Once again, the MLB Hall of Fame is the source of contention.
We don’t need to rehash all the specifics. Again. Any notion of some kind of “standard” has been obliterated through years of inconsistencies. The whole process is undermined by a lack of transparency. The few times the public is clued into what happens behind the scenes, we see writers who haven’t covered (or watched) baseball in years casting decisive ballots. Empty ballots. One-name ballots for their hometown guy.
It’s now an annual tradition to ponder on ways to make this all better. There’s another solution. Starting over.
Historians of the institution could note far more egregious omissions throughout the years than steroid users Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Though leaving out two icons of an era while putting in Jeff Kent via special committee speaks directly to one of many issues facing the current system.
Though the true poster child for the need to restart is Buck O’Neil. An indelibly elite player of the Negro Leagues, O’Neil was denied entry in a vote in 2006. Posthumously inducted in 2022. There are a lot of Buck O’Neil’s throughout history. They, and we, deserve a fresh look.
First of all, as many have argued for a long time, the people who know the most about playing the game should have a voice in deciding the best players of all time. Y’know… the players.
It would be incredibly to see a leadership group of former and current players (elected by the body at large) set forth parameters for a new Hall of Fame. Or Hall of Great. Because this Hall should be less about fame, who you know and who likes you, and more about your ability to play the game of baseball.
So let’s imagine such a committee exists and what they might come up with.
They’d likely begin by establishing who gets to vote. All players? Minor leaguers? Perhaps in order to gain a vote for the Players Hall of Great, you need to reach certain milestones. Something like accruing five years of MLB service time seems reasonable. Though, so does allowing everyone who reaches that level at all. It’s still a relatively small group of people.
Another thing to consider is whether or not managers and coaches, maybe even front office staff, should be included. What about the broadcasters? That certainly expands the voting block but there are pros and cons to that. All this should be left up to the creation committee of players.
Once it is decided who votes, the next order of business will be zeroing in on the size of the first class. Then all the classes after that.
But for the sake of discussion, let us pretend that the newly-formed electorate has landed on an inaugural class of just 25 players. An exclusive honor, indeed. Who would those names be?
No doubters like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron come to mind. What about Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston? How about Barry Bonds? Would they overlook the transgressions of Pete Rose or “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in favor of their contributions to the game? The chances that it would look very incredibly different from current Hall of Fame is incredibly high. Even with just the first 25 players inducted.
It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Either way, modern players will stand side-by-side with the phenoms of yesteryear. Players of all races and creeds, united by one thing; greatness of the diamond.
Of course, there is a bit of irony here in a writer setting parameters by which the players themselves should set the parameters.
Those who have long argued for the inclusion of these players make the point that we need a museum to simply tell the story of the game. Even when that story has ugly spots. It has become clear that if we want that, we are going to have to build it from the ground up. And we should start by letting the best players alive tell us definitively who they believe to be the best players in history.
After enshrining that first prestigious class, we make it a yearly event. Again, let the players decide how big each class can be, how much of the vote they need to get in, and how long players remain eligible. Preferably forever. A new Hall doesn’t need to replace what we already have. The two Halls can coexist. There should at least be one that contains all of the greatest players to ever play, though.
The writers can keep their Hall of Fame. The players should make their own.
