2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

No one on the BBVAA Ballot Will Be Included In This
Years Plaque Section In Induction Row
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For only the time eighth ever and first since 1996, there was not one player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to become a Baseball Hall of Famer. 3000 Hit Club Member Craig Biggio was the leading vote-getter in his first year of eligibility with 68.2%. Steroid allegations affected players in their first year on the ballot. Those include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa, who all received 36.2%, 37.6%, and 12.5% respectively. Their will be players inducted into the Hall of Fame who were voted in by Veteran Committee a few weeks ago (Who we will talk about later). There are many players who are on the cusp or are not getting the support they deserve. Here are some of the more notable and interesting players who will be on the ballot next year.

Craig Biggio

If I am Craig Biggio, I would not be worried, unlike second place vote Jack Morris. He only needs 39 more votes to become a Hall of Famer and has 14 years to get it. That is more than enough time for Biggio. 

Jack Morris

Jack Morris is another story. Morris only three votes less then Biggio, however, he is in his 14th year of eligibility. He has one more year to make and I am not sure if he can. I am unsure if I would vote for him, considering there are other players who are more deserving.

Tim Raines

Tim Raines
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I believe that Tim Raines is a definite Hall of Famer. He has had a steady rise after getting only 24.3% in 2008 and 22.6% in 2009. It started with Raines getting 30.4% in 2010 then 37.5% in 2011 followed by 48.7% in 2012 and finally 52.2% in 2013. He has a career WAR of 66.2, 2605 hits, .294 batting average, .385 on-base percentage, 1571 runs, 808 stolen bases, and 1330 walks. Those are Hall of Fame numbers, especially the steals. One of the best base stealers of all time should have already made it into the Hall. Since he has not, it should not be soon before he is standing at the podium giving his acceptance speech.

Lee Smith

Only a select group of closers make it to Cooperstown, and Lee Smith should be one of them. He was once the career leader in saves with 478 before Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. He has 178 more saves then Bruce Sutter and 168 more then Goose Gossage. He also had 1251 strikeouts, 3.03 ERA, and 1.256 WHIP during his 18 year career. Lee Smith was a consistent and dominant closer who put fear into the hitter's when he went to the mound.

Inductees Inducted By The Veteran Committee: Hank O'Day, Jacob Ruppert, and Deacon White

Hank O'Day
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Hank O'Day was elected in as an umpire, but was also a pitcher for seven years before umping and also managed for two years. O'Day is known as one of the greatest umpires of all-time and is finally getting his recognition. He was an umpire for 35 seasons, second only to fellow Hall of Famer Bill Klem, and was an umpire in ten World Series, tied for first with Klem. He received fifteen of the sixteen votes possible.

Jacob Ruppert was the co-owner of the New York Yankees from 1915-1922 and then owner of the team from 1922-1939. During his tenure, the Yankees went from a middle of the pack  to a successful franchise. The team went from zero World Series appearances and World Series championships to ten World Series appearances and seven World Series titles (Note: Ruppert passed away before the 1939 season, in which the Yankees won the World Series). His biggest accomplishments include signing Babe Ruth in 1920 and the building of Yankee Stadium. Ruppert also received fifteen of the sixteen possible votes.

Deacon White played in the majors for twenty years from 1871-1890. White caught more then 400 games without a glove and the luxury equipment we have today. White had the first ever hit in a major league, in the first ever game of National Association in 1871. He has a career batting average of .312 and 2067. He had a great season in 1877, leading the league in batting average (.387), slugging percentage (.545), OPS (.950), hits (103), RBIs (49), triples (11), and total bases (145). White won SABR's 2010 Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend. White received fourteen of the sixteen votes possible.

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds's Difference In Body Size
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Barry Bonds is a first ballot Hall of Famer, without a doubt...if there are no steroid allegations. Since there are and he admitted to unknowingly using steroids. That turns me away from voting for Bonds for the Hall. However, he didn't use steroids for all of his career. According to a a book, Game of Thrones, by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, he started using steroids after the 1998 season. When you look at his stats from 1986 to 1998, he had 411 homers, 1216 ribbies, 445 steals, a .290 batting average, .411 on-base percentage, and .556 slugging percentage. He had 3 MVP's in 1990, '92, and '93. Those are define Hall of Fame numbers. Barry Bonds was a Hall of Famer before the steroids and should be rewarded for that.