Just like us bloggers did for the end-of-the-year baseball awards, the baseball community leaders voted for the baseball Hall of Fame as well -- a first for the network. Here are the results:
| Player | % Vote | Total Votes |
| Bert Blyleven | 92.3% | 48 |
| Roberto Alomar | 73.1% | 38 |
| Barry Larkin | 63.5% | 33 |
| Tim Raines | 53.8% | 28 |
| Mark McGwire | 51.9% | 27 |
| Edgar Martinez | 48.1% | 25 |
| Alan Trammell | 40.4% | 21 |
| Andre Dawson | 32.7% | 17 |
| Lee Smith | 26.9% | 14 |
| Fred McGriff | 25.0% | 13 |
| Dale Murphy | 17.3% | 9 |
| Jack Morris | 13.5% | 7 |
| Don Mattingly | 11.5% | 6 |
| Harold Baines | 7.7% | 4 |
| Dave Parker | 3.8% | 2 |
| Kevin Appier | 3.8% | 2 |
| Ellis Burks | 1.9% | 1 |
| Ray Lankford | 1.9% | 1 |
| Shane Reynolds | 1.9% | 1 |
| Not receiving votes: Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, David Segui, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile | ||
For more reaction the results, click the "read more" link below.
First, I didn't expect Bert Blyleven to receive that many votes. That was a surprise to me. Then again, he's sort of the guy that bloggers seem to have been rooting for for years now. Perhaps this year really will be his year.
Second, I figured there would be at least one more named inducted. I thought Roberto Alomar would have been a definite. Players need to receive 75 percent of the votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame -- Alomar was short just one vote from earning the 75 percent here.
You may have come to the conclusion which OTM ballot was mine on the list from above, but here is how I voted, with no significance on which vote was for whom:
- Roberto Alomar
- Jack Morris
- Fred McGriff
- Edgar Martinez
- Bert Blyleven
Should we go one by one?
Alomar - Like I said before, I thought he was a given. Alomar, as an all-around second baseman, was one of the best baseball has seen. I give him a little more credit since he was a second baseman; it may be easier to go to the Hall in a sexier position. Still, I think he'll make it in at some point.
Morris - I have a weird "thing" for Morris. Some of his great moments have stuck in my brain and maybe made my knees weak. He got my vote and I won't regret it. Bash me if you wish.
McGriff - McGriff is borderline, but he received my vote for being the slugger that he was for so long. With that said, I don't know if he'll get much love in the real voting, but he's got a shot. Four of his 10 "comparable players" according to Baseball-Reference.com are Hall of Famers: Willie McCovey (ranked 1st), Willie Stargell (2nd), Billy Williams (6th) and Eddie Mathews (10th).
Martinez - Designated hitter or not, Martinez was a slugger. If I had to choose one over the other, I'd take Martinez over McGriff. His numbers speak for themselves (including a lifetime .933 OPS), but he was a hitter that no pitcher would want to face in a crucial situation. Once again, I'm not sure he'll make it to the 75 percent.
Blyleven - Perhaps this will be the year Bert finally breaks through...
If I had a chance to vote again, I'd keep all these players but add another: Tim Raines. I read some things regarding Raines recently that really opened my eyes to how great Raines really was. Even with that vote, Raines would have needed 10 more to crack the 75 percent marker.
I won't mention who the other OTM voter was -- perhaps he will want to make himself known, but I'll let him do that if that is the case. You may be able to guess who it was, but I didn't necessarily have to choose an editor, either.
What's your opinion, OTM Faithful? Where did SBN get it right and wrong?