Voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have until Dec. 31 to submit their Hall of Fame ballots, and the results will be announced Jan. 6.
It’s not too early to stack up odds for the 2017 class, though, using past trends and exit polling of BBWAA voters as a guide.
There are no first-ballot locks in this group. There are, however, several guys who should keep their schedules clear for the July 30 induction ceremony, including a perennial HOF also-ran in his final year of eligibility.
Voters will once again wrestle with Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, statistical titans stained by the steroid era, and they’ll consider a handful of borderline cases sure to spark debate.
Feel free to sound off with your picks in the comments, and proceed when ready.