By: Chelsea Parker
Who I would vote for:
Look, I know his time with the 2017 Astros complicates his candidacy for the Baseball Hall of Fame, and I understand why it does. But you cannot deny what Beltrán accomplished in his career. There were times in his 20-year career when he hit 40 home runs, bolstered a .300 batting average, and earned three Gold Gloves for his performances in the outfield.
His genuine rookie year came in 1999, as the universe feared Y2K, playing 156 games which landed him the AL Rookie of the Year Award. At only 22 years old, he averaged .293 with 27 doubles, 7 triples, 22 home runs, and 108 RBI.
He was a complete hitter with the stats to prove it, including four full seasons with fewer than 100 strikeouts and, at minimum, a .500 slugging percentage. Throughout his career, Beltran collected 2,725 hits. He is 29th all-time in doubles with 565, trailing Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker.
On top of his hitting, he was a speed demon around the bases. Beltran stole approximately 20 bases in a season over 7 times and fell short of the famed “40-40 club” in 2004 with 38 home runs and 42 stolen bases. He is ranked at No. 160 with 312 career stolen bases.
Until knee injuries plagued him, Beltran was exceptional defensively. He won 3 Gold Gloves and led his league in assists from center field multiple times. With his career WAR, Beltran is at 70.1 and eighth all-time among center fielders, trailing the likes of Mays, Cobb, Speaker, Mantle, Griffey Jr, Trout, and DiMaggio.
Beltran is heavily tied to the 2017 scandal and while MLB has let it die, there are many fans and BBWAA members who haven’t. He was the one who helped come up with the plan. The outcome from the scandal in 2019 cost Beltran his job as Mets manager before he managed a game.
Despite Beltran’s scandal, voters can’t deny that his performance on the field throughout his career is Hall of Fame worthy. Unfortunately, the scandal came before his opportunity to be on the Hall of Fame ballot. However, I would still give him my vote.
I grew up watching Ramirez, and there is this nostalgic part of me that wants to see him enter the Baseball Hall of Fame even though he’s remained stagnant on the ballot. He was an outstanding hitter that often found himself in the mix of controversy, mostly known for his time with Cleveland and Boston. Ramirez started his journey into MLB when Cleveland selected him in the 13th round of the 1991 draft straight out of High School.
The future standout hadn’t graduated high school, and it took him only two years to find his way onto the biggest platform for baseball.
Ramirez finished runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year award, despite the 1994 MLB strike. He ended the season slugging .521 with 17 homers, 22 doubles, and 60 RBI in 91 games. In 1995, when MLB returned, he broke out and made his first All-Star Game as a reserve. His performance that season earned him his first Silver Slugger award and a 12th-place finish for MVP.
In Game 2 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, Ramirez went 4-for-4 with two home runs to assist in the Indians’ victory. However, Ramírez and his team would fall to the Braves that season in the World Series. After a standout career with Cleveland, he landed with Boston with an eight-year, $160 million contract. The Dominican-born standout led Boston to a playoff appearance in 2003 with 160 OPS+ and 37 home runs, leading the Red Sox to break their 86-year drought.
After Boston, he spent time with the Dodgers, White Sox, and Rays before facing a 100-game suspension due to a second violation of the league’s drug policy.
He was one of the most consistent hitters for most of his 19 seasons in MLB, and his 1.8 offensive WAR ranks at the top among all left fields, putting him behind Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Rickey Henderson, and Pete Rose. However, Ramirez was not an exquisite outfielder. Since it started to be recorded in 2002, he had a career dWAR of -21.7 and a -90 DRS.
Unfortunately, he failed two drug tests and was handed down suspensions for his use of the substances, both coming at the end of his career, which was steadily declining. Despite this, Ramirez is on the ballot like many other controversial men, but for his legacy and performance, I would give him my vote.
A second-round pick by Philadelphia in 1993, Scott Rolen was a name I grew up with as I watched MLB in the 1990s. Not to mention, Rolen unanimously won NL Rookie of the Year in 1997. That next season? He showed the world that he was a baseball standout with a .290/.391/532 slash.
He was a seven-time All-Star who played for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Reds. Rolen currently sits in the Cardinals Hall of Fame and is a member of the 2006 World Series team, but he has struggled to get the votes to land him in the Hall filled with legends and, for young kids, mythical men that little boys dream about being as they grow up.
He won eight Gold Gloves patrolling third base for 17 years in the Majors. He ended his career with 517 doubles, 876 extra-base hits, 1,211 runs scored and 1,287 RBI’s. He won a Silver Slugger as well in 2002.
During his prime between 1997-2004, he was a powerful offensive key for his team, with at least 25 home runs and 100 RBI in five seasons. In those years, his 46.3 WAR was higher than any player in MLB besides Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, linked to PEDs. Not to mention, Rolen’s WAR was higher than now Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Larry Walker, and even Derek Jeter.
I understand the argument against Rolen as injuries plagued the third basemen, especially from 2005-2012. As he turned 30 and up, he went from playing 150+ games to averaging around 105, crippling his case for Cooperstown. In addition, he retired with 2,077 career hits, which is a low number for Hall of Fame prerequisites, and he never led the league in any major statistical category. Rolen came close in 2004 but fell short.
But after everything is said and done, Rolen would have my vote.
Who I would not vote for:
Omar Vizquel
His career spanned four decades and 24 seasons, winning 11 Gold Gloves. However, 2 scandals involving domestic violence and sexual harassment has hurt his Hall of Fame chances and that is why I would not vote for Vizquel.
The Mariners signed Vizquel for $2,000 in 1984 and spent five seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut with the Mariners on April 3, 1989. His debut occurred on the same day as the major league debut of his teammate, some guy named Ken Griffey Jr.
Vizquel had a mini offensive breakthrough in 1992, hitting .294 but regressed in the next season. Despite regression at the plate, he shined defensively and in 1993, he won his first Gold Glove. He even kept a no-hitter alive for Chris Bosio, making the final out in April of 1993.
He was traded to Cleveland and from there he spent 11 seasons with the team, winning seven Gold Gloves. Cleveland and Vizquel appeared in the postseason 6 times and the World Series twice. In 1999, he had the best year offensively in his career, slashing .333/.397/.436. He finished 16th in MVP voting for the season.
I’ve never looked at Vizquel as a Hall of Famer while many still do. He was not a good hitter; his career batting average is .272. After his scandals broke, he by far had the biggest nosedive in BBWAA support in the modern history of the vote since 1966.