The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) released the list of candidates to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Former members of the New York Yankees Nick Swisher (outfielder), AJ Burnett (starting pitcher) and LaTroy Hawkins (relief pitcher) are entering the ballot this year.
The last couple of Hall of Fame classes have been led by long-time successful members of the New York Yankees in Mariano Rivera (a unanimous vote) and Derek Jeter (a near-unanimous vote.)
Could a former member of the Yankees make it all the way to Cooperstown this year? Besides the three mentioned first-year eligibles, other five names that played in pinstripes remain with options of being honored: starting pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte; and outfielders Andruw Jones, Bobby Abreu, and Gary Sheffield.
Yankees’ icons and other contributors appear on the list
Clemens and Pettitte are strongly linked with the Yankees, especially the latter, who was a member of multiple championship-winning teams and played most of his career in pinstripes. He set several postseason records in an amazing career.
Abreu, per data from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, hit .295/.378/.465 with 43 homers and 243 RBIs in 372 games for the Yankees. He’s is his second year on the ballot. Burnett was with the team from 2009 to 2011 and won the 2009 World Series, with a victory in Game 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hawkins pitched with the Yankees in 2008, while Jones played in the Bronx in 2011 and 2012. Swisher spent part of his career (2009-2012) in New York and also won the 2009 Fall Classic. Sheffield was a member of the team between 2004 and 2006 and hit .291/.383/.515 with 76 home runs and 269 RBIs in 347 games with the club.
As a reminder, candidates need to be on at least 75 percent of ballots to be guaranteed a place in the Hall of Fame.
Here is the complete ballot:
The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, as announced by @baseballhall. pic.twitter.com/gBquMDv2hK
— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) November 16, 2020