2022 Baseball Hall of Fame: Who gets in and who doesn’t, our writers weigh in
Class of 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame ballots are out. Our baseball writers give their opinions on who’s in and who’s out.
One of the biggest hot stove debates is who belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, ballots went out for the Class of 2022. Our writers weigh in on who gets in, who doesn’t, and the players they would pick if they had a vote.
Joe Swenson
I would vote for Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens. Did they cheat? Debatable. Are performance enhancers bad for baseball? They weren’t in the 90s. Baseball players are always looking for the next evolutionary advantage.
A-Rod admitted to it, apologized, and I hate him, but these three would easily be the three best players not in the Hall, along with Pete Rose (who should be in the Hall of Fame as well).
Curt Shilling asked not to be on the ballot. The media hates him, half of America hates him, and he’s toxic to the businesses he started. Still, his accolades should put him in the Hall, and I would vote him in despite his desire not to be on the ballot.
War Dogs
Jimmy Rollins should get in. He would have the highest WAR of any shortstop, not in the Hall of Fame, and not named A-Rod.
Omar Vizquel had 2 All-Star appearances and 11 gold gloves in an era where he was competing against Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, and the tail end of Cal Ripken’s career. His WAR is similar to Rollins but over a vastly longer career.
Deserving
David Ortiz had a positive PED test in 2003. He didn’t have the opportunity to put in a proper defense of that test. His offensive numbers were great. Unlike Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and A-Rod, Ortiz became a media darling.
His post-season heroics are the stories you want to tell your grandchildren, and what he did after the Boston Marathon is the stuff of legends. He will get in, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets enough this votes year.
Scott Rolen should get in based on his sheer dominance throughout his career at a time when there weren’t a lot of stud third basemen in the NL, not named Chipper. His WAR at third base is the highest among those at his position not in the Hall.
Billy Wagner belongs for the dominance he exhibited throughout his career. His sub-3 ERA in every season (15) where he pitched in three or more games is incredible. His most amazing statistic is that in his final season, he finished 7-2, 1.73 ERA, 38 saves, and 104 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched at age 38.
He deserves to be in for his total effort. The detractor for Billy is a 27.7 career WAR. Unfortunately, WAR doesn’t calculate properly for relievers., which I hate for him.