Baseball Hall of Fame: Here's who will be on the ballot for the first time in 2019

Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay lead the way

By R.J. Anderson

Jan 24, 2018 at 6:33 pm ET • 3 min read

The 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class was named on Wednesday. Because there's nothing fans love more than debating who merits enshrinement, the end of the process for one year doubles as the beginning of the process for another.

In other words, it's time to look at who will join the next ballot as newcomers.

It's a loaded group, complete with a couple potential first-ballot inductees, including one who could threaten unanimity.

Will get in

Mariano Rivera: Obviously. The only things preventing Rivera from appearing on more than 95 percent of ballots will be strategic voters and those who abstain from marking the box for a closer. Even then, Rivera isn't a closer, he is the closer.

Rivera remains the all-time leader in games finished (952), saves (652), and ERA+ (205). His storied postseason career saw him finish with a 0.70 ERA in 141 innings. He made 13 All-Star Games and owns five World Series championship rings. Rivera also won five Rolaids Relief Awards and a MVP trophy from a World Series, ALCS, and All-Star Game. Oh, and for those wondering, yes, he finished with 17 more Wins Above Replacement than the average reliever who is already in Cooperstown.

Combine Rivera's on-the-field excellent with his spotless off-the-field record, and there's no argument against him going in on the first ballot. He is the standard by which every closer from here until Kingdom Come will be measured.

Roy Halladay: Sadly, Halladay's eventual induction will be posthumous.

Halladay won just 203 games, but he was a two-time Cy Young winner (he finished second on two other occasions) and an eight-time All-Star. He led his league in complete games seven times, and in innings pitched, WAR, and shutouts four times. He made only five postseason starts in his career, but one of those was the no-hitter against the Reds. Halladay was a horse during an era where those are less and less common, and his 250-inning campaign in 2010 could be the last of those the National League sees in a long time (if ever again).

Halladay's advanced metrics case is also strong, as he finished with a better seven-year peak than the average for starters already in the Hall. His overall number (64.7) fell about nine wins short (73.9) but voters are almost certain to overlook that.

Maybe?

Todd Helton: Based solely on WAR, Helton's numbers are right in line with the average first baseman who is already in the Hall. Alas, he fell short of the magic numbers (2,519 hits and 369 home runs), and he spent his entire career with the Rockies. Helton's four Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves are nice, yet voters have had trouble warming up to Larry Walker -- and unlike Walker, Helton never called a park other than Coors Field his home.

Andy Pettitte: Pettitte won more games than Halladay (256) and should receive credit for essentially pitching an entire regular season in the playoffs (a 3.81 ERA in 276 innings). There are a few things working against Pettitte: He never won a Cy Young Award and made just three All-Star Games; he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. He did apologize (and was seemingly forgiven), but voters have stuck it to other known users, and it'll be interesting to see if this case proves any different.

Deserving of discussion, but long shots

Miguel Tejada: Unlike Petititte, Tejada actually failed a PED test -- for Adderall usage. He was included in the Mitchell Report, too, and even plead guilty for lying to Congress about drug use in baseball. Sheesh. Tejada won the 2002 MVP Award and made six All-Star Games, all the while compiling some solid numbers during a high-quality peak. None of that is going to much matter -- he wasn't Hall-worthy with or without the drug stigma.

Lance Berkman: Berkman was a heck of a hitter. He finished with the 28th-highest OPS of all-time. He didn't do much else, though, and he didn't reach important milestones -- put another way, 366 home runs aren't enough to grant a one-dimensional player entrance to the Hall.

Roy Oswalt: Oswalt was a consistently above-average starter who made three All-Star Games, won an ERA title, and earned Cy Young Award votes on six occasions. He lacked the peak and the longevity to merit entry into the Hall, but we placed him here because he's better than the one-and-dones listed below.