As I hold my official Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, I am filled with excitement. I have spent months preparing for this moment, fueled by a passion that started when I was just a child. You can read about my journey here.
My approach to voting is influenced by the belief that players should be given a fair chance to make it to the Hall of Fame. I take into consideration various factors, including a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to their team.
When it comes to players who have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), I have a clear stance. Players caught violating the rules set by MLB and suspended are a no for me. However, I do not hold it against players who were involved in the pre-suspension era, as it was a league-wide issue. This means I support players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens but not Rafael Palmeiro.
Off-field behavior is not a major factor in my decision-making process, as I focus on a player’s on-field performance and contributions to the team. This has led me to vote for players like Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Carlos Beltrán, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, and Chase Utley.
Although he may not be inducted this year, he definitely has my vote every year until he finally makes it. I firmly believe that we should slightly adjust the standards for starting pitchers, especially in today’s game. That’s why I am casting my vote for Mark Buehrle and Andy Pettitte. While Pettitte does have a connection to PEDs, it’s worth noting that this was before testing was implemented, and he remained clean throughout his career. As for the remaining two spots on my ballot, I considered players like Félix Hernández, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, and David Wright. Ultimately, I decided to go with Bobby Abreu, who I feel has been underappreciated and deserves recognition. I had to stop at nine votes, as I couldn’t justify selecting Pedroia, Rollins, or Wright. While some voters choose to include personal favorites in their selections, I opted not to include Ben Zobrist, despite his heroics in the 2016 World Series. My official ballot includes Buehrle, Pettitte, and Abreu.