2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Results
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COOPERSTOWN, NY: Cal Ripken Jr., holder of one of baseball's most cherished records, and Tony Gwynn, among the game's most prolific hitters, were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting verified by Ernst & Young. They will be inducted into the Hall July 29 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.
A record 545 ballots, including two blanks, were cast by BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years' service, eclipsing by 25 the previous mark of 2006. Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots submitted to gain election. This year, 409 votes were needed.
Ripken established a record by being named on 537 ballots, breaking the previous mark of 491 by Nolan Ryan in 1999. Ripken's percentage of 98.53 percent is the third highest in the history of BBWAA balloting behind Tom Seaver (98.83 in 1992) and Ryan (98.79 in 1999). Gwynn's percentage of 97.6 based on 532 votes ranks seventh all-time. Their election brings to 280 the number of elected members of the Hall. Of that total, 198 are former major leaguers, of which 105 have been through the BBWAA.
The asterisk next to Steve Garvey indicates his last year on the ballot, his future chances now resting with the Veterans Committee.
2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results
- Candidate Votes % of Votes
- Cal Ripken Jr. 537 98.5
- Tony Gwynn 532 97.6
- Rich Gossage 388 71.2
- Jim Rice 346 63.5
- Andre Dawson 309 56.7
- Bert Blyleven 260 47.7
- Lee Smith 217 39.8
- Jack Morris 202 37.1
- Mark McGwire 128 23.5
- Tommy John 125 22.9
- Steve Garvey 115 21.1
- Dave Concepcion 74 13.6
- Alan Trammell 73 13.4
- Dave Parker 62 11.4
- Don Mattingly 54 9.9
- Dale Murphy 50 9.2
- Harold Baines 29 5.3
The following players received less than 5% of the total votes cast, therefore are permanently removed from the ballot for future consideration.
- Orel Hershiser 24 4.4
- Albert Belle 19 3.5
- Paul O'Neill 12 2.2
- Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3
- Jose Canseco 6 1.1
- Tony Fernandez 4 0.7
- Dante Bichette 3 0.6
- Eric Davis 3 0.6
- Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4
- Ken Caminiti 2 0.4
- Jay Buhner 1 0.2
- Scott Brosius 0 0.0
- Wally Joyner 0 0.0
- Devon White 0 0.0
- Bobby Witt 0 0.0
Random thoughts: Until there is a complete overhaul of the rules, Rich Gossage and Lee Smith and any other closers are NOT Hall of Famers. The rule is too broad, and as a result the save is a worthless stat. Coming into a game to start an inning with a three run lead should not consititute a save. Throwing 600 pitches a SEASON, when a starter does that by the end of April, or appearing in 65 games with 75 innings pitched does not warrant enshrinement with the greats of the game. Put in perspective, there are two pitchers in the Hall with losing records, both closers...Fingers and Sutter. Enough said.
I'm honestly surprised at Albert Belle's vote total. Great numbers, yes. A**hole, yes. Unfortunate end to his career, yes. (With the exception of the media members covering his teams). But 19 votes is shocking. I have a soft spot for Rice, after watching him for so long and knowing he is the best player on the ballot not in the Hall, and its a joke Blyleven isnt in, McGwire probably gets in at a later date, but there is no other HOFer on the list.
Source
- http://www.baseballhalloffame.org. Provided vote totals. Text editing by user Kelsdad for opinion purposes
