Transparency in Hall of Fame voting is a good thing

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There won’t be a secret ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame anymore. Next year, the hundreds of ballots of voting Baseball Writers Association of America members will be revealed, casting anonymity aside in favor of transparency. We’re already halfway there thanks to the efforts of Ryan Thibodaux, who collects the ballots that have already been publicly revealed to help give us an idea of who is making it to Cooperstown. The BBWAA itself brought us the rest of the way, as they voted to change things up and reveal who is voting for which players — or who isn’t voting at all — rather than let this continue to be a secret.

Thibodaux’s work has already informed how some writers vote, as they can see which players need their help and which are already essentially assured entry into the Hall. With more than 10 qualified players on ballots lately but only 10 votes to give, this has been important: hopefully we’ll continue to see ballots revealed publicly leading up to the announcement so Thibodaux can track them, with the full reveal coming after the results are announced to fill in the blanks. Social media has also changed how some vote, as they want to avoid being attacked by fans for making the wrong decision. The vitriol on both sides is a real issue, but with so many former MLB writers being pushed out of voting in recent years and those still around softening their stances toward Steroid Era players, things will calm down a bit. Many fans are only upset about PEDs because they were trained to be by baseball writers, so that can all be reversed with time, too.

There are those concerned that votes changing because of public opinion is a bad thing, but this isn’t writers being bullied. This is some writers being forced to actually pay attention to what their ballot means and what their goal here is supposed to be, and then acting accordingly instead of sending in a blank ballot or voting for some dude who gave them quotes but shouldn’t ever enter Cooperstown without buying a ticket first. Outgoing BBWAA president Derrick Goold thinks votes will change for the better. Given how many writers voted for transparency, you have to think they feel the same way.