Ken Griffey Jr: Unanimous Vote for Hall of Fame?

By Josh:

The moment that the Hall of Fame officially announced the newest list of eligible players a debate has come out as to whether or not Ken Griffey Jr should be the first ever unanimous decision into the Hall of Fame.

Honestly it is crazy to me that there hasn’t been a unanimous decision into the Hall of Fame in baseball history. Think about the names that should have been unanimous (in my opinion) Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux, and these are just a couple names that popped into my head without doing any research.

Obviously it is clear that I am in favor of there being a unanimous vote for players to get into the Hall of Fame. So the question is really do I feel Ken Griffey Jr is deserving of an honor like this?

My answer to that question is this; I’m not sure what excuse or reasoning any voter could use for not voting Ken Griffey Jr on their ballot.

Griffey was one of the best hitting outfielders in baseball history and one of the best overall hitters regardless of position. Then add in the fact that Griffey was one of the best defensive center fielders in history and I once again can’t for the life of me figure out why a voter wouldn’t put him on the ballot.

I know some voters refuse to vote anyone on their first ballot. I think those voters shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Either a player is a Hall of Famer or they aren’t. Griffey clearly is.

Some voters may choose not to vote for Griffey and instead use their 10 votes for guys who aren’t as clear Hall of Famers and need the votes to stay on the ballot. I get that thought process, I don’t think it is necessarily wrong but if I was a voter I would want to make sure that I was a part of the voters who voted for Ken Griffey Jr.

For baseball writers the question isn’t really whether or not Griffey is a Hall of Famer. I, like most baseball people, feel that Griffey getting into the Hall of Fame his first ballot is a foregone conclusion. It’s going to happen because he is clearly a Hall of Famer.

The question then is whether a writer or multiple writers wants to make a ‘statement’ about the history of baseball.

I have a great deal of respect for many of the amazing and talented baseball writers that our out there, but there are a few that are doing more damage than good for the game of baseball. I am not a part of the BBWAA so I can’t be a part of changing the system. However, I am a part of the IBWAA and I can tell you without a doubt Griffey will be on my ballot.