Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Yankees NEWS - BBWAA releases 2013 Hall of Fame ballot



Former New York stalwarts David Wells, Mike Piazza, and Roger Clemens are among 24 first-timers and 37 total players on the 2013 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot released Wednesday.
Other highly-notable newcomers include home run kings Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, 2004 Red Sox postseason hero Curt Schilling, and longtime Astros favorite Craig Biggio, who was, prior to Derek Jeter, the last man to join the 3,000-hit club.
Wells, who went 68-28 with a 3.90 ERA in four years with the Yankees, spent 21 total years in the Majors, going 239-157 with a 4.19 ERA; “Boomer” was also a four-time All-Star and appeared in three World Series, winning with both Toronto (1992) and the Yankees (1998).
Piazza, whose father was childhood friends with longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, was drafted by Los Angeles in 62nd round in 1988 as a favor and went on to become the premier offensive catcher of his generation. The 1993 NL Rookie of the Year while with Los Angeles, Piazza hit .308 with 427 home runs (including a position-record 396 as a backstop) and 1,335 RBI in 16 seasons with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres, and Athletics; he was also a 12-time All-Star, won 10 Silver Slugger Awards as a catcher, and twice finished second in NL MVP voting (in 1998 and 1999).



Clemens, who pitched as recently as September in the independent leagues, was 83-42 with a 4.01 ERA in six seasons with the Yankees and 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA overall in 24 seasons with New York, Boston, Toronto, and Houston. “Rocket” was an 11-time All-Star, seven-time Cy Young winner, and the 1986 AL MVP, and his 4,672 career strikeouts ranks him third all-time in that category.
Among the 13 held over from the previous ballot are a few former Yankees, including career pinstripers Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams; Mattingly, who is in his 13th year on the ballot, received 17.8 percent of the vote last year, while Williams earned 9.6 percent in his initial appearance. Among others on the ballot who also donned pinstripes during their careers include a pair of returnees in Lee Smith and Tim Raines and newcomers Kenny Lofton and Mike Stanton.
The BBWAA released the list on Wednesday, and the 600-plus eligible voters – who must be 10-year BBWAA members in good standing – have until Dec. 31 to return their ballots. The results will be announced Jan. 9, 2013, with any candidate named on at least 75 percent of ballots submitted to be enshrined at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. on July 28.



Any candidate receiving less than 5 percent of the vote will be dropped from future ballot consideration, and as he is in his 15th and final year on the ballot, former Braves and Phillies outfielder Dale Murphy will be dropped for 2014 if he is not elected.
The full list of 37 candidates, in alphabetical order wiith returnees marked with an asterisk, is: Sandy Alomar Jr., Jeff Bagwell*, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Jeff Cirillo, Royce Clayton, Roger Clemens, Jeff Conine, Steve Finley, Julio Franco, Shawn Green, Roberto Hernandez, Ryan Klesko, Kenny Lofton, Edgar Martinez*, Don Mattingly*, Mark McGwire*, Jose Mesa, Fred McGriff*, Jack Morris*, Dale Murphy*, Rafael Palmeiro*, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines*, Reggie Sanders, Curt Schilling, Aaron Sele, Lee Smith*, Sammy Sosa, Mike Stanton, Alan Trammell*, Larry Walker*, Todd Walker, David Wells, Rondell White, Bernie Williams*, Woody Williams.


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