The 2020 Hall of Fame Millhouse Ballot

Photo of Paul Konerko by Daniel Millhouse

It's two days away from the announcement for the new class of Major League Baseball players who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Multiple classes have passed since some of the eligible players connected to the steroids accusations started popping up on the ballots, and still, to this day, are debates about whether some of these players should be inducted. 

Some make the case that Barry Bonds shouldn't get in, but then they voted for Mike Piazza, Jim Thome, and Ivan Rodriguez. Because they're more likeable perhaps, but that should not be a determination on whether a player gets in. Ty Cobb killed at least one person and was a known ass to so many. Several of the legends who played between the 1950's and 1970's have admitted to taking "greenies," which helped slow down the game for them. 

And the other debate of the baseball hall vote came to a close last year when Mariano Rivera became the first player to earn 100 percent of the vote. It's hard to justify why he is the first when so many players before him should have also earned 100 percent of the vote. How players like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ted Williams didn't receive 100 percent is beyond ridiculous. Hell, Cy Young, who the award for best pitcher of the season is named after, only received 76 percent of the vote. The Babseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) needs to take a look within and reassess how they determine who should get in and who doesn't. The writers hold grudges and aren't afraid to hide it. 

With that said, the following would be the players on my ballot if I was a member of the BBWAA. This is 2020:

1. Derek Jeter: The Captain led the Yankees through their most recent dynasty. Racking up almost 3,500 hits in his career, Jeter was on pace at one point to break the all-time hits record until his ankle injury slowed him down. He had a .310 career batting average and over 358 stolen bases to match. There are some that try to make the claim that he doesn't deserve to go, but they are wrong. Jeter not only should make it to Cooperstown, he should be the next 100 percent player.

2. Barry Bonds: It's his eighth year on the ballot. He's the all-time homerun leader, with a .298 career batting average, 514 stolen bases, eight Gold Gloves, seven MVP's, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had a career on base percentage of .444. One writer has argued that Bonds' stats are good enough to get in, but because he doesn't have a World Series ring, he shouldn't get in. That writer needs to be kicked out from voting.

3. Roger Clemens: Another player that the BBWAA has denied for eight years, Clemens has 354 wins, is third all-time on the strikeouts list, in the top 10 all-time in WAR (for the sabermetric nerds), had a career ERA of 3.12, and he won seven Cy Young Awards and one MVP. It has been cited that a reason not to vote him in is because he cheated on his wife with country music star Mindy McCready, but that is between him and his wife. If that's a reason not to vote a player in, I'm sure there's multiple current Hall of Famers who have done that and even worse.

4. Billy Wagner: Wagner is the most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, but he only managed to get 16 percent of the vote last season and is now on his fifth ballot. He has 422 saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than one, and a career strikeout ratio of 11.9 per nine innings, which is the best in MLB history. 

5. Andy Petite: He was the silent-type on a pitching rosters that included Clemens, Mike Mussina, C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, and Dwight Gooden. Still, he was not only consistent, he was a top level pitcher for so many years. He racked up 256 career wins, was in the top six in the Cy Young Award voting five times, and for those who factor post season play into their voting, he had a 19-11 record. Sometimes, a hall of famer doesn't need to be the loudest player on his team. It would also be nice to see Petite go in during the same years as his former teammate, Jeter.

6. Gary Sheffield: Speaking of Dwight Gooden, his nephew, Gary Sheffield, is another player looking to make it to the Hall. He had 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. A .292 batting average and five Silver Slugger Awards also help make his case. Also solidifying his case is the fact that he finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting six times in his career.

7. Jeff Kent: The case against him is that he managed to find a way to be even less friendly to the press than his former teammate, Bonds. Jeff Kent hit the most homers in history for a second baseman. His modesty is unmatched (note the sarcasm) as he bragged that he was better than other Hall of Famer second basemen at fielding, except for Roberto Alomar. He wasn't as bad as his reputation, but he wasn't good either. Still, his offensive stats alone show that he still should be in based on his play on the field.

8. Paul Konerko: Another silent-type of player, Konerko blasted 439 homers, appeared in six all-star games, and earned MVP votes in five seasons. He also had 1,412 RBI's. No, he was not as loud of a home run leader like Sammy Sosa, Bonds, or McGwire, but he did have seven seasons in which he hit 30 or more homers, two of which he hit over 40. For the voters throwing other players on the steroids bus, Konerko was one of the few power hitters of his generation not to be accused of using anything.

9. Larry Walker: This one was a hard one for me, but for different reasons than what the BBWAA cites. They opening ding Walker for playing for the Colorado Rockies and in the Mile High Stadium air. My reason for years was different. Out of his 17 seasons, playing at a position such as outfield, he only played over 145 games in a season once. In fact, in five of those seasons, he played in about half a season or less. This is why I had so much internal struggle in whether or not to vote for him. But despite the injuries, he still hit 383 homers, had a career batting average of .313, and had a career on base percentage of .400. His arm was legendary, he earned three batting titles, and he won the MVP in 1997. He played over half of his career games on the road, and while yes, he hit better while playing at home, so did many other players. He also boasted seven Gold Glove Awards, showing that he was more than just offense.

Pros and Cons: A Look at this Year's Hall of Fame Vote

Logo is of the National Baseball Hall of Fame located in Cooperstown

This year's Hall of Fame vote results were a bit unusual to say the least.

While it was expected that Mariano Rivera be a lock to get in on the first ballot, it was surprising to find out that he's the first player in Major League Baseball history to receive 100 percent of the vote. Legends haven't received that many votes. Willie Mays? Nope. Hank Aaron? Nope. How about someone more recent such as Ken Griffey Jr.? Nope. Mickey Mantle, Rickey Henderson, Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench? All nopes. I'm not saying Mariano Rivera didn't deserve it. Quite the opposite, in fact. I just don't think he should have been the first player to receive 100 percent of the vote.

I'm glad that Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina also got in. They deserved it and were some of the more dominant pitchers of their era.

Edgar Martinez should have been considered more of a fringe vote. He never accomplished any of the goals that used to get hitters automatically into the hall. He was less than stellar on defense, being one of the main reasons he was a designated hitter for the majority of his career. He hit just over 300 homers, he had a .312 career batting average, and he had 2,247 hits. All good numbers, but not necessarily hall-worthy.

Martinez was never the best hitter on his team at any given time. And there were times where he wasn't even the second best hitter on the team.

You can make the case that some voters voted for him (over 85 percent of them) because it was his tenth and final year of eligibility, but then why not vote for Fred McGriff? He hit 493 homers in his career, and had a .284 career batting average. He also had over 200 more career hits, almost 300 more career R.B.I.'s, more runs scored, and even more career stolen bases than Edgar Martinez. McGriff played the field at first base and he was the rare hitter of his generation that was not accused of using performance enhancing drugs. So how did McGriff receive less than 40 percent of the vote?

Also snubbed, were the obvious and expected: Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. They received the most votes they ever had and still have three more years to make it, but still, their being snubbed every year is ridiculous. Some of the writers say its because they believe the two used P.E.D.'s, but then voted for players such as Mike Piazza and others that haven't gotten in such as Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa. That's just a personal vendetta then.

It's atrocious that Billy Wagner and his 422 career saves and being the most dominant lefty reliever in baseball history didn't get in, especially, in a year that Mariano Rivera, the most dominant righty got in.

Andy Petite received less than 10 percent of the votes while a player such as Omar Vizquel, who was never a dominant player and a constant number nine hitter in his career received nearly 43 percent of the votes.

Michael Young, Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada, and Roy Oswalt also all fell off the ballot. It was ridiculous that Placido Polanco, a player with just over a thousand career hits, received any votes, let alone votes from writers who did not vote for Bonds, Clemens, Wagner, McGriff, or any other more deserving players.

While we're on topic, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), needs to reshuffle who is eligible to vote. There are 425 total eligible writers. According to ESPN, 232 of them released their ballots publicly including 60 who did not vote for Bonds and Clemens. Only six of the 60 are full-time baseball writers. Many of the 60 cover other sports, one writes on digital marketing, and one writes for the American Heart Association. Really? If being a professional writer who likes baseball qualifies you to vote for the hall of fame, then sign me up, too.

The lack of quality writers voting for the baseball hall of fame is possibly one of the main reasons why they votes have been screwy for the past decade or so. Get a real mixture of full-time baseball writers, current and of the past. Not someone who writes for a golfing magazine. Not someone who writes articles for CNET. It wouldn't hurt to allow some announcers to vote too. I would trust a vote by Vin Scully or Bob Uecker.

Next year's first-time eligible players will only saturate the votes as well. Derek Jeter, Paul Konerko, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Lee, and Jason Giambi are just some of the names who are on the 2020 ballot. Jeter will be a shoe-in, but who knows about the others.

2018 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

Vladimir Guerrero swings at a pitch that bounced before hitting it for a double

Another year goes by and the Baseball Writers Association of America nears another vote for the Major League Hall of Fame. The new class features a couple of possible future hall of famers, but it's those who still are eligible from previous seasons that may demand more attention.

The new class of players that are first-time eligible include Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, Johan Santana, Jamie Moyer, Johnny Damon, Omar Vizquel, and more. Players from previous years that are still eligible include Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina, Manny Ramirez, Larry Walker, and more.

Despite the many choices, the BBWAA seems to be able to only agree on one or two players for the last several years despite each member possessing the ability to vote for up to 10 former players. 

I may not be a member of the BBWAA, but I give to you my votes for this year's ballot. Hopefully, other BBWAA members will act rationally and forget their biases against players that they did not like personally or want to accuse of using performance-enhancing drugs with no proof.

1. Trevor Hoffman - Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader, yet has been passed over twice so far. He received 74 percent of the vote last year. With 601 saves and a career ERA of 2.87, it seems beyond belief on how the BBWAA has passed him over, especially in an ERA when relief pitching has become predominant.

2. Vladimir Guerrero - Passed over last season, Vladimir Guerrero spent his career as one of the more feared hitters in the MLB. He hit 449 homers, had 181 stolen bases, a .318 batting average, and a cannon for an arm. Sure, he swung at everything, but he also hit everything. It is feasible that Guerrero is the last former Montreal Expo to be inducted to the hall if he is voted in.

3. Roger Clemens - Arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time is now up for his sixth go-around. 354 wins, a career ERA of 3.12, and 4,672 strikeouts. He's won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, is 9th all-time in wins, and 3rd all-time in strikeouts. His fastball inspired the nickname, Rocket. Accused of taking performance enhancing drugs, the biggest argument that voters are writing about is not the pharmaceutical help the claim he had, but the fact that they just thought he was an ass of a human being. There's nothing in the rules saying that attitude is a determining factor for the hall. The articles of late cite Roger Clemens cheating on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready and incidents like his toe-to-toe confrontation with Mike Piazza. If that is enough not to be inducted to the hall of fame, then players like Ty Cobb should be booted out as he may have killed two people and attacked a handicapped spectator during a game. Is Clemens an angel? No. Is he a hall of famer? Yes.

4. Barry Bonds - The other legend the BBWAA is holding a grudge against, Bonds is arguably one of the best hitters of all-time. He has the most homers of all-time with 762; 514 stolen bases; 1,996 RBI's (fifth of all-time); the most walks taken at 2,558; and the most intentional walks ever issued at 688. He also holds the single season record in homers with 73. He has won 7 MVP's, 8 Gold Gloves, and 12 Silver Sluggers. If other players such as Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell can be inducted to the hall of fame despite the accusations of performance enhancing drugs, Bonds should be eligible as well. No one seems to hold the admitted use of "greenies" by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays against them, so it even seems more unfair that Bonds should be held out of the hall for the accusations against him.

5. Fred McGriff - Silent in terms of headlines, McGriff was a scary hitter to face. He hit 493 homers, had a .284 career batting average, and drove in 1,550 career RBI's. Even though he played first base at the same time as Jeff Bagwell, Will Clark, John Kruk, Will Grace, and Andres Galarraga, McGriff still won three Silver Sluggers. If McGriff played in any other generation, he would be considered a hall of famer. What's even better, he's one of the few power hitters not accused of taking any PED's. 

6. Mike Mussina - Other than his rookie year, Mussina was a double digit winner in every season he ever played, retiring after winning 20 games in his last season. Mussina won 270 wins overall and had 2,813 career strikeouts. He was a top six candidate for the Cy Young Award 8 times in his career, but Mussina never placed better than second. He had also won 7 Gold Gloves during his career. Mussina was the ace for the Yankees and Orioles during his career and is worthy of hall consideration.

7. Billy Wagner - Able to reach 100 MPH on the radar, Wagner is sixth all-time in career saves with 422. That is only two less than the all-time lefty saves leader, John Franco. Wagner dominated as a closer and was one of the most feared relievers of all-time. His career ERA is 2.31, his career WHIP is 0.998, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Not once in Wagner's career did he ever have an ERA over 3.00 in a full season. 

8. Chipper Jones - This should be proof that the BBWAA should be able to vote for a player to make it to the hall, even if they don't like them. I'm not a fan of Chipper, but he is hall of fame worthy and he receives one of my 10 votes. Jones hit 468 career homers, had a career batting average of .303, and an on base percentage of .401. He also had 1,623 career RBI's. Jones won the MVP award in 1999 and led the National League with a .364 batting average in 2008. Like McGriff, Jones played at the same time as other top level third basemen such as Scott Rolen, Matt Williams, Robin Ventura, Ken Caminiti, and David Wright. This caused him not to get as much attention as being a star player at his position. 

9. Jim Thome - A power hitter who finished his career with 612 homers, in 22 seasons Thome never won an MVP award and only won one Silver Slugger. Despite being known for his power, Thome also only led the league once in homers. Still, Thome drove in 1,699 career RBI's and is 7th all-time in walks taken. He was often the left-handed power hitter that protected other all-stars such as Manny Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Paul Konerko, and more. 

10. Gary Sheffield - The nephew of Dwight Gooden, Sheffield hit 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. Sporting a .292 career batting average, Sheffield won five Silver Sluggers and was the cleanup hitter on the Florida Marlins team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series in 1997. Sheffield was also in the top 10 in MVP votes 6 times in his career. Sheffield also played at least 300 games at third base, left field, right field, and designated hitter. This will be Sheffield's fourth attempt at being voted in.

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.

The Best MLB Player at Each Number

Often baseball fans will argue topics like who they feel is the best pitcher of all-time is or who is the best shortstop. You'll even here debates about whether the shift works, whether or not sabermetrics are valid, or if MLB Network host Brian Kenny is just a shaved Monchichi.

One topic you don't hear a whole lot is, who is the best player to wear (insert jersey number here). I bring you this list...The best player to wear each number (minimum X seasons with that number) and a couple of alternatives.

00 - Jeffrey Leonard wore this jersey number for 4 seasons and playing in two all-star games with it...alternatives: Bobo Newsom and Rick White
0 - Al Oliver wore 0 for 8 seasons while winning 3 Silver Slugger Awards and playing in 4 all-star games...alternatives: Oddibe McDowell and Adam Ottavino
1 - Ozzie Smith wore number 1 and played better defense that any other shortstop of all-time...alternatives: Lou Whittaker and Pee Wee Reese
2 - Derek Jeter wore number 2 while hitting for a career average of .310 and accumulating 3,465 hits...alternatives: Charlie Gehringer and Nellie Fox
3 - Babe Ruth, enough said...alternatives Harmon Killebrew and Dale Murphy
4 - Lou Gehrig, the Iron Horse was the cleanup hitter on a team that had Babe Ruth...alternatives: Rogers Hornsby and Paul Molitor
5 - Joe DiMaggio wore this jersey while leading the Yankees post Ruth/Gehrig, only taking a break to fly planes in World War II...alternatives: George Brett, Johnny Bench, Brooks Robinson, Albert Pujols, and Jeff Bagwell
6 - Stan Musial was "The Man" while leading the Cardinals through their golden years...alternatives: Al Kaline and Sal Bando
7 - Mickey Mantle wore this number and still slugged over 500 homers despite an alcohol addiction...alternatives: Ivan Rodriguez and Craig Biggio
8 - Carl Yastrzemski won a batting title and manned leftfield for the Red Sox for 23 years...alternatives: Yogi Berra, Willie Stargell, Cal Ripken Jr, Gary Carter, Bill Dickey, and Joe Morgan
9 - Ted Williams wore number 9 while being arguably the best left-handed hitter of all-time...alternatives: Minnie Minoso and Graig Nettles
10 - Lefty Grove won 300 games exactly in his career...alternatives: Chipper Jones and Ron Santo
11 - Barry Larkin played shortstop for the Reds during their last World Series victory and eventually made it to the Hall of Fame...alternatives: Carl Hubbell and Luis Aparicio
12 - Wade Boggs wore 12 while finishing his career with the Yankees and then the Devil Rays...alternatives: Roberto Alomar and Mark Langston
13 - Billy Wagner is arguably one of the best closer in MLB history...alternatives: Omar Vizquel and Lance Parrish
14 - Ernie Banks is still the most recognizable Chicago Cub of all-time...Paul Konerko and Pete Rose
15 - Red Ruffing had 273 career victories while playing for the Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox...alternatives: Dick Allen and Tim Salmon
16 - Ted Lyons is one of the best White Sox pitchers of all-time...Alternatives: Whitey Ford and Hal Newhouser
17 - Todd Helton once started at quarterback over Peyton Manning, but chose to play baseball instead...alternatives: Lance Berkman and Mark Grace
18 - Joe Morgan wore 18 while playing for the Astros...alternatives: Moises Alou and Brett Saberhagen
19 - Bob Feller was one of fiercest pitchers of all-time...alternatives: Tony Gwynn and Robin Yount
20 - Frank Robinson won a triple crown and hit 586 homers in his career...alternatives: Mike Schmidt, Don Sutton, and Lou Brock
21 - Roger Clemens was arguably the best pitcher of all-time, winning 7 Cy Young Awards...alternatives: Robert Clemente, Warren Spahn, and Bob Lemon
22 - Roger Clemens, that's right, he wore 22 while pitching with the Yankees and Astros for 9 seasons...alternatives: Bert Blyleven and Jim Palmer
23 - Ryne Sandberg is arguably one of the best second basemen of all-time...alternatives: Luis Tiant and Ted Simmons
24 - Willie Mays is arguably one of the top players in MLB history and godfather to another player who wore this number well...alternatives: Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr, Miguel Cabrera, and Tony Perez
25 - Barry Bonds is the all-time home run leader in MLB history...alternatives: Jim Thome, Andruw Jones, and Tommy John
26 - Wade Boggs wore 26 during his years with the Boston Red Sox...alternatives: Chase Utley and Billy Williams
27 - Carlton Fisk wore this number during his Red Sox years...alternatives: Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Marichal, and Catfish Hunter
28 - Bert Blyleven is perhaps the best Dutch baseball player in history...alternatives: Vada Pinson and Wilbur Wood
29 - Rod Carew was a hit machine and one of the closest players to come to a .400 batting average since Ted Williams...alternatives: Adrian Beltre and John Smoltz
30 - Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader in MLB history with strikeouts and wore this number while tossing 4 no-hitters...alternatives: Tim Raines, Willie Randolph, and Orlando Cepeda
31 - Greg Maddux won 4 straight Cy Young Awards in his career and over 300 games...alternatives: Fergie Jenkins, Dave Winfield, Mike Piazza, Hoyt Wilhelm, and John Franco
32 - Sandy Koufax could have been the best pitcher of all-time if injuries didn't cut his career short...alternatives: Steve Carlton and Elston Howard
33 - Eddie Murray accumulated over 3,000 hits in his career while hitting over 500 homers...alternatives: Larry Walker and Luis Tiant
34 - Nolan Ryan wore this number his rookie year, and while playing for the Astros and Rangers...alternatives: Kirby Puckett, Felix Hernandez, and David Ortiz
35 - Rickey Henderson wore this jersey number while breaking the single season record for stolen bases...alternatives: Frank Thomas, Phil Niekro, and Mike Mussina
36 - Gaylord Perry is a Hall of Famer most famous for his spitball...alternatives: Robin Roberts and David Cone
37 - Dave Stieb took many no-hitters into the 9th inning, only ever able to complete 1 of them...alternatives: Keith Hernandez and Kenny Rogers
38 - Curt Schilling wore this jersey number while pitching with a bloody sock...alternatives: Robin Roberts and Rick Aguilera
39 - Dave Parker won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers while wearing 39...alternatives: Roy Campanella and Larry Jackson
40 - Frank Tanana wore this number at a time when he was one of the better pitchers in the AL...alternatives: Bartolo Colon and Rick Sutcliffe
41 - Tom Seaver wore this number while winning over 300 games in his career...alternatives: Eddie Matthews and Darrell Evans
42 - Jackie Robinson is the only player to have his jersey number retired with every team...alternatives: Mariano Rivera and Dave Henderson
43 - Dennis Eckersley was the prototype for a pitcher to begin his career as a starter and end it as a closer...alternatives: Raul Mondesi and Ken Forsch
44 - Hank Aaron, duh...alternatives: Reggie Jackson, Willie McCovey, David Cone, Roy Oswalt, and Jake Peavy
45 - Bob Gibson once had a season ERA of 1.12...alternatives: Pedro Martinez and Steve Rogers
46 - Andy Petite wore 46 while being one of the core players of the Yankees last dynasty...alternatives: Lee Smith and Burt Hooton
47 - Tommy Glavine was the left-handed ace of a team that featured 3 Hall of Fame starting pitchers...alternatives: Jack Morris and Lee Smith
48 - Rick Reuschel wore a journeyman pitcher who often found himself leading pitching staffs for the Giants, Cubs, and the Pirates...alternatives: Waite Hoyt and Tori Hunter
49 - Ron Guidry led the Yankees' pitching staff during the World Series appearance in the '70s and '80s...Tim Wakefield, Tom Candiotti, and Charlie Hough
50 - Jaime Moyer wore this number while pitching up to age 49...alternatives: Adam Wainwright and J.R.Richard
51 - Randy Johnson is second all-time in strikeouts and had over 300 wins...alternatives: Ichiro Suzuki, Bernie Williams, Trevor Hoffman, and Willie McGee
52 - CC Sabathia wore this number while winning a Cy Young Award and being in the running for 4 others...alternatives: Yoenis Cespedes and Mike Boddicker
53 - Don Drysdale was a Hall of Famer overlooked because of Koufax...alternatives: Bobby Abreu and Joaquin Benoit
54 - Goose Gossage wore this number during the heart of his Hall of Fame career...alternatives: Aroldis Chapman and Ervin Santana
55 - Orel Hershiser broke the scoreless innings pitched streak while leading the Dodgers to their last World Series victory...alternatives: Kevin Appier and Russell Martin
56 - Mark Buerhle is the definition of an innings eater who led the White Sox to their last World Series victory...alternatives: Darren O'Day and Brian McCrae
57 - Johan Santana looked like a sure Hall of Famer until injuries knocked him down...alternatives: Francisco Rodriguez and John Smiley
58 - Jonathan Papelbon has made multiple all-star appearance while wearing this jersey number...alternatives: Doug Fister and Chad Billingsley
59 - Todd Jones wore this jersey number while closing for 7 different teams in his career...alternatives: Carlos Carrasco Ismael Valdez
60 - Dallas Keuchel won the Cy Young Award last season while sporting this jersey number...alternatives: Jon Rauch and Scott Schoeneweis
61 - Livan Hernandez was the Cuban born pitcher who put together some all-star worthy seasons...alternatives: Josh Beckett and Bronson Arroyo
62 - Scot Shields had a 3.18 career ERA over a 10 year career...alternatives: Joba Chamberlain and Bob Howry
63 - Rafael Betancourt had 31 saves for the Colorado Rockies in 2012...alternatives: Jake Diekman and Kevin Gregg
64 - Emilio Bonifacio...alternatives: Mike Fiers and A.J. Griffin
65 - Phil Hughes...alternatives: Nate Jones and Trevor May
66 - Juan Guzman...alternatives: Rick Ankiel and Gerry Staley
67 - Francisco Cordova...alternative: Dan Straily
68 - Dellin Betances...alternatives: Cam Bedrosian and Jorge Soler
69 - Bronson Arroyo (only player to wear this number for 3 or more seasons)
70 - George Kontos...alternative: Jumbo Diaz
71 - Scott Linebrink
72 - Carlton Fisk wore this jersey number as the catcher for the White Sox
73 - Ricardo Rincon
74 - Kenley Jensen
75 - Barry Zito wore this number while pitching for the A's and Giants...alternatives: Francisco Rodriguez and Alan Mills
76 - No players eligible for this number
77 - Reggie Willits...alternative: Jack Armstrong
78 - No players eligible for this number
79 - Jose Abreu
80-83 - No players eligible for these numbers
84 - Prince Fielder
85-87 - No players eligible for these numbers
88 - Rene Gonzalez...alternative: Kyle Blanks and Josh Outman
89-90 - No players eligible for these numbers
91 - Alfredo Aceves
92-95 - No players eligible for these numbers
96 - Bill Voiselle
97 - Joe Beimel
98 - No players eligible for this number
99 - Mitch Williams wore this number while he was the closer for the Philadelphia Phillies during their last World Series appearance...alternatives: Turk Wendell and Hyun-jin Ryu

Millhouse 2016 Hall of Fame Ballot

Photo from Getty Images

We're only about a month away before the announcement of the 2016 class of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, most of the writers of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) have already turned in their ballots. A writer is able to select up to ten players for their choices for the Hall of Fame and with the number of players that are arguably Hall worthy, that is probably not enough. Still, here are the picks brought to you by this writer in no particular preference order (who has no official vote with the BBWAA) on who he would select if he were a BBWAA writer).

1. Ken Griffey Jr.: Once known as "The Kid", he ended his career with 630 homers which placed him sixth on the all-time home run list. He was a 10 time gold glove winner who won the MVP in 1997 while a member of the Seattle Mariners organization. During an era where just about every home run hitter has been suspected of steroid use, Griffey Jr. escaped most of that talk until the last year when several sports talk radio jockeys threw his name in the steroids hat. It should be noted that one of these jockeys also debated whether Greg Maddux did steroids.

2. Billy Wagner: Fifth in all-time saves, Wagner is arguably the best lefty closer to have ever played. His strikeouts per 9 innings average was 11.9, more than any lefty in baseball history with a minimum of 900 innings. He also has the lowest batting average allowed by a lefty pitcher with over 900 innings and has a career ERA of 2.31. The seven time all-star also won the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year in 1997.

3. Trevor Hoffman: Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader in baseball before Mariano Rivera passed him by. The seven time all-star won the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year in 1998 and 2006.

4. Jeff Bagwell: Overshadowed in a decade full of great first basemen, Bagwell was consistently one of the best for a decade. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991, the NL MVP in 1994, and the Major League Baseball Player of the Year in 1994. The three time Silver Slugger winner was also underrated in his fielding abilities, winning a Gold Glove in 1994. Unfortunately for him during his time as the one of the "Killer B's" of the Houston Astros, he was overshadowed by Mark McGwire as the premier homerun hitter in the National League.

5. Fred McGriff: Another overshadowed first baseman, McGriff hit a total of 493 homeruns and had a career batting average of .284. He'd won the Silver Slugger Award three times despite competing against other first basemen in both leagues such as Bagwell, McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andres Galarraga, Eric Karros, and Mark Grace.

6. Mike Mussina: Mussina received Cy Young Award votes in nine separate seasons including his last, ending his career with 270, and 7 Gold Gloves. His 2,813 strikeouts are the 19th most of all-time. During his years he was a workhorse for both the Orioles and the Yankees, who has been passed over by the BBWAA for the last two years.

7. Tim Raines: Someone I had overlooked myself for several years as a Hall of Fame Candidate, listening to arguments made by others have swayed my opinion. During the '80s, Rock Raines was the premier stolen base leader, only behind Rickey Henderson and fifth (fourth in the modern era) all-time with 808. For the majority of his career, he was a .300 hitter who ended his career with a .294 batting average. The seven time all-star had also received MVP votes seven times in his career. He won the batting title in 1986 and had 2,605 hits.

8. Barry Bonds: The all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball has spent the past three years trying to get into the Hall. He won seven NL MVP's, was in 14 all-star games, was a 12 time Silver Slugger, had a career .298 batting average, had 2,227 runs scored (third all-time), had 1,996 career RBI's (fifth all-time), 2,558 walks (all-time leader), 514 stolen bases, and 2,935 hits. Despite being known for his hitting, he was also an eight time gold glover. Unfortunately during his career he had a horrible relationship with the press. Was he standoffish? Of course, but so have been so many players already in the Hall of Fame such as Ty Cobb. He's also been accused of steroids, but had never been proven to take them. Some use his size difference between his rookie year and his final year, such as several reporters on the MLB Network, but these same reporters will stand-up for Ken Griffey Jr. who also had gained a noticeable amount of size in his career. It's just part of getting old.

9. Roger Clemens: Possibly the best pitcher of all-time, Clemens was also a name thrown into the steroids accusations. Another player never proven to have taken steroids, he is still judged as one because a disgruntled former trainer of his made claims without proof against Clemens. Brian McNamara testified against Clemens, but it leaked out that he had worked out a book deal worth over a million dollars for throwing several players under the "steroids" bus. McNamara's only supposed evidence was that he had cotton swabs that soaked up the steroids shots he claimed to have gave Clemens and stored them for several years in an empty beer can under his kitchen sink. In the worst of scenarios in court, this would not be admissible evidence. Clemens even drug tested for the Olympics competition and passed. In front of a Congressional Hearing, his only testimony that was proven to be false was a question John McCain had asked him concerning or not if he had ever cheated on his wife. Clemens said no, but was found later to having a relationship with country music star, Mindy McCready, which has nothing to do with steroids use.

Back to his play on the field, Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP, 11 time all-star, had 354 career wins (ninth all-time), 4,672 strikeouts (third all-time), a career ERA of 3.12, but has been passed up three times so far for the Hall. This student of Nolan Ryan was the scariest pitcher in Major League Baseball and that was before he learned to throw a splitter.

The Best Rookie Class of Major League Baseball

In Major League Baseball, every year that passes brings a crop of new talent to replace the players that have retired, released, or were injured throughout the season. Some players make their debut with an extraordinary amount of hype and others sneak up on the fans. Fans love to compare their favorite team's new rookie to other all-stars and legends that have played in the past, but the majority of rookies will never live up to the hype. This obviously means that some rookie classes will be better than others, especially when reviewed in hindsight. That's why I present to you the best rookie class in Major League Baseball history...the 1986 class.

The rookies of the year for 1986 were Jose Canseco for the American League and Todd Worrell for the National League. While there have been better rookie of the year winners, the 1986 class also featured many more players that would end up in the Hall of Fame, all-star rosters, and became impact players for their organizations.

Players such as Barry Larkin, Barry Bonds, Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, Bobby Bonilla, John Kruk, Wally Joyner, Danny Tartabull, Ruben Sierra, Andres Galarraga Robby Thompson, Darren Daulton, Bob Tewksbury, Kelly Gruber, Cecil Fielder, Cory Snyder, Bobby Witt, Dan Plesac, Terry Mulholland, Mark Portugal, Doug Drabek, and Jim Deshaies exceeded their rookie limits during the 1986 season. The same season also saw the debuts of players such as Mark McGwire, Bobby Thigpen, Jay Bell, Greg Swindell, David Cone, Bo Jackson, Kevin Seitzer, Terry Steinback, Kevin Brown, Pete Incaviglia, Mike Stanley, Mitch Williams, Fred McGriff, Duane Ward, Greg Maddux, Jaime Moyer, Rafael Palmeiro, Kal Daniels, Dave Magadan, John Smiley, Bip Roberts, and Benito Santiago. The 1986 class would provide some of the most important players for the next decade in Major League Baseball.

This includes the all-time home run leader (Barry Bonds) , one of the best shortstops of all-time (Barry Larkin), the debuts of one of the best pitchers of all-time (Greg Maddux), and several other players that would arguably be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame (Rafael Palmeiro, Fred McGriff, Jose Canseco) if not for the fact that they played during the steroids era and were either suspected of cheating, caught cheating, or just overlooked because of the era their power peaked.

This class had it all. Power, speed, defense, pitching, closers, and team leaders. It even had a two sport star in Bo Jackson. While some of these players might not have been the nicest guys in baseball, they definitely had the most talent as a rookie class.

The only classes that could rival the 1986 class of rookies is the 1951 class (Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Minnie Minoso) and the 1982 class (Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, and Cal Ripken Jr.).

Picture shown is 1986 Donruss Wally Joyner rookie card

My 2015 Hall of Fame Ballot, if I Had One

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Wikipedia via Flickr

A week ago, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) announced which retired baseball players would be placed on the 2015 ballot for the Hall of Fame vote. A total of 34 players were included on the ballot, including 17 first-year eligible players.

Like any given year, a writer can vote for up to 10 players on their ballot and in any other year, this would have been more than enough. The last few years have been the exception though. A large amount of players with hall of fame credentials are eligible and some may end up finding themselves pushed back another year. With only 10 years of eligibility to be voted into the hall, some of these players may even have to wait until they are eligible to be voted in by the Expansion Era Committee.

So I give you the 10 players I would vote for, if I had a ballot....

1. Roger Clemens: In an era of the homerun, Roger Clemens put up numbers that many pitchers in the Dead-Ball Era would have loved to have. Putting up 354 wins (ninth all-time), a career 3.12 ERA, 4672 strikeouts (third all-time), and for the saber metrics fans, the third best WAR of any starting pitcher of all-time, Clemens should be a shoe in. He won 7 Cy Young Awards and even an MVP.

Thrown onto the Mitchell Report, Clemens defended himself in court and even in front of Congress, which had no business getting involved. Getting frustrated with his answers, Congress started to mudsling at Clemens, asking if he had ever cheated on his wife before. In a move that many men would have done, he said no. It wasn't their business. Congress then cited this as one of the reasons he would be indicted for charges of perjury because allegedly Clemens had slept with country music star, Mindy McCready. He was acquitted of all charges, including use of PED's, but the writers still held their opinion of Clemens, as being a shady one. In his first two years on the ballot, Clemens couldn't even break the 40 percent mark, let alone the 75 percent required to vote in a player. He deserves to go in. He could arguably be considered the best pitcher of his generation and maybe ever.

2. Craig Biggio: The all-time record holder in the modern era for being hit by a pitch, the Astros' great never once charged the mound in his career. He had 3060 hits, 1844 runs scored (fifteenth all-time), 668 doubles (fifth all-time), 291 homeruns, 53 lead off homeruns (National League record), and 414 stolen bases.

In an era where many of the best hitters were accused of PED use, Biggio was a player that people believed to have played clean. He was a 7 time all-star, 4 time gold glove winner, and 5 time Silver Slugger Award winner. Biggio began his career as a catcher, converted to second base, put up some of the best stats by a second baseman, moved to centerfield, moved to leftfield, and then ended his career by moving back to second base. This perhaps made him one of the best and most versatile players of his generation. Yet, with all this under his belt, he is now on the Hall of Fame ballot for a third year. Last year he fell 2 votes short of making it, which tied him for the closest a player has ever come to being voted into the Hall of Fame, without making it (Nellie Fox and Pie Traynor). This should be his year.

3. Randy Johnson: Perhaps the scariest pitcher of his generation, Johnson stood 6'10" on the mound and scowled with every pitch he threw. In his first year on the ballot, Johnson should be a no-brainer. He had 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts (second all-time), 5 Cy Young Awards, 10 time all-star, and led the league in strikeouts 9 times. He threw a no-hitter in 1990 and a perfect game in 2004. His 372 strikeouts in 2001, were the closest an pitcher has come to breaking the single season record, since Nolan Ryan. Johnson retired from baseball with the highest strikeouts per 9 inning average in a career, with 10.6.

For most of his career, Johnson was able to hit triple digits with his fastball and his slider he nicknamed "Mr. Snappy", was able to hit as high as 94 MPH. If Clemens hadn't pitched in the same time frame, Randy Johnson could have arguably be considered the best pitcher of his generation.

4. Pedro Martinez: When one looks at Pedro's 5'11", 170 lbs. frame, it's hard to believe that he could be the flamethrower he turned out to be. He was an 8 time all-star, 3 time Cy Young Award winner, and with his extreme control, had the lowest WHIP in history. Martinez had the third highest strikeout ratio of all-time and for the saber metric nerds, the best adjusted ERA of all-time.

While his 219 wins sound a little low compared to those already in the Hall of Fame, Martinez is able to brag about his 3154 strikeouts (thirteenth all-time) and a career ERA of 2.93.

5. Barry Bonds: What can you say bad about the numbers he put up in his career? He is the all-time homerun leader with 762 homers, the single season homerun leader with 73, the all-time walks leader with 2558, and the all-time intentional walks leader with 688. Beyond the records he holds, he also had 514 stolen bases, 601 career doubles, 1996 RBI's, and 2935 hits.

Bonds was a 7 time MVP, 14 time all-star, 8 time gold glover, 12 time Silver Slugger Award winner, and second on the all-time WAR list behind Babe Ruth.

The question of PED use has prevented Bonds from getting in his previous two attempts. While I don't argue that Bonds has the reputation of being an ass to the press or stand up for him when it came to paying his taxes, I don't believe Bonds should be prevented from being in the Hall of Fame. He made a lot of enemies in the press during his playing days, but the writers continue to drag this into his post-playing career. Unlike other stars like Rafael Palmeiro, Bonds never tested positive for PED use.

6. Mike Mussina: Another pitcher who excelled during the homerun era, Mussina retired with 270 wins, 2813 strikeouts, 5 all-star game appearances, 7 gold gloves, and is twenty-fourth all-time in WAR among pitchers. While never winning more than 20 games in a season, he won 11 games 17 consecutive seasons and won 15 games in 10 separate seasons.

Some voters cite his lack of Cy Young Awards as a reason not to vote for him, but he did rank in the top 5 of the Cy Young vote, 6 times. Unfortunately for Mussina, he pitched in the American League at the same time Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez did, making the Cy Young Award insanely hard for him to obtain. A vote in the Hall of Fame should not be the same.

7. Jeff Bagwell: Part of the Astros' "Killer B's" with Craig Biggio, Bagwell was another victim of being accused of PED use, despite not being named on the Mitchell Report, nor having been suspected of taken PED's while he was an active player.

The former Rookie of the Year, was a 4 time all-star, 3 time Silver Slugger Award winner, won the MVP award and gold glove in 1994. His 449 homeruns rank thirty-eighth of all-time and he boasted 1529 RBI's, 488 doubles, and 2314 hits in his career. Another player that was a victim of being overshadowed by other star homerun leaders such as fellow first baseman Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, and other position players like Barry Bonds, Bagwell did well ranking in the top 10 in the MVP award 5 other times than his 1994 season. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to an arthritic shoulder, otherwise it can be assumed that Bagwell could have reached the 500 home run mark.

8. John Smoltz: A lot of debate has been made on whether Smoltz should go to the hall. The third of possibly one of the best trio of pitchers to ever pitch together (Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine), Smoltz could have easily been an ace pitcher for any other team. He has the distinction of being only the second pitcher in history to have a 20-win season and a 50-save season (Dennis Eckersley).

Smoltz was an 8 time all-star and despite being in the shadow of Maddux and Glavine, Smoltz gained a Cy Young Award in 1996. He had 213 wins, a 3.33 ERA, 154 saves, and 3084 strikeouts (sixteenth all-time). After going through Tommy John surgery, Smoltz went from being a top of the line starter, to a dominate closer, before eventually moving back to a starting role several years later. A first time eligible player for the Hall of Fame, Smoltz deserves to join Maddux and Glavine.

9. Fred McGriff: A player that had been overshadowed by other long ball hitters, McGriff hit 493 homeruns without a whisper of possible PED use. While never winning an MVP award, McGriff was in the top 10 of the MVP vote 4 times in his career. While playing for the Braves, led by the most dominate pitching trio of the '90s, McGriff anchored the offense that won the Braves their only World Series in the playoff streak run.

Despite having nearly 2500 hits and over 1500 RBI's, McGriff still managed to fly under the media's radar. Pitchers knew who he was and never liked facing the Crime Dog.

10. Carlos Delgado: Another player victim to the lack of press, Delgado never found himself on great teams. He was a power hitter for the Blue Jays, Marlins, and the Mets. He was one of only six players in MLB history to hit 30 homeruns, 10 straight seasons. He is the all-time Puerto Rican hitter in the MLB, in homeruns (473) and RBI's (1512). In his career, he broke many of the Blue Jays' offensive records.

Despite the great numbers, Delgado was only voted into the all-star game twice and only won a Silver Slugger Award three times. Four times in his career, he made the top 10 in the MVP voting, but despite hitting 42 homeruns and 145 RBI's in 2003, he was overshadowed by Barry Bonds. With nearly 2100 and a .280 batting average, Delgado deserves to finally be recognized for his stellar career.