With the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 being announced, let’s take a look at the new names that will be eligible to appear on the ballot next year.
Someone like Mariano Rivera is a no-doubt lock to make it on his first try. Others seemingly have no shot of reaching the five percent of votes threshold that would enable them to remain on the ballot for 2020.
Jason Bay
Bay was a three-time All-Star, one-time Silver Slugger, and the 2004 National League Rookie of the Year over the course of his 11 MLB seasons. He hit over 30 home runs four times and finished his career with 222.
Lance Berkman
Berkman was named an All-Star six times, and he also finished in the top-seven of National League MVP voting that many times. During his 15-year career, he batted .293 with 366 round-trippers, 422 doubles, and 1,234 RBIs.
Jose Contreras
Contreras was named an All-Star in 2006 and was a member of the Chicago White Sox World Series-winning team in 2005. He won 78 games in his 11 major league seasons.
Ryan Dempster
Dempster’s lengthy 16-year career saw him make two All-Star teams. He won 132 games, struck out 2,075 hitters, and also had 87 saves.
Octavio Dotel
Dotel won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. He saved 109 games and struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings in his 15 seasons.
Freddy Garcia
Garcia made back-to-back All-Star teams in 2001-02 and won the American League ERA title in 2001. He was a World Series winner with the White Sox in 2005. He won 156 games in 15 seasons winning at least 12 nine different years.
Jon Garland
Garland’s 2005 All-Star season also saw him win a World Series championship with the White Sox.
In 13 seasons, he won 136 games and had a double-digit win total nine straight years from 2002-10.
Travis Hafner
Hafner finished every year from 2004-07 with at least 24 homers and 100 RBIs. He led the American League in slugging percentage and OPS in 2006. He ended his career with 213 home runs in 12 seasons.
Roy Halladay
Halladay, who tragically passed away on November 7, won a Cy Young with the Blue Jays in 2006 and Phillies in 2010.
Five other times he finished in the top-five in voting. The eight-time All-Star won 203 games, had 2,117 strikeouts, and finished with a career 3.38 ERA.
Todd Helton
Helton played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies making five All-Star appearances, winning four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves, and taking home a National League batting title in 2000. He had a .316 average, 592 doubles, and 369 home runs for his career.
Ramon Hernandez
The 15-year veteran catcher was named an All-Star in 2003. Hernandez hit 169 homers and drove in 757 runs in his career.
Ted Lilly
A two-time All-Star, Lilly won 130 games in his 15 seasons. He reached double figure win totals for nine straight years from 2003-11.
Derek Lowe
Lowe finished third in American League Cy Young voting in 2002 when he went 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA. In his 17-year career, he won 176 games and also saved another 86.
Darren Oliver
Oliver spent 20 years in the majors with his last appearance coming just shy of his 43rd birthday. A starter for much of the first half of his career, he became an excellent reliever posting a 2.52 ERA from 2008-12.
Roy Oswalt
Oswalt was name an All-Star three times, led the National League in ERA in 2006, and finished in the top-six in National League Cy Young voting six times over the course of his 13-year career. His final numbers saw him compile 163 wins with a 3.36 ERA and 1,852 strikeouts.
Andy Pettitte
Not only did Pettitte win 256 career regular season games, but he has the all-time record with 19 postseason wins. The three-time All-Star won five World Series titles as a member of the Yankees.
Juan Pierre
Pierre led the National League in steals three times, hits twice, and triples once. He won a World Series with the Marlins in 2003 and finished his 14-year career with a .295 average and 614 stolen bases.
Placido Polanco
Polanco won three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger on top of his two All-Star appearances during his 16-year career. His solid career ended with a .297 average, 2,142 hits, and 1,009 runs.
Mariano Rivera
Rivera's incredible time in the majors saw him save 652 games which is an all-time record.
He was the league-leader in saves three times and finished with a stellar career ERA of 2.21. He was nearly unhittable in the playoffs (he is a five-time World Series champion) with an ERA of 0.70 in 141.0 postseason innings.
Miguel Tejada
Tejada made six All-Star teams and was named American League MVP in 2002. In 16 years, he batted .285 with 307 homers, 468 doubles, 1,302 RBIs, and 1,230 runs.
Yorvit Torrealba
Torrealba played 13 years in the majors. He has a career .256 average with 56 home runs and 162 doubles.
Vernon Wells
Wells was named to three All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves as his major league career spanned 15 years. He hit over 30 homers three times and finished his career with 270 along with 958 RBIs.
Jake Westbrook
Westbrook was an All-Star in 2004 and won 105 games in his 13 seasons. In 2011, he won a World Series title as a member of the Cardinals.
Kevin Youkilis
In his 10 years, Youkilis was named an All-Star three times, won a Gold Glove, and won a World Series title with the Red Sox in 2007. He hit over .300 three straight years from 2008-10 when he also totaled 105 doubles and 75 home runs.
Michael Young
Young was a career .300 hitter in his 14 seasons. He won an American League batting title in 2004 and twice led the league in hits. The seven-time All-Star also ended his career with 2,375 hits, 441 doubles, 1,030 RBIs, and 1,137 runs.
