Introduction
J.P. Morosi reveals his 2023 Hall of Fame ballot on MLBN Hot Stove.
What do you think?
Content
Jp morosi has a Hall of Fame ballot.
He is leading the league in information JP good morning to you.
I know that pressure is a privilege, and this is a job that you take very very seriously good morning.
Tell me who is on your Hall of Fame ballot, Lauren and Harold good morning.
Yes, as you mentioned one week from today, the Hall of Fame class revealed and I am a 10 person on the ballot year voter every year, I've got the same thing.
I believe that yeah Harold for me, I like to have the big Hall and for me to have at least those 10 names to sustain in some cases and I'll.
Explain later my rationale, but here are my 10 names on my hall of fame ballot revealed on hot stove for the first time this year.
I love this animation, all the names, and then we compress it down to the 10.
Beltran, the first time, of course, for him: Burley Helton, Tori, Hunter, Andrew, Jones, Jeff, Kent, Scott, Roland, Jimmy, Rollins, Gary, Sheffield and Billy Wagner.
Now, in a couple of these cases, Wagner and Helton, my ballot was a little crowded recent years and so I didn't have a chance to vote for them every single year.
But I I've always said that as they get closer to that 10 years on the ballot for them and closer to the 75 percent required to be elected, then I would make sure that I made room for them on my balance so for Ryan Thibodeaux and our colleagues who track these ballots very carefully.
I would expect that the Wagner and Hilton votes are perhaps most important for them and yes, Harold and Lauren I welcome your comments.
Thoughts critiques here as the hour goes on.
We love his ballot.
Who stands out so I I got a couple questions uh one I'll get to my big one.
Second uh Mark Burley I thought that was interesting.
Not many people are thinking of Mark Burley as a Hall of Famer.
You think about how fast he worked.
But why is he on your ballot? Consistency Harold for me the the way that we view the Hall of Fame and the standard that we are holding players to and the 75 percent.
It is hard to get there it's hard to get to 75.
It's also in some cases challenging to get to the five required to stay on the ballot year after year, and there is the honor in getting the 75 to get in, there's also the honor in getting the five to stay on the ballot and and that's where I think about players like Mark, Burley and Tori Hunter as well.
I want them to stay on the ballot.
I believe that for the ear in which they played both Burley and Tori were exemplary players.
Do they eventually get to the 75 and get honored by that number of players or that number of Voters rather for me, I, would say that, based on current trends, it's unlikely but I, but I as someone who covered them in the American League Central for a lot of their careers believe they're worthy of the continued consideration, and so for me, Burley I, looked at this Herald and say: is he on the level of CC and Verlander and players that had the same sort of uh era as he did? Perhaps not, but I am someone that really believes.
The consistency is important and the durability is important, and so for me, I I go with Burley on on the consistency and durability Mark to have that vote.
All right, I'm leaving my big one next, because Lauren's got one before I go well, I mean I, just wonder about Carlos Beltran.
Was it a no-brainer for you, I mean we look back at his career and there were you know, periods of pure dominance.
What was your thinking behind it? Lauren it's the uniqueness of a switch-hitting center fielder who hit for power in his day.
I do believe that his vote, total is lower than I would have expected.
I think, based on the merits of his playing career, I, think late career, Bell Toronto.
When he's with the Cardinals and the Yankees for me watching him play in those years, I said he is putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame resume.
Now there are some who have issue with the sign stealing scandal with the Astros at the end of his career and perhaps are withholding their vote for him either for a year or longer and I.
Think that's why his vote tracking is lower than expected.
Uh with Ryan thibodeau's vote tracker.
But when you consider- and you compare him the likes of- let's say an Andre Dawson who I thought was for me of a very worthy candidate in the course of his career, and you see it there.
Basically, the same resume check that out within two stolen bases: three home runs Ops, plus identical All-Star selections, basically identical and and I'm beltron played center field for longer than the hawk did, and for me the hawk was a clear Hall of Fame choice and eventually got in based on what he had done with the Cubs and the Expos I think with Beltran.
He was a key member of postseason teams with the Cardinals with the Yankees.
Of course, we know well what he did with the Astros earlier in his career and, of course, with the Mets as well, helping them get to a National, League, Championship Series.
So for me, beltron's career, significant, the Run production, the stolen bases playing center field as a switch hitter I.
Just think that beltron's numbers are going to fall shy of 75 percent right now in part because of of the legacy of what happened with the Astros back in 2017., I, totally agree, I think without the Scandal he sails into the Hall of Fame.
For all the reasons you pointed out, so I want to ask you this one.
This is a tough one for you.
Jp you've always voted for Manny.
You always voted for for Barry.
You always voted for Clemens.
Why no A-Rod on your ballot, so I I'll, actually uh, draw a bit of a distinction.
I have not voted for Ramirez, but I did always vote for bonds and Clem.
Okay and you're right I did not vote for for Alex, so I I am no on Alex no on Manny, uh I will be no on canoe when he comes up on the ballot, I'll be no on Nelson Cruz.
For the same reason, my standard has been that if you were suspended under the MLB uh and MLB PA joint drug treatment prevention, all all of those uh aspects of the steroid testing era- um I- don't vote for you.
So basically, it's that sharp for me, if you were suspended, I, don't vote for you uh in the case of bonds and Clemens, they were not suspended, bonds and Clemens played during an era in which there was not enough information acknowledged and aware about what was going on during that period of time in baseball and yes, I understand the Metro for everything else.
That's fine I have always voted for Bonds in Clemens, but I I, say I, draw the line and say if, after 2005 from 2000 five to now, where we started seeing suspensions, then if you were suspended once MLB in the MLB PA said we're not going to be doing this.
We're not we're going to test now and and we're cleaning up the sport if you were suspended after that date happened, I, don't vote for you, so that so it's a it is I would say this Herald a a difficult question for the game made in my mind, simple by the existence of suspensions- and it is a it is a I- would describe it as a difficult, easy decision.
Suspensions came into play and we've got that information.
If you were suspended, you are a no for me.
Jp.
We got into a serious conversation yesterday about Jimmy Rollins candidacy and Keith gave us all these numbers and all these boards, and he said himself, he said looking at the numbers and going back over that he said it kind of changed.
My mind make a case for j-roll I.
Think Lauren for me he's one of the great shortstops of the last 25 years and and I do think that when you talk about center field with Beltran as we just documented and shortstop, these are special positions on the diamond, all things being equal.
If I had one vote to give I vote for the shortstop over the corner, outfielder, because it's a more demanding position so I look at Rollins the stolen base success rate that he had the power that he had again a switch hitter.
On importantly, because this matters to me a a consistent postseason team, a World Series championship team, I I.
This is where I'll say a bit about the The Narrative of of how writers view things.
If you, if you don't want people to consider historical narrative and and significance of championship teams, then do not ask people who think in the realm of anecdotes and narratives to vote.
That's what we do.
We are writers, that's how we think and when you look at Jimmy Rollins career and you think about the way the Phillies built back into being a consistent winning team from 2006 and 7 onward, and the importance of of Jimmy Rollins uh.
That was back when Ed Wade was the GM and and Jimmy and Chase Utley Ascend uh to the spot and the consistency that he played 17 seasons in the show.
Sixth, most games ever played at shortstop that uniqueness of the 200, homers and 400 stolen bases.
Look at those numbers, one of 11 players in the history of the game.
To do that now.
I'll be really curious and and I'll sort of put a pin in this.
As we talk about what utley's candidacy will be like when he shows up on the ballot he didn't play as many games as Jimmy because of the injuries for me.
J-Roll went to the post every day and I think that when you consider what that Phillies team represented and how he was, you look at Ryan, Howard and Utley I when I think about that Phillies team, it's the photo of Jimmy Rollins that comes up first, because he's the shortstop he's the leader he's the tone Setter.
He played the games.
I I, just I, look at him as being a historically significant player, and if you take a look at the number of games, he played and compare him to other switch hitting shortstops to other shortstops I would love to see as we go forward and you think about how does he compare with Larkin and Trammell I I? Think for me, Rollins is a historically significant player on a transformative team in one of the special markets of our game: Philadelphia, the history tree of that City and that ball Club.
For me, he belongs on the ballot consistently and I I.
Believe that the more that people look at his candidacy, he is going to be Hall of Famer.
You asked Jimmy What mattered to him the most and he said that he posted every day.
He talked about how many games he played 162 back in 2007, JP morosi.
We appreciate the time.