Episode 1463: The Hall of Fame’s 2020 Hindsight

Summary[]

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the artifacts from the 2019 season that will be preserved by the Hall of Fame, and then (32:25) Ben talks to FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe about the 2020 Hall of Fame induction cycle, including the shrinking of the ballot backlog, first-timers Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, whether Jeter will be elected unanimously, Larry Walker’s chances in his last year of eligibility, which other holdovers on the ballot may benefit from the weak crop of debuts, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, relievers vs. position players, the most compelling candidates on the Modern Baseball ballot, Marvin Miller, the Harold Baines effect, catcher framing and the Hall of Fame, and Paul Konerko and reputation vs. WAR.

Topics[]

Interview with Jay Jaffe
2020 Hall of Fame ballot
Comparing the BBWAA and Modern Baseball Era ballots
Is the ballot backlog clearing?
Will Derek Jeter be a unanimous selection?
Lack of strong first-time candidates
Larry Walker's final year on the ballot
PED-tainted players
Gary Sheffield
Jay's virtual ballot
Impact of catcher framing on Hall of Fame candidacy
How often are/should eras be reevaluated
Lou Whitaker
Marvin Miller
Paul Konerko

Interstitial[]

The Only Ones, "The Immortal Story"

Banter[]

Ben and Meg are pre-recording before the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Ben and Meg review what artifacts from the 2019 season will be preserved in the Hall of Fame. In Episode 1316 Ben and Jeff did this for the 2018 season.
Items from the Washington Nationals include home run balls from Howie Kendrick (Game 7) and Juan Soto (Game 1) in addition to a Stephen Strasburg jersey, Max Scherzer cap, and baby shark from Gerardo Parra.
They artifacts from the 2019 regular season vary from very historically significant and meaningful to head-scratching. There are many artifacts from games played in locations outside the US/Canada (Japan, Mexico, London) and in new US locations (Omaha).
Meg thinks one of the most significant is Jonathan Villar's bat from the home run he hit in September. It was the 6,106th home run of the MLB season, a new record.
Both Ben and Meg are baffled (calling it 'offensive') by the inclusion of a helmet from Whit Merrifield. The description notes that Merrifield was the "second right-handed batter to lead MLB in hits for two straight seasons."

Notes[]

Jay began his Hall of Fame ballot analysis in 2002. Next year will be the first year he can vote for the Hall of Fame. Ben will be eligible to vote in two years.
Jay has appeared on many past episodes to discuss the Hall of Fame ballot. He has been a guest in Episodes 147, 153, 361, 445, 501, 595, 1300, and 1460.
Jay thinks that this year the backlog of candidates is finally starting to clear. Ben isn't sure if he would vote for 10 candidates if he had a vote this year.
There are two voters who have already said publicly they are only voting for Derek Jeter.
It is Larry Walker's final year on the ballot. Jay thinks his vote total will jump again but Walker would need a significant increase in order to be elected.
Jay would like to see the Modern Era Committee double in size and have clear conflicts of interest eliminated.