Minnesota Twins: My Hall of Fame Ballot for FanSided, explained

This past month, I got the opportunity to vote on the FanSided Hall of Fame Ballot, an opportunity I hope to one day exercise on the official Hall of Fame ballot. While no players were selected, I still filled up my personal ballot, including one former member of the Minnesota Twins.

It’s very rare to see 10 players be picked on a ballot in almost any year, especially with a class as weak as this one, but I selected 10 anyways. This seems like an inexcusable act to some, but I believe I have a valid reason for doing it: I’m not the only vote.

Far too often, players who deserve a second look at the Hall of Fame ballot fall off before they are able to be elected, simply because the candidates ahead of them are too good. I want the players to be able to stay a year or two and receive a little more consideration.

I know that my vote will not single-handedly save any candidate from elimination off the ballot, but it could help keep candidates that some people like around. Thus, I came to the idea to give 10 people my vote:

• Barry Bonds
• Roger Clemens
• Todd Helton
• Torii Hunter
• Andruw Jones
• Jeff Kent
• Manny Ramirez
• Scott Rolen
• Curt Schilling
• Billy Wagner

These Players received votes for different reasons, so I’ll break that down as well:

• Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens: I still consider the late Hank Aaron to be the Home Run King, but I believe Bonds and Clemens both deserve to be in the Hall. Both players had some of the greatest numbers of all-time, and that can’t be solely attributed to steroids. It’s time to push them in.
• Andruw Jones, Todd Helton, Scott Rolen: While all three players are different, all three had WAR numbers over 60 for their career and could get in the way of Joe Mauer when his turn comes around. I don’t know that they should be elected RIGHT NOW, but I think all three belong in the hall.
• Jeff Kent and Billy Wagner: These two players are the best example of what I was talking about. While I’m not sure either player belongs in the Hall of Fame, each was dominant at their position, so they shouldn’t be cut right out.
• Manny Ramirez and Torii Hunter: These are both players where I know my bias sneaks in. Torii Hunter is one of the best Minnesota Twins players of all-time, and Manny Ramirez was key for the Red Sox to break the Curse of the Bambino. Neither one is likely to make it, but I want my vote to go to people who I really believe could be Hall of Famers.
• Curt Schilling: The hardest call on the list for me. I left out Omar Vizquel because of the domestic violence allegations and the fact that he was borderline more of a borderline candidate. I think Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer based on performance, so I had to set aside my thoughts on him personally.

Last thing to add:

• I love LaTroy Hawkins and Michael Cuddyer, but holding the former Minnesota Twins off the list was the right call. Cuddyer belongs in the Minnesota Twins hall, but i’m not sure he belonged in this ballot.