# MLB Hall of Fame Quick Hits: Aaron, Rolen, Flood, IBWAA

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/mlb-hall-of-fame-quick-hits-aaron-rolen-flood-ibwaa/
- Published: 2021-01-22T15:00:00-06:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

Today, we lost an icon in baseball. [Hank Aaron](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
passed away at the age of 86. Aaron started playing semi-professional ball at 15
for the Mobile Black Bears; he joined the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro League
by the age of 17, and joined the Boston Braves franchise in 1953. He was one of 
the first African American players in the Sally League (at the time Class A). Aaron
debuted in the Majors in 1954 and became a regular in 1955, where he’d continue 
playing until 1976 at the age of 40.

Aaron was the first player to pass [Babe Ruth](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
in career home runs in 1974 and would hit a total of 755; that record would stand
until 2007, when [Barry Bonds](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
hit number 756. Aaron is still the career leader in total bases, runs batted in,
and extra base hits.

Some other quick thoughts…

 * As of right now, [there will not be anyone elected into the MLB Hall of Fame this year](http://www.bbhoftracker.com/).
   [Curt Schilling](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schilcu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   is the closest, but some [voters are asking for their ballots back so they can remove their votes for him](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2927765-report-curt-schillings-capitol-tweets-have-some-hof-voters-rethinking-ballots).
   Schilling has been a dirtbag for years, but his recent tweets supporting the 
   storming of the Capitol Building has really riled up the reports. The Hall doesn’t
   want to give back the ballots because they don’t want to “set a precedence”. 
   If that’s they case, why do they have a “character clause” for voting? At the
   same time, the voters knew that Schilling is not a good person prior to January
   8th, but they didn’t care then.
 * I’m glad to see [Omar Vizquel](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vizquom01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   lose some steam; the domestic violence allegations are bad, but he also wasn’t
   a HOF caliber player. Many compare him to [Ozzie Smith](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithoz01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   but Vizquel is behind Ozzie in almost every offensive and defensive category.
   [JAWS ranks](https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/jaws_SS.shtml) Smith 
   the #9 shortstop in baseball history; Vizquel ranks #41. The only HOF shortstops
   behind Vizquel in JAWS are [John Ward](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=wardjo01,wardjo03,wardjo02&search=John+Ward&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)(#
   62) and [George Wright](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=wrighge03,wrighge01&search=George+Wright&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)(#
   101), both of whom played in the 1800s. For more current comps, Vizquel sits 
   behind [Hanley Ramirez](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramirha01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   on the JAWS list, and just ahead of [Andrelton Simmons](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/simmoan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   and [Rafael Furcal](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/furcara02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-);
   no one calls for them to be included in the Hall.
 * I’d really like to see Barry Bond and [Roger Clemens](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   get in. They played in an era where steroids were ignored and not against the
   rules. Both had stellar careers, especially before the link to PEDs. If the Hall
   has no problem with Bud Selig, who did nothing about the steroids in the game,
   or [Mike Schmidt](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schmimi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   who openly admitted to using amphetamines while playing, being in, what’s the
   difference here? I also wouldn’t put an asterisk next to their names, but have
   something in the museum explaining the PED issue of the 1990s and 2000s.
 * [Manny Ramirez](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=ramirma02,ramire009man&search=Manny+Ramirez&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   and [Rafael Palmeiro](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/palmera01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   on the other hand, should not be in the Hall. Both did fail tests and broke the
   rules.
 * I’m OK with the next tier of guys getting in too – [Scott Rolen](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rolensc01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   [Todd Helton](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/heltoto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   and [Billy Wagner](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wagnebi02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-).
   All match up at their respective positions and has support from JAWS (well, except
   Wagner, but JAWS doesn’t really grade relievers all that fairly). Rolen was one
   of the best defensive third basemen in history. Helton has impressive numbers
   that unfairly get chalked up to the “Coors Effect.” Wagner was the last elite
   closer not in the Hall.
 * Now that [Ted Simmons](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/simmote01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   is in the Hall, my next 3 players I feel deserve to be in that aren’t are [Curt Flood](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/floodcu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   [Jim Edmonds](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/edmonji01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-),
   and Buck O’Neil. Flood had a good playing career and there would be no free agency
   without him; read _A Well Paid Slave_ to see what happened with Flood. Edmonds
   was right there with [Andruw Jones](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
   as elite centerfielders, and Edmonds hit better and for longer; if there is a
   push from the Sabermetric Community about Jones, they need to push for Edmonds
   with the veterans committee. O’Neil had a good Negro League career, but never
   got to be in the Majors; he was the first African American coach in the Majors
   and also a well respected scout (he found [Lou Brock](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brocklo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)).
   He also help create the Negro League Museum and was on the HOF Veteran’s Committee
   that elected Negro Leaguers into the MLB Hall. For more on Buck, read _The Soul
   of Baseball_. I plan on longer write up to plead the cases on all 3 in the future.

Now, I don’t have a vote in the BBWAA for the Hall of Fame, but I do have one for
the IBWAA (Internet Baseball Writers Association of America). The IBWAA follows 
the same guidelines as the BBWAA for voting. We have already recommended Clemens
and Bonds for induction, so they weren’t on the ballot for us. My ballot consisted
of:

 * Rolen
 * Wagner
 * Helton
 * [Andruw Jones](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
 * [Gary Sheffield](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sheffga01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)
 * [Jeff Kent](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kentje01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-)

Unfortunately, none of them, nor anyone else on the ballot, was selected by the 
organization this year. Below are the results:

[[

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