For a sport rooted in statistics, a number provides the simplest explanation why it’s so difficult to get into baseball’s Hall of Fame.
To be elected, a player must be named on 75 percent of the ballots cast. It is hard to get 75 percent of people to agree whether the sky is blue, so is it any wonder the Baseball Writers Association of America struggles to reach near-consensus on an intangible quality like greatness?
Only closer Bruce Sutter was deemed worthy Tuesday, appearing on 76.9 percent of the record 520 ballots cast. Slugger Jim Rice (64.8 percent) and reliever Rich “Goose” Gossage (64.6) fell victim to the high standard, finishing second and third among the 29 candidates.
“If the presidential election required 75 percent of the vote,” said Jack O’Connell, BBWAA secretary treasurer, “then the White House would be perpetually unoccupied.”
Sutter was elected in his 13th year on the ballot, illustrating how the voting can confuse and frustrate the average fan, if not a Hall of Famer.
“I can’t explain it,” Reggie Jackson said.
It is not an exact science. Eligible writers – BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years service – are instructed that “voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to (their) team(s).”
Following a five-year waiting period after retirement, a player can appear on the ballot – where he can stay for up to 15 years if he receives at least 5 percent of the annual vote. Ten players can be named on a ballot, or it can be left blank, as a record 12 were this year.
A confluence of factors affects a player’s candidacy, including timing, voting bias and the cyclical nature of a sport that triggers re-examination of old statistics.
Hall locks – those with 300 wins, 3,000 hits or 500 home runs – can diminish the candidacy of others, with some voters wanting only those candidates to go in together. Sutter benefited from a thin class and a steadily growing approval rating.
“I think the composition of the ballot can have an impact because you are dealing with hundreds of voters,” said BBWAA president Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun.
“Ideally, that shouldn’t make any difference, but next year with (Cal) Ripken, (Tony) Gwynn and (Mark) McGwire on the ballot, I would think it would be pretty difficult for a more marginal candidate to break through.”
Some voters refuse to put anyone on the first ballot. Others don’t acknowledge relievers or designated hitters.
The 15-year window allows for reassessment.
“Hindsight helps as a player is talked about more and more and other writers become slowly convinced that (he) is Hall of Fame worthy,” said T.R. Sullivan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
