2017 welcomed Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, and Ivan Rodriguez to the baseball Hall of Fame. Their names will live forever and they will be enshrined into Cooperstown this summer.
Next year's ballot could be historical, with returners and first time visitors to the ballot looking to become the next name in Cooperstown.
Here's a list of the names I think will join immortality.
1. Chipper Jones
Arguably the greatest first overall pick in the draft ever, Chipper Jones is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and to make it better, he played every game for one team, the Atlanta Braves. A leader on and off the field, he played the game right and respected it the way very few have done. Oh, and by the way, if you don't know about his career, here are some stats:
- One of two switch hitters to hit .300 from both sides of the plate
- 400 Home Run Club
- Finished with more walks than strikeouts
-1,623 RBI's, which is most among primary third basemen
- 8-Time All Star
- 1999 NL MVP
- 1995 World Series Champion
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, when next year roles around, we can officially say welcome to Cooperstown.
2. Trevor Hoffman
There are two pitchers with over 600 career saves and one of them is named Mariano Rivera. The other one is Mr. Hoffman himself. People will argue that there is no place for a closer besides Mariano and I will say that you are wrong. Hoffman was originally drafted as a hitter but after struggling, he took to pitching and 20 years later, Trevor Hoffman finished his career with 601 saves and a deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. He's returning to the ballot for the 3rd time and after falling five votes short this year, there is no doubt in my mind that he will join Cooperstown next year.
3. Vladimir Guerrero
Short and sweet to the point. Vlad was one of the most electrifying players with a cannon for an arm. He hit over .300 in his career and after his first year on the ballot, he fell less than 20 votes short from joining the legends. Soon, and very soon, Vlad will be standing at the podium giving an acceptance speech.
4. Jim Thome
In an era where steroids were the talk of the town, Jim Thome was there, silently building a resume for the future. You can argue that he wasn't a defensive player but at the same time, how can you let that take away from how he won people over and might have been one of the best teammates in each of the clubhouses he was in. He did it the right way and it paved his way, very soon, for the Hall of Fame. Here's some stats:
- 7th in Home Runs (612)
- 7th in Walks (1,747)
5. Omar Vizquel
One of the most underrated shortstops and defenders of all time. He won 11 Gold Gloves and had three years where he made five or less errors. Oh and by the way, he played 140 or more games those years. People may not remember his offensive numbers but yet, he still finished his career with 2,877 hits. He wasn't the biggest and strongest but he played hard and very few played the position like he did. Some people will argue that he shouldn't get in but what this guy brought to the field was irreplaceable and he should be in Cooperstown next year.
6. Edgar Martinez
Going onto his 9th ballot, Edgar becomes the Tim Raines of the group and possibly looking at a 10 full years to make the Hall of Fame. He's in the middle of the road but the famous word of "sabermetrics" might just line up the stars just enough for Mr. Martinez to get in.
