Opinion: The PNWS 2021 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
PNWS doesn’t have a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot. But we gave our Chris Phillips an imaginary one anyway.
Tuesday, the latest Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced. There are 11 new candidates up for selection. They join the 14 carryovers who are still eligible. Amongst those 14, at least half have been connected to PED or Steroids. To date, that’s the only reason they are not in the Hall.
That is a conversation for another day. Do those players deserve to get in? If those players aren’t selected at most, two get in this year, but it’s more likely no one does. Personally, I started off by saying that anyone who cheated should not be allowed into the Hall. Since then, I’ve started to sway to the other side.
Those players cheated the game, so they don’t deserve to get in, but then Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez were just SO good that it seems wrong they’re not enshrined. Further, it can be argued that Clemens and Bonds had Hall of Fame-caliber careers before they “juiced.”
The names that follow are the names of players who avoided the PED/Steroid stigma and deserve entry into Cooperstown.
Pitchers
Barry Zito – First year on ballot
The owner of one of the most recognizable pitches, Barry Zito, is the only major league pitcher that I swear I can hit, his curveball. I don’t understand how the pros couldn’t tee off on that pitch. But like Jamie Moyer and his changeup, Zito was an expert at fooling hitters. Zito is a three-time All-Star. Maybe not a Hall of Famer in the traditional sense, but with so many other pitchers’ legacies tarnished by steroids or PED’s what’s left is guys like Zito into Cooperstown.
Tim Hudson – First
Tied for 76th on the all-time wins list with 222, Tim Hudson is a four-time All-Star and World Series champion. He’s 74th with 2,080 strikeouts. Additionally, Hudson won 62.5 percent of his decisions. Like his former teammate Zito, he may not be a first ballot Hall of Famer. But he’s more worthy of Cooperstown. Maybe, unlike his former teammate.