The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballots were just released yesterday. I’m not a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, so I can’t vote, but it’s always fun to speculate what I would do if I could.
I don’t believe in withholding the Hall of Fame from players suspected of taking steroids, or players “canceled” for any other reason. The numbers are numbers. No matter what we say, we can’t change history. Like it or not, Barry Bonds hit 762 home runs and Pete Rose got 4,256 hits during their major league careers. If we look back in history, we will find flaws in every player. Cap Anson and Ty Cobb were probably racists. Hank Greenberg and Gaylord Perry were probably cheaters. How many in the Hall took steroids but were never caught?
So here are my top ten picks to join the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame class:
1. Barry Bonds
2. Roger Clemens
3. Manny Ramirez
4. Scott Rolen
5. Curt Schilling
6. Gary Sheffield
7. Sammy Sosa
8. Mark Buehrle
9. Andruw Jones
10. Bobby Abreu
The Others
That said, I think only Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez should actually be voted in this year (a player needs at least 75% of the votes to be voted in).
Other players who I didn’t select, but who I feel should return to the ballot next year are Billy Wagner, Tim Hudson, Jeff Kent, Todd Helton, and Torii Hunter.
I think Andy Pettitte and Omar Vizquel were great players, but are overrated in terms of Hall of Fame eligibility.
Aramis Ramirez, Dan Haren, Shane Victorino, Barry Zito, Michael Cuddyer, A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher, and LaTroy Hawkins should not receive further consideration for the Hall of Fame. They were good, but not legendary.
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