2021 HOF Ballot

[triwak]

Originally Posted by kevtermeg

I am more interested to see who get in from the BWAAA Golden Days and Early Baseball era's. The next induction I am any interest in is Ichiro in 2023.

Golden Days: December of 2021 for inclusion in the Class of 2022
Early Baseball: December of 2021 for inclusion in the Class of 2022

Agreed about having huge interest in these two Era's committee votes. I still don't really understand why they were delayed (due to Covid). Could they not have been held virtually? The committees are only 16 members, each?

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by triwak

Agreed about having huge interest in these two Era's committee votes. I still don't really understand why they were delayed (due to Covid). Could they not have been held virtually? The committees are only 16 members, each?

They have to meet in person so that the dominant members can strong-arm the other voters into electing non-deserving, pet candidates to the Hall (See Tony LaRussa and Harold Baines).

[cardsagain74]

The entire league has been hitting HRs at an unprecedented rate since 1994. It's still happening, well after the steroid crackdown.

There are two other related major changes that haven't even been mentioned:

The baseball itself. I highly doubt it's a coincidence that power numbers permanently went up from the moment the '94-'95 strike was putting the future of the game in big trouble.

And the culture change (throughout baseball, basketball, and football) of modern dietary focus and working out more religiously that started around time. Obviously athletes in general have been more extra bulked up with ridiculously low body fat in the last 25 years.

Stanton hit 59 just three years ago. Not that far from the biggest HR accomplishments (by only three players, no less) during the steroid craze.

Sure, steroids clearly help. But there's a lot more to the "video game" numbers of the last 25 years than that