For the 5th consecutive year, the Baseball Blogger Alliance came together to vote on who they recommend should be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The BBA is a collection of approximately 240 Baseball writers and hardcore fans from throughout North America who blog - covering every team, the game's history and fantasy Baseball fanatics. We are encouraged to use one another to deepen our understanding of the game and the teams that play it. Go here to find more about this organization.
With such a large number of good candidates on this years eligible ballot, only three ballplayers made the cut for our choice to enter into the hallowed hall. The BBA recommends Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas for this years class.
Not too shabby, eh? If your going to overcome any controversy, why not just pick the cream of the crop. After all, I don't think anybody questions the integrity of these fellows.
From a BBA press release:
December 30, 2013: The Baseball Bloggers Alliance today recommends three players from the official Hall of Fame ballot to be inducted into Cooperstown this summer. Pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, most closely associated with the Atlanta Braves, and long-time Chicago White Sox first baseman/designated hitter Frank Thomas reached the 75% threshold when BBA members cast their ballots.
Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner for the Braves, pitched from 1986 to 2008 and won 355 games while posting a 3.16 ERA and striking out over 3,300 batters. He had a career WHIP of 1.143 in just over 5,000 innings and an ERA+ of 132 over that span. His best season was 1995, when he fashioned a 19-2 record with a 1.63 ERA, good for a bWAR of 9.7 that year.
Thomas played from 1990 to 2008, all but the last three season on the south side of Chicago. He has a career slash line of .301/.419/.555 and fashioned an OPS+ of 156 during his playing days. He put up his highest single-season bWAR in 1997, when his 1.067 OPS and 35 home runs played a large role in his mark of 7.3.
Glavine’s career spanned roughly the same time frame as Maddux’s, with Glavine starting in 1987. He won the Cy Young in 1991 and 1998 and finished runner-up two other times. His career ERA was 3.54 and he won 305 games during his tenure with the Braves and the New York Mets. Glavine had a 1.314 WHIP for his career and an ERA+ of 118.
The voting of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance has often been close to what the baseball writers eventually decide, though the correlation is stronger with the year-end awards. A quick look at the past few years:
In 2010, no player reached the 75% mark in BBA voting, while the writers inducted only Andre Dawson.
In 2011, the BBA selected Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven and both were inducted into Cooperstown that summer.
In 2012, Barry Larkin and Jeff Bagwell were selected by the BBA, but the writers only took Larkin.
Last year, the bloggers again picked Bagwell, while the writers could not agree on anyone to honor.
Bagwell lost support in this year’s voting, coming up roughly 10% shy of recommendation. The final vote totals are as follows:
Greg Maddux 94.51%
Frank Thomas 80.22%
Tom Glavine 75.82%
Mike Piazza 72.53%
Craig Biggio 70.33%
Jeff Bagwell 64.84%
Barry Bonds 60.44%
Roger Clemens 59.34%
Tim Raines 54.95%
Edgar Martinez 41.76%
Curt Schilling 39.56%
Mike Mussina 32.97%
Alan Trammell 30.77%
Jack Morris 25.27%
Mark McGwire 21.98%
Larry Walker 17.58%
Jeff Kent 15.38%
Lee Smith 14.29%
Don Mattingly 9.89%
Fred McGriff 8.79%
Rafael Palmeiro 7.69%
Sammy Sosa 4.40%
Moises Alou 3.30%
Eric Gagne 2.20%
Luis Gonzalez 2.20%
Sean Casey 1.10%
Kenny Rogers 1.10%
Richie Sexson 1.10%
J.T. Snow 1.10%
Armando Benitez 0.00%
Ray Durham 0.00%
Jacque Jones 0.00%
Todd Jones 0.00%
Paul Lo Duca 0.00%
Hideo Nomo 0.00%
Mike Timlin 0.00%
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