After the first 100 ballots were made public, they were traced down and indexed, giving two former New York Mets players the opportunity to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024.
Both former Mets players Gary Sheffield and Billy Wagner, a reliever, are trending toward the 75% required to win the race. They would be sworn in on July 21 in Cooperstown, New York, if chosen.
On January 23, the results will be made public.
With 507 home runs, Sheffield ranks 27th all-time and joins the elite 500 home run club. In addition, he won five Silver Sluggers, nine All-Star Game selections, and drove in 1,676 runs. With the Marlins, he won a World Series ring in 1997. Although he never received an MVP award, he was in the Top 10 in the voting six times.
Since he has previously been on the verge of inclusion, the vote to elect him to the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility will be closely contested.
Over the course of the last month, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America cast ballots, and by the deadline of December 31st, one hundred of them had made their votes publicly available. Those votes that have been made public have been cataloged by an independent group of writers.
Sheffield received 73.0% of the vote out of 100 cast votes, which is slightly less than the 75% required for induction.
According to the independent group monitoring the elections, 384 votes might be cast, which means that each player would require an estimated 288 votes to be inducted.
Wagner now has 79%, just above the cut line. He has been running for office for nine years.
Wagner was a four-season Mets player who made 101 saves for the team. With the Mets, he was a two-time All-Star and finished his career with 422 saves, which ranked him second among left-handed relievers and sixth overall.
With voters for the Hall of Fame, David Wright, a staple of the Mets, is significantly less fortunate. After 100 votes, he had only 9% of the total.
A lifetime member of the Mets for fourteen years.A 296 hitter who became a fan favorite as he blasted 242 home runs and 979 RBI. Spinal stenosis ended his career prematurely, limiting him to just 77 games in his final four seasons.
In addition to winning two Gold Gloves at third base and two Silver Slugger trophies, he did make seven appearances in All-Star Games. He hit 20 home runs or more six times, drove in 100 runs or more five times, and placed among the top 10 NL MVP candidates four times. Additionally, he batted over.300 in seven different seasons.
After 100 votes, the following three players are in the running for election: Todd Helton (82.0%), Joe Mauer (83.0%), and Adrián Beltré (98.0%).
On January 23, the results will be made public. The induction ceremony at Cooperstown, New York, is scheduled for July 21.
The players chosen will join former manager Jim Leyland, who was elected during the Winter Meetings to the Contemporary Baseball Era Managers/Executives/Umpires ballot.