Longtime Baltimore sportswriter Dave Ginsburg voted for Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Gary Sheffield, Omar Vizquel and Billy Wagner on his 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Eligible players need 75 percent of the vote to earn induction via the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The 2024 class will be revealed on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. Early returns suggest Beltré will sail in. Joe Mauer will likely join him as a first-ballot inductee. Helton and Wagner figure to be close calls.
Last year. 389 ballots were submitted by writers to the Hall of Fame. Ginsburg voted for Carlos Beltrán, Andy Pettitte, Helton, Sheffield and Wagner a year ago, meaning Beltrán and Pettitte dropped off his ballot this time around. Jones and Vizquel are new to Ginsburg’s ballot this year.
Ginsburg explained his choices on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 16.
WHO’S IN
Gary Sheffield
Outfielder Gary Sheffield is in his 10th and final year of eligibility through the BBWAA before heading to the Era Committees for consideration. A .292/.393/.514 career hitter, Sheffield piled up 509 home runs and 467 doubles throughout a 22-year career. However, he has been dogged by being named in the BALCO investigation and Mitchell Report.
Ginsburg began easing up on players with ties to performance-enhancing drugs a few years back.
“He was in the Mitchell Report. He had something to do with BALCO in 2003, but he never tested positive. He had great numbers,” Ginsburg said. “I’ve read some of the interviews with him. He said, ‘I never used it to enhance my play.’ He pointed to his numbers after the implication — still solid numbers. I just thought that certainly in his final year he deserved a vote. He does have Hall of Fame numbers. I think the Mitchell Report has hurt his backing.
Omar Vizquel
Support for shortstop Omar Vizquel, in his seventh year of eligibility, has tanked in recent years after allegations of domestic violence surfaced. He earned 49.1 percent of the vote in 2021 but dipped to 19.5 percent last year and is faring no better in early returns this time around. Vizquel’s reputation as a high-end defender at shortstop — he won 11 Gold Gloves — keeps him in the mix for some voters.
“I have decided that fielding is certainly worth mentioning,” Ginsburg said. “Omar Vizquel wasn’t a power hitter but hit. He batted .272 lifetime with 11 Gold Gloves. To me, Hall of Fame-worthy — one of the best fielding shortstops in history, I think. If Ozzie Smith got in because of his glove, then so should Omar Vizquel.”
Billy Wagner
Closer Billy Wagner is in his ninth year of eligibility, and if he doesn’t get in this year, he should get in next year. He is sixth on the all-time saves list with 422 and struck out 1,196 hitters 903 innings across 16 seasons. He stacks up well with the relievers who have been enshrined.
“Not the greatest postseason stats, but he was one of the best closers ever to pitch in the game, so deserving of my vote and I think a lot of other people look at it the same way,” Ginsburg said.
WHO’S OUT
Carlos Beltrán
A .279/.350/.486 career hitter with 435 homers, 312 steals and three Gold Gloves, Carlos Beltrán was a classic five-tool outfielder for much of his 20-year career. He also stacks up well historically among center fielders. He got 46.5 percent of the vote in his first year on the BBWAA ballot a year ago, which included a vote from Ginsburg.
However, Ginsburg walked it back this year thanks to Beltrán’s involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
“I regret putting Beltrán on my ballot last year because I neglected to remember his prominent role in the sign-stealing scandal for the Astros,” Ginsburg said. “I could go back to it, but I just didn’t think he was worth it this year when I have six other guys who are more deserving than he.”
Andy Pettitte
Lefty Andy Pettitte had been a mainstay on Ginsburg’s ballot for his first five years on the ballot, but Ginsburg dropped the longtime Yankee this time around. Pettitte racked up 256 wins in an 18-year career, though a 3.85 career ERA would be the second-highest mark in the Hall of Fame. He did win 19 postseason games, though, causing some voters to give him a long look despite his name appearing in the Mitchell Report.
Pettitte only got 17 percent of the vote last year. An eventual trip to the Era Committees seems inevitable.
“I love him. I thought he was deserving. I still think he is, but not generating a lot of love from the rest of the voters,” Ginsburg said. “I just thought that it was a futile effort to try to put him on my ballot again. I love the guy. He was tremendous in the postseason, which is one of the reasons I supported him for all those years and that wasn’t the first time I put him on the ballot last year. But he’s just not generating a lot of love and I decided that maybe other people knew better than I, so took him off this year.”
Joe Mauer
Catcher Joe Mauer appears headed to Cooperstown, but he didn’t get Ginsburg’s vote. Mauer’s career numbers — .306/.388/.439 with 2,123 hits, 143 homers and 428 doubles — don’t necessarily jump off the page compared to other Hall of Famers, but they’re quite good for a catcher historically.
“Love Joe Mauer, but 143 career jacks,” Ginsburg said. “He was one of the best catchers, but he’s certainly not a [Johnny] Bench, he’s certainly not a [Carlton] Fisk, and to me, not a first-timer. He’s going to get my vote down the road, but not on his first year of eligibility.”
To hear which players Ginsburg may consider for his ballot next year, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Houston Astros