During the baseball offseason, two consecutive months mean two very different things. December is the month of the winter meetings. It’s a time for rumors and trades and free agent signings, and patching up weaknesses while focusing on the season ahead. But January is the month of the Hall of Fame balloting. It’s a time for reflection. While December causes us to look to the future, January urges us to glance to the past.
2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting: Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar Best Bets To Earn Election
On Wednesday, this year’s results of the National Baseball Hall of Fame voting will be revealed. Voting has been done by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and the results will be announced at 2 p.m. ET both online and on the MLB Network.
33 different players find themselves on this year’s ballot - including 19 first-timers - and it appears almost certain that at least one or two of them will exceed the 75% voting threshold and in so doing earn election to the Hall of Fame. Bert Blyleven received 74.2% support last year, and figures to get a boost. And Roberto Alomar received 73.7 percent support last year in his first year on the ballot, and he also figures to get a bump.
Other holdovers who received significant support in 2010 include Jack Morris, Barry Larkin, Lee Smith, and Edgar Martinez. Notable first-timers projected to get a lot of votes include Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker, and Rafael Palmeiro. It isn't expected that any of these players will show up on at least 75 percent of the ballots this year, but a surprise isn't out of the question.
The 2011 election is the 68th Hall of Fame election held by the BBWAA. A candidate earns election to the Hall of Fame by showing up on at least 75 percent of the ballots. Any candidate who receives between 5- 74.9 percent support will show up on the next year’s ballot, unless he has already been on the ballot for 15 years. A candidate who isn’t elected after 15 years drops off the ballot, as does a candidate who receives less than 5% support.
Andre Dawson was the only player inducted into the Hall of Fame a year ago, after getting 77.9 percent support. Click here for a list of every player on the 2011 ballot.
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