After many months of speculation on who would or would not get the call from Cooperstown, it was revealed that 4 players were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2018. Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman have received the greatest honor in baseball when it was announced earlier today, and they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
Chipper Jones was absolutely a no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famer. He established himself as one of the greatest 3rd basemen of all-time and became one of the best hitters of the 90's and 2000's in a time when steroid users dominated the game. The 1999 NL MVP received around 97% of the votes, a total of votes that is only reached by the best of the best. Cleary, Jones has fallen into that category, which helped the case for the 8-time All-Star to join the hall.
I was instantly shocked that Vladimir Guerrero didn't make the Hall of Fame in 2017. He's one of my favorite players of all-time and definitely up there with Dawson, Carter, and Raines in terms of greatest Expos of all-time (he needs to go into the hall as an Expo too). Guerrero electrified the game and became a fan-favorite no matter where he played. He had nearly 450 home runs and nearly 1500 career RBI which are insane numbers for someone who played 16 seasons. I'm pleased to say that one of my favorite players in baseball history has a place in Cooperstown, even if it should've been done last year.
The most underrated member of the 600 home run club would have to be slugger Jim Thome, whose total of 612 home runs ranks 8th all-time. Thome is undoubtedly one of the greatest power hitters of all-time, after all, he humbly put up 6 separate 40 home run seasons throughout his career. He was never outspoken, and he always seemed like a good teammate who let his talent speak for itself, and he has lots of talent and special ability. His career.276 batting average is very good for a hitter of his caliber, and his doubles total of over 450 is impressive. Thome proved himself over his 22-year career and wasn't given as much recognition as he deserved. That is, until today.
After falling just 3 votes short of making the Hall of Fame last year, Trevor Hoffman proved that relief pitchers can and should be elected into Cooperstown by making the hall this year. Easily the 2nd best reliever of all-time, Hoffman established himself during his 18-year career, 16 of which he spent with the Padres. He finished with 601 career saves, 2nd only to Mariano Rivera, and even finished 2nd in the 1998 NL Cy Young voting which is incredible for a closer. The 7-time all-star was the first to reach 500 and 600 saves and proved why he is one of the best relief pitchers to ever play the game. I know it may have been tough for some writers to vote him because he's a relief pitcher, but to me, Hoffman is an easy choice.
I truly believe the BBWAA couldn't have picked a better ballot. They easily chose 4 incredibly qualified candidates to make the Hall of Fame, and there isn't a single name that I think shouldn't have made it. We may see Edgar Martinez make it in his final year of eligibility like we saw with Tim Raines, and a few years from now we may see Omar Vizquel. But for now, these are the 4 choices and they absolutely deserve.
Steroid users/accusations are still far from making it though.
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