

Like

Alan B.
Alan B.
Jan 24

They said on MLBN that because of Mauer, Posada should get a deeper look. Posada still had more than 65% of his games at catcher in his age 39 season. Posada hit .338 in his age 36 season. Mauer retired at age 35, and was only playing 50% of catcher games at age 28.


Thurman Munson is a whole different case. But let me ask this peanut gallery: Does anyone really think that Ted Simmons was a better catcher than than MY CAPTAIN, #15?


Gary Sheffield probably gets in like his former teammate, Fred McGriff, via the Veteran's Committee. How and why Don Mattingly is not in is still totally befuddling me.

Like
Melfman1
Melfman1
Jan 28
Replying to

In my opinion, Joe Mauer is NOT a Hall of Famer. He gets all this credit for being in the top 10 or so of catchers all time in some categories. The truth is that he really shouldn’t be considered among the best, because he didn’t play enough games as a catcher. In just shy of 1,800 games started in his career, he only caught in 885. That is the equivalent of less than 5.5 full seasons. All of his other starts were either in the OF (2), 1B (584) or as DH (304). So he had more games combined in other positions (890) than he ever did as catcher.


Now let’s compare that to a few of the true…


Like
dr sem.png

Start Spreading the News is the place for some of the very best analysis and insight focusing primarily on the New York Yankees.

(Please note that we are not affiliated with the Yankees and that the news, perspectives, and ideas are entirely our own.)

blog+image+2.jpeg

Have a question for the Weekly Mailbag?

Click below or e-mail:

SSTNReaderMail@gmail.com

SSTN is proudly affiliated with Wilson Sporting Goods! Check out our press release here, and support us by using the affiliate links below:

587611.jpg
583250.jpg
Scattering the Ashes.jpeg

"Scattering The Ashes has all the feels. Paul Russell Semendinger's debut novel taps into every emotion. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll reexamine those relationships that give your life meaning." — Don Burke, writer at The New York Post

The Least Among Them.png

"This charming and meticulously researched book will remind you of baseball’s power to change and enrich lives far beyond the diamond."

—Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Man, Opening Day, and Ali: A Life

From Compton to the Bronx.jpg

"A young man from Compton rises to the highest levels of baseball greatness.

Considered one of the classiest baseball players ever, this is Roy White's story, but it's also the story of a unique period in baseball history when the Yankees fell from grace and regained glory and the country dealt with societal changes in many ways."

foco-yankees.png

We are excited to announce our new sponsorship with FOCO for all officially licensed goods!

FOCO Featured:
carlos rodon bobblehead foco.jpg
bottom of page