Category Archives: The Rest: Everything Baseball

From Cuba to Japan, Opening Day to the World Series and the WBC

Mike Piazza’s Number Will Be Retired In July

Piazza

This has been a very good month for Mets fans.

Mike Piazza was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 6th, Yoenis Cespedes agreed to a three year contract with the Mets on Saturday, and today it was announced that Mike Piazza will have his number retired by the NY Mets on July 30th.

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NL To Eliminate The DH Or Not? Fan Voting Poll

Rob Manfred has shown an aptitude to make drastic changes in the sports since taking over as the Commissioner a year ago in the MLB. The new agenda is to have both the American League and National League playing by the same rules. Purists will hate the adopting the DH, as is their disdain for the Designated Hitter in the AL. They will say they should eliminate that position. different solution.

Rob Manfred has shown an aptitude to make drastic changes in the sport since taking over as the Commissioner a year ago in the MLB. The new agenda is to have both the American League and National League playing by the same rules. Purists will hate the adopting of the DH, as is their disdain for the Designated Hitter in the AL. They will say they should eliminate that position to have both leagues equal. I offer a 3rd alternative. NO DH or pitcher hitting.  Make sure you take part in our poll at the end of the blog post.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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I have to admit Rob Manfred is at least taking charge at the helm of the MLB.  Uniformity of both the American League and the National League may be implemented as early at 2017 – following the CBA talks after the 2016 season.

That is right, The Designated Hitter may be introduced in the NL as early as next year.

If Manfred calls for an equalization schedule of all 30 MLB teams playing a level amount of games against their own league and divisions next – I will anoint him the best “Commissioner ever.  Hopefully this would be the next step.

Since the progressive leader has made some radical changes in his infancy at the top, like fast play, blackout removals, one fee for individualized teams on MLB.TV – I am hoping he can eradicate team fatigue next.

One of the best cases to made for both the Senior and Junior Circuits to both have the same rules is the recent destruction the AL has done to the National League.  They have a 12 year winning streak in Interleague play – with a whopping .550 win percentage in that time from 2004 – 2015. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 20, 2016

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PHOTO BY: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY

What teams can lay claim to “Team of the Decade” for the 2010’s?

What team can enter the conversation with a 2016 World Series win?

It is a long term legacy episode of  The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Prospect Jordan Weems Trying To Catch On With The Boston Red Sox

A WEEMS

With Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez, the Boston Red Sox have two of the most highly regarded catching prospects in baseball.

Now that they have both reached the majors, fans and the media continue to debate the merits of each. However, team’s organizational depth at the position does not end with them.

There are other young receivers who have the talent to potentially contribute to the big league club one day, including 23-year-old Jordan Weems.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 17, 2016

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Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images

It is Sunday and time for THE SUNDAY REQUEST

 

I would love for this to mean that baseball is coming back to Montreal.

Don’t bet on it.

It is a Sun Coast episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 14, 2016

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The 1977 New York Yankees had such an amazing narrative that I am actually glad they won. There are some teams and franchises that missed a perfect ending with losing the World Series.

It is a truth is better than fiction episode of  The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Deep Dive: Jon Niese

EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES

EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES

An intriguing ground ball rate and three years of control were enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates to obtain Jon Niese. What comprises the left-hander’s makeup as a starting pitcher?

Several weeks have passed since Neil Walker was traded to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Jon Niese.

The move still resonates strongly with many Pittsburgh Pirates observers, often serving for many as the fulcrum of a questionable off-season.

We’ve analyzed the move previously, and from all angles. For the latest in our “Pittsburgh Pirates Deep Dive” series, we are going to look at the trends that are seen when analyzing Niese purely by past performance.

For this breakdown, I took a look at Niese’s game logs for the entire 2015 season. This includes all of his regular season appearances – 29 starts and three relief outings.

By looking at the entire snapshot of a full season, I expect to be able to easily identify any developing trends.

When he was acquired, the book on Niese was that he had good groundball-producing ability and a varied pitch mix. Two of those pitches – a sinking fastball and a cutting version – saw groundball rates above 60 percent in 2015.

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Ira Flagstead:The Boston Red Sox’s Unknown Hall-of-Famer

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Earlier this week it was announced that the Boston Red Sox had selected four new members for their Hall of Fame.

Fans should have little trouble recognizing the first three inductees, former players Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, and former front office man Larry Lucchino.

However, the fourth honoree, former outfielder Ira Flagstead, will likely leave many scratching their heads.

Despite his anonymity, he is worthy of the honor and is someone whose career all Boston fans should become more familiar with.

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Michael Brantley Confirmed For Tribe Fest 2016 + Health Updates

Happy 2016, Brantley fans! I am back and have some exciting news for you all! today, on January 12, it was announced that Michael Brantley will be attending the 4th annual Tribe Fest, presented by KeyBank.

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photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Unlike in years past, however, there are some big changes to this year’s event. due to the current renovations being made at Progressive Field, Tribe Fest will be held at Aloft Cleveland Downtown and the Ernst & Young Tower lobby in Flats East Bank. not only that, but because of limited space, it’s just ONE day this year on January 30.

tickets for Tribe Fest are on sale now. you must purchase a general admission ticket–$5 for both adults and children–in order to attend. (NOTE: children under 3 are free.) like usual, fans can purchase general admission tickets alone, or bundle them with an autograph ticket. the two different autograph sessions to choose from are 9 am – 2 pm and 2 pm – 7 pm. while you cannot choose which specific player to get an autograph from, you can pick between a current Indians player ($20 ticket) or an alumni player ($25).

along with Michael, the following players have already confirmed to appear (although this is subject to change):

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 13, 2016

Irvin Monte Plaque_NBL_0Monte Irvin‘s wonderful life ended yesterday after 96 years. He was a pioneer in the integration of the game and a Hall of Famer.

And he was so close to taking the role assumed by Jackie Robinson.

We honor legacy of a great man on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Where Foul Balls Go: Pitching/Batting Handedness Match-ups Determine Foul Direction

FoulBallzEd's avatarBaseball Bloggers Alliance

ball-copy.jpgWe all know the basics of baseball and how foul balls end up in foul territory. A pitcher throws the ball. A batter swings. Sometimes the ball is missed, other times it’s hit fair, and sometimes it soars into foul territory, into the seats.

Foul balls out number hits by about a 5:1 margin. In recent years, the average number of hits per MLB game has hovered around nine (9) balls. There are historically 47 foul balls hit per game. That’s about 5 times more fouls than hits.

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Who Will Win The 2016 American League Divisions Polls

american league

Since it is the early part of January, we will offer these polls for all teams in all of the Divisions.

The Slow Death Of Phil Reccius From Baseball

a ray chapman

A sad footnote in the annals of baseball history is the passing of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in 1920 following being struck in the head with a pitch.

Although he remains the only major leaguer to have died as a result of a play on the field, there are unfortunately other professional players who have suffered similar fates.

This includes Phil Reccius, who succumbed in an insane asylum to his baseball injury in 1903—a full nine years after being struck by a ball during a game.

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Blue Jays Pick Up Drew Storen For Ben Revere

Last night The Blue Jays made their biggest move so far this offseason. Jays From the Couch gives you an in-depth look at their newly acquired pitcher, along with some positives and negatives about the trade.

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Late Friday night January 8th 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays made their biggest offseason move, trading left fielder Ben Revere for Washington Nationals relief pitcher/closer Drew Storen.

With the Blue Jays having organizational depth in the outfield, addressing the bullpen was something that was a major priority.

With Spring Training only being fifty-two days away, (couldn’t come any quicker) we will quickly see where the newly shifted pieces are going to fit within the roster. This trade improves much needed bullpen depth, but still leaves us with some lingering questions.

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Interesting Facts About The Hall of Fame Vote & Who Should Have Been 100% Guys

AP - Reuters

AP – Reuters

With Ken Griffey Jr. collecting 437 of 440 votes last night and now holding the highest record for % of votes (99.3%), it stirred up a conversation on Facebook about others either snuck in or ranked much higher than expected.

Let’s start with facts…

  • Before Griffey Jr., Tom Seaver had held the top spot for % of votes received at 98.8%
  • The top 5 % vote getters of all-time are Griffey Jr., Seaver, Nolan Ryan (98.8%), Cal Ripken (98.5%), and Ty Cobb (98.2%)
  • Hank Aaron, ranks 8th all-time with 97.8%
  • The most votes ever received came in 2014 as 555 were casted for Greg Maddux (97.2%)

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Legends Of YesterYear: Mike Piazza’s Hall Call Finally Arrives

Mike Piazza

Featured Photo by Simmons/NY Daily News

The date was September 21, 2001, just ten days after the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor and as baseball returned to action in the city, it was trying to take the attention away from all the heartache around New York and the world.

New York especially needed something good to smile about again, and on a night when emotions were high, Mike Piazza did something that he will always be remembered for in Mets history.

With the Mets down 2-1 in the bottom of the eight inning against the Atlanta Braves, Piazza launched a drive over the left center field fence to put New York up for good as Shea Stadium erupted and fans all around the city had reason once again to be happy and just drown themselves in a history making moment.

During the 1988 amateur draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Michael Joseph Piazza in the 62nd round beginning his professional career.

On September 1, 1992, the future legend would make his major league debut, going 3 for 3 with a double, and a walk.

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Who Will Win The 2016 American League Divisions Polls

Doug Booth's avatarBaseball Bloggers Alliance

american league

Since it is the early part of January, we will offer these polls for all teams in all of the Divisions.

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Who Will Win The 2016 National League Divisions Polls

Since it is the early part of January, we will offer these polls for all teams in all of the Divisions.

MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2017) Voting Poll

Vladdy was an Expo from 1996-2003 and will be elected into the Hall of Fame as An Expo to join Andre Dawson, Gary Carter and potentially Tim Raines next year.

Vladdy was an Expo from 1996-2003 and will be elected into the Hall of Fame as An Expo to join Andre Dawson, Gary Carter and potentially Tim Raines next year.

Now that the 2016 Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting has come and gone it is time to turn our attention to the 2017 vote already.

There are 15 remaining names left from the 2016 Vote including:  Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Trevor Hoffman, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, Jeff Kent, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa and Gary Sheffield.

Out of those 15, Raines and Smith are in the final years of their names being on the ballot.

There are 21 new names that come to the 2017 selection process for the 1st time – headed up by Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez.  All of these guys have the numbers to be 1st ballot Hall inductees, however Ramirez has been suspended over PED’s and Rodriguez has had whispers mentioned about him. Read the rest of this entry

Ken Griffey JR. + Mike Piazza Named To The Hall: Our Final Poll Vote Had Bagwell Joining Those Two

 

Ken Griffey was well on his way to the all-time career HR record before injuries slowed him down after the age of 30. He is also the last player in the MLB to have a HR in 8 straight contests, dating in 1993.

Ken Griffey was well on his way to the all-time career HR record before injuries slowed him down after the age of 30. He is also the last player in the MLB to have a HR in 8 straight contests, dating in 1993.  Griffey received a record 99% of the ballots vote from the BBWAA, eclipsing Tom Seaver’s old record for highest percentage of votes in his selection today.

There were the 32 names on the list for consideration for the Baseball Hall Of Fame, only 2 made were selected to Cooperstown with Griffey JR. and Piazza. Our poll also had Jeff Bagwell make it.

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

.Mike Piazza almost made it into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in voting for last year with a clip of 69.9% of the votes. He made it into the BBHOF this year.

.Mike Piazza almost made it into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in voting for last year with a clip of 69.9% of the votes. He made it into the BBHOF this year.

Out of 524 People Voting, Final  Results (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 519 99.04%  
Jeff Bagwell 416 79.38%  
Mike Piazza 397 75.77%  
Tim Raines 380 72.52%  
Roger Clemens 331 63.17%  
Barry Bonds 285 54.39%  
Curt Schilling 222 42.37%  
Trevor Hoffman 218 41.60%  
Edgar Martinez 203 38.74%  
Alan Trammell 190 36.26%  
Mike Mussina 188 35.88%  
Mark McGwire 169 32.25%  
Fred McGriff 130 24.81%  
Sammy Sosa 130 24.81%  
Larry Walker 120 22.90%  
Lee Smith 107 20.42%  
Jeff Kent 101 19.27%  
Billy Wagner 95 18.13%  
Gary Sheffield 81 15.46%  
Jim Edmonds 52 9.93%  
Nomar Garciaparra 35 6.68%  
Brad Ausmus 10 1.9%  
Jason Kendall 9 1.72%  
Mark Grudzielanek 9 1.72%  
Mike Hampton 7 1.34%  
Garrett Anderson 7 1.34%  
Troy Glaus 4 0.7%  
Randy Winn 4 0.7%  
MIke Lowell 4 0.7%  
Mike Sweeney 4 0.7%  
David Eckstein 4 0.7%  
Luis Castillo 2 0.35%
Despite coming 15 votes shy with the BBWAA vote, Bagwell made it to the Hall in our poll - registering almost 80% of the ballots.

Despite coming 15 votes shy with the BBWAA vote, Bagwell made it to the Hall in our poll – registering almost 80% of the ballots.

 

MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far (Last Chance To Vote)

ken griffey jr

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 9:45 AM EST, Tuesday Jan.6, 2015) there have been 386 People who have voted, and only 6 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines (just barely) would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for last year.  Both of them are about 25% higher and on the fringe of making the Hall.. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 386 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 380 98.45%  
Mike Piazza 312 80.82%  
Tim Raines 290 75.12%  
Jeff Bagwell 241 62.43%  
Roger Clemens 237 61.40%  
Barry Bonds 236 61.14%  
Trevor Hoffman 186 48.19%  
Edgar Martinez 162 41.96%  
Curt Schilling 161 41.71%  
Mike Mussina 148 38.34%  
Mark McGwire 147 38.08%  
Sammy Sosa 117 30.31%  
Alan Trammell 116 30.06%  
Lee Smith 98 25.39%  
Fred McGriff 98 25.39%  
Larry Walker 86 22.28%  
Jeff Kent 79 20.47%  
Gary Sheffield 69 17.88%  
Billy Wagner 49 12.69%  
Jim Edmonds 37 9.6%  
Nomar Garciaparra 25 6.48%  
Jason Kendall 6 1.56%  
Garrett Anderson 3 0.78%  
MIke Lowell 3 0.78%  
Troy Glaus 2 0.54%  
Mike Sweeney 2 0.54%  
David Eckstein 2 0.54%  
Brad Ausmus 2 0.54%  
Mike Hampton 1 0.27%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.27%  
Randy Winn 1 0.27%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.27%

Vote up until 558 PM EST  today.

Baseball Hall Of Fame Eve 2016

The members of the BBWAA will vote on the BBHOF ballot in January of 2016

The members of the BBWAA will vote on the BBHOF ballot tomorrow for the 2016 Class.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announced the Hall of Fame class of 2016 tomorrow afternoon. I will be teaching when the inductees are formally announced.

I may or may not post tomorrow depending on how interesting the results are.

Honestly, I probably will post something tomorrow. The early indications suggest a very interesting vote.

Let’s start close to home with the story that I, personally, thought would not be a story.

Ken Griffey Jr. is going to make it into the Hall of Fame. That has been unofficially known for years, and will be made official tomorrow.

However, as of this evening, Griffey is listed on all the publicly disclosed ballots. Nobody has ever been a unanimous hall-of-famer and Tom Seaver’s record percentage might be in reach.

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Baseball’s Youth Movement Is In Full Force

a four corner

It seems like once every few decades, we see an influx of young talent and without a doubt we’re in one of those runs right now.

Think of the young players who have made major impact the last couple of years and try to remember back when the Majors was flush with this level of talent of players under the age of 25.

By the way, it’s not over yet either, as we still have to see extended seasons from Byron Buxton Corey Seager, Joey Gallo, Steven Matz, and the list goes on.

Also, keep an eye on the Shortstop position the next few years, as we will be living in possibly one of the best eras of the Shortstop.

Below is each teams list of players were 24 or younger at the start of the 2016 season.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 5, 2016

11111913_10153968197789937_9186754236576092745_nThe Raiders are going to try and move to Los Angeles. What will that mean to the A’s and their search for a new ballpark.

It is an episode filled with obvious answers on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far (Last Chance To Vote)

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 8:30 AM EST, Tuesday Jan.5, 2015) there have been 260 People who have voted, and only 2 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for last year.  Both of them are about 25% higher and on the fringe of making the Hall.. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 260 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 257 98.84%  
Mike Piazza 207 79.62%  
Tim Raines 206 79.23%  
Roger Clemens 166 63.84%  
Barry Bonds 166 63.84%  
Jeff Bagwell 166 63.84%  
Trevor Hoffman 133 51.15%  
Edgar Martinez 119 45.77%  
Curt Schilling 115 44.23%  
Mark McGwire 114 43.84%  
Mike Mussina 109 41.92%  
Sammy Sosa 89 34.23%  
Alan Trammell 84 32.31%  
Lee Smith 74 28.46%  
Fred McGriff 69 26.54%  
Jeff Kent 65 25.00%  
Larry Walker 62 23.85%  
Gary Sheffield 42 16.15%  
Billy Wagner 39 15%  
Jim Edmonds 29 11.15%  
Nomar Garciaparra 20 7.7%  
Jason Kendall 4 1.5%  
Garret Anderson 2 0.8%  
MIke Lowell 2 0.8%  
Troy Glaus 1 0.4%  
Mike Hampton 1 0.4%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.4%  
Randy Winn 1 0.4%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.4%  
Mike Sweeney 1 0.4%  
David Eckstein 1 0.4%  
Brad Ausmus 1 0.4%

Vote today.

When Can The Baseball Writers For The Hall Of Fame Consider Cheating Through PED Use, Or Not?

Barry Bonds once admitted to a Federal Jury that he used PED's. As MLB's ALL-Time HR King with 762 Round-Trippers, will the BBWAA ever consider looking past this and elect him into Cooperstown?

Barry Bonds once admitted to a Federal Jury that he used PED’s. As MLB’s ALL-Time HR King with 762 Round-Trippers, will the BBWAA ever consider looking past this and elect him into Cooperstown?  He only received 36.8 % of the votes last year – and will be in his 4th year of balloting this season.  The 7 time MVP, the 13 time ALL – Star, 12 time Silver Slugger, and 8 time Gold Glove Winner had a career 3 slash of .298/.444/.607 – and is also the ALL – Time Leader in Walks with 2558 – and is in the top 5 for several other categories lifetime.

Prof. Wes Reber Porter and Dan Dressman (Special Guest Writers):  and

When the 2016 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot is  announced tomorrow, the heated discussion will begin about which controversial candidates, if any at all, should have been inducted into Cooperstown (HOF). 

While isolated athletes have come up in previous years, this year represents the fourth year tension between the modern era of baseball – the “steroid era” – and traditional standards for admission into the Hall. With no one that has been connected to PEDs still having been inducted in

The 500+ baseball writers are, and should be, entrusted to weigh cheating and use of PEDs against the HOF’s criteria of “character,” “sportsmanship” and “upholding the integrity of the game” (the integrity standards). 

These writers each will struggle, however, with a preliminary question that falls outside of their expertise:under which circumstances may a HOF voter consider, at all, a candidate’s connection to cheating and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)?    Read the rest of this entry

Baseball Hall Of Fame 2016: Waiting Game Must Be Gnawing At Heart Of Expos’ Great Raines

a tim raines

It must an anxiety-filled time for Tim Raines.

We would imagine he has some butterflies in his stomach. Maybe his heart is beating just a bit more than it normally does. He must be doing a lot of thinking at his home in Arizona. Must be stressful.

The former Expos’ great wonders if National Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson will call him in the next couple of days and tell him he’s been inducted into the fabled shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y. Wouldn’t that be something if that call was made.

It will be interesting to see the results of the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Raines is in the picture because we see some hope as expressed in a tracking system by several people, who are keeping tabs on public revelations by some of the voters.

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MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 7:30 AM EST) there have been 157 People who have voted, and only 2 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 157 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 155 98.72%  
Mike Piazza 129 76.43%  
Tim Raines 129 76.43%  
Jeff Bagwell 110 70.06%  
Barry Bonds 106 67.52%  
Roger Clemens 105 66.88%  
Trevor Hoffman 84 53.51%  
Edgar Martinez 77 49.04%  
Mark McGwire 77 49.04%  
Mike Mussina 75 47.78%  
Curt Schilling 71 45.22%  
Sammy Sosa 61 38.86%  
Lee Smith 52 33.12%  
Alan Trammell 52 33.12%  
Fred McGriff 47 29.34%  
Larry Walker 46 29.29%  
Jeff Kent 41 26.11%  
Gary Sheffield 32 20.38%  
Billy Wagner 31 19.75%  
Jim Edmonds 24 15.29%  
Nomar Garciaparra 19 12.11%  
MIke Lowell 2 0.12%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.06%  
Randy Winn 1 0.06%  
Jason Kendall 1 0.06%  
Garret Anderson 1 0.06%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.06%  
Mike Sweeney 1 0.06%  
David Eckstein 1 0.06%  
Brad Ausmus 1 0.06%  
Troy Glaus 0 0%  
Mike Hampton 0 0%

Vote today.  The Hall Of Fame Class of 2016 will be announced tomorrow.

2016 MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting Poll

Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration.  Mike PiazzaJeff BagwellKen Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

Carl Scheib, The 16-Year-Old Major League Bullpen Pitcher

a carl scheib

Appearing in 267 games during an 11-year major league career, pitcher Carl Scheib had a solid yet unspectacular showing as a big leaguer.

However, he would likely have never gotten the change if not for a traveling salesman, who wrote Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack to recommend the high school phenom— resulting in a 16-year-old Scheib working as the team’s batting practice pitcher in 1943 and making his debut before the year was over.

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