Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton to the MLB HOF

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Yappi

Go Buckeyes
PlayerPercentYear on ballot
Adrián Beltré95.1%1st
Todd Helton79.7%6th
Joe Mauer76.1%1st
Billy Wagner73.8%9th
Gary Sheffield63.9%10th
Andruw Jones61.6%7th
Carlos Beltran57.1%2nd
Alex Rodriguez34.8%3rd
Manny Ramirez32.5%8th
Chase Utley28.8%1st
Omar Vizquel17.7%7th
Bobby Abreu14.8%5th
Jimmy Rollins14.8%3rd
Andy Pettitte13.5%6th
Mark Buehrle8.3%4th
Francisco Rodriguez7.8%2nd
Torii Hunter7.3%4th
David Wright6.2%1st
 
 
Beltre was a no-doubter, glad they got it right.

Mauer getting in on the first ballot bodes well for Joey Votto. Joey's numbers compare favorably to Mauer's across the board. Granted, Mauer was a catcher part of his career, but still...
 
Was Sheffield ever involved in Steroid talk? Sorry I can’t remember. If not Sheffield is definitely Hall of Farmer imo.
 
Smarty2022 said:
Was Sheffield ever involved in Steroid talk? Sorry I can’t remember. If not Sheffield is definitely Hall of Farmer imo.
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Yes— Mitchell Report. But so was David Bell for that matter.

The entire thing is such BS. Sheffield should be in, along with several others.
 
Orin Swift said:
I assume this is the same reason ARod isn’t in?
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Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids, and was suspended at one point in his career.

Sheffield never tested positive or admitted any use, but allegations surrounded him. He’s in the same category as Bonds or Clemens as far as that goes. They all had careers worthy of the HOF before use, from my point of view.

MLB did not test or regulate for so long, it’s hard to say in that era. As a voter, I’d assume yes, factor it in, and decide from there. I don’t see it as black and white due to MLB policies back then.

Good thing nobody cares about that when it comes to the NFL HOF.😉
 
Smarty2022 said:
Was Sheffield ever involved in Steroid talk? Sorry I can’t remember. If not Sheffield is definitely Hall of Farmer imo.
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He was a client of BALCO for a time.

BALCO​

Back in the early-2000s, Sheffield was involved in the BALCO performance-enhancing drug scandal. He admitted to using a substance called "the cream," but claimed he did not know it was a steroid at the time. A Los Angeles Times report provides some more details:

He said BALCO provided him with vitamins and a substance known as "the cream," which he thought was cortisone for surgical scars. He said he used it that season while playing for the Atlanta Braves.
...
Sheffield said he was casual friends with (Barry) Bonds and trained with him before the 2002 season. Bonds was using BALCO products and would later help promote one of them, ZMA, a legal nutritional supplement.
"He said, 'I got guys here, they can get your urine and blood and prescribe a vitamin specifically for your blood type and what your body needs,'" Sheffield told Sports Illustrated. "And that's what I did."
Of the cream, he said, "I put it on my legs and thought nothing of it. I kept it in my locker. The trainer saw my cream."
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Sheffield was also named in the Mitchell Report for his ties to BALCO. Those performance-enhancing drug ties alone are enough to keep Sheffield out of the Hall of Fame in the eyes of many voters, even if he truly did not know "the cream" was a steroid. Sheffield admitted using a banned substance and, let's be frank, players have been/are being kept out of the Hall of Fame despite much less evidence when it comes to performance-enhancers.

There's also this which may still rub some of the "holier than thou" voters the wrong way:

The integrity clause​

Chances are you've heard about the "character clause" in Hall of Fame voting, which is what many voters use to justify keeping players with PED ties out of the Hall of Fame. There's also an integrity clause. Here is the Hall of Fame voting criteria:

Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
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Vague? Yeah, but a player's integrity and character are to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and Sheffield admitted to making errors on purpose in his career. That sure sounds like a direct violation of the integrity clause to me.

Here's what Sheffield told the Los Angeles Times in 1992 about his intentional errors:

"The Brewers brought out the hate in me. ... I was a crazy man," Sheffield said. "I hated [GM Harry Dalton] so much that I wanted to hurt the man. I hated everything about that place. I didn't even want to come to the ballpark. If I missed a ball or something, so what?
"If the official scorer gave me an error that I didn't think was an error, I'd say, 'OK, here's a real error,' and I'd throw the next ball into the stands on purpose. I did it all.
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Yikes. Unhappy about an official scoring decision and throwing the ball away -- Sheffield started his career as an infielder before moving to the outfield -- on purpose? That's pretty bad. Bad enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame? Well, that's up to the individual voters.

www.cbssports.com

How BALCO and the integrity clause have stained Gary Sheffield's Hall of Fame case

Sheffield has the numbers to make it to Cooperstown, but he has received very little support
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
 
Joe Mauer played quite a bit at first base... ~600 games vs ~900 games catching. That puts him at 164th all time for defensive games at catcher.
Joe OLIVER caught more games (117th all time).

Mauer was a nice hitter, but paired with his defense, he wouldn't get my vote.

Will Clark and John Olerud were both better, IMO...
 
Last edited:
MasonComet said:
stathead.com

Joe Mauer vs. John Olerud: Head-to-Head Stats Comparison | Stathead.com

Compare Players: Check out the head-to-head stats of Joe Mauer and John Olerud including their awards, honors, championships, playoff and regular season stats, and much more on Stathead.com
stathead.com stathead.com
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stathead.com

Joey Votto vs. Dick Allen: Head-to-Head Stats Comparison | Stathead.com

Compare Players: Check out the head-to-head stats of Joey Votto and Dick Allen including their awards, honors, championships, playoff and regular season stats, and much more on Stathead.com
stathead.com stathead.com
Here’s one for you for when your guy Votto is ready. And Allen played in a far more unfriendly era for hitters.
 
cjb5656 said:
stathead.com

Joey Votto vs. Dick Allen: Head-to-Head Stats Comparison | Stathead.com

Compare Players: Check out the head-to-head stats of Joey Votto and Dick Allen including their awards, honors, championships, playoff and regular season stats, and much more on Stathead.com
stathead.com stathead.com
Here’s one for you for when your guy Votto is ready. And Allen played in a far more unfriendly era for hitters.
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I've never been a huge Votto guy but there's so much wrong with the HOF I can't say that I'll really care when he gets in. Dick Allen usually does not get enough credit, to your point. It's difficult for a position player to get into the HOF with under 2,000 hits (not that anyone is really demanding it).
 
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