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Red Sox History: Analyzing the cases for all nine Hall of Fame hopefuls

Daniel Fox|
BOSTON, MA - MAY 20: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a Red Sox Hall of Fame Class of 2016 ceremony before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians on May 20, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 20: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a Red Sox Hall of Fame Class of 2016 ceremony before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians on May 20, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
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SAN FRANCISCO – JUNE 19: Barry Bonds #25 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at SBC Park on June 19, 2004 in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Red Sox 6-4. (Photo by Don Smith/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO – JUNE 19: Barry Bonds #25 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at SBC Park on June 19, 2004 in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Red Sox 6-4. (Photo by Don Smith/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

My 2022 Hall of Fame ballot

  1. Barry Bonds- He is the greatest baseball player since Willie Mays.  Though its clear performance-enhancing drugs played some role in his success, he is unquestionably a Hall of Famer before he started cheating, and there was no rule outlawing steroid use at the time.
  2. Roger Clemens- The hitting version of Bonds, Clemens is the only pitcher of all time to be in the top 3 in both WAR and strikeouts. He’s a Hall of Famer.
  3. Scott Rolen- Rolen’s career WAR of 70.1 is 11th all-time among third basemen, behind 10 Hall of Famers and Adrian Beltre. His eight gold gloves are more than any third baseman not named Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, or Nolan Arenado. After getting 52.9% of the vote last year, he is likely to get elected soon.
  4. David Ortiz- The greatest clutch hitter of his generation, there are few players who had a bigger impact on the game than Big Papi. His 541 home runs are 17th all-time while his 1768 RBIs are 23rd. No matter what position they play, a hitter like that should be in Cooperstown.
  5. Andruw Jones- Most of the criticism with Jones’ candidacy centers around his combined 2.7 WAR after the age of 30. If you hit 434 home runs and win 10 straight gold gloves, however, I don’t really care how long your career was.
  6. Billy Wagner- Similar to Jones, I don’t penalize Wagner too much for a short career. On an inning-by-inning basis, he was the most dominant pitcher in the history of baseball.
  7. Gary Sheffield- One of the most feared hitters of his time, Sheffield batted over .300 nine times and hit over 30 home eight times. His 140 OPS+ is higher than Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., and George Brett. Although there is no denying he was a terrible defender, his 60.5 WAR is higher than any non-Hall of Fame right fielder other than Reggie Smith, Dwight Evans, and the ineligible Joe Jackson.
  8. Todd Helton- The election of fellow Rockie Larry Walker puts the Coors Field argument to bed and makes Helton’s election almost inevitable. His .316 average is higher than noted batsman Johnny Mize (.312), Ichiro Suzuki (.311), and George Brett (.305). A well-rounded player, he won three Gold Gloves and his 54.2 JAW is exactly at the Hall of Fame standard.
  9. Jeff Kent: A remarkably consistent player, Kent hit over 20 home runs in nine straight years and batted over .280 in eleven straight. He also had a strong peak, finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting in four out of five seasons. His 377 home runs are more than any other second baseman in history, and his 123 OPS+ is higher than Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, and Derek Jeter.
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