We are just over a week away from hearing the results from the 2022 MLB Hall of Fame Voting. Here are my picks for who should grace the Cooperstown stage in July:
Barry Bonds
While this might be a controversial selection due to the steroid allegations, Barry Bonds gave more to the game than he took away from it. How can the Home Run King be left out of baseball’s greatest stage? It might be tough for Bonds to make the 75 percent threshold which is why I am putting a theoretical vote for his name.
Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling missed the cusp by 3 percentage points last year when no one got the nod to Cooperstown. This year is a do-or-die situation for Schilling if he wants to live in MLB immortality. Schilling has grown to be a controversial figure each year in January the past decade due to his comments and actions, but his career on the baseball field speaks for itself. Schilling is one of only fifteen players with at least three 300 strikeout seasons, behind all Hall of Famers and Roger Clemens. Schilling was at his best during the playoffs where he posted an 11-2 mark and 2.23 ERA. It would be a shame to see Schilling’s bloody sock lie in Cooperstown without the player complementing it.
David Ortiz
Although I may be biased, David Ortiz belongs in the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Judging by past players who have made the cut and the strong Boston Media presence in the IBWAA, there is no way Ortiz can be left out. Ortiz ranks 17th in career homers and 8th in extra-base hits. Like Schilling, Ortiz was at his best in October, leading the Sox to 3 improbable World Series championships and coming through in the most clutch ways. Despite that fact that Ortiz rarely got the chance to put on a glove, he is arguably the greatest Designated Hitter baseball has ever seen.
Photo: USA Today
