Last season's Hall of Fame Ballot was a disappointment as steroid era candidates entered Cooperstown talks for the first time. However, as the 2014 Hall of Fame ballto was released on Tuesday, chances are Atlanta Braves' pitchers might decorate Cooperstown at the same time. Who has been nominated? Here are some of the candidates.
Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine
That is probably all that writers will have to know. These two pitchers might be the last of a breed of starters who win 300 games in their career. They racked up a championship while with Atlanta and they combined to win six Cy Young Awards, four of which Maddux won in consecutive fashion. Maddux totaled 355 victories over a 23-year career, while Glavine finished with 305.
Chances that the 2014 Hall of Fame class will not see a player inducted are slim. Aside from these masters of the mound, the Hall of Fame ballot will see plenty of players that had stout careers, but will eventually have to wait an extra year or two before having their name called and plaque added to Cooperstown.
Chasing immortality, though they do not need any introduction, are Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent and Mike Mussina. These guys left their mark on baseball one way or the other and more than likely, Thomas will eventually enter the Hall, but not in 2014.
Thomas hit 521 home runs and was always a class act while playing in his 19-year career. He spent 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox and was around to see them win a championship in 2005. He also played with the Oakalnd Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays before retiring in 2008.
Mussina and Kent's situation are a big questionable. While Kent is one of the best second basemen in terms of power, he had his clashes with teammates and if integrity is a part of the talks, then some will likely question Kent's ability to form part of a team. Mussina on the other hand, though he was not the most dominant, was one of the great pitchers of his generation. When talks of Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Maddux and Glavine arise, Mussina is right there. He was not the most boisterous character, but he was out there giving his team a chance to win.
Mussina finished his career with 270 wins and a 3.68 ERA. He won 20 games only once in his career and it was in the final year he played baseball. As a member of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, He was never able to win a championship, but he finished with double-digit wins every year for 17 years.
Kent clearly bounced around in his career. He started with Toronto in 1992, went to the New York Mets, wound up with the Cleveland Indians before finding a home with the San Francisco Giants where he spent six years. He was also a Houston Astro and a Los Angeles Dodger. Kent is the second baseman with the most home runs in the history of the game. However, playing in a questionable era in baseball will not fortify this argument.
So it will be Maddux, Glavine as the front runners in 2014 with Thomas, Kent and Mussina likely lingering far behind.
