Bay, Halladay, Wells debut on Cooperstown ballot, Walker returns

Maple Ridge, B.C., native Larry Walker will be on the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ballot for the ninth time. Photo Credit: Denver Post

November 19, 2018

Official National Baseball Hall of Fame Press Release

History is being made in Cooperstown. And the National Pastime appears more vital and healthy than ever.

On Jan. 22, the BBWAA will announce the results of its 2019 Hall of Fame balloting. Any electees will be inducted on Sunday, July 21, at 1:30 p.m. at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.

The BBWAA has elected at least two Hall of Fame candidates in five straight years and a total of 16 candidates during that time. No five-year period in history has resulted in as many BBWAA electees, with the previous high of 13 coming in the five-year period from 1952-56. That was also the last time the BBWAA elected at least two candidates five years in a row.

Roy Halladay, Todd Helton, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera are among several players who will make their BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot debut in 2019.

Also debuting this year are Rick Ankiel, Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), Lance Berkman, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Travis Hafner, Ted Lilly, Derek Lowe, Darren Oliver, Roy Oswalt, Juan Pierre, Placido Polanco, Miguel Tejada, Vernon Wells, Kevin Youkilis and Michael Young.

Among returnees on the BBWAA ballot, Edgar Martinez received 70.4 percent of the vote in 2018 and returns for his final appearance on the BBWAA ballot this year. Mike Mussina is the only other returnee who reached the 60-percent mark in 2018, coming in at 63.5 percent

Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of all ballots cast will earn election to the Hall of Fame.

Fifteen former players are returning to the 2019 BBWAA ballot after receiving at least five percent of the overall vote in 2017:

Edgar Martínez
70.4%
10th year

Mike Mussina
63.5%
6th year

Roger Clemens
57.3%
7th year

Barry Bonds
56.4%
7th year

Curt Schilling
51.2%
6th year

Omar Vizquel
37.0%
2nd year

Larry Walker
34.1%
9th year

Fred McGriff
23.2%
10th year

Manny Ramírez
22.0%
3rd year

Jeff Kent
14.5%
6th year

Gary Sheffield
11.1%
5th year

Billy Wagner
11.1%
4th year

Scott Rolen
10.2%
2nd year

Sammy Sosa
7.8%
7th year

Andruw Jones
7.3%
2nd year

Selected Candidate Bios (from the National Baseball Hall of Fame press release):

Jason Bay

1st year on ballot…Played 11 seasons with Padres, Pirates, Red Sox, Mets and Mariners…Won 2004 National League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .282 with 26 homers and 82 RBI for the Pirates…Three-time All-Star (2005-06, 2009) who finished seventh in the 2009 American League MVP voting…Won 2009 Silver Slugger Award as a left fielder…Hit better than .300 in one season (2005) and scored 100-plus runs and totaled 100-or-more RBI in four seasons apiece (2005-06, 2008-09)…Reached 30-homer mark four times (2005-06, 2008-09)…Led all big leaguers with 162 games played in 2005…Appeared in three Postseason series over two seasons with the Red Sox, hitting .306 with three homers, nine RBI and 12 walks in 14 games.

Roy Halladay

1st year on the ballot…Pitched 16 seasons for Blue Jays and Phillies…Three 20-win seasons, eight seasons with 200-plus innings and five seasons with 200-plus strikeouts…Won two Cy Young Awards (2003, 2010)…Received Cy Young Award votes in five other seasons: 2006 (3rd), 2007 (5th), 2008 (2nd), 2009 (5th) and 2011 (2nd)…Finished in Top 10 of NL Most Valuable Player Award voting twice: 2010 (6th) and 2011 (9th)…Named to eight All-Star Games (2002-03, 2005-06, 2008-11), starting All-Star Game in 2009 and 2011…Led his league in complete games seven times (2003, 2005, 2007-11), strikeout-to-walk ratio five times (2003, 2008-11), shutouts four times (2003, 2008-10), innings pitched four times (2002-03, 2008, 2010) and wins twice (2003, 2010)…One of only six pitchers with at least 200 victories and a .650 winning percentage among all pitchers whose career began in 1900 or later…Among pitchers active from 1998 to present, Halladay’s 67 complete games are the most in baseball, 13 more than runner-up Randy Johnson in that span…Pitched a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29, 2010, and followed that in the 2010 Postseason with a no-hitter against the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 6, the second no-hitter in Postseason history…Appeared in three Postseason series over two seasons with a 3-2 record and 2.37 ERA in five starts, striking out 35 batters in 38.0 innings.

Larry Walker

9th year on the ballot…Played 17 seasons with Expos, Rockies and Cardinals…Won 1997 National League Most Valuable Player Award, hitting .366 with NL-leading totals in home runs (49), total bases (409, the 18th-best single-season total in history), on-base percentage (.452) and slugging percentage (.720)…Led NL in batting three times: 1998 (.363), 1999 (.379) and 2001 (.350)…Won seven Gold Glove Awards (1992-93, 1997-99, 2001-02) and three Silver Slugger Awards (1992, 1997, 1999) as a outfielder…Finished seventh in 1990 NL Rookie of the Year Award voting with Expos…Named to five All-Star Games (1992, 1997-99, 2001)…Finished in Top 10 of NL Most Valuable Player voting four times: 1992 (5th), 1995 (7th), 1997 (1st), 1999 (10th)…Led NL in slugging percentage twice (1997 and 1999), and his .565 career mark ranks 12th all-time…Posted 30-homer/30-steal season in 1997 with 49 home runs and 33 stolen bases, becoming just the 14th different NL player to reach that milestone…Drove in at least 100 runs in five seasons (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002)…Hit better than .300 in nine seasons (1992, 1994-95, 1997-2002)…Scored 100-or-more runs in four seasons (1997-99, 2001)…In six Postseason series, batted .230 with 18 runs scored, seven home runs and 15 RBI…Two NLCS with Cardinals (2004-05)…Member of Cardinals’ 2004 NL Championship team.

Vernon Wells

1st year on the ballot…Played 15 seasons with Blue Jays, Angels and Yankees…Three-time All Star (2003, 2006, 2010) and three-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field (2004-06)…Finished eighth in 2003 American League MVP voting and won Silver Slugger Award when he hit .317 with 33 home runs and 117 RBI to go along with an AL-best 215 hits, 49 doubles and 373 total bases…Reached the .300 batting mark in three full seasons (2003, 2006, 2008) and had three seasons with at least 100 RBI (2002-03, 2006)…Posted eight seasons with 20-or-more home runs…Led AL center fielders in fielding percentage four times (2004-05, 2009-10)…Named 2010 winner of Branch Rickey Award.