The Baseball Hall of Fame snubs continue with the failure of the BBWAA voters to elect two players in particular this year. The Hall of Fame class of 2024 includes Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer. Each of these players is deserving of the honor. However, some notable players got left out. This hypothetical ballot included two outstanding players deserving of induction in Cooperstown who got snubbed. Those two players would be Gary Sheffield and Billy Wagner. In his final year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot, Sheffield received 246 votes. In his ninth year of eligibility, Wagner received 284 votes. Both came close but received not quite enough votes for a plaque in Cooperstown.
This continues a concerning trend in Hall of Fame voting. For example, Jeff Kent and Curt Schilling, players worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown have run out of eligibility in recent years. These decisions by the voters continue to taint the process. This leads to otherwise deserving players who get elected being overshadowed by the discussion of those who got snubbed. Additionally, this is the third year in a row that at least one player has not been elected in their last year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot. It is unlikely that Wagner will face the same fate given how close he was this year. It would be great to see this trend reversed in future elections for the Hall of Fame.
Baseball Hall of Fame Snubs Continue
The Sheffield Case
With this result, Sheffield joins an accomplished list of players who fell off the BBWAA ballot after running out of eligibility. Players like Alan Trammell and Fred McGriff would later be inducted after falling off of the BBWAA ballot. It is not entirely doom and gloom for Sheffield. He will be eligible to be elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee in December of 2025. Hopefully, that committee will elect Sheffield to the Hall of Fame. Sheffield is one of 28 players in the 500 home run club. Of the group, 19 already have a plaque in Cooperstown.
During his career, Sheffield hit 509 home runs and drove in 1,676 runs. This goes along with a career .292/.393/.514 line with a 140 OPS+ as well as a 60.5 WAR. Sheffield also made nine All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger on five occasions. The 1992 season saw Sheffield win the NL batting title. In 1997, Sheffield won a World Series with the Miami Marlins, their first in franchise history. The year before that, in 1996, Sheffield had MVP-level numbers with a .314/.465/.624 line with 42 home runs and 120 RBI along with a 189 OPS+. In the regular season, Sheffield had a career 59.9 win probability added.
The Wagner Case
One of the greatest closers in baseball history, Wagner should get in next year. However, that is not a guarantee despite falling a handful of votes short this year. Schilling came within five percentage points of being elected twice but did not get in on the BBWAA ballot, and will have to wait for the Contemporary Baseball Era committee. Wagner having one more year on the BBWAA ballot should prevent him from facing the same fate as Kent, Schilling, Trammell and McGriff, among others. Similar situations to the spot Wagner is in have come up before.
During his career, Wagner recorded 422 saves, which ranks sixth all-time. Three of the five players with more saves than Wagner are in the Hall of Fame. He also had a career 2.31 ERA along with a 187 ERA+ and a 27.7 WAR. Wagner made seven All-Star teams. Eight seasons saw Wagner record at least 30 saves, and he did so for four different franchises. In his last season with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, Wagner had a sensational season with a 7-2 record and a 1.43 ERA as well as 37 saves. That season saw Wagner record a 275 ERA+, quite the way to finish. In the regular season, Wagner had a career 29.1 win probability added.
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