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.

2019 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

2010 Topps National Chicle card of Roy Halladay

As with every year, a new crop of retired baseball players become eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, every year for about the last decade or so, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) seems to mess up the vote. And how? Each writer has the ability to vote up to 10 players a year, and yet, they seem to leave out the most deserving. 

If I were given a vote for the class of 2019, I would vote the following:

1. Mariano Rivera - The all-time closer in Major League Baseball history. That should be enough said. He had so many saves in his career that he even had 42 more in post season play. He was a failed starter during his rookie season with a 5.51 ERA. The next season, he was third in the Cy Young Award vote with an 8-3 record, 130 strikeouts in a 107.2 innings, and he had a 2.09 ERA. He only had 5 saves that season, but after John Wetteland left the Yankees, Rivera never looked back.

2. Roy Halladay - He retired with 203 wins and 105 loses and had six seasons with under a 3 ERA. Halladay won the Cy Young Award twice and was in the top 5 of the Cy Young voting in 7 times. He also was voted an all-star 8 times. What should be noted is that he did the majority of this while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that not once made it to the post season while he was on their roster.

3. Andy Petite - Never one to be considered the headlining pitcher on his team, Petite quietly racked up 256 career wins and was in the top 6 in Cy Young Award voting 5 times in his career. In his 18 seasons, he only had less than 10 wins twice. Not that I buy into post season play being a factor in a player being voted to the Hall, but Petite did have a 19-11 record in postseason play.

4. Roger Clemens - Speaking of pitchers that have played for the Yankees and the Astros, there's Clemens. Perhaps the best pitcher of all-time, Clemens is still looking to get into the Hall of Fame. He's taken tons of drug tests, never failing one. His reputation was smeared by a former athletic trainer whose evidence would have never stood in court (he claimed to have keep cotton balls/swabs of injections he gave Clemens in a beer car underneath his kitchen sink). Did Clemens cheat on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready? Yes, but that shouldn't preclude him from the Hall. He had 354 wins, was third all-time in strikeouts, won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, and had a career ERA of 3.12. 

5. Barry Bonds - Another one of the accused, and arguably one of the greatest hitters of all-time. He's the all-time homerun king, the all-time walks king, won 7 MVPs, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had 8 Gold Gloves. For the sabermetrics fans, he was also the number position player in wins above replacement. Is he the most trustworthy when it comes to reporting his earnings from baseball card show signings? No. Once again, this shouldn't preclude him from the Hall of Fame, nor should his standoffs with the press. If standing off with the press should count against you, then Donald Trump should have never been the President of the United States.

6. Fred McGriff - The Crime Dog was one of the few power hitters of his generation to not be accused of juicing. He hit 493 homers and received votes for MVP in 8 different seasons. Despite also having 2,490 career hits, McGriff seems to slipped under the shadow of other first baseman that played at the same time as him. What's even more tragic is that this is McGriff's ninth season on the ballot and he's never received over 24 percent of the vote.

7. Billy Wagner - The most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, hands down. He had 422 career saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than 1, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Only John Franco has more career saves as a lefty, but he wasn't as dominating as Wagner.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Michael Young - That's right, Michael Young. A career .300 hitter who collected 200 or more hits in a season 6 times, made 7 all-star games, and was a star at second base, shortstop, and third base during his career. No, he was never a major power guy, but he was the guy that got on base so his teammates could drive in the runs.

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.

The Retirement of a Legend: Ichiro Suzuki

Photo of Ichiro Suzuki by Daniel Millhouse

A legend retired today.

To some, Ichiro Suzuki was a good hitter but not scary. They would be wrong. Yes, he only won the MVP Award once (2001), but he was perhaps the best overall hitter for several years during his peak.

He had 3,089 hits in his Major League Baseball career and that's after he had 1,287 hits in Japan. During his rookie year, he hit .350 with 242 hits, 56 stolen bases, and won the Rookie of the Year, the MVP, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger Award.

By 2004, Ichiro broke the single season hits record in the MLB by tallying up 262 of them. He only hit .372 that season.

Some would dispute that Ichiro wasn't "great" because he didn't hit with massive power. Ichiro held back though. Like Rickey Henderson before him, Ichiro had the ability to hit with more power than he showed, but he refused to sacrifice his batting average and on base percentage to do so.

Not only was he a great hitter, but he was a great fielder. Few had an arm in the outfield like he did and even fewer covered as much ground. This is why he won 10 Gold Gloves and could have easily won a few more.

Perhaps the only thing missing in Ichiro's otherwise complete career was a winning the World Series. He had made it twice to the American League Championship Series, once with the Mariners in 2001 but falling to the Yankees, and again in 2012, this time with the Yankees as they lost to the Tigers. It wasn't for the lack of trying. He hit .346 in his postseason career.

Ichiro should be a sure bet for Cooperstown when his time comes. His career in America came to a close with over 3,000 hits, 500 stolen bases, a career average over .300, nine batting titles, and 1,420 runs scored. He's already a member of The Golden Players Club (the Japanese baseball hall of fame) and five years from now, he will be ready to be a first-ballot pick for the Major League Baseball one.

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.

First Steroid Era Players Inducted

The 2017 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame results were released yesterday and three new names found themselves thrust into mix of other names such as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez were announced as the newest inductees to the Hall. All three players are worthy of the award, but only one of them was a first year inductee.

Known as Pudge by many, Rodriguez was arguably one of the best catchers of his generation. Defensively he had no match. The red flag on Pudge's remarkable career was that he was one of a large group of players suspected of taking steroids.

Former teammate Jose Canseco claimed in his book Juiced that he introduced Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to them. He also claimed that future president and then-team owner, George W. Bush, also knew of his star players taking them. Of course, it's hard to believe Jose Canseco. He basically claims that he introduced every star player he was teammates or friends with to steroids, but no evidence other than his word has ever been presented. It also should be noted that Canseco's word is less than trustworthy, yet nearly every player he accused was irreparably harmed. Rodriguez included.

With this latest vote, it appears that the baseball writers have become a little more forgiving in the past year. Anyone with the steroids stigma was considered a long shot for the honor of being called a hall of famer. This year, Pudge broke through to break that barrier, along with Jeff Bagwell who received 86 percent of the vote in his seventh try.

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds both received over 50 percent of the vote to gain the highest percentage they've received since they became eligible. They're gaining steam. Only two players in history received over 50 percent of the vote and never made it eventually. Lee Smith, who will now be dropped from the ballot after his tenth try this year, and Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher of the 1980's.

Others connected to steroids included Manny Ramirez also received almost 24 percent of the vote this year while Sammy Sosa received eight percent. Next season sees the inclusion Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and Jim Thome, all of whom have been suspected of some sort of steroid or human growth hormone use.

Writers are going to have to start getting used to the idea that some of those they vote in may have the stigma attached to their careers. Otherwise, they will only be left with options such as Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, and other players that also deserve to go to the hall, but haven't received enough of the vote yet.

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.

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.

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.

Baseball Hall of Fame Eligibility Rule Change

A week ago, the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWA) announced the list of eligible players for the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and new rule changes.

Among the changes, after a player retires, after the five year grace period after their retirement, they are eligible to remain on the ballot up to 10 years, compared to the previous allotment of 15 years. Currently three players are beyond the 10 year period (Lee Smith, Don Mattingly, and Alan Trammell), but will be allowed to remain on the list until the 15 years is up, under a grandfather clause.

I am torn by this rule. I am under the belief that if a player is good enough to be voted into the Hall of Fame, that it is the duty of the writers to elect them as soon as they can. Some writers will purposely hold off on players and let them remain on the list for several years, before deciding to vote for them. This is wrong. The only time I think a writer should refrain from voting a player in when they are eligible, is when they believe that over 10 players deserve to legitimately be voted in, but are constricted by the fact that they can only vote up to 10 players. In this case, they must choose who they think are the top 10 players eligible for the Hall of Fame out of the 10 plus players they feel should go. Within a 10 year player, I think if done right, all players eligible who should be in the Hall of Fame, should have been voted in already.

Unfortunately, the writers don't always see things this way. The most recent case being Bert Blyleven. While his stats proved he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, he could never manage to gather 75 percent of the votes that it took to get in. It wasn't until his 15th and final year of eligibility, before he received enough votes to be inducted. Players such as Bert Blyleven and Jack Morris had to almost campaign like a politician to be voted in by the writers. Morris couldn't garner enough votes by year 15.

This year will be year 15 for "Donnie Baseball" Don Mattingly, who has refused to hit the radio and television sports talk shows to sway the writers in his favor. Mattingly will most likely fall of the ballot, but not without serious consideration. His stats shows a great career and he was one of the few players in baseball history to have the title of "Captain" in a Yankees uniform, but they don't quite show that he was a Hall of Famer. I do believe that after his 21st year of retirement, when he is eligible to appear on the Expansion Era Committee ballot, he should receive some serious consideration.

With the new rule in effect, the player that will be first up against the 10 year cutoff point, will be Mark McGwire. He is currently on his ninth ballot this coming year and if the past elections have been any indicator, he will probably not receive near enough ballots this time around either.