As a member of the IBWAA, I have the pleasure of voting for their major awards and for their Hall-of-Fame.
The IBWAA has already elected Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. They were not on the ballot. We could vote for up to 12 players, but I only voted for five. Each share on common statistical feature, each of these players are among best players at their positions not yet in the Hall-of-Fame. That fact guided much of my thinking.
The players I voted for are:
Todd Helton – .316 lifetime batting average, a batting title, a five-time All-Star, three Gold Gloves, four Silver Slugger Awards… By WAR, he ranks as the 17th best first baseman of all-time. by JAWS, he’s #15, and by WAR7, he is #11. The players above him are all Hall-of-Famers, or players who will be (or will get serious consideration).
Andy Pettitte -I shared my reasoning for including Andy Pettitte in a previous post.
Scott Rolen – A seven time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, eight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger Award… By WAR and JAWS, Scott Rolen is the 10th best third baseman of all-time. If one is in the top ten of any position all-time, that, to me defines a Hall-of-Famer. The only player ranked above Rolen who is not in the Hall is Adrian Beltre who will go in one day. (If Rolen and Beltre go in, the highest WAR third baseman not yet in the Hall-of-Fame will be Graig Nettles. His time is hopefully coming.)
Curt Schilling – 11-2 post season record. A six-time All-Star. 3,116 strikeouts. Three times the runner-up for the Cy Young Award. He won 20+ games three times. His lifetime WAR ranks him as the 26th best starting pitcher of All-Time. The only pitcher ranked above him who is not in the Hall-of-Fame is Roger Clemens.
Manny Ramirez – He was just too good of a hitter for too long. Twelve seasons with 100+ RBIs. In eleven seasons he batted .300 or better. Twelve 30+ home run seasons. Twelve time All-Star. A batting title. Nine Silver Slugger Awards. By WAR, the 10th best left fielder of all-time.
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