Originally Posted By: mustachepete
The 2018 Hall of Fame ballot is out:

https://bbwaa.com/18-hof-ballot-release/

Ballots to be returned by December 31, results announced January 24.



As in previous years, a diligent fellow named Ryan Thibodaux is compiling the vote as sportswriters reveal their ballots in their columns:

https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=F2E5D8FC5199DFAF!8063&ithint=file,xlsx&app=Excel&authkey=!AAAsz3uDsmqy_Vw

After 105 ballots, about 25% of the expected total:

C. Jones 98%
Thome 95%
Guerrero 94%
Martinez 81%
Hoffman 79%

75% required for induction

Clemens 71%
Bonds 70%
Mussina 71%
Schilling 68%
Walker 41%
Ramirez 29%
Vizquel 29%

As I say every year, nearly everyone's numbers fall when final vote is announced. Bonds and Clemens were at around 73% at this point last year, but finished at around 54%.

That said, the top 5 are very interesting. Jones, Thome, and Guerrero look like locks. Hoffman's one of the few guys whose numbers haven't crashed when the final vote is announced. Edgar Martinez fell by about 7.5% at the announcement last year. If he does that again he'd fall just short of induction at around 73.5%

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were voted in by one of the veterans' committees earlier this month. If joined by four others, it would be only the second time (1955) that six living ex-players were inducted in one year.


"All of these men were good listeners; patient men."