Analyzing the 2009 Hall of Fame Vote
January 14, 2009 by Bill Gilbert · Leave a Comment
Rickey Henderson was elected on his first try (94.8%) and Jim Rice was elected on his 15th and final try (76.4%). Here are the numbers.
| Player | Total Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 511 | 94.8% | |
| 412 | 76.4% | |
| 361 | 67.0% | |
| 338 | 62.7% | |
| 240 | 44.5% | |
| 237 | 44.0% | |
| 171 | 31.7% | |
| 122 | 22.6% | |
| 118 | 21.9% | |
| 94 | 17.4% | |
| 81 | 15.0% | |
| 64 | 11.9% | |
| 62 | 11.5% | |
| 32 | 5.9% | |
| 22 | 4.1% | |
| 21 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | 1.3% | |
| 6 | 1.1% | |
| 2 | 0.4% | |
| 1 | 0.2% | |
| 0 | 0% | |
| 0 | 0% | |
| 0 | 0% |
539 writers participated in the voting this year compared to 543 last year.
Of the 13 players who were on the ballot in both 2008 and 2009, 7 received more votes in 2009 and 6 received fewer votes.
Biggest gainers were Rice (+20) and Tommy John (+13) who were both in their final year on the ballot.
Biggest losers were Dale Murphy (-13), Don Mattingly (-12), Mark McGwire (-10) and Tim Raines (-10). Surprisingly, McGwire, in his third year on the ballot, and Raines in his second year both received fewer votes than they did their first year on the ballot.
Andre Dawson (+3) and Bert Blyleven (+2) made just slight gains. Blyleven has only three years left on the ballot and needs to start making a move next year to reach the 75% needed for election.
None of the 10 newcomers on the ballot this year will be on the ballot next year. Henderson was elected and the other nine all failed to reach the 5% necessary to remain on the ballot. Of the newcomers, Mark Grace came the closest with 22 votes (4.1%).
The 2010 ballot will have 4 newcomers with strong credentials, Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Fred McGriff and Edgar Martinez. While none may make it on the first ballot, they should at least be strong enough to remain on the ballot for a few years. This may make it difficult for Dawson and Blyleven to pick up the additional votes they need.
