A ranking of the ten active MLB players who are most close to being inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with the steps they must take to achieve induction.
Each year, I devote the winter to contemplating the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, I also revisit historical events and, unsurprisingly, contemplate the current state of affairs regarding active players.
I thoroughly examined each active player worthy of consideration in the previous year. While another season has passed, the needle ought not to have moved overly drastically in a single year.
It is unnecessary to revisit issues with each player. Conversely, let us examine the players who are shortly after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well as the steps that must be taken to elevate them to “lock” status or even strong consideration.
We shall begin by omitting Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Mike Trout from our lineup.
They are undoubtedly in “lock” territory at this point and, barring unforeseen circumstances will eventually reach Cooperstown.
Joey Votto and Zack Greinke are presumably present as well. Even though there will be dissenters, it is currently of little consequence.
While neither individual is formally retired, their Hall of Fame resumes are nearly complete, and we are debating the remaining tasks that require completion. As such, I will also omit them.
I believe Shohei Ohtani will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Additionally, he has only six years of Major League Baseball experience, whereas the Hall of Fame requires ten.
That is to say, he is not currently eligible. However, next week I will conduct an in-depth analysis of this specific topic, and Ohtani will get the entire column to himself.
A significant portion of the appeal of attending a Cardinals game last season was the knowledge that it was your final opportunity to witness two living legends: the indisputable Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and the marginally less certain but highly probable Hall of Famer Yadier Molina.
It is an enjoyable experience to attend a game. Occasionally, one can immediately recognize the presence of an all-time great when witnessing such an event; other times, it may be years or even decades before it occurs to you that you were observing a lowly rookie who ultimately became a legend.
Peaks and valleys are, without a doubt, present. It was sixteen in 1944 and seventeen in 1945, respectively, because so many stars were in the armed forces.
It was significantly higher than 50 in the late 1920s and early 1930s, largely due to the Veterans Committee in the 1970s having an excessive number of personal ties to those players.
Subsequently, since the turn of the nineteenth century, the number has decreased from approximately 40 per season for decades to the Hall of Fame.
Several factors contributed to this decline, including the ineligibility of players like Pujols, the complications associated with the PED era, and the increased difficulty of induction into the Hall of Fame.
This is merely an approximation, as there were thirty teams in 1998 as opposed to sixteen in 1947, but it does provide us with a general idea. We anticipate approximately 38 to 39 inductees into the Hall of Fame per season.
It is remarkable how rapidly this can change; our lists included individuals such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Kris Bryant, Trevor Story, and Anthony Rendon two years ago, but their profiles have since diminished.
The thoughts may wander. I have devoted roughly the last six weeks of my attention to the ongoing Hall of Famer voting cycle. Throughout deep dives, current players will enter my mind.
Although it induces procrastination from the current task, the benefit is immense: as a Hall of Fame obsessive such as myself, imagining so many scenarios involving current players is incredibly entertaining.
As I am certain that everyone’s mind wanders, I will also extract some additional content from the Hall of Fame vote, owing to the positive aspect of the wandering. A lively off-season discussion ensues.
Regarding active players exclusively, excluding those who have recently retired (e.g., Albert Pujols), I shall examine their present status in the Hall of Fame.
Deep dives will be postponed until cases are finalized, and I am prepared to cast my ballot for the Hall of Fame. The objective of these brief once-overs is to facilitate discussion.