The 2018 Hall of Fame Class will almost certainly include at least five players, and could feature as many as seven.
Not only were former Tigers teammates Jack Morris and Alan Trammell elected by the Modern Baseball Era committee last month, up to five players could join them when the results of the BBWAA voting are announced Wednesday evening, according to Ryan Thibodaux’s invaluable Hall of Fame tracker.
Players must appear on at least 75 per cent of ballots to be enshrined in Cooperstown on July 29, and at this point it appears that Morris and Trammell will have plenty of company. Here’s a closer look at the leading candidates for induction…
Chipper Jones
2017 result: ineligible | 2018 Ballot tracker: 98.3%
MVP | 8 x All-Star | 2 x Silver Slugger | .303/.401/.529 | 468 HR | 2,726 H | 85.0 WAR
Rarely does a first-overall pick deliver to the extent that Larry Wayne Jones did. The third baseman was the best position player on dominant Braves teams for nearly two decades.
Now eligible for the first time, he’s a lock to be enshrined this summer.
Vladimir Guerrero
2017 result: 71.7% | 2018 Ballot tracker: 95.0%
MVP | 8 x Silver Slugger | 9 x All-Star | .318/.379/.553 | 449 HR | 2,590 H | 59.3 WAR
Guerrero was an extremely fun player to watch thanks to his undiscerning plate approach and powerful throwing arm. But more to the point, he was exceptionally productive. Guerrero hit 449 career home runs, stole 181 bases and had exceptional bat-to-ball skills. Since Jackie Robinson debuted in 1947, only Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Rod Carew and Stan Musial have hit for a higher batting average.
Voters seem poised to reward Guerrero, who’s eligible for the second time. If he’s indeed inducted, he’ll face a potentially tough decision: will he wear an Expos hat or an Angels hat on his plaque?
Jim Thome
2017 result: ineligible | 2018 Ballot tracker: 93.3%
5 x Silver Slugger | 5 x All-Star | .276/.402/.554 | 612 HR | 1,699 RBI | 72.9 WAR
Thome’s career numbers are something to behold: over two-plus decades he combined Rickey Henderson’s on-base percentage with Giancarlo Stanton’s slugging percentage on his way to 612 career homers.
Like Jones, he’ll enter Cooperstown on his first try.
Trevor Hoffman
2017 result: 74.0 | 2018 Ballot tracker: 78.8%
7 x All-Star | 2.87 ERA | 601 saves | 1,133 Ks | 28.0 WAR
Hoffman began his career after the Florida Marlins took him from the Cincinnati Reds in the 1992 expansion draft. He ended it as baseball’s all-time saves leader (a title Mariano Rivera has since claimed). In between, he saved 601 games, finished second in Cy Young balloting twice and made seven all-star teams.
Hoffman barely missed induction last year, but has a legitimate chance of making the cut this year, his third on the ballot.
Edgar Martinez
2017 result: 58.6% | 2018 Ballot tracker: 77.1%
5 x Silver Slugger | 7 x All-Star | 2 x batting title | .312/.418/.515 | 309 HR | 2,247 H | 68.3 WAR
Just five players have played at least a decade in the big leagues with an on-base percentage higher than Martinez since Robinson broke the colour barrier: Williams, Barry Bonds, Joey Votto, Mickey Mantle and Frank Thomas. Martinez posted an OBP above .397 in 11 of the 12 seasons he qualified for a batting title. He also won two batting titles and hit 309 career home runs on his way to establishing himself as one of the best DHs ever.
Thibodaux’s research suggests Martinez will be a borderline candidate for induction in his ninth year of eligibility.
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