Raines, Bagwell and IRod get the call

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Jim65

I can't wait until next year when all ballots become public so we know who the idiots are who give players like Tim Wakefield a vote.

Vlad should have been a first ballot HOF.

Probably a hometown vote. Not really unusual for good but not great players who were very popular.

I don't think Wakefield is HOF material, but there are worse guys that get votes. One thing so many people overlook are the non-stat things or the things a player might do that help the team but wreck their stats. Wakefield did a lot of that sort of stuff. Like taking a start on short rest with the understanding that no matter what he was going 9 innings because the bullpen desperately needed the day off. That will hardly ever show as a plus on a guys stats.
And it mattered to the team, enough that at one point they agreed on a fairly inexpensive contract that was one year automatically renewing unless Wakefield opted out. Which he did towards the end of his career to negotiate a new contract at a lower price.

Steve B