Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in voting announced Wednesday, while Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero fell just short.

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

Barry Bonds– who was a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins last season and Roger Clemens, both stained by steroid scandals, were not considered for the fifth consecutive year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. However, both legends received significantly more votes this time and could potentially be elected sometime in the next few years.

Bagwell, on the ballot for the seventh time after falling 15 votes short last year, received 381 of 442 votes for 86.2 percent. Players needed 75 percent, which came to 332 votes this year.

In his tenth and final year of eligibility on the writers’ ballot, Raines took 380 votes, while Rodriguez received 336 votes (76 percent) to join Johnny Bench in 1989 as the only catchers elected on the first ballot.

Hoffman and Guerrero were five and 15 votes short respectively.

Next on the list of players who fell short of election were Edgar Martinez at 58.6 percent, followed by Clemens at 54.1 percent, Bonds at 53.8 percent, Mike Mussina at 51.8 percent, Curt Schilling at 45 percent, Lee Smith at 34.2 percent, and Manny Ramirez at 23.8 percent.

Players will be elected on July 30 during ceremonies at Cooperstown, NY, along with former commissioner Bud Selig and retired Kansas City and Atlanta executive John Schuerholz, both elected last month by a veterans committee.

Since the inaugural Class of 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame has honored the sport’s legendary players, managers, umpires and executives. Included in the 317 Hall of Famers are 220 former major league players, 30 executives, 35 Negro Leaguers, 22 managers and 10 umpires.

Bagwell was a four-time All-Star who played his entire career with Houston, finishing with a .297 batting average, 401 homers, and 1,401 RBIs.

Raines, fifth in career stolen bases, was a seven-time All-Star and the1986 NL batting champion. He spent 13 of 23 major league seasons with the Montreal Expos, and is now the third player from that franchise to be elected to the Hall of Fame, after Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. 

Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star who hit .296 with 311 homers and 1,332 RBIs, never received punishment for using PEDs, although former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged in a 2005 book that he injected the catcher with steroids.

When asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball’s 2003 survey, Rodriguez simply said in 2009: “Only God knows.”

Several famous players who will join the competition for Hall of Fame votes in upcoming years include Chipper Jones in 2018, Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay in 2019, and Derek Jeter in 2020.

7 Mar 1999: Outfielder Tim Raines #30 of the Oakland Athletics runs down to a base as he looks over his shoulder during the Spring Training game against the Anaheim Angels at the Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Angels defeated the Athletics 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport

Article by Pablo Mena