Baseball Hall of Fame 2017 Ballot

Photo of Barry Bonds by Daniel Millhouse

Yet another year goes by and I find myself without an official ballot for Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame for the 2017 class. I know I would have to be a BBWAA writer, but I figure they should have made the exception. Either way, I give you my picks to make the hall this year (in no particular order)...

1. Barry Bonds - All-time home run leader, eight gold gloves, all-time leader in walks and intentional walks, seven MVP's, 12-time Silver Slugger winner, and 514 stolen bases. It's ridiculous that he hasn't been voted in during the first four times he was eligible. One anchor on the MLB Network claimed that he couldn't vote for Bonds solely because Bonds wasn't a nice guy. If that's the case, then explain players such as Ty Cobb, Reggie Jackson, and Don Drysdale who were known to be hated players while still playing.
2. Roger Clemens - Almost the pitcher version of Barry Bonds. Seven Cy Youngs, one MVP, 354 career wins, third on the all-time strike outs list behind fellow Texan Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and a 3.12 career ERA. Just like Bonds, he has been passed by four times so far for the hall.
3. Jeff Bagwell - A former Rookie of the Year, MVP, three time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove first baseman, with 449 career homers, a .297 career batting average, over 1,500 RBI's, and 202 stolen bases. In any other time period Bagwell may have stood out more, but he played first base in the National League at the same time as Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Andres Galarraga, Mark Grace, Ryan Klesko, and Todd Helton.
4. Trevor Hoffman - He's second all-time in career saves behind Mariano Rivera, second for the Cy Young Award in 1998 and 2006, and sported a career ERA of 2.87.
5. Billy Wagner - Sixth all-time in saves, Wagner often hit over 100 mph on the radar gun and was feared by hitters. He had a career ERA of 2.31, had a K/9 of 11.9, and a WHIP of 0.99. Only John Franco had more saves as a left-handed closers.
6. Ivan Rodriguez - Known for being one of the best defensive catchers of all-time, Rodriguez had an amazing arm that he would use to throw base runners out all the time. Pudge wasn't bad with the bat either. He had 312 homers, a .296 career batting average, over 1,300 RBI's, and 2,844 base hits. He won the AL MVP in 1999, won the Silver Slugger 7 times, and 13 Gold Gloves.
7. Fred McGriff - Overlooked because he played first base in the National League while so many other stars also played, many people don't realize how good he exactly was. He retired with 493 homers (tied for the most with Lou Gehrig for players who failed to reach 500), 1,550 RBI's, a .284 career batting average, and three Silver Slugger awards.
8. Mike Mussina - Mike Mussina won 270 games, stuck out over 2,800 hitters, won seven Gold Gloves, and he only failed to reach double digit wins in a season once in his career (during his rookie season). The Moose was in the top 10 for Cy Young votes nine times, but the closest he ever came to winning was in 1999 when he came in second. Good to the end, Mussina was 20-9 with a 3.34 ERA and a Gold Glove his final season.
9. Vladimir Guerrero - One of the freest swinger hitters in recent times, Guerrero is one of two first-time ballot eligible players I voted for this year (Ivan Rodriguez is the other). He hit 449 homers, had 1,496 RBI's, a .318 career batting average, and 2,590 career hits. He won the MVP during his first season with the ANAHEIM Angels and won eight Silver Slugger awards. If the Gold Glove was solely based on arm strength, Guerrero would have won some. He had a cannon for an arm which kept him playing in the outfield for a couple extra seasons before being converted to a designated hitter. In 2002, he was one homer short of being a 40-40 player. He is also the last former Montreal Expo left with a valid chance at making it to the hall. If he receives enough votes to get in, I hope he goes in as an Expo.