FanPost Friday: Your Hall of Fame Ballot

It’s that time of year again: The time of year when we decide which players for whom we celebrate their careers by honoring them with enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The rules are simple. Every year, baseball writers are given a ballot with around 25 names on it. The players on this list have been retired for over 5 years, and will remain on the ballot for as many as 10 years. Writers are given 10 votes. They may vote for 0 players, 10 players, or any number of players in between. If a player is named on 75 percent of all ballots, they gain enshrinement in Cooperstown. If a player fails to accrue even 5 percent of the electorate, then they are removed from the ballot, whether it is their first year or their 7th year on the ballot. If a player manages to stay on the ballot for 10 years, and still fails to get over 75% of the vote, they are removed at this time as well.

Above, I have attached this year’s list of players. Newcomers to the ballot are Mark Buehrle, A.J. Burnett, Michael Cuddyer, Dan Haren, LaTroy Hawkins, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Aramis Ramirez, Nick Swisher, Shane Victorino, and Barry Zito. Nobody is in their 10th year on the ballot, but this is a crucial year for Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens, as all three are on their penultimate go around. Sammy Sosa is as well, but he is significantly less likely to be a major player in this year’s vote given his previous totals.

With all that said, it should be fairly obvious what this week’s prompt is. I’m asking all of you to vote for who you would put into the Hall of Fame. You may vote for as many as ten people. You may vote for two people. You may vote for nobody. In any such case, I’d like your FanPost to explain your rationale, especially if you make a choice that you admit is not a highly conventional one.

Next week, we’ll circle back and see what you all said. If you make a FanPost it will be featured in next week’s Flyby, so please participate if you are able!