Minnesota Twins: My 2022 FanSided Hall of Fame Ballot, Explained

Minnesota Twins and some Honorable Mentions

To this point, the eight players who’ve gotten my vote are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, David Ortiz, Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and Curt Schilling. Because I only get ten votes, that means that there were a few players who missed the cut.

Andruw Jones, who finished fourth in our mock Hall of Fame ballot with 69% probably won’t make the real Hall this year either, but I will definitely be casting my vote for him next year. The all-time great defender just came short of my list, mostly because he’s still got five years left.

Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield, Jeff Kent, and Andy Pettite earned consideration, but I don’t think any of them are better than the nine players I have listed above. Sammy Sosa earned a look too, but I just didn’t see him as a Hall of Famer. Same with Minnesota Twins legend Justin Morneau.

So what about my last two spots? Well, I gave them to two Minnesota Twins players who are Hall of Famers in my eyes that I knew wouldn’t get enough credit: Torii Hunter and Joe Nathan. Neither will make the hall, but I wanted them to get at least a vote.

Hunter was a defensive whiz and a powerful hitter for both the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels, and despite a lack of black ink, I wanted him to be considered. As for Joe Nathan, he was a dominant closer for a decade, and landing eighth all-time in saves despite only finishing 587 games is a true achievement.

With all that being said, who would you induct into the Hall of Fame?