It’s Hall of Fame time, so here’s the Back East Out West take on the 2015 MLB Hall of Fame ballot.
No Brainers:
- Pedro Martinez
- Randy Johnson –
Legendary arms with records, awards and rings. A couple of first-ballot inductees.
Polish the Bronze:
- Mike Piazza
- Jeff Bagwell
Two sluggers from the enhancement era who anchored the lineup of World Series-bound clubs, and piled up stats. Taking into account the inflated offense of their times, both Bagwell and Piazza pass the Bar TV rule: if they came to the plate, you’d watch.
Clutch Arms:
- Curt Schilling
- Mike Mussina
I mean, straight-up Yankee fan here but a full nod goes to Curl Schilling. Even though he came to haunt us, he was a bulldog ace. Mussina was a craftsman with a 270-153 record in the AL East, in an offensive era. He could have hit 300 wins — he won 20 games in 2008, his last season — but remains one of the premier pitchers of 1990s-2000s.
Two Overdue:
- Tim Raines
- Craig Biggio
Offensive dynamos with hustle and grit that have been hanging on the fringes for a while. Get ’em in there.
Tick Those Boxes:
- Barry Bonds
- Roger Clemons
Barry’s paid his debt and Clemons & Piazza? C’mon.
Next Year:
- John Smoltz
Just not a first-ballot guy to me.
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
Now that’s a first-ballot guy.