1. Roberto Alomar - Arguably the best second baseman of our generation, Alomar won 10 gold gloves (more than any second baseman in history) and made 12 all star teams. He was an integral part of Toronto's two world championships in 1992 and 1993 hitting a combined .354 over those two postseasons and he finished his career with 2724 hits, 504 doubles and 474 steals and a .300 average. In my mind, this one's a no brainer.
2. Bert Blyleven - This guy was in the twilight of his career when I first started getting into baseball, but here's some numbers that have me convinced this guy is hall-worthy: 242 complete games including 3 seasons with at least 20 (yes, it was a different era, but still) - and 60 shutouts (9th all time). He is also 5th all time in strikeouts with 3701 and won 287 games with a 3.31 ERA. Like Alomar, he was a part of two world champions, the 1979 Pirates and the 1987 Twins. In those two postseasons he was a combined 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA. In this, its 14th season on the ballot, I believe it's time to let Bert in.
3. Jack Morris - My best memory of Jack Morris was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series when Morris pitched 10 shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves allowing Gene Larkin to drive in Dan Gladden in the bottom of the 10th to win the World Series for Minnesota. Like Blyleven he was durable tossing 175 complete games (28 shutouts) and winning at least 20 games 3 times. For his career he was 254-186. While his ERA was high (3.90), Morris was a member of 4 world series winners (1984 with Detroit, 1991 with Minnesota, 1992 and 1993 with Toronto). While he didn't pitch in the '93 playoffs and struggled in '92, check out his totals for 1984 and 1991: 7-0 with a 2.07 ERA. As a result he was the 1991 World Series MVP. Morris was a 5 time all star and no pitcher won more games than he did during the 1980s.
4. Tim Raines - I actually lived in Canada while Raines was with the Expos in the late 80s so unlike a lot of people, I was actually privy to his talent while he was still playing. Raines was an all-star every year from 1981-1987 and a member of 2 World Series Teams (the 1996 and 1998 Yankees). Raines hit .294 for his career and is ranked 4th all time in stolen bases with 808 (with an 84.7% success rate). He finished with 2605 hits and is the Expos/Nationals career leader in singles, triples, walks and stolen bases. Not just an offensive threat, Raines was also an excellent left fielder tallying 21 outfield assists to lead the National League in 1983.
5. Alan Trammell - Trammell was another one I got to see quite a bit as a kid as we lived just across the Michigan border in the late 80s. Trammell played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers and was a tremendous all around shortstop. He was selected to play in 6 all-star games, won 4 gold gloves, and 3 silver sluggers over his career. He was the 1984 World Series MVP when the Tigers beat the Padres and he hit .419 during the 1984 postseason.
6. Jeff Bagwell - I'm slightly biased on this one as an Astros fan, but this guy was arguably the greatest Astro ever and he did pretty much everything well. He retired as the Astros career leader in homeruns, runs batted in, and walks and tallied 449 career homeruns despite playing in the Astrodome for nearly a decade. He was the 1994 NL MVP when he hit .368 with 39 homeruns and 116 rbis in just 110 games before the strike. He had a pair of 30/30 seasons, won a gold glove, was the rookie of the year in 1991, and was elected to 4 all star teams. The only thing that would be nice if he didn't get elected was if Biggio and Bagwell could go into the Hall together. The guy deserves to be there though.
7. Barry Larkin - Despite playing in the Ozzie Smith era, Larkin was a 12 time all star and won 3 gold gloves with the Reds where he spent his entire major league career. Larkin was the NL MVP in 1995 and a pivotal member of the Reds 1990 World Series team hitting .353 against the heavily favored Athletics. Larkin totalled 2340 hits, won 9 silver sluggers and hit .295 with 441 doubles and 379 steals. When you talk 80s /early 90s NL shortstops it was always Ozzie Smith and Barry Larkin.
8. Edgar Martinez - A lifetime Mariner, Martinez was one of the greatest DH's in baseball history. While that may sour some people, check this out: Martinez is one of 8 players to hit 300 homeruns, 500 doubles, hit at least .300, have an on base percentage of at least .400 and slug at least .500. The other seven? Oh just Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig, Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton. Not bad company. Martinez made 7 all star teams and won 5 silver slugger awards.
9. Dale Murphy - I got a Dale Murphy baseball card in my first pack of Topps back in 1988 so I've always liked him. He was one of the better power hitters of the 80s and won a pair of MVP awards in 1982 and 1983 with Atlanta. He also was a 7-time all star and won 5 gold gloves. From 1988 on he struggled hitting just .236 and that brought his career average down from .282 to .265 and many voters may hold that against him. Not me though.
10. I'm not ready to vote for Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire just yet. Maybe in a few years.
So there we have it. Let's see how it all turns out.
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