2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: Mark Buehrle, Tim Hudson among the top newcomers
After back-to-back years with a slam-dunk nominee, the 2021 debutants on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot are unlikely to draw much support.
Mark Buehrle, Tim Hudson and Torii Hunter are among the top players who will debut on the ballot next year and – despite excellent careers – it's hard to imagine anybody from this group will ever receive the 75% of the vote necessary to get in.
Holdovers include Curt Schilling (70%), Roger Clemens (61%) and Barry Bonds (60.7%), all of whom will be making their ninth – and penultimate – appearances on the ballot in 2021. Omar Vizquel (52.6%), Scott Rolen (35.3%) and Billy Wagner (31.7%) are among the other 2020 top vote-getters that will return to the ballot next year.
Here are the top newcomers on next year's ballot ranked by career Wins Against Replacement:
Mark Buehrle (59.2 WAR) – 214 wins, 5-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glove winner, career 3.81 ERA
Tim Hudson (58.1 WAR) – 222 wins, 4-time All-Star, career 3.49 ERA
Torii Hunter (50.1 WAR) – 9-time Gold Glove winner, 5-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger
Dan Haren (35 WAR) – 3-time All-Star, 4.03 K/BB (15th all-time), career 3.75 ERA
Aramis Ramirez (32.6 WAR) – 3-time All-Star, 7 100+ RBI seasons
Barry Zito (31.9 WAR) – 2002 AL Cy Young winner, 3-time All-Star
Shane Victorino (31.6 WAR) – 4-time Gold Glove winner, 2-time All-Star
A.J. Burnett (29.1 WAR) – career 3.99 ERA
Alex Rios (27.4 WAR) – 2-time All-Star
Grady Sizemore (27.3 WAR) – 3-time All-Star, 2-time Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger
TIME IS RUNNING OUT: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens barely see a bump in HOF voting
OPINION: Derek Jeter's election to Hall of Fame comes at perfect time
'GRATEFUL AS CAN BE': Larry Walker reaches Hall of Fame in final year of eligibility