| Rank | Name | Votes | Pct. | Yrs on ballot |
Pos | Yrs active | BTP | BT rank |
BT pos rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Derek Jeter | 396 | 99.7 | 1 | ss | 95-14 | 76.4 | 156 | 2 |
| 2 | *Larry Walker | 304 | 76.6 | 10 | rf | 89-05 | 100.1 | 83 | 11 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | 278 | 70.0 | 8 | pi sp | 88-07 | 193.1 | 9 | 8 |
| 4 | Roger Clemens | 242 | 61.0 | 8 | pi sp | 84-07 | 164.8 | 17 | 14 |
| 5 | Barry Bonds | 241 | 60.7 | 8 | lf | 86-07 | 153.2 | 22 | 2 |
| 6 | Omar Vizquel | 209 | 52.6 | 3 | ss | 89-12 | 42.2 | 455 | 11 |
| 7 | Scott Rolen | 140 | 35.3 | 3 | 3b | 96-12 | 97.6 | 87 | 5 |
| 8 | Billy Wagner | 126 | 31.7 | 5 | pi cp | 95-10 | 108.7 | 62 | 3 |
| 9 | Gary Sheffield | 121 | 30.5 | 6 | lf | 88-09 | 124.1 | 44 | 4 |
| 10 | Todd Helton | 116 | 29.2 | 2 | 1b | 97-13 | 116.4 | 50 | 5 |
| 11 | Manny Ramirez | 112 | 28.2 | 4 | lf | 93-11 | 167.2 | 15 | 1 |
| 12 | Jeff Kent | 109 | 27.5 | 7 | 2b | 92-08 | 109.7 | 60 | 1 |
| 13 | Andruw Jones | 77 | 19.4 | 3 | cf | 96-12 | 96.5 | 90 | 14 |
| 14 | Sammy Sosa | 55 | 13.9 | 8 | rf | 89-07 | 113.2 | 57 | 6 |
| 15 | Andy Pettitte | 45 | 11.3 | 2 | pi sp | 95-13 | 138.5 | 31 | 23 |
| 16 | Bobby Abreu | 22 | 5.5 | 1 | rf | 96-14 | 95.5 | 91 | 15 |
| 17 | †Paul Konerko | 10 | 2.5 | 1 | 1b | 97-14 | 100.7 | 81 | 10 |
| 18 | †Jason Giambi | 6 | 1.5 | 1 | 1b | 95-13 | 133.4 | 32 | 3 |
| 18 | †Alfonso Soriano | 6 | 1.5 | 1 | lf | 99-14 | 82.4 | 128 | 25 |
| 20 | †Eric Chavez | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 3b | 98-14 | 60.8 | 259 | 13 |
| 20 | †Cliff Lee | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | pi sp | 02-14 | 119.1 | 45 | 34 |
| 22 | †Raul Ibanez | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | lf | 96-14 | 89.7 | 108 | 20 |
| 22 | †J.J. Putz | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | pi cp | 03-14 | 52.7 | 333 | 24 |
| 22 | †Brad Penny | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | pi sp | 00-14 | 76.1 | 158 | 90 |
| 22 | †Adam Dunn | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | lf | 01-14 | 94.3 | 97 | 17 |
| 26 | †Rafael Furcal | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | ss | 00-14 | 31.0 | 693 | 24 |
| 26 | †Josh Beckett | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | pi sp | 01-14 | 114.9 | 53 | 38 |
| 26 | †Jose Valverde | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | pi cp | 03-14 | 46.7 | 404 | 30 |
| 26 | †Heath Bell | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | pi cp | 01-14 | 24.0 | 921 | 90 |
| 26 | †Chone Figgins | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3b | 02-14 | 22.4 | 963 | 81 |
| 26 | †Carlos Pena | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1b | 01-14 | 64.3 | 223 | 28 |
| 26 | †Brian Roberts | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2b | 01-14 | 35.9 | 561 | 26 |
† Player to be removed the Hall of Fame ballot in 2021 because he did not receive 5 percent of the vote to remain on subsequent year's ballots. Note: Some Hall eligible candidates (nine of the 32) had careers that, in part, preceded the era of Box-Toppers player tracking, which began in 1995. However, 23 of the 32 players listed here began their career in 1995 or later, so their entire career was tracked by Box-Toppers.
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker elected to Hall of Fame; Box-Toppers leaders Schilling, Kent among notable snubs
Box-Toppers Hall of Fame ballot
Here are Box-Toppers' ballot selections for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) 2020 Hall of Fame selections. The ballot requires voters to pick as many as 12 candidates—Box-Toppers chose six. (In the "official" vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America—BBWAA—voters can pick as many as 10 candidates.) There are 32 candidates on the BBWAA ballot but only 30 on the IBWAA ballot because internet writers already "inducted" two players passed over by the BBWAA—Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.Shown first in alphabetical order by last name are the six players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall induction, along with their career Box-Toppers point total and the number of years each player has been on the ballot. A brief Box-Toppers-focused biographical synopsis is shown beneath each player.
That is followed by the list of player Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall induction, also in alphabetical order by last name.
Finally, there is the list of two players the IBWAA has already voted for induction.
| YES: Players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall of Fame | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Todd Helton | 116.4 | 2 |
| • 5th among 1B in career BTPs since 1995. • Top NL batter in 2000 (15.2), 2001 (17.0). • Top NL 1B 4 times from 1999-2002. |
||
| Derek Jeter | 76.4 | 1 |
| • 2nd among SSs in career BTPs since 1995. • 10th among AL batters 1998. • Top 5 AL SS 6 times. |
||
| Jeff Kent | 109.7* | 7 |
| • Top-ranked 2B in career points since 1995. • Top NL 2B 6 times: 1997 (11.2), 1998 (10.0), 2000 (12.9), 2001 (9.2), 2002 (10.9), 2004 (7.5). • Top 5 NL 2B 11 times. • Top 10 NL batters twice. |
||
| Curt Schilling | 193.1* | 8 |
| • Ranked 9th among all players since 1995. • Five-time top 5 in season BTPs. • Nine-time top 10 pitcher in league in BTPs. |
||
| Billy Wagner | 108.7 | 5 |
| • Ranked 3rd among all closing pitchers since 1995. • Top NL closer three times: 1998 (12.0), 1999 (15.0), 2010 (13.0). • Seven times top 5 NL closer. • Top 10 NL pitcher twice. |
||
| Larry Walker | 100.1* | 10 |
| • Ranked 11th among all OFs since 1995. • Would have estimated 135 BTP if career from 1989 were tracked. • Top NL batter 1997 (18.5). • Top 10 overall twice. • Top 10 NL batter 3 times. • Top 10 NL OF 6 times. |
||
| NO: Players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall of Fame | ||
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Bobby Abreu | 95.5 | 1 |
| • Ranks 15th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2008. • Top 10 AL OF 3 times. • Top 10 NL OF twice. |
||
| Josh Beckett | 114.9 | 1 |
| • Ranks 38th in career BTPs among pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 overall player 2011. • Top 10 AL pitcher 4 times. • Top 10 NL pitcher 2005. |
||
| Heath Bell | 24.0 | 1 |
| • Ranks 90th in career BTPs among CPs since 1995. • Top 5 NL CP 2009. |
||
| Eric Chavez | 60.8 | 1 |
| • Ranks 13th in career BTPs among 3Bs since 1995. • Top AL 3B in 2005. • Top 5 AL 3B three times. • Top 10 AL batter twice. |
||
| Adam Dunn | 94.3 | 1 |
| • Ranks 17th in career BTPs among OFs since 1995. • Top NL batter 2005. • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 10 NL OFs 3 times. • Top 5 NL 1B 2010. • Top 5 AL DH 2012. |
||
| Chone Figgins | 22.4 | 1 |
| • Ranks 81st in career BTPs among 3Bs since 1995. • Top 5 AL 3Bs 2009. |
||
| Rafael Furcal | 31.0 | 1 |
| • Ranks 24th in career BTPs among SSs since 1995. • Top 5 NL SS 2005. |
||
| Jason Giambi | 133.4 | 1 |
| • Steroids. • Ranks 3rd in career BTPs among 1Bs since 1995. • Ranks 9th in career pts among all batters since 1995. • Led AL batters, AL 1Bs & AL DHs in 2002. • Top 10 overall twice. • Top 10 AL batter 4 times. • Top 5 AL 1B 5 times. • Top 5 AL DH 5 times. |
||
| Raul Ibanez | 89.7 | 1 |
| • 20th in career BTPs among OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter twice. • Top 10 AL OF 4 times. • Top 10 NL OF 2009. • Top 5 AL 1B & AL DH 2002. |
||
| Paul Konerko | 100.7 | 1 |
| • 10th in career BTPs among 1Bs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 3 times. • Top 5 AL 1B 4 times. |
||
| Cliff Lee | 119.1 | 1 |
| • 34th in career BTPs among pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 overall twice. • Top 10 AL pitchers twice. • Top 10 NL pitcher twice. |
||
| Carlos Pena | 64.3 | 1 |
| • 28th in career BTPs among 1Bs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2009. • Top 5 AL 1B 4 times. |
||
| Brad Penny | 76.1 | 1 |
| • 90th in career BTPs among pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 NL pitchers 2007. |
||
| Andruw Jones | 96.5 | 3 |
| • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 10 NL OF 6 times. |
||
| Andy Pettitte | 138.5 | 2 |
| • 23rd in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 AL pitcher 4 times, never higher than 8th. |
||
| J.J. Putz | 52.7 | 1 |
| • 24th in career BTPs among all CPs since 1995. • Led AL closers in BTPs twice. • Ranked among top 10 AL pitchers twice. • Ranked among top 5 AL CPs 3 times. • Ranked among top 5 NL CPs in 2011. |
||
| Manny Ramirez | 167.2* | 4 |
| • Steroids. • 15th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 3rd among all batters. • Top 10 players twice, 1998 & 1999. • Top AL batter 1999 (19.9). • Top 10 AL batter 7 times. • Top 10 NL batter once. • Top AL OF three times 1999 (19.9), 2000 (13.2), 2005 (14.0). • Top AL OF 9 times. • Top 5 AL DH three times. • Top NL OF 2008 (13.9). |
||
| Brian Roberts | 35.9 | 1 |
| • 26th in career BTPs among all 2Bs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2009. • Top 5 AL 2B twice. |
||
| Scott Rolen | 97.6 | 3 |
| • 5th in career BTPs among all 3Bs since 1995. • Top 10 NL batters three times. • Top NL 3B three times 2002 (10.0), 2004 (13.5), 2010 (12.0). • Top 5 NL 3B 6 times. |
||
| Gary Sheffield | 124.1* | 6 |
| • Steroids. • 11th among batters in career BTPs since 1995. • Would have about 155 BTP if career from 1988 were tracked. • Top 10 overall in 2004. • Top AL batter in 2004 (16.2). • Top 10 AL batter twice. • Top 10 NL batter four times. • Top AL OF in 2004 (16.2). • Top 10 AL OF twice. • Top 5 AL DH once. • Top NL OF in 2000 (14.2). • Top 10 NL OF four times. |
||
| Alfonso Soriano | 82.4 | 1 |
| • 25th among OFs in career BTPs since 1995. • Led AL OFs 2013. • Ranked 3rd among NL OFs 2006. • Top 10 AL batter 2013 (2nd). • Top 10 NL batter 2006 (10th). • Top 5 AL 2B 4 times. |
||
| Sammy Sosa | 113.2* | 8 |
| • Steroids. • 16th among batters in career BTPs since 1995. • Would have 134 BTP if career from 1989 were tracked. • Top 10 overall 1995. • Top NL batter twice 1995 (15.9), 1998 (15.5). • Top 10 NL batter three times. • Top 5 AL DH once. • Top NL OF three times 1995 (15.9), 1998 (15.5), 2001 (16.0). • Top 10 NL OF 7 times. |
||
| Jose Valverde | 46.7 | 1 |
| • 30th in career BTPs among CPs since 1995. • Top NL closer 2008. • Top 5 NL closer twice. • Top 5 AL closer 2010. |
||
| Omar Vizquel | 42.2* | 3 |
| • 11th in career BTPs among SSs since 1995. • Top 5 AL SS twice. • Top 5 NL SS once. |
||
| ALREADY IN: Players IBWAA voters have already voted to Hall of Fame | ||
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Barry Bonds | 153.2* | 8 |
| • Steroids. • 4th among all batters in career BTPs since 1995. • Would have 230 BTP if career rom 1986 were tracked. • Top 10 overall player three times. • Top NL batter twice, 1999 (15.2), 2002 (20.7). • Top 10 NL batter 10 times. • Top 10 NL OF 10 times. |
||
| Roger Clemens | 164.8* | 8 |
| • Steroids. • 14th among all pitchers in career BTPs since 1995. • Would have 320 BTP if career from 1984 were tracked. • Top player 1997 (27.4). • Top 10 overall player three times. • Top AL pitcher twice—1997 (27.4), 1998 (25.8). • Top 10 AL pitcher seven times. • Top 10 NL pitcher once. |
||
Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.
Both 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.
Jeter fell one vote short from being the second unanimous selection to the Hall, following Mariano Rivera, his New York Yankee teammate, last year. Jeter had 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks second among shortstops since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
Walker was elected in his 10th and final year of eligibility on the baseball writers’ ballot. He received 76.6 percent of the vote, receiving just six more votes than needed to reach the 75 percent needed for induction. Walker earned 100.1 Box-Toppers points since 1995, 11th among all outfielders in that span. (Box-Toppers estimates Walker would have about 135 career points if his career from 1989 were tracked.)
Overlooked Tuesday 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 ninth-highest total since 1995. Also not voted in was Jeff Kent, who leads all second basemen since 1995 with 109.7 Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers supported the candidacies of six players with its vote in the separate internet writers ballot via the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA)—Jeter and Walker, as well as Kent, Schilling, Todd Helton and Billy Wagner. The IBWAA announced Tuesday they added only one player—Jeter—to its digital Hall of Fame. He received 95 percent of the 160 ballots cast. Walker fell short on the internet writers ballot, receiving 71.25 percent.
The old-school baseball writers, in their official Hall ballot also continued to exclude the usual suspects associated with performing enhancing drugs, including Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield and Manny Ramirez. All five of those players received the necessary 5 percent of the vote to remain eligible for next year’s ballot.
However, another prominent player associated with PEDs, Jason Giambi, received only 1.5 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility and will not return to the ballot in 2021. Giambi had 133.4 career Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2013, third among all first basemen since 1995.
Giambi had the most career Box-Toppers points among all 18 players in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, including Jeter (133.4 vs. 76.4). Three other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points in their first year of Hall eligibility also did not receive the necessary 5 percent support to return to the ballot in 2021. They are:
Pitcher Cliff Lee, who earned 119.1 career Box-Toppers points from 2002 to 2014 primarily for the Indians and Phillies, 34th among all pitchers since 1995.
Pitcher Josh Beckett, who earned 114.9 career Box-Toppers points from 2001 to 2014 for the Red Sox, Marlins and Dodgers, 38th among all pitchers since 1995.
First baseman Paul Konerko, who earned 100.7 career Box-Toppers points from 1997 to 2014 primarily for the White Sox, 10th among first basemen since 1995.
Normally, reaching 100 career Box-Toppers points is an indicator that a player is Hall of Fame-worthy. However, Box-Toppers also did not support the candidacies of these four. While Lee, Beckett and Konerko had more than 100 career Box-Toppers points, they never led their league’s position in Box-Toppers points in any season. Giambi, who was among season Box-Toppers points leaders among league batters and at his position, was left off Box-Toppers ballot because of his PED associations.
Giambi’s low vote total and exclusion from next year’s Hall ballot is a little startling, given how other PED-associated players with comparable achievements have been given somewhat of a benefit of the doubt, reaching at least 5 percent of the vote and remaining on the ballot year after year. Clemens, Bonds and Sosa were each in their eighth year on the ballot, Sheffield was in his sixth year and Ramirez was in his fourth year and all will return to the ballot next year, having received 5 percent of the vote. However, in 2019, Miguel Tejada, another PED-associated player, did not reach 5 percent of the vote in his first year on the Hall ballot (1.2 percent). Tejada played from 1997 to 2013 and had 102.3 career Box-Toppers points, first among all shortstops.
Here is a look at both players elected:
Derek Jeter
Jeter, who played his entire career for the New York Yankees, received 396 of 397 Hall of Fame votes in his first year of eligibility.
The shortstop who played from 1995 to 2014 for the Yankees has 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, second among all shortstops since 1995, behind only Miguel Tejada (102.3).
For Box-Toppers he was an edge case for Hall induction. He does have the most career Box-Toppers points at his position of any player who has not been tainted by the steroids scandal (Tejada). But he never led AL shortstops in Box-Toppers points in any season. He was among the top five for six seasons, ranking as high as second in 1998 (10.0) and 2004 (8.7). He ranked among the top 10 AL batters once (in 1998, his 10.0 points ranked 10th).
Jeter did earn Box-Toppers points for 17 straight seasons (1996-2012), tied for the ninth-longest such streak in Box-Toppers tracking history.
From a Box-Toppers standpoint, Jeter had a slightly better career than Nomar Garciaparra (ranked third among shortstops in Box-Toppers points with 74.9). Garciaparra actually led AL shortstops in Box-Toppers points in two seasons. Garciaparra was not voted in the Hall of Fame.
But of course, Jeter won Rookie of the Year in 1995, won five World Series, was a 14-time All-Star and was a World Series MVP. Jeter’s greatness may be magnified by the fact he played on teams with great players. By the same token, his overall career Box-Toppers point total may be diminished by the fact he played with such great players who consistently beat him out of winning Player of the Game honors with better performances.
While Box-Toppers’ vote is not entirely enthusiastic for Jeter for the Hall, it was still a vote in favor. But I can understand and sympathize with the tiny minority—one of 397 official baseball writers and eight of 160 internet writers—who did not include Jeter on their Hall of Fame ballots.
Jeter becomes the fourth player voted to the Hall of Fame whose entire career was tracked by Box-Toppers, which began in the 1995 season. He joins 2019’s inductees Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay and 2018’s inductee Vladimir Guerrero.
Larry Walker
Walker, the outfielder played from 1989 to 2005 with the Rockies, Expos and Cardinals, received 304 Hall of Fame votes (76.6 percent of the writers), just six more votes than the 75 percent necessary for induction.
Walker was in his 10th and final year on the writer’s Hall of Fame ballot.
Walker has 100.1 career Box-Toppers points, 11th among all outfielders since 1995. He would have an estimated 135 Box-Toppers points if his entire career from 1989 were tracked, which would be more than Hall-of-Famer Vladimir Guerrero (128.3).
He was top National League batter in 1997 with the Rockies with 18.5 Box-Toppers points. He was twice among the overall top 10 players in a season, three times among the top 10 NL batters in a season and six times among the top 10 outfielders in a season.
Walker was 1997’s NL Most Valuable Player. He won the NL batting title three times and was a five-time All-Star.
•
Here is a look at key players who missed the cut:
Curt Schilling
In his eighth year of eligibility, Schilling received 70.0 percent of the vote, gaining from the 60.9 percent he received in 2019. Schilling played from 1988 to 2007 primarily for the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox and had 194.1 Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked ninth on the “all-time” list (eighth among all pitchers).
He is the highest-ranked Hall-eligible player not to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Two players ahead of him in Box-Toppers rankings are Hall-of-Famers—pitchers Randy Johnson (278.8 Box-Toppers points) and Pedro Martinez (244.8).
Jeff Kent
In his seventh year of eligibility, Kent received 27.5 percent of the vote, up from the 18.1 percent he had last year.
The second baseman who played from 1992 to 2008 for the Mets, Giants, Astros and Dodgers has 109.7 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, which is most among all second basemen in that span. Kent’s career started in 1992, before the advent of Box-Toppers tracking, and estimates put his actual career total at 125 points. Still, given his career points since 1995, he ranks 17th among all batters.
Kent didn’t just lead all second basemen in Box-Toppers points during his career, he dominated them. And a decade after his retirement, no other second baseman has come close—Robinson Cano, now of the Mets, ranks second among all second basemen in Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 85.4, 24.3 points behind Kent.
Todd Helton
In his second year of eligibility, Helton received 29.2 percent of the vote, up from the 16.5 percent he received in 2019.
The first baseman who played from 1997 to 2013 for the Rockies has 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, 14th among all batters since 1995 and fifth among all first basemen since 1995.
He led NL batters in Box-Toppers points in two different seasons—2000 (15.2) and 2001 (17.0). He led NL first basemen in points four straight seasons from 1999 to 2002.
He was among the top 10 overall players in 2001 (ranking eighth with 17.0 points) and was among the top 10 NL batters in five seasons and a top five NL first basemen six times.
Billy Wagner
In his fifth year of eligibility, Wagner received 31.7 percent of the vote, up from the 16.7 percent he received in 2019.
The closing pitcher played from 1995 to 2010 primarily for the Astros, Mets, Phillies and Braves and has 108.7 career Box-Toppers points, third among all closing pitchers since 1995, behind Trevor Hoffman (129.4) and Mariano Rivera (126.4), both Hall of Famers.
He led NL closing pitchers in Box-Toppers points three times, 1998 (12.0) and 1999 (15.0) with the Astros and in 2010 (13.0) with the Braves. He was among the top five NL closers seven times and was among the top 10 overall NL pitchers twice.
PED-associated players
Six players associated with performance enhancing drugs who otherwise might have been shoo-ins to the Hall of Fame were denied induction, including five who have been denied in previous years:
Roger Clemens, in his eighth year of eligibility, received 61.0 percent of the vote, up slightly from the 59.5 percent he received in 2019. His career began in 1984 and he earned 164.8 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 17th among all players and 14th among all pitchers. (If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 320.)
Barry Bonds, in his eighth year of eligibility, received 60.7 percent of the vote, up slightly from the 59.1 percent he received in 2019. His career began in 1986 and he earned 153.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 22nd 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 sixth year of eligibility, received 30.5 percent of the vote, more than doubling the 13.6 percent he received in 2019. Sheffield has 124.1 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 44th among all players and fourth among all outfielders. If his entire career from 1988 to 2009 were tracked, he would have roughly 155 career Box-Toppers points.
Manny Ramirez, in his fourth year of eligibility, received 28.2 percent of the vote, up from the 22.8 percent he received in 2019. Ramirez had 167.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranked 15th 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.)
Sammy Sosa, in his eighth year of eligibility, received 13.9 percent of the vote, up from the 8.5 percent he received in 2019. His career began in 1989 and he earned 113.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2007, 57th among all players and sixth among all outfielders. If his entire career were tracked, projections put his Box-Toppers point total at about 135.
Giambi, as previously mentioned, received just 1.5 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, not meeting the 5 percent threshold to return to 2021’s ballot.
While Clemens and Bonds were again denied induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame by baseball writers in the BBWAA, the internet writers (IBWAA) did vote to induct them in 2018, giving them 75 percent of their vote. However, Box-Toppers would not have voted for either player because of their PED ties.
First year of eligibility
There were 18 players who were in their first year of Hall eligibility, having played at least 10 seasons and been retired for five. Jeter was the only one who received the 75 percent vote needed for induction. Only one other first-year player received at least 5 percent of the vote to be eligible for the 2021 ballot—Bobby Abreu (5.5 percent).
Sixteen others did not receive the requisite 5 percent of the vote and so will not return to the 2021 ballot. Of those, nine received votes—Paul Konerko, Jason Giambi, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Lee, Eric Chavez, Adam Dunn, Raul Ibanez, Brad Penny and J.J. Putz. Seven others received no votes—Josh Beckett, Carlos Pena, Jose Valverde, Brian Roberts, Rafael Furcal, Heath Bell and Chone Figgins.
Simmons and Miller also to be inducted in 2020
In addition, two others were voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in December by the Modern Baseball Era Committee—catcher Ted Simmons and the late Major League Players Association executive director Marvin Miller.
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:
Box-Toppers’ 2020 Hall of Fame picks
How Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.