Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were announced as the 2020 inductees to the baseball hall of fame. Jeter came one vote shy of being the second unanimous inductee. It is a bit disappointing seeing him coming up one vote short since Jeter was my favorite player growing up. I had a feeling someone was going to decide that he shouldn’t be unanimous. I am curious what the reason was for not voting for Jeter. The person has not revealed themselves and I believe it will remain that way. If the voter doesn’t address it, I am assuming they don’t have a good reason to back up their decision. Larry Walker finally got in the hall on his final year by a few votes. I’m happy for Walker get in the hall after waiting a long time since he deserved it.
The question continues to remain will Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens get in. They have two years left on the ballot. Clemens had 61% and Bonds 60.7% in this past ballot. In my opinion, those two should be in the hall of fame since they are two of the best players in their era. They are two players you can argue would have been hall of famers without PEDs. Bonds put up one of the most ridiculous stretches from 2000-2004 and I don’t care that it was with the help of PEDs since it is that crazy. Clemens was one of the best pitchers in baseball for most of his career. Next year the only guy who is likely to get in is Curt Schilling. In 2022, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz who have a link to PEDs are on the ballot. The voters might feel like they should have Bonds, Clemens and A-Rod inducted in the same year since they are three of the biggest faces of PEDs in baseball. I Predict that 2021- Curt Schilling, 2022- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz, 2023/24- Omar Vizquel. With the upcoming eligible players, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another year without any inductees voted in. A-Rod and David Ortiz are the only players over the next four years that could be first ballot hall of famers. Carlos Beltran is borderline, but the cheating scandal with the Astros will likely push him out of being a hall of famer. Adrian Beltre is a possibility because of his longevity and picking up over 3000 hits in his career. Joe Mauer is another possible inductee who was among the best players in baseball for a stretch of his career. There really aren’t many big new candidates over the next few years.
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