Garret Anderson (LF)
1994-2008 California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 2009 Atlanta Braves, 2010 Los Angeles Dodgers
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star (2002-2003, 2005); 2x Silver Slugger winner (2002-2003); World Series champion (2002)
Quick Profile: Among the best players in the history of the Angels organization. He finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2002, the same year the Angels won their one and only World Series. Anderson had some good power, averaging about 28 home runs from 1999 to 2003. For his career, he hit nearly 300 home runs and over 500 doubles. He didn't strike out much, only getting fanned more than 90 times twice. His career line of .293/.324/.461 isn't bad, either.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. Anderson's numbers don't pop compared to others on the ballot, and his peek as a pro was too short and unsubstantial, comparatively speaking as well. He was a really good player and among the best in Angels history, but that won't cut it against some of his more notable peers like Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, and some other first timers.
Overall Hall of Fame Probability: Slim Chance
Brad Ausmus (C)
1993-1996 San Diego Padres, 1996, 1999-2000 Detroit Tigers, 1997-1998, 2001-2008 Houston Astros, 2009-2010 Los Angeles Dodgers
Accomplishments: All Star (1999); 3x Gold Glove winner (2001-2002, 2006)
Quick Profile: A light-hitting, defensive catcher and current Tigers skipper.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No, and this will likely be his one year on the ballot. Comparing Ausmus to other catchers of his era is fruitless, as he's outclassed by Mike Piazza, and also Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada (who will each be on the ballot next year). Putting him in a pool of all kinds of players makes him really stick out as a one-and-done guy.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
Luis Castillo (2B)
1996-2005 Florida Marlins, 2006-2007 Minnesota Twins, 2007-2010 New York Mets
Accomplishments: 3x All Star (2002-2003, 2005); 3x Gold Glove winner (2003-2005); World Series champion (1997, 2003)
Quick Profile: One of the better players in the history of the Florida/Miami Marlins. While power-deficient, Castillo was still a pretty good hitter for a second baseman, hitting .290 for his career and rarely striking out (he only struck out 32 times in 2005, in one of his best seasons overall). He was pretty speedy as well, swiping 370 bases in his career, leading MLB in 2000 and 2002. And he wasn't too shabby of a defender, either.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. Like Anderson above, Castillo is one of the better players in the history of a team and had a pretty good career overall. I hate the term "hall of very good" because it's a patronizing, condescending, and mean-spirited term to label a player with. With that said, Castillo fits that label more than for the actual Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
Jim Edmonds (CF)
1993-1999 California/Anaheim Angels, 2000-2007 St. Louis Cardinals, 2008 San Diego Padres, 2008 Chicago Cubs, 2010 Milwaukee Brewers, 2010 Cincinnati Reds
Accomplishments: 4x All Star (1995, 2000, 2003, 2005); 8x Gold Glove winner (1997-1998, 2000-2005); Silver Slugger winner (2004); World Series champion (2006)
Quick Profile: A longtime player with some great power (393 home runs, .527 slugging percentage), good hands (an eight-time Gold Glove winner), and great value (from 1995 to 2005, the only players to accumulate more WAR were Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez).
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: Probably not. The ballot's pretty crowded. With that said, I think he'll remain on the ballot, and hopefully he'll make it in someday when the logjam in the hall is lessened.
Hall of Fame Probability: Maybe
Troy Glaus (3B)
1998-2004 Anaheim Angels, 2005 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2006-2007 Toronto Blue Jays, 2008-2009 St. Louis Cardinals, 2010 Atlanta Braves
Accomplishments: 4x All Star (2000-2001, 2003, 2006); World Series MVP (2002); 2x Silver Slugger winner (2000-2001); World Series champion (2002)
Quick Profile: Another member of that 2002 Angels World Series team. Glaus had a lot of power, hitting more than 250 home runs in nine seasons, and leading the AL in 2000.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. Glaus' power dried up after 2006, and he had a relatively short career at 13 seasons. He also wasn't a particularly good defender. While he was on a potential Hall of Fame track through his first five seasons, he leveled off and was never as good after 2002, though he showed promise in 2005 and 2006. Honestly, this will probably be his one year on the ballot.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
Ken Griffey, Jr. (CF)
1989-1999, 2009-2010 Seattle Mariners, 2000-2008 Cincinnati Reds, 2008 Chicago White Sox
Accomplishments: 13x All Star (1990-2000, 2004, 2007); AL MVP (1997); 10x Gold Glove winner (1990-1999); 7x Silver Slugger winner (1991, 1993-1994, 1996-1999); 600 home run club
Quick Profile: Jeez, what a player! One of the very few stars of the 90s without the taint of PEDs on his reputation. Griffey led the AL in home runs four times in six seasons from 1994 to 1999, and currently ranks sixth all-time with 630. He's among the most proficient offensive players in history and among the biggest stars the game has ever seen, while also being the best player in the history of the Seattle Mariners.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: Yes, yes, and more yes. While Griffey never played in a World Series, his numbers are undeniable and are impressive even compared to the nutty offensive numbers of the era in which he played. He's the shoe-in candidate on the ballot this year.
Hall of Fame Probability: Slam Dunk
Mike Hampton (P)
1993 Seattle Mariners, 1994-1999, 2009 Houston Astros, 2000 New York Mets, 2001-2002 Colorado Rockies, 2003-2005, 2008 Atlanta Braves, 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks
Accomplishments: 2x All Star (1999, 2001); NLCS MVP (2000); Gold Glove winner (2003); 5x Silver Slugger winner (1999-2003)
Quick Profile: A solid pitcher for a lot of solid teams.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. Solid doesn't get you into the Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
Trevor Hoffman (RP)
1993 Florida Marlins, 1993-2008 San Diego Padres, 2009-2010 Milwaukee Brewers
Accomplishments: 7x All Star (1998-2000, 2002, 2006-2007, 2009); 2x Hoffman/Rolaids Award winner (1998, 2006)
Quick Profile: Among the most revered and famous closers in history. Hoffman accumulated 601 career saves, second only to the great Mariano Rivera. As far as other in-game stats go, he was damn near unhitable with one of the lowest WHIPs and Hits Per Nine Innings ever. His career 2.87 ERA isn't bad, either. But fame may be his greatest asset; he's probably best known for coming out to AC/DC's Hell's Bells, which always sent the local San Diego crowds into a frenzy.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: He's got a pretty good shot. Relievers are weird, as some of them get tons of support and others wane even if their numbers are similar. There's one guy down this list whose numbers are comparable, if not superior, to Hoffman's, but he won't get in. Hoffman, though, has the saves and fame to likely make it in, if not this year some time in the next decade.
Hall of Fame Probability: Maybe
Jason Kendall (C)
1996-2004 Pittsburgh Pirates, 2005-2007 Oakland Athletics, 2007 Chicago Cubs, 2008-2009 Milwaukee Brewers, 2010 Kansas City Royals
Accomplishments: 3x All Star (1996, 1998, 2000)
Quick Profile: One of the better multi-time All Star catchers of the last thirty years you've likely never heard of. That's partially thanks to the fact that he spent most of his career on the historically shitty post-Barry Bonds Pirates teams. But Kendall was an above average hitter for a catcher, owning a career line of .288/.366/.378 (note the lack of power, though). He was also surprisingly agile, especially in his early career, swiping 189 bases, including 22 or more from 1998 to 2000.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. It'll be a moral victory if he gets even one percent of the vote.
Hall of Fame Probability: Slim Chance
Mike Lowell (3B)
1998 New York Yankees, 1999-2005 Florida Marlins, 2006-2010 Boston Red Sox
Accomplishments: 4x All Star (2002-2004, 2007); World Series MVP (2007); Gold Glove winner (2005); Silver Slugger winner (2003); World Series champion (1998, 2003, 2007)
Quick Profile: A pretty good third baseman with decent power and okay defense. He also beat cancer, which is pretty cool.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No. He was an important player on two World Series-winning teams, but he didn't put up the numbers necessary for induction.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
Billy Wagner (RP)
1995-2003 Houston Astros, 2004-2005 Philadelphia Phillies, 2006-2009 New York Mets, 2009 Boston Red Sox, 2010 Atlanta Braves
Accomplishments: 7x All Star (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007-2008, 2010); Hoffman/Rolaids Award winner (1999)
Quick Profile: A criminally-underrated reliever with some gaudy numbers, including a 2.31 ERA, a 0.998 WHIP, and striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: Probably not, as best illustrated by this Joe Posnanski article (near the bottom, though you should read the whole thing). To summarize, while Wagner's overall numbers are better than Trevor Hoffman's, he didn't have the sexy relief pitcher numbers (namely saves) that Hoffman had. Wagner had 422 saves, good for fifth-best all-time, but it's not 601 saves. So he'll likely get overlooked. Best case scenario, he'll get the minimum five percent of the vote to keep himself on the ballot for at least another year. Maybe by then, Hoffman, or other competing pitchers, will be off so voters can take a better look at him.
Hall of Fame Probability: Slim Chance
Randy Winn (OF)
1998-2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 2003-2005 Seattle Mariners, 2005-2009 San Francisco Giants, 2010 New York Yankees, 2010 St. Louis Cardinals
Accomplishments: All Star (2002)
Quick Profile: A decent hitter with okay power and above average speed.
Will He Make It On First Ballot?: No.
Hall of Fame Probability: Nope
All stats taken from baseball-reference.com.
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