The 2024 Next Fan Up Baseball HoF Ballot

January 22, 2024

On the eve of announcing baseball Hall of Fame results, I thought I’d put out where my ballot sits for Next Fan Up.  I will try to expand even more at a later time.

My votes:

Alex Rodriguez – despite the PED suspension, he should be in with the numbers no matter how you want to adjust them when accounting for suspected PED use.

Manny Ramirez – despite the PED suspension, he should be in with the numbers no matter how you want to adjust them when accounting for suspected PED use.

Gary Sheffield - 509 HR’s, OPS+ = elite at 140, .292 ba, >1,600 runs and RBI, almost 1,500 walks, >250 sb, and .393 OBP; drawback is WAR is adjusted to be significantly lower than current HoF members at his position but it should be noted that he played several positions often in his career.

Adrián Beltré – everything is HoF worthy despite the career OPS+ being less than 125; note the SB total for his line as well, offsetting the OPS+ of 116.

Carlos Beltrán –consistently meets HoF standards in totality, strong SB and HR numbers as well; additionally, he was a standout in playoff play.

Todd Helton – OPS+ shows it was not just Colorado, he was an HoF on the road as well.  OPS is strong and numbers are overall meeting HoF standards.

Not this time:

Bobby Abreu is borderline, but could not find enough at this moment to vote.  Maybe winning a HR derby gets him over?? No, but it may explain a drop in his numbers after. 

Andy Pettitte is similar on the pitching side, and when weighing in his playoff performances it brings him close, but not at this moment. 

Billy Wagner, Francisco Rodriquez consideration: I think 400 saves is a solid HoF number, but I’m not sure how I feel on the closers, and will reserve voting for next year seeing as they both have another year of eligibility for additional consideration.  I like both closers for the Hall, but need to consider more than just saves? Or maybe saves are enough if over 400 for a career? 

My final thought is that Bartolo Colon almost gets my vote for the best nickname, at least on this ballot.  We need a Big Sexy in the Hall.