| Name | Votes (Pct.) |
Yrs on ballot |
Pos | Yrs active |
BTP | BT rank |
BT pos rank |
|
| 1 | * Jeff Bagwell | 381 (86.2) | 7 | 1b | 91-05 | 100.4 | 73 | 11 |
| 2 | * Tim Raines | 380 (86.0) | 10 | lf | 79-02 | 17.7 | 1036 | 220 |
| 3 | * Ivan Rodriguez | 336 (76.0) | 1 | ca | 91-11 | 79.0 | 126 | 3 |
| 4 | Trevor Hoffman | 327 (74.0) | 2 | pi cp | 93-10 | 129.4 | 32 | 1 |
| 5 | Vladimir Guerrero | 317 (71.7) | 1 | rf | 96-11 | 128.3 | 33 | 3 |
| 6 | Edgar Martinez | 259 (58.6) | 8 | dh | 87-04 | 77.5 | 135 | 9 |
| 7 | Roger Clemens | 239 (54.1) | 5 | pi sp | 84-07 | 164.8 | 12 | 9 |
| 8 | Barry Bonds | 238 (53.8) | 5 | lf | 86-07 | 153.2 | 17 | 2 |
| 9 | Mike Mussina | 229 (51.8) | 4 | pi sp | 91-08 | 155.6 | 16 | 13 |
| 10 | Curt Schilling | 199 (45.0) | 5 | pi sp | 88-07 | 194.1 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | † Lee Smith | 151 (34.2) | 15 | pi cp | 80-97 | 7.0 | 1879 | 238 |
| 12 | Manny Ramirez | 105 (23.8) | 1 | lf | 93-11 | 167.2 | 10 | 1 |
| 13 | Larry Walker | 97 (21.9) | 7 | rf | 89-05 | 100.1 | 74 | 10 |
| 14 | Fred McGriff | 96 (21.7) | 8 | 1b | 86-04 | 57.7 | 245 | 39 |
| 15 | Jeff Kent | 74 (16.7) | 4 | 2b | 92-08 | 109.7 | 55 | 1 |
| 16 | Gary Sheffield | 59 (13.3) | 3 | lf | 88-09 | 124.1 | 38 | 4 |
| 17 | Billy Wagner | 45 (10.2) | 2 | pi cp | 95-10 | 108.7 | 56 | 3 |
| 18 | Sammy Sosa | 38 (8.6) | 5 | rf | 89-07 | 113.2 | 50 | 6 |
| 19 | † Jorge Posada | 17 (3.8) | 1 | ca | 95-11 | 79.5 | 124 | 2 |
| 20 | † Magglio Ordonez | 3 (0.7) | 1 | rf | 97-11 | 94.5 | 89 | 15 |
| 21 | † Edgar Renteria | 2 (0.5) | 1 | ss | 96-11 | 67.0 | 175 | 5 |
| 22 | † Jason Varitek | 2 (0.5) | 1 | ca | 97-11 | 47.2 | 349 | 8 |
| 23 | † Tim Wakefield | 1 (0.2) | 1 | pi sp | 92-11 | 101.4 | 69 | 43 |
| 24 | † Derrek Lee | 0 (0.0) | 1 | 1b | 97-11 | 81.3 | 118 | 16 |
| 24 | † Pat Burrell | 0 (0.0) | 1 | lf | 00-11 | 76.0 | 143 | 29 |
| 24 | † Mike Cameron | 0 (0.0) | 1 | cf | 95-11 | 70.3 | 165 | 34 |
| 24 | † J.D. Drew | 0 (0.0) | 1 | rf | 98-11 | 60.4 | 222 | 46 |
| 24 | † Matt Stairs | 0 (0.0) | 1 | rf | 92-11 | 59.9 | 224 | 48 |
| 24 | † Carlos Guillen | 0 (0.0) | 1 | ss | 98-11 | 50.9 | 308 | 8 |
| 24 | † Melvin Mora | 0 (0.0) | 1 | 3b | 99-11 | 47.8 | 340 | 20 |
| 24 | † Arthur Rhodes | 0 (0.0) | 1 | pi mr | 91-11 | 41.9 | 405 | 12 |
| 24 | † Casey Blake | 0 (0.0) | 1 | 3b | 99-11 | 40.9 | 416 | 31 |
| 24 | † Orlando Cabrera | 0 (0.0) | 1 | ss | 97-11 | 37.7 | 463 | 14 |
| 24 | † Freddy Sanchez | 0 (0.0) | 1 | 2b | 02-11 | 20.5 | 914 | 54 |
† Player will be off the Hall of Fame ballot in 2018 either because they did not receive 5 percent of the vote or their time on the ballot has expired without election.
Note: Most Hall eligible candidates had careers that, in part, preceded the era of Box-Toppers player tracking, which began in 1995. However, 15 of the 34 players listed here began their career in 1995 or later, so their entire career was tracked by Box-Toppers.
Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez elected to Hall of Fame; Schilling, Hoffman, Kent, Guerrero among those overlooked
Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday.
The three received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and will be inducted in the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., in July.
Two of the three players selected for induction—Bagwell and Rodriguez—were among Box-Toppers points leaders during their careers. The third, Tim Raines, played most his career before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Raines was active from 1979 to 2002, playing primarily for the Montreal Expos. Raines did have 17.7 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2002 at the end of his time in the Majors, hardly reflective of his impressive career.
But overlooked Wednesday in voting were players who are among career overall Box-Toppers points leaders or leaders at their position. Most conspicuously absent was pitcher Curt Schilling who earned 194.1 career Box-Toppers points from 1995 through 2007, the third-highest total since 1995. But also not voted in were Trevor Hoffman, who leads all closing pitchers since 1995 with 129.4 Box-Toppers points; Jeff Kent, who leads all second basemen since 1995 with 109.7 Box-Toppers points; and Vladimir Guerrero, who ranks third among all outfielders since 1995 with 128.3 Box-Toppers points.
Also not voted in were the usual suspects who have been ostracized for their association with performing enhancing drugs, including Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield and in his first-year of eligibility, Manny Ramirez.
Jeff Bagwell
Bagwell, who played his entire career for the Houston Astros, received the most Hall of Fame votes (381, 86.2 percent of all writers) in his seventh year on the ballot. Bagwell’s career also pre-dated the advent of Box-Toppers, running from 1991 to 2005. However, from 1995 on, Bagwell had 100.4 career Box-Toppers points, 73rd among all players, 26th among all batters and 11th among all first basemen. (If his first four seasons were tracked, rough projections put Bagwell’s career Box-Toppers points total at about 125, in the neighborhood of the career total of Gary Sheffield (124.1) who ranks 38th among all players since 1995, 11th among all batters.)
Bagwell was 1991 National League Rookie of the Year and 1994 NL Most Valuable Player, awards he earned prior to Box-Toppers’ advent. Bagwell earned the most single-season Box-Toppers points in 1997 (16.0), eighth among all players and second among NL batters, behind Larry Walker of the Rockies (18.5). Bagwell had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Tim Raines
Raines received 380 votes (86.0 percent of all writers) and was in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Raines played most of his career before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 (1979 to 2002). Raines had 17.7 Box-Toppers points in his final seasons, from 1995 to 2002. The sample size is small compared to the rest of his career so even roughly projecting his career total from that (about 85 Box-Toppers points) may be off. That would put him in the neighborhood of the career totals of Carlos Lee (85.5 points, ranked 110th, 46th among all batters) and Alfonso Soriano (82.4, ranked 115th, 47th among all batters).
Raines was known more for his speed and less for his power. Raines led in stolen bases four seasons and in runs twice. But Raines never hit more than 18 home runs or 71 RBIs in a season, the power statistics which tend to generate higher Box-Toppers point totals for batters.
Raines best year as measured by Box-Toppers was 1995, the inaugural year of tracking, when he had 6.0 Box-Toppers points with the White Sox, ranking 109th among all players. Raines played his first 12 seasons with the Montreal Expos (the franchise which is now the Washington Nationals). He played five seasons with the White Sox and also played with the Athletics, Orioles and Marlins.
Ivan Rodriguez
Rodriguez received 336 votes (76.0 percent of all voters) in his first year on the ballot. Rodriguez also began his career in 1991, prior to Box-Toppers tracking beginning in 1995. However, from 1995 on, Rodriguez had 79.0 Box-Toppers points, 126th among all players and third among all catchers. (If his first four seasons were tracked, rough projections put Rodriguez’s career Box-Toppers points total at about 90, in the neighborhood of the career total of Raul Ibanez (89.7) who ranks 98th among all players, 40th among all batters.)
Rodriguez was AL Most Valuable Player in 1999, which was also the season he earned the most Box-Toppers points (14.2, 14th among all players, sixth among AL batters). That was the only season he had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. Rodriguez played for the Rangers for his first 12 seasons and also played for the Marlins, Tigers, Yankees, Astros and Nationals.
Here is a look at other notable players who missed the cut:
Curt Schilling
In his fifth year of eligibility, Schillng received 45.0 percent of the vote, slipping from the 52.3 he received in 2016. Schilling played from 1988 to 2007 and had 194.1 Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked third on the “all-time” list, behind only 2015 Hall-of-Fame classmates Randy Johnson (278.8 Box-Toppers points) and Pedro Martinez (244.8).
Trevor Hoffman
In his second year of eligibility, Hoffman received 74.0 percent of the vote, just five votes short of induction. That’s up from 2016, when he had 67.3 percent of the vote. Hoffman has 129.4 Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranking 32nd among all players and first among all closing pitchers (ahead of Mariano Rivera with 126.4). Hoffmann began his career in 1993, prior to the 1995 advent of Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career were tracked, rough projections put his career total at about 135 Box-Toppers points.
Jeff Kent
In his fourth year of eligibility, Kent received 16.7 percent of the vote (last year he had 16.6). Kent has 109.7 Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 55th among all players and first among second basemen. Kent’s consistent low vote total could be explained because he was not known as a great defensive player. But Kent didn’t just lead all second basemen in Box-Toppers points during his career, he dominated them. And nine years after his retirement, no other second baseman has come close—Robinson Cano of the Mariners currently ranks second among all second basemen in Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 75.4, 34.3 points behind Kent.
Vladimir Guerrero
In his first year of eligibility, Guerrero fell just 15 votes short of Hall induction with 71.7 percent of the vote. Guerrero had 128.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 33rd among all players since 1995, third among all outfielders, behind only Manny Ramirez (167.2) and Barry Bonds (153.2), both of whom also fell short of induction in Hall voting Wednesday. Guerrero played from 1996 to 2011 (so his entire career was tracked by Box-Toppers) for the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles.
Edgar Martinez
In his eighth year of eligibility, Martinez had 58.6 percent of the vote, an increase from the 43.4 percent he received in 2016. Martinez had 77.5 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 135th among all players and ninth among designated hitters. (Martinez began his career in 1987 and so would likely have about 100 total career Box-Toppers points, based on rough projections.)
Mike Mussina
In his fourth year of eligibility, Mussina received 51.8 percent of the vote, up from the 43.0 percent he received in 2016. Mussina has 155.6 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 16th among all players and 13th among all pitchers.
PED-associated players
Five players associated with performance enhancing drugs who otherwise might have been shoo-ins to the Hall of Fame were denied induction:
- Manny Ramirez, in his first year of eligibility, received 23.8 percent of the vote. Ramirez had 167.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 10th among all players and first among outfielders. (Ramirez began his career in 1993, prior to Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career were tracked, rough projections put his career total at about 173.)
- Roger Clemens, in his fifth year of eligibility, received 54.1 percent of the vote, more than the 45.2 percent he received in 2016. His career began in 1984 and he earned 164.8 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 12th among all players and ninth among all pitchers. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 320.)
- Barry Bonds, in his fifth year of eligibility, received 53.8 percent of the vote, more than the 44.3 percent he received in 2016. His career began in 1986 and he earned 153.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 17th among all players and second among all outfielders. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 230.)
- Gary Sheffield, in his third year of eligibility, received 13.3 percent of the vote, up from 11.6 in 2016. Sheffield has 124.1 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 38th among all players and fourth among all outfielders. Notably, Sheffield has more Box-Toppers points than any of the three 2017 inductees. If his entire career from 1988 to 2009 were tracked, he would have roughly 155 career Box-Toppers points.
- Sammy Sosa, in his fifth year of eligibility, received 8.6 percent of the vote, up from 7.0 percent he received in 2016. His career began in 1989 and he earned 113.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 50th among all players and sixth among all outfielders. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 135.)
Jorge Posada
Jorge Posada, in his first year of eligibility, received only 3.8 percent of the vote, missing the 5-percent threshold needed to maintain a spot on the 2018 ballot. However, Posada had 79.5 career Box-Toppers points and ranked ahead of Hall inductee Ivan Rodriguez (79.0) in points earned since 1995. Posada ranks second among all catchers (behind only Mike Piazza’s 95.7). While Rodriguez fell just behind Posada, Rodriguez would likely have more Box-Toppers points if his entire career since 1991 were tracked. Rough projections put Rodriguez’s career total at about 90. Posada’s entire career beginning in 1995 was tracked by Box-Toppers, leaving his total unchanged at 79.5.
First year of eligibility
There were 19 players who were in their first year of Hall eligiblity, having played at least 10 seasons and been retired for five. One received the 75 percent vote needed for induction (Rodriguez). Only two others received at least 5 percent of the vote to be eligible for the 2018 ballot—Guerrero and Ramirez. Sixteen other did not receive the requisite 5 percent of the vote and so will not return to the 2018 ballot. Of those, only five received votes—Posada, Magglio Ordonez, Edgar Renteria, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield. Eleven players received no votes—Derrek Lee, Pat Burrell, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, Matt Stairs, Carlos Guillen, Melvin Mora, Arthur Rhodes, Casey Blake, Orlando Cabrera and Freddy Sanchez.
Also falling off the ballot in 2018 after not being inducted after 15 years of eligibility—closer Lee Smith, who received 34.2 percent of vote.
Of the 34 players listed, two played the majority of their careers before the 1995 advent of Box-Toppers tracking—inductee Tim Raines (1979-2002) and Lee Smith (1980-1997), neither of whom will be on the ballot in 2018. But there were 15 players on the ballot who played their entire careers from 1995 on, with each game they played tracked by Box-Toppers. However, 13 of those were players in their first year of eligibility who did not receive the necessary 5 percent to return to the ballot next year.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Related: