The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame process is flawed.
OK, we got that out of the way. So now there is no real need to dive into why it should be tweaked or how it should be fixed—a Baseball Writers’ Association of America panel recommended expanding the number of players eligible for each ballot from 10 to 12 during the Winter Meetings earlier this month.
However, because it is such an archaic system, considering its guidelines and voters’ stubbornness, lack of in-depth knowledge and lack of overall care, the snubs are heavy.
Plus, of course, there is the conundrum and dilemma of how to handle players linked to performance-enhancing drugs. It is a major issue for at least some voters despite HOF players in previous eras also breaking the law and baseball rules.
In the here and now, it appears no more than four players will be inducted into the baseball shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y. come July. Three of them seem to be locks. Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez are first-ballot guys, and honestly, it shouldn’t even be close (but maybe it will be).
Craig Biggio fell two votes short of the required 75 percent last year, making him a safe bet to make it this time around. Finally, based on an unscientific poll of BBWAA members conducted by MLB.com last July, John Smoltz has a pretty good shot of getting in, although his numbers fail to stack up against comparable starters.
That leaves everyone else on the ballot out of the Hall of Fame. Here are the predictable snubs.