T-Bomb's Picks: Hall of Fame Members of the Future

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The 2018 Hall of Fame vote just past. First a huge congrats to Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman, and Vladimir Guerrero for making it in and getting ready to celebrate this summer. A few others were close, as Edgar Martinez missed the hall by 4.6%, Mike Mussina got up into the 60s and Bonds and Clemens stuck around the high 50s. The crowded vote is what is keeping other guys like Larry Walker and Jeff Kent from getting a good size percentage and possibly keeping them from getting a real chance to get into the Hall of Fame. I wish voters would get the big name guys like Schilling, Bonds, and Clemens in or just eliminate them to give others a real shot. Those voters who only vote for 5-6 players instead of using all ten votes drive me nuts. But enough about this year, lets look to the future. Lets talk about active players who have a chance to make it.
Players reaching the end of their careers
I am going to cheat at first since Carlos Beltran has already called it a career, but he is a guy that will impressed many with his pop, speed, and to me at least willingness to accept change to his jerseys so often. He is one of the few that sent 400 balls over the wall and stole 300 bases. He has over 2700 hits along with a Rookie of the Year Award and a couple Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves. He finished off right with his first World Series title with Houston and should get voted in just a few years into his vote.

Next is a no brainer, Albert Pujols will be a first ballot guy. He may not have impressed many recently, but he still has a career .305 average, 614 long bombs, and plenty of All-Star appearances. He has two rings and three MVP Awards to go along with his amazing stats. We will see if he throws in the towel before his contract is up in 2021, but he will swallow up a lot of votes come his time on the ballot.
This guy passed the 3000 hit mark last season and has always been known to hit for average and have a great glove over on the hot corner. Adrian Beltre has always been an all-around players who brings extra entertainment in the dugout. The 38 year old has 462 HRs and 613 doubles, listing him 13th on the all-time list. Beltre will find a seat in the Hall of Fame, but it may take a year or two to get there depending on the current crowd.
Miguel Cabrera may be coming off a slow year, but the career .317 hitter already has a seat in the hall. Cabrera has two MVP's along with plenty of All-Stars and Silver Sluggers to go with them. He will reach 500 HRs and 3000 hits before he is done, as he will be turning 35 in the first month of the 2018 season. He is signed through 2023 and though he may not put up the 40 HR and 130 RBI numbers anymore, he is still a big threat at plate who can't be taken lightly. Cabrera will get on the first ballot.

He may currently be a free agent, but the guy has impressed us all with outstanding ability to get on base and continue to play. Ichiro Suzuki joined Major League Baseball at the age of 27, but still has gotten over 3000 hits and has a career .312 average. He lead the majors seven times in hits and will get a seat in the Hall of Fame with ease.

Others that fit under this category:

Robinson Cano
Justin Verlander
Yadier Molina

Veterans with a bit of work still to do

A career average of .313 is impressive, but Joey Votto needs to pile up some of his other numbers to lock up a seat. He has one MVP award, and came in second in the voting last season, with 36 HRs and 100 RBIs. With only 830 total RBIs and 257 HRs, he will need a few more years like the last one to get his numbers where he needs them. At the age of 34 it wont be the easiest thing. I would say Votto has a 70% chance of getting in to the hall.

Evan Longoria has been a consistent weapon for the Rays over the years, but he may have a harder time keeping his numbers up in his new home of San Francisco. He has a career average of .270 to go with his Gold Gloves and Rookie of the Year Award. He will need to play for a while longer however to get his number totals up. Health has been a key factor in his career, as he has only had one season with a good amount of DL time in his ten years. He will need to keep that going and have a good time with the Giants to make it into the Hall of Fame. I give the 32 year old Longoria a 60% chance.

Boston favorite Dustin Pedroia has certainly had his fun, bringing home two titles, an MVP, and Rookie of the Year Award. Pedroia is a career .300 hitter, but needs to stay off the DL if he wants to get in to the hall. He only appeared in 105 games last season and that is the third lowest on his resume. Scott Rolen is suffering in the vote now from having a lot of seasons with a good amount of time off the field. Pedroia is 34 and faces a good challenge to get his numbers up and impressive enough to get the votes needed. I give him a 50% chance.

Others that fit under this category:

Max Scherzer - 80%
Zach Greinke - 70%
Andrew McCutchen - 60%
Felix Hernandez - 60%
David Price - 60%
Troy Tulowitzki - 50%
Jon Lester - 50%
Cole Hamels - 40%
Ian Kinsler - 30%
Matt Holiday - 20%

Player off to a good start

We couldn't leave this out, Mike Trout has already brought home two MVPs, the Rookie of the Year Award, and has over 200 bombs at the age of 26. Trout is a beast who has lead the league in multiple subjects and is showing no sign of slowing down. It wouldn't surprise me if he becomes the first guy on the ballot to get a solid 100% of the vote in debut on the Hall of Fame vote. He is signed through 2020, but I can't wait to see what he makes and how many years he is offered come time for contract renewal.

Since the age of 23 this guy has been one of the finalists to win the Cy Young and has taken it home three times. Being only 29 years old, Clayton Kershaw still has some good years in front of him. He has been an All-Star the last seven years and has an MVP Award to go along with his other honors. Just came up short in the World Series last year, Kershaw has a career 2.36 ERA and will be one of all-time leaders in strike outs by the time his career is over. I see him being a first ballot winner, though that is still a good time from now.

Others that fit under this category: