[Cider Jim]

Look, I hate the Yankees, and even I admit Rivera is the best closer ever.

I hate the Yankees, too, but I'm still in denial.

[adam42381]

Look, I hate the Yankees, and even I admit Rivera is the best closer ever.

+1. Dude is a freak of nature. One pitch. One unhittable pitch.

[NG33]

One pitch. One unhittable pitch.

I hated watching him pitch against the Sox in the early 00's. That Cutter was just unreal.

[Liberty4Life]

So, it's a slow week. I came up with a list of 9 current players who I think are worthy of the HOF. What do you think: correct or does somebody need to be omitted? Did I miss anyone?

Locks:
Chipper Jones
Ichiro
Pudge Rodriquez
Jim Thome
Mariano Rivera
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriquez
Albert Pujols

Chipper: Definitely 1st ballot.
Ichiro: Yes, although if he continues to decline, it'll be a struggle.
Pudge: Yeah, but not 1st ballot.*
Thome: Yeah, possibly 1st ballot but not by a lot.
Rivera: Definitely.
Jeter: No question about it.
A-Rod: Call me again in five years.
Pujols: Definitely.

* Steroid cloud, plus recent decline, plus catchers never get in on first ballot.

Near-Lock:
Scott Rolen

On-Pace:
Roy Halladay
C.C. Sabathia
Mark Teixeira

Just Missed the Cut:
Jorge Posada
Maglio Ordonez
David Wright

I think Roy & CC will make it. I don't think Tex will. I agree that the latter three will fall short. I think Bobby Abreu falls into that category. I'd add Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Vlad Guerrero, Andruw Jones, Johan Santana & Todd Helton as part of the "really good but they are effectively done", although it wouldn't surprise me to see at least one of them named.

Here's a really interesting case: This guy is batting .286 BA, 1200 RBIs which is just above Todd Zeile on the all-time list, 1650 Runs (which puts him just above George Val Halteran). He's only been selected to two all-star games, and has never placed in the top ten in MVP voting.

HOWEVER, those stats are a little misleading (deliberately). He has nearly as many RBIs as Tony Gwynn, and runs as Cal Ripken, Jr.... and there is a GOOD chance that he will wind up with 3,000 hits (he needs 277).

As we all (probably) know, EVERYONE who is a member of the 3,000 hit club has made it to the Hall of Fame. Except Pete Rose.

So. Will JOHNNY DAMON be a Hall of Famer?

[Sly Fox]

If he gets 3000 then then he probably gets in at some point.

And Johnny Bench didn't seem to have much difficulty getting into Cooperstown on the first ballot.

Cider Jim - That was my era of pitchers growing up as well.

[Liberty4Life]

And Johnny Bench didn't seem to have much difficulty getting into Cooperstown on the first ballot.

Johnny Bench was Johnny Bench. That's why he got in on the first ballot. He is the ONLY catcher in baseball history to get in on the 1st ballot. And he's pretty much the unanimous greatest catcher who has ever lived.

Here are the other HOF catchers:

Yogi Berra - 2nd Ballot.
Roger Bresnahan - Vet committee
Roy Campenella - 5th ballot (by the way, both Roy & Yogi were 3 time MVPs).
Gary Carter - 6th ballot.
Mickey Cochrane - 5th ballot.
Bill Dickey - 7th Ballot.
Buck Ewing - Vet committee.
Rick Ferrell - Vet committee.
Carlton Fisk - 2nd ballot.
Josh Gibson - Negro League Committee.
Gabby Harnett - 11th ballot.
Ernie Lombardi - Vet Committee.
Ray Schalk - Vet committee.
Biz Mackley - Vet committee.

Furthermore, due to baseball rules that state you can only vote for 10 candidates per year, when "Pudge" hits the ballot in five or six years he may have to deal with Clemens, Bonds, Piazza, Sosa, Schilling, Biggio, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Glavine, Kent, Mussina, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Smoltz, Sheffield, Griffey, Wagner, Hoffman, Pettite, and guys who may hit the ballot at the same time as Pudge: Mariano, Damon, Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel, Vlad, Chipper, Ortiz, Thome... and while some of those will be inducted first go-around (I'm looking at you, Greg Maddux -- many of the others are tainted by the steroid cloud, whether guilty or not) -- it's not going to be so cut and dry for Ivan Rodriguez.

[Liberty4Life]

Here's how the next few years will pan out:

2012:
Larkin gets in.
Jack Morris gets a push, but it's too short.
Palmeiro, McGwire, Bagwell fall short.

2013:
Mike Piazza gets in.
Jack Morris does not.
Curt Schilling & Bagwell clear 50%.
Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, & Sammy Sosa all fail to clear 50%. Same with Palmeiro & McGwire.
Craig Biggio does not get in.

2014:
Greg Maddux sails in, as does Tom Glavine.
Bagwell and Biggio climb, but fall short.
Frank Thomas comes close, but does not get in.
Jeff Kent doesn't get in.
Mike Mussina doesn't get in.
Bonds, Clemens & Sosa's totals fail to budge.
Edgar Martinez makes a bit of a move.

2015:
Frank Thomas gets in. Randy Johnson gets in. Pedro Martinez gets in. Curt Schilling gets in. John Smoltz gets in.
Bagwell and Biggio do not.
Gary Sheffield does not, neither do the "steroid crowd" (Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmeiro, & Mcgwire)
Kent & Mussina's numbers climb, but fall short.

2016:
Ken Griffey gets in. Bagwell & Biggio get in.
Trevor Hoffman does not.
Edgard Martinez falls short.
Kent & Mussina's numbers climb, but fall short.