NEW YORK — One year after having washed their hands of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, the Baseball Writers Association is faced with one of the weakest Hall of Fame ballots in recent memory — and when it’s all said and done come Jan. 24 there may well be a shutout.
If so, it will be the fourth time since 1970 the BBWAA failed to elect anyone to Cooperstown, the most recent being 2021 when Schilling came the closest to the 75% needed with 71.1%.
Last year, the writers elected only David Ortiz — barely with 77.9% — while sending Bonds, Clemens and Schilling off to the Contemporary Era veterans committee, leaving Scott Rolen, at 63.2%, the leading vote-getter returning on this year’s ballot. Can Rolen make a quantum leap to election? It’s been done before — but not likely. In 2020, Larry Walker, in his 10th and final year on the ballot, jumped from 54.6% to 76.6% which was the largest vote increase to election in 65 years.
