First-time Candidates on the 2021 Hall of Fame Ballot: Position Players

Last week, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) started mailing out ballots to its members for candidates for plaques in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. There are 14 returning players to the ballot and 11 first-timers. The approximately 400 voting members of the BBWAA have the option to vote for up to 10 players on their ballots. Any player whose name is checked by at least 75% of the voters will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. The results of the balloting will be announced on Tuesday, January 26th.

Because of the national pandemic, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony this past summer was canceled. Therefore, if any new Hall of Famer is voted into Cooperstown, he will join on stage the 2020 inductees, Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, and Ted Simmons. (Marvin Miller was elected posthumously to the 2020 Hall of Fame class).

The first-timers on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot include five starting pitchers, one reliever, four outfielders, and one 3rd baseman:

• Torii Hunter (OF)
• Nick Swisher (OF)
• Shane Victorino (OF)
• Michael Cuddyer (OF)
• Aramis Ramirez (3B)
• Mark Buehrle (SP)
• Tim Hudson (SP)
• Dan Haren (SP)
• Barry Zito (SP)
• A.J. Burnett (SP)
• LaTroy Hawkins (RP)

(cover photo: Twins Daily/Reuters)

On Friday, I took a capsule look at the six pitchers on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot. Let’s now take a brief look at the five first-time position player candidates for Cooperstown (listed in the order of their career WAR):

Cooperstown Cred: Torii Hunter (OF)

• Twins (1997-2007, 2015), Angels (2008-12), Tigers (2013-14)
• Career: .277 BA, 353 HR, 1,391 RBI, 2,452 Hits
• Career: 110 OPS+, 50.7 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 5-time All-Star
• 9-time Gold Glove Award Winner

Torii Hunter, nicknamed “Spider-Man” for his penchant for climbing outfield walls to rob opposing hitters of home runs, is one of those players who had a future Hall of Famer vibe because of those ESPN web gems.

After limited appearances in 1997-98, Hunter became the full-time center fielder for the Minnesota Twins in 1999. With early struggles at the plate, he was briefly sent back to the minors in 2000 but still managed to lead American League center fielders with 12 assists despite playing in just 99 games. The pride of Pine Bluff, Arkansas became a legitimate star in 2001 when he developed a power stroke (27 HR, 92 RBI) while leading all CF in assists again (with 14) and in putouts (460). That earned Torii his first of nine Gold Gloves and garnered him a few MVP votes.

The right-handed hitting Hunter became a first-time All-Star in 2002 and finished 6th in the MVP vote, thanks to 29 HR, 94 RBI, a 124 OPS+, and another Gold Glove. He became a household name at that Mid-Summer Classic in Milwaukee when he robbed Barry Bonds of a home run (in the season following Bonds’ record-setting 73 home run campaign).

The Twins won the A.L. Central in 2002, making the playoffs for the first time since 1991. The team won the ALDS against the Oakland Athletics before falling in the ALCS to the eventual World Champion Anaheim Angels.

Hunter spent another five mostly productive campaigns in Minnesota before signing as a free agent with the Angels after the 2007 season, one in which he set career highs in Doubles (45), RBI (107), Runs (94) while winning his 7th straight Gold Glove. Although the Twins never advanced to the World Series while Hunter was there, the team did make the playoffs in five of Torii’s last seven years in the Twin Cities.

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Torii Hunter spent five seasons with the Angels, hitting .286 with a 122 OPS+ while winning his final two Gold Gloves. The Angels won the A.L. West in each of Hunter’s first two seasons in Anaheim, advancing to the ALCS in ’09 before falling to the New York Yankees. In 2011, his age 35 season, Hunter moved to right field, yielding way to another (and much younger) defensive stalwart, Peter Bourjos. (Mike Trout took over center field in 2012, Torii’s last season in Anaheim).

Hunter was 37 years old at the end of the ’12 campaign as he hit the free-agent market again. The team decided to sign Josh Hamilton for $125 million (oops) rather than bring back Hunter so Torii joined the Detroit Tigers for the 2013-14 campaigns. Hunter made his fifth and final All-Star squad in 2013 and helped the team to the A.L. Central title.

The ’13 Tigers had multiple players who can be called future Hall of Famers (Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer); they won the ALDS over Oakland before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. For a man known for his great home run-robbing catches, Hunter is also well known for the catch he didn’t make, when he tumbled into the right-field bullpen at Fenway Park in a failed effort to rob David Ortiz of an 8th-inning, game-tying grand slam in Game 2.

After two years in Detroit, Hunter finished his career in 2015 with the Twins, retiring after the season.

As a player who spent two-thirds of his games playing the ultra-important position of center field, his 9 Gold Gloves combined with 353 home runs and 2,452 hits, he has three basic elements of a Hall of Fame resume. However, there are other less noticeable aspects to Hunter’s record that ultimately put him a bit short of Cooperstown.

Hunter’s career-high in Hits was 184. A low hit total can be excused if a player draws lots of walks but Hunter didn’t. His best effort in drawing the free pass was 62 in 2011. As a result of not getting on base a lot, Hunter’s career-best in Runs Scored was 94 (in 2007), and he only scored more than 90 twice in his career.

The other factor that hurts Hunter’s Hall of Fame candidacy is that his defensive metrics don’t quite measure up to the 9 Gold Gloves he won. You can choose to believe the defensive metrics or choose not to but he was underwater (less than 0 WAR Runs gained from fielding) in four of the nine seasons in which he earned that hardware. His total career “RField” (from Baseball-Reference) is 33. That’s a smaller number than other well-known but not Cooperstown-caliber center fielders of the last 25 years including Carlos Gomez, Mike Cameron, Michael Bourn, Michael Kotsay, Curtis Granderson, and Shane Victorino (also on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot). He is also behind Carlos Beltran (who has vastly superior offensive numbers) and Andruw Jones (whose defensive metrics are off-the-charts).

Anyway, despite these blemishes, Hunter does have support for Cooperstown. On Twitter, Ryan Spaeder publishes a poll of current and former MLB players, asking for their picks for the Hall of Fame. Of the first 34 players who revealed their virtual ballots, five of them (including Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk) listed Hunter’s name. That finding shows the respect that Hunter has but also indicates quite clearly that he’s nowhere close to being the kind of consensus candidate who is likely to get a Cooperstown plaque anytime soon.

However, given the fact that the 2021 ballot is fairly weak compared to most of them dating back to 2013, I would expect Hunter to clear the 5% minimum required to appear on future ballots.

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Cooperstown Cred: Aramis Ramirez (3B)

• Pirates (1998-2003, 2015), Cubs (2003-11), Brewers (2012-15)
• Career: .283 BA, 386 HR, 1,417 RBI, 2,303 Hits
• Career: 115 OPS+, 32.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 3-time All-Star
• Finished in the top 10 of N.L. MVP voting 3 times

If you just take a cursory look at the traditional numbers (BA, HR, RBI) for Aramis Ramirez, he looks like a legitimate Cooperstown candidate for a third baseman. He hit more home runs than Ron Santo, George Brett, or Edgar Martinez. His 1,417 RBI are the 6th most ever for a third sacker, behind only Adrian Beltre and Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Brett, Mike Schmidt, and Eddie Mathews. His .283 BA, while not stratospheric, is better than the career BA of Cooperstown inductees Schmidt, Santo, and Mathews.

These statistics do not exist in a vacuum, of course. Ramirez played in a much more prolific offensive era than most of the players named above. And, of course, unless you’re a designated hitter, baseball is a game that requires one to do more than hit. Ramirez was not a good fielder and this hurts his career value.

The Dominican-born Ramirez made his Major League Baseball debut in 1998 at the age of 19. After three years of shuttling back and forth from Pittsburgh to the minor leagues, Ramirez became a full-time starter in 2001, his age 23 season. Ramirez’s 2001 campaign was excellent: he hit .300 while clubbing 34 home runs, driving in 112, and posting a 122 OPS+. After that big slash, however, the right-handed-hitting slugger slumped badly in 2002 (.234 BA, 72 OPS+).

The Pirates were consistently terrible in those years; the team did him a favor by trading him mid-2003 to the Chicago Cubs. It was a bad deal for Pittsburgh; they also shipped Kenny Lofton to the Cubs, while the best player they received in return was veteran utilityman Jose Hernandez. Playing for Dusty Baker and with superstar slugger Sammy Sosa, Ramirez got his first taste of the postseason that fall. In Game 5 of the N.L. Division Series (against the Atlanta Braves), Ramirez’s two-run home run in the sixth inning was a crucial blow that sent the Cubs to the NLCS. The Cubs would ultimately fall to the Florida Marlins in 7 games despite 3 HR, 7 RBI, and a 1.029 OPS from their young third baseman.

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From 2004-2012 (eight in Chicago, one in Milwaukee), Ramirez was one of the top hitting third basemen in all of MLB. He slashed .297/.359/.534 (129 OPS+) while averaging 28 HR and 97 RBI for those nine campaigns. Only Alex Rodriguez hit more home runs or drove in more runs during these seasons; his 129 OPS+ was fourth-best behind A-Rod, Chipper Jones, and David Wright. During these nine campaigns, Ramirez earned MVP votes five times, finishing in the Top 10 in 2004, ’08, and ’12.

A player’s peak performance is often a strong credential for Cooperstown but the problem for Ramirez is that his poor defensive metrics put him in 7th place for WAR among third sackers for those nine seasons. He’s behind A-Rod, Beltre, Wright, Jones, Ryan Zimmerman, and Scott Rolen (also on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot and an 8-time Gold Glover).

Anyway, after this excellent nine-year run, Ramirez played for three more seasons in Major League Baseball. He made his third and final All-Star team in 2014 (while still with the Brewers). He finished his career (in 2015) with the Cubs, who reacquired their long-time star in July.

Aramis Ramirez had a very good career. His offensive credentials would justify a Hall of Fame plaque if he had much more to add to that resume. But he doesn’t. He wasn’t a swift runner and wasn’t a good defensive player. Although he had a good postseason performance in 2003, it wasn’t the type that turned him into an October star (he went 1 for 11 in the final 3 games of the 2003 NLCS and just 2 for 24 in his future opportunities).

Ramirez will almost certainly get less than 5% of the vote on the BBWAA ballot and no longer be eligible for ballots in the future.

Cooperstown Cred: Shane Victorino (OF)

• Padres (2003), Phillies (2005-12), Dodgers (2012), Red Sox (2013-15), Angels (2015)
• Career: .275 BA, 108 HR, 489 RBI
• Career: 102 OPS+, 31.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 2-time All-Star
• 4-time Gold Glove Award Winner
• Won 2 World Series titles (2008 Phillies & 2013 Red Sox)

Full disclosure: as a lifelong Boston Red Sox, I am a huge Shane Victorino fan because of the career-best season he had in Boston in 2013. Victorino, obviously, will not be getting a plaque in Cooperstown but there were times when watching him play that he sure looked like a Hall of Famer in the making. He just didn’t maintain that form with the kind of consistency that is required for baseball’s highest honor.

Victorino was a late-bloomer. Drafted in the 6th round of the 1999 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers from St. Anthony HS in Wailuku, Hawaii, Victorino was twice left exposed to the Rule 5 draft in his first six seasons in the minor leagues. He was selected in the 2002 Rule 5 draft by the San Diego Padres and appeared in 36 games for the Friars in 2003 before being returned to the Dodgers.

Two years later, he was a Rule 5 selection by the Philadelphia Phillies. However, when he failed to make the major league roster, he was offered back to the Dodgers. Clearly having given up on the Flyin’ Hawaiian, the Dodgers declined to take him back. And so, Victorino spent most of 2005 (his age 24 season) playing for the Phillies’ AAA affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He got a September call-up and hit his first career MLB home run off Tim Hudson, who is also on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot.

At the age of 25, Victorino finally became a full-time major leaguer in 2006. He played all three outfield positions, starting 80 games while appearing in another 73 in reserve. He didn’t hit much (6 HR, 46 RBI, 91 OPS+) but revealed himself to be a superior defensive player. In 2007, as a full-time starter, Victorino started “flying,” stealing 37 bases while getting caught just 4 times. The switch-hitter’s offensive game was still somewhat lacking (12 HR, 46 RBI, 95 OPS+).

Shane Victorino emerged as a legitimate star in 2008 in the year that the Phillies won the World Series. In the regular season, he upped his offensive game (14 HR, 58 RBI, 102 Runs, 36 SB, 107 OPS+) and won the first of his four Gold Gloves. He became a postseason star in Game 2 of the National League Division Series (against the Milwaukee Brewers) when he hit a grand slam off CC Sabathia, who had been nearly unbeatable in the regular season with an 11-2 record (1.65 ERA) in 17 starts with the Brew Crew. In that game, he also became the first (and still the only) player in postseason history to have a home run, double, and two steals in a single game.

In the NLCS (against the Los Angeles Dodgers), Victorino had another big game, with a two-run single and two-run triple to lead the Phillies to an 8-5 victory in Game 2. In that game, the Gold Glove center fielder also robbed Casey Blake of an extra-base hit with two runners on, helping preserve that win. Next, in Game 4, Victorino’s 8th inning, game-tying two-run home run led to another win, helping send the Phils to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1983. Finally, in what would be the championship-deciding Game 5 of the World Series (against the Tampa Bay Rays), Victorino delivered a two-run bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 1st inning, leading to a 4-3 win and the title.

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The Flyin’ Hawaiian continued his top-level play in 2009, leading the majors with 13 triples while scoring 102 runs (again) and winning his 2nd Gold Glove. He became the first Hawaiian-born position player to make the All-Star team. Victorino helped the Phillies get back to the World Series with a .361/.439/.722 slash line in the NLDS and NLCS to go with 3 HR and 7 RBI. In the decisive Game 5 (again against the Dodgers), Victorino’s 6th-inning, 2-run homer off a 21-year old Clayton Kershaw expanded the Phillies’ lead to 8-3 and sent the team back to the World Series. Unfortunately for Phillies fans, Victorino’s sizzling October bat cooled off in the Fall Classic; he hit .182 with a .524 OPS.

The now 29-year old switch-hitter slumped a bit in 2010 (101 OPS+) but upped his power output, posting career highs in HR (18) and RBI (69) while winning his 3rd straight Gold Glove. He had arguably his best season in Philadelphia in 2011, posting a career-best 130 OPS+ while leading the majors again in triples (with 16). The Phillies made the playoffs in both ’10 and ’11 but did not advance to the World Series.

Victorino had an off-year in 2012 and was dealt at the trading deadline to his original team, the Dodgers. For the season, his OPS+ was just 91, and his WAR (2.9) his lowest since 2006.

A free agent after the season, Victorino signed a 3-year, $39 contract with the Boston Red Sox. It was one of several key free agent signings that transformed the Red Sox from a 69-win team in 2012 into a 97-win team in 2013. With Jacoby Ellsbury entrenched in center field, Victorino was asked to play in Fenway Park’s cavernous right field and he was brilliant, logging 22 runs above average (per Baseball-Reference) en route to his 4th and final Gold Glove. This was arguably Victorino’s finest season: he slashed .294/.351/.451 (118 OPS+) while posting a career-best 6.0 WAR.

As it was in Philadelphia in 2008, Victorino was a key contributor to Boston’s World Series championship. In the ALDS (against Tampa Bay), he hit .429 with 3 RBI in the Red Sox’ 4-Game series win. In the ALCS (against the Detroit Tigers), Victorino’s bat was silent for the first five games (.095 BA, .279 OPS) but he delivered the crucial blow in Game 6 with a 7th-inning grand slam over the Green Monster, leading Boston to a 5-3 win and berth in the Fall Classic. The granny put Victorino in the elite company of being one of just two players in baseball history (the other being Jim Thome) to record two postseason grand slams.

In the World Series (against the St. Louis Cardinals), the Flyin’ Hawaiian went 0 for 10 in the first three games and then missed Games 4 and 5 due to lower back tightness. He returned for Game 6 and, again, played a crucial role in the series clincher with a three-run double off the Monster to give the BoSox an early 3-0 lead, a lead they would not relinquish. The 2013 postseason run by the Boston Red Sox will always be remembered for the dominance of David Ortiz but Shane Victorino clearly earned a “Best Supporting Actor” award for his heroics.

(An interesting note that some may have forgotten about Victorino’s 2013 postseason: in August, the switch-hitter started batting almost exclusively from the right side because of a hamstring injury that hampered his left-handed swing. Both of Victorino’s key blows in October were as a right-handed-hitting batter against a right-handed-throwing pitcher).

Victorino’s career as a productive MLB player essentially ended that October. Ongoing hamstring woes limited him to just 30 games in 2014 and he had season-ending back surgery. Thanks to hamstring and calf issues, he was limited to 33 games with the BoSox in 2015 before getting dealt to the Los Angeles Angels, where he played in his final 38 MLB contests. After his brilliant 2013 campaign, Victorino’s career ended with a whimper (76 OPS+, 0.6 WAR in 101 games in 2014-15).

With just 1,274 Hits, 731 Runs, and 489 RBI, obviously Shane Victorino is not going to get into the Hall of Fame. With a total of 5,164 career plate appearances, he simply didn’t play enough. But when he was on the diamond, he played at an elite level. He had a career WAR of 4.0 per 650 plate appearances, a clip better than luminaries such as Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Yadier Molina, and Big Papi.

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Cooperstown Cred: Nick Swisher (OF)

• Athletics (2004-07), White Sox (2008), Yankees (2009-12), Indians (2013-15), Braves (2015)
• Career: .249 BA, 245 HR, 803 RBI
• Career: 113 OPS+, 21.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)

Nick Swisher was never a star but he was a useful player for multiple teams during his career. The son of a major leaguer (Steve Swisher), the switch-hitter had good power, a keen eye, and was respected as a good teammate.

After appearing in 20 games in 2004, Swisher’s official rookie campaign was in 2005. His performance (21 HR, 74 RBI, 102 OPS+) was slightly above average but good enough for a 6th place finish in the A.L. Rookie of the Year balloting. After spending most of ’04 in right field, Swisher spent the 2005 campaign splitting time between left field and first base. Swish upped his offensive game, posting a 125 OPS+ to go with career-bests in HR (35), RBI (95), and Runs (106).

After one more season in Oakland, Swisher was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, where he was a fan favorite even while having the worst season of his career (.219 BA, 93 OPS+, -0.2 WAR).

Swisher was traded again after one season on Chicago’s south side. This trade was to the New York Yankees, where he spent four productive campaigns. Swisher averaged 150 games per season from 2009-12, averaging 26 HR, 87 RBI, with a 124 OPS+. He won his first and only World Series title with the Bronx Bombers in 2009 and made his lone All-Star appearance in 2010.

After the 2012 campaign, Swisher signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians, getting a four-year deal worth $56 million. In Cleveland, Swisher had one good season in 2013 (115 OPS+, 3.7 WAR) and one miserable one in 2014 (.208 BA, 70 OPS+, -1.8 WAR). He appeared in just 30 games in the first four months of the 2015 campaign (.198 BA, 50 OPS+) before a trade to the Atlanta Braves, where he played in the final 46 games of his 12-year career (.195 BA, 93 OPS+).

The Braves released Swisher the following spring. Shortly thereafter, he signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees but never appeared in the Bronx. He officially retired in February 2017 at the age of 36.

Swisher had a nice career and was a fan favorite in many locations. Still, it would be surprising if he received even one vote for the Hall of Fame from the members of the BBWAA.

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Cooperstown Cred: Michael Cuddyer (OF)

• Twins (2001-11), Rockies (2012-14), Mets (2015)
• Career: .277 BA, 197 HR, 794 RBI
• Career: 113 OPS+, 17.7 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 2-time All-Star

Wrapping up our capsules of the five first-time position player candidates on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for 2021, we come to outfielder Michael Cuddyer. The native of Norfolk, Virginia was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and was the 9th pick overall (by the Minnesota Twins) in the first round of the 1997 draft.

The right-handed hitting Cuddyer spent the first 15 years of his professional career in the Twins organization, making his debut with the big club in September 2001. Cuddyer shuttled back and forth from the minors to majors in 2002 and ’03 before becoming a full-time major leaguer in 2004. He played all over the diamond early in his career, logging time at first base, second base, third base, left field, and right field. Through his first five MLB seasons (2001-05), Cuddyer slashed .260/.330/.428 (97 OPS+, 1.3 WAR) in 1,109 plate appearances.

It wasn’t until 2006 (his age 27 season) that Cuddyer had a full-time job and position, in right field. He responded by producing big-league numbers with the bat: 24 HR, 41 Doubles, 109 RBI, 102 Runs with a .504 slugging percentage (124 OPS+). After another solid campaign in 2007, he missed half of the 2008 season thanks to a dislocated right index finger.

In 2009 (32 HR, 94 RBI, 125 OPS+), Cuddyer became the first (and only) player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle and hit two home runs in the same inning in the same calendar year. At the age of 32 (in 2011), Cuddyer made his first All-Star squad.

Cuddyer signed a 3-year, $31.5 million contract in the 2011-12 offseason, ending his long-time relationship with the Twins. After a subpar first season in Colorado, Cuddyer hit a career-best .331 in 2013 (winning the N.L. batting title) while making his 2nd and final All-Star team. Offensively, even when accounting for the Coors Field effect, it was arguably Cuddyer’s best offensive campaign (evidenced by his 136 OPS+).

Injuries limited Cuddyer to just 49 games but he still hit .332. He signed a free-agent contract with the New York Mets for the 2015 campaign. In ’15, his age 36 season, Cuddyer posted a lackluster 93 OPS+. That Mets team, however, afforded the veteran the opportunity to appear in the World Series for the first time, albeit in a losing effort. Cuddyer announced his retirement less than two months later.

Michael Cuddyer had a nice career but, needless to say, it wasn’t a career that will result in a Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown. However, due to his 11-year career and high level of productivity in Minnesota, he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2017.

Thanks for reading. Please follow Cooperstown Cred on Twitter @cooperstowncred.

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