Curt Schilling
The outspoken Curt Schilling may cost himself a few votes with some of his controversial viewpoints, but it’s encouraging to see him rise from 39 percent last year to 52 percent.
There’s no doubt that Schilling is worthy of more consideration than that, with the archaic voting rules that limit the writers to only 10 players per ballot being the primary factor standing in his way. At least he’s trending in the right direction. Of the players that were not selected this year, Schilling received the fourth most votes, signaling he’ll have a legitimate shot next year with many writers that didn’t vote for him having an additional two spots free on their ballots.
Schilling won 216 games during his 20 year big league career, owning a 3.46 ERA and producing an 80.6 WAR that ranks 26th all-time among pitchers. The six-time All-Star finished as the runner-up for the Cy Young award three times, while finishing in the top-10 in MVP voting twice. He has three seasons on his resume in which he piled up at least 300 strikeouts and joins Clemens as the only pitcher among the top-15 in career strikeouts to not already be in the Hall of Fame.
The only two members of the Top 15 career strikeout club not in the Hall of Fame. Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) January 6, 2016
As good as he was in the regular season, it’s his postseason career that puts him over the top. Schilling was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in his postseason career, establishing himself as one of the greatest big game pitchers in history while collecting three championship rings.
While he spent only the final four years of his career in Boston and would likely be enshrined wearing a Phillies cap, seeing Schilling inducted would still be a special moment for Red Sox fans given his contributions to two World Series titles. His gutsy performance in the infamous “Bloody Sock” game during the 2004 ALCS remains one of the most treasured memories of his storied career.
Next: Edgar Martinez