Vladimir Guererro, Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, and Trevor Hoffman will be the player inductees of the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class.
This is the second time since 1955 that four players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jones and Thome are in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, while Guererro and Hoffman are in their second and third years, respectively. This year’s class was elected by 412 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BWAA). Every year, each member of the BWAA selects 10 players out of a poll of eligible Hall of Fame candidates. The players that appear in 75 percent of all ballots are inducted to the Hall of Fame.
Jones led the vote, as he was selected in 97.2 percent of ballots. Jones, who played 19 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, is considered one of the best third basemen of all-time. He was a formidable switch hitter, ranking third, all-time, in home runs among switch hitters. He also boasts a decorated career with an MVP award, eight all-stars appearances, and two Silver Slugger honors, which are awarded to the best offensive player of the year at the position.
Guererro followed closely behind Jones by obtaining 92.9 percent of the votes. Guerrero was one of the most admired Dominican players of his time. He was selected American League MVP in 2004, appeared in nine all-stars games, and was an eight-time Silver Slugger. He also recorded an impressive .318 batting average throughout his career.
Thome nearly broke the 90 percent threshold by receiving 89.8 percent of the votes. His 612 home runs rank him eighth in the all-time list, and his 13 walk-off home runs are the most by any player in MLB history. The veteran first basemen played 22 seasons and collected five all stars and one Silver Slugger honor.
Lastly, the great closer, Hoffman, joined the list of MLB’s greats after narrowly missing out last year. His 601 saves are the second most of all-time, behind Mariano Rivera. He is also tied with Rivera as the player with most seasons recording at least 40 saves. His stellar pitching almost won him the National League Cy Young in 1998 and 2006 as he came runner-up both years. He also had seven all-star game appearances.
The former Seattle Mariners designated hitter, Edgar Martinez, was only 22 votes away from meeting the minimum requirement. It is believed that he will certainly pass the 75 percent threshold next year. Among other notable players to fall short of the Hall of Fame accolade were Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Clemens and Bonds were phenomenal players, but their careers were marred by scandal surrounding their use of performance-enhancing drugs. This will likely hurt their chances of ever making the Hall of Fame. However, its worth mentioning that they have continued to get increasingly higher percentages of votes each year, but will likely continue to fall short of the 75 percent mark.
Looking into next year’s possible Hall of Fame class, Mariano Rivera will be in his first year of eligibility and will more than likely be inducted. There is little to no doubt that Rivera’s storied time with the New York Yankees is the quintessential Hall of Famer career, worthy of the highest praise. Roy Holladay, who tragically died in a plane accident this past November, will likely get enough votes. Other strong candidates will be five-time World Series Champion Andy Pettite, great switch-hitter Lance Berkman, and 2002 American League MVP Miguel Tejada.