Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth
I predict Mattingly only of this group.
Murphy feels like we've been there done this 100 times and his case isn't getting any better.
Delgado, nothing that compelling about him and not popular with any big fane base behind him.
Kent, maybe most deserving of the group, but disliked.
Sheffield NFW.
Bonds and Clemens, not until a new generation starts voting.
Valenzuela, LOL.
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Both Mattingly and Murphy have been on 18 ballots. That's an awful lot. Most recently, in the 2023 Veteran's committee voting, Mattingly got 50% to Murphy's 37.5%. I personally would vote for Murphy over Mattingly, but its close. Murphy's JAWS is 46.5 to Mattingly's 42.4. He just had more super-productive years.
I would personally like to see Lofton and Hernandez on the ballot. Lofton has only been on one ballot, which is criminal. Hernandez has been on 9 ballots, and none since 2004. I think Hernandez is disadvantaged by the fact that his MVP year was 1979, and the "Contemporary Baseball Era" player ballot focuses on players whose primary contributions to the game came since 1980.
I think the most interesting player to watch might be Sheffield, who has been trending up. In 2021 and 2022 he got 40.6% of the vote, but in 2023 he got 50%, and in 2024 he got 63.9%. I wonder if Sheffield is getting some sympathy from the voters, because he was one of the few players that spoke out about steroid use.
I'd probably vote for Kent and Murphy, but I doubt the voters will do the same. Jeff Kent was apparently very much disliked during his time, which seems to hurt people's chances with voters. But he has great numbers.