Ballot for My Own Personal Hall of Fame

These gamers are all on the National Baseball Hall of Fame poll this 12 months, and will find yourself in my very own HOF too. We’ll learn the way they fare within the sanctioned voting in a few weeks, however right here’s how they price on my poll.

Curtis Granderson

Alum of the College of Illinois-Chicago, a baseball powerhouse. A enterprise main, he attended his final two years of faculty whereas enjoying skilled ball for the Tigers. Love this. In.

King Félix Hernández

I feel , however he’s in mine regardless. Am I biased as a result of I stay in Seattle? Possibly; he’s a legend right here. Did I like seeing the left subject seats stuffed with yellow King Felix shirts when he pitched? I positive did; it was a phenomenal sea of gold, raptly following his each transfer. An enormous subject of vivid yellow sunflowers, turning towards their solar. King Felix and his followers completely sum up one in every of my favourite issues about baseball: the collective expertise, doing one thing collectively, making recollections that stay on. King Felix was into each sport, and so have been his followers. Really feel that love! Do I like that King Felix will get a customized throne each time he returns to city? YES!

Generally it’s received a royal pink velvet seat; for the pre-season fan occasion in 2024, the entire thing was a deep golden hue, befitting his regal standing. Through the first sport of the 2024 season, towards our personal Red Sox, he welcomed the first-ever winner of the Salmon Run with an enormous hug at residence plate.

Photograph by Joe Nicholson/MLB Images through Getty Pictures

Candy. And bizarre, and hilarious too. Would the Salmon Run have taken off the way in which it did with out King Felix’s imprimatur of approval? Mmm, I’m not sure about that, nevertheless it positive helped! I like his loyalty to his adopted hometown, and his silliness too.

As for stats, he hit a freakin’ grand slam. He pitched a freakin’ immaculate inning. He did these two issues inside six days of one another. He pitched an ideal sport. His profession WAR of 49.7 is available in on the low finish of present Corridor of Fame pitchers, and that hurts his total case. Nevertheless it’s increased than many others who have been voted in, Sandy Koufax included.

Lengthy stay the King! In.

Adam Jones

I like Yankee killers, and I completely swoon over ones with particular weapons of their arsenal. Jones’s explicit success over the Yankees? The very strategic deployment of triples in the course of the 2008 season. On July 28, Jones hit a triple and a grand slam. He was the second, and closing, visiting participant ever to try this in the identical sport at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles slaughtered the Yanks 13-4 that day. On September 21, Jones hit what could be the ultimate triple on the outdated Yankee Stadium, so screw them, proper?

As Red Sox followers, it’s tough to consider Adam Jones with out additionally fascinated about the terrible, racist phrases which have been hurled at him (together with objects like luggage of peanuts) at Fenway Park, significantly in the course of the 2017 season. CC Sabathia, one other participant up for election to the Corridor of Fame proper now, also spoke up, saying that Boston was the worst place to play, and that each one 62 Black gamers within the league that season knew it. That’s shameful. I hate that that is a part of our fame, our legacy, as Sox followers. My abdomen nonetheless twists once I take into consideration this. Adam Jones is in.

Ian Kinsler

One in every of my finest associates mailed me an off-brand 2018 Red Sox World Championship T-shirt, out right here in Seattle, from Bob’s (RIP). Not many issues are extra New England than that! The shirt featured a choose group of star gamers from the 2018 World Series-winning crew. Apart from the apparent decisions (Devers, Betts, Bogaerts, Martinez, and Sale) you may assume that Nathan Eovaldi, Craig Kimbrel, David Value, Christian Vasquez, Brock Holt, or Andrew Benintendi may seem on the shirt as the ultimate honoree. No, they’re not there, however Kinsler is. Huh?

However by no means thoughts! There’s a particular place in my coronary heart for every member of that crew as a result of they helped me deal, day-to-day, with going through a divorce, which fairly actually spanned all the season, from mid-April to watching the ultimate out of the World Sequence with my divorce lawyer, one other Massachusetts transplant in Seattle. (That just about looks like a present I’d watch, besides that I lived it.)

Kinsler’s in!

Russell Martin

I don’t like that he was a Yankee, however he’s in my Corridor of Fame on the premise of getting the longest English-language identify I’ve ever seen: Russell Nathan Coltrane Jeanson Martin, Jr.

Dustin Pedroia

I might write a novel right here. Oh, what might have been, when it comes to the true Corridor of Fame. I write this with unhappiness as a result of he unfairly went down on a grimy play. However what actually issues is what he actually did, and that was large. Pedroia, my boy-a. He’s within the Corridor of Fame in my coronary heart.

Fernando Rodney

I’m a sucker for some flash and an excellent story. I all the time liked the Rodney’s bow-and-arrow pose and his off-kilter hat as a result of why not? I’m going to skip over numerous great things, together with a run with the (it’s a Mariners-rich poll this 12 months, which is enjoyable!) in an effort to get to this half: in 2019, Rodney labored his means up from a minor league contract to first-time World Sequence champion on the age of 42. Desires do come true. He has continued to play professionally for a number of extra groups, largely in Mexico, and is presently rostered with the Hamilton Cardinals, knowledgeable crew in Canada. The person is 47 years outdated. In, in, in.

CC Sabathia

He was a Yankee, however he had my respect. He was all the time there, which was powerful on Red Sox followers (and don’t assume we didn’t need a few of that). Throughout 13 totally different seasons, he pitched not less than 180 innings. His profession 116 is best than Nolan Ryan’s. He’s tenth in MLB historical past amongst left-handed starters with 61.8 . He reached 3,000 strikeouts and 250 victories in his closing season; solely 15 pitchers have ever completed that. Ever. Once you take a look at lefties, it’s right down to solely three. There’s rather more to say, however I’ll shut along with his honesty about his alcoholism and sobriety. By talking out in numerous venues (a guide, an article in The Gamers Tribune, tons of interviews, social media) about his personal sickness and wrestle, he’s made it simpler for others to deal with it. I respect that. In.

Ichiro Suzuki

I’ve written about Ichiro earlier than, and how he brought two strangers who didn’t speak each other’s language’s together one morning in a small museum in Venice. The truth is, they solely knew one phrase in widespread: Ichiro. However that one phrase was sufficient. This meet-cute by no means went any farther, except you depend the truth that I give it some thought once in a while as a result of it actually touched my coronary heart. For me, one of the crucial highly effective issues about sports activities is the way it can convey individuals collectively. Ichiro embodies that. And naturally he’s an all-timer on the baseball subject. In.

Manny Ramirez

We will all roll our eyes about Manny however has anybody else, ever, completed this? And by this, I imply high-fiving a Red Sox fan over the outfield wall, in a visiting park, whereas fielding the ball, then throwing in to get the runner at first. That’s a double play. In.

Alex Rodriguez

I nonetheless have the newspaper cut-out of Jason Varitek shoving his glove in A-Rod’s face in 2004, and that’s nonetheless how I consider him. Out.

Photograph by J Rogash/WireImage

Andy Pettitte

This man and the weaselly means he tried to justify taking HGH by saying he was solely attempting to “promote sooner therapeutic” as a result of he “felt an obligation” to return to his crew after an harm. I don’t assume he has the stats to get into the true Corridor, and I’m not saying this complete steroid query isn’t an enormous grey space, I’m merely saying that’s how I really feel. Out.

Chase Utley

One in every of my least favourite gamers of all time. I need him to fall off the poll so I don’t have to consider him once more. Out.

Torii Hunter

I voted Torii into my Corridor of Fame final 12 months and he will get one other Sure from me this 12 months too, since he’s nonetheless on the [real] poll. Not solely did I actually take pleasure in him as a participant, however I wrote this final 12 months and nonetheless really feel the identical means, so right here you go once more:

The visible with Hunter’s legs pointing in direction of the heavens, headstand-style, was the cherry on high of David Ortiz’s grand slam on October 13, 2013. The slam dug the Sox out of a 5-1 deficit within the ALDS on their method to an eventual and much-needed Sox World Sequence victory.

I’ve elected the cop too.

Photograph by Al Bello/Getty Pictures