Looking forward to 2009…
Here it is, not even two weeks into 2008, and already I’m looking forward to 2008. That happens every January, when the Hall of Fame announces their current inductees. People immediately begin talking about the next year. I’ve written a couple of posts dealing with the holdovers from this year’s election, but haven’t made any mention of newcomers to the ballot next year.
The no-brainer for 2009 is the ageless Rickey Henderson, the all-time stolen base leader. No, he won’t receive 100% of the votes because of some writers’ resistance to voting for first timers on the ballot, but he should rake in well over 90%. Really, no discussion needs to take place here. Rickey is one of the all-time greats.
We come next to Mark Grace, the consistent first basemen who spent his career with the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. Grace made a splash on the major league scene his rookie year, finishing second to Chris Sabo for the 1988 Rookie of the Year award. One of the most consistent hitters of the 1990s, Grace finished his career with 2445 hits (100th on the all-
time list) and a .303 batting average. He never hit for power, his highest season total being 17 dingers in 1998, and he never drove in many runs, 98 being his career-high in 1993. As consistent as Grace was, however, he was never dominant. I expect he will receive 10-15% support, but never rise much higher than 20% in his time on the ballot.
Other first-timers next year will include David Cone, Ron Gant, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn, and Matt Williams. Certainly stars during their time, but not even close to HOF credentials. It would not surprise me if 2009 is their last time on the ballot.
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