Every year at this time, names are thrown around for possible induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, by far the most prestigious of all Halls.
Personally, I don't think Andre Dawson's numbers stack up, but the entire landscape is changing thanks to the Steroid Era. Here's a small list of guys, although some have been linked to PEDs, who are first-ballot players when their time comes.
Manny Ramirez - 500 home runs and maybe the most feared right-handed hitter of this generation.
Jim Thome - Quietly continues to climb up the ladder on the all-time home run list.
Alex Rodriguez - He's sitting at 599 homers, and only a handful or so of guys have reached 600 for a career.
Ichiro Suzuki - Between his obvious hitting prowess, he's a 10-time all-star, has speed and few play a better right field than the Japanese import.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Do I have to give reasons? If not for injuries, we'd be saying, "Barry Bonds who?"
Derek Jeter - One of the best players on the best team for a long, long time. Even take him off the Yankees, and he's still a likely Hall of Famer.
Mariano Rivera - He's been so good for so long and continues to get the job done in the twilight of his career. Then again, who says he's in the twilight?
Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson: Could very well be the last pitchers in history to eclipse the 300-win plateau.
Here's a list of guys who are likely in, but maybe not on the first ballot:
Omar Vizquel - This generation's top defensive shortstop. If he had a bit of a better bat, he'd be in the Jeter category.
Pedro Martinez - He's only got 219 wins, but no pitcher (maybe Sandy Koufax) was more dominant during a 5- to 7-year stretch than Pedro. And he got his ring.
Chipper Jones - He's truly an ambassador for the game, hit 433 home runs and has been an institution in Atlanta. I'd like to think he's in.
Guys who haven't done quite enough yet, but should they keep pushing ....
Albert Pujols - The numbers and awards keep piling up for this guy, and it's only a matter of time.
Joe Mauer - He just signed a deal that'll keep him in Minnesota for a long time, a place where he's comfortable. No pressure in Minnesota, so his MVP-type seasons will keep coming. And he's a catcher, meaning these numbers will be unprecedented for the position.
Ryan Howard - He's nearly halfway to 500 home runs already, and he's got an MVP award. The Phillies were smart enough to pay this man.
Guys who probably won't get in until something changes with the perception of steroid users: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Raphael Palmeiro.
That last group I really feel for, because they didn't need the PEDs to be good. They were good. They needed the PEDs to be great. Greed took over.
Now I know I missed a few here and there, so feel free to chime in about any of these guys, or those I omitted.
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It would be nice if the baseball Hall weren't so hung up on numbers, because Vizquel deserves to be in. A career .273 hitter, Vizquel wasn't exactly a man to fear in the batter's box. But he won 11 gold gloves at shortstop. Most shortstops have to move elsewhere when they get older (count on Jeter moving to the outfield in the next couple years), but not Vizquel. He played 22 years at short and was 39 when he won his last gold glove in 2006.
He should be in the Hall of Fame. The game isn't all about offense.
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