Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

Yesterday evening, the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) announced the final members of the Class of 2020.

Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were announced as the final two members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Class of 2020.  They join the Modern Era Committee selections of Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller in Cooperstown as the only four people selected this year.

Derek Jeter was on 396 of 397 ballots (99.7%) and Larry Walker was on 304 of 397 ballots (76.6%).  Unfortunately for Larry Walker, his story seemed to have gotten buried by the "outrage" of media and fans that "The Captain" was not a unanimous selection in his first year of eligibility.

I watched MLB Network all afternoon leading up to the Hall of Fame announcement.  At one point yesterday, Bob Costas said that he would not have Jeter on his ballot (not sure if he has a vote or not).  The reason he gave, is the same reason I would not have voted for him on the first ballot as well.  Costas said for someone to be a unanimous selection, they need to be without a shadow of a doubt the very best at their position.  He said that was the reason Mariano Rivera has been the only unanimous selection for the Hall of Fame.  Costas said that while Jeter is a Hall of Fame shortstop, he is not the very best at the position.  Costas said that you have players like Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken Jr, Ozzie Smith, Ernie Banks and Barry Larkin to name a few are also in the discussion for the best shortstop of all time.

Larry Walker's story is something that needs to be told.  He was in his final year of eligibility.  Last year Walker recieved 54.6% of the vote.  He was behind such names as Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.  Going into the vote this year, Walker had a slim chance of getting in.  Everyone knew Jeter was going to be getting in on his first year of eligibility.  Last year there were 425 ballots and only 397 this year, which means you had to get 298 votes to get elected this year.

Like a scene out of a movie, in his final year of eligibility, Larry Walker jumped from 54.6% of the vote to 76.6% of the vote, a 22% jump in voting.  Schilling only jumped up 9.1% from 60.9% in 2019 to 70% in 2020.  While Bonds jumped from 59.1% last year to 60.7% (+ 1.6%) this year and Clemens jumped from 59.5% in 2019 to 61% (+ 1.5%) in 2020.  Many speculate that Schilling's outspoken views on politics might have turned some voters off this year.  Speculation on Bonds and Clemens thought that the BBWAA voters might have been softening enough to allow them to get in this year.  However, that speculation proved to be incorrect.

All three players have two more years on the ballot.  The 2021 ballot will have first time names on it like Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter and Barry Zito.  While these are some big names, none of those four are first ballot hall of fame players.  Next year's ballot will be the most interesting since 2017 when there wasn't a guarantee of who was going to get in.

Is 2021 the year Bonds and Clemens finally get their names called?

Mets Turn To?

The Mets don't have a lot of time to hire a new manager.  What would normally take months has now been compressed into weeks.

"This team is one that we believe in," Mets GM Brody Van Wagenen said. "This team is one that we believe can contend, and we want to make sure that we have the right support system around them to achieve their success."

Having gone through a manger search three months ago, the Mets should be able to hire a manager quickly.  Especially since Spring Training is less than a month away.

With this in mind, let's look at some names that could come up:

  
Luis Rojas

Rojas would be able to engineer the most seamless transition possible.  He's the only managerial candidate the Mets interviewed in November from their own coaching staff, and he's spent the past two months working alongside Carlos Beltrán to prepare for this season.  A member of the well-regarded Alou family, the 38-year-old Rojas has plenty of Minor League managerial experience, is popular in the clubhouse and is widely considered a future big league manager.  The downisde is that he has only spent one season on a big league staff, giving him much less experience than some other names on this list.

Tony DeFrancesco

The Mets thought enough of DeFrancesco to promote him from Triple-A Syracuse manager to big league first-base coach under Beltrán.  Also popular among Mets who played under him in the Minros, DeFrancesco interviewed for the manager's job in November but was not a finalist.  He has prior MLB managerial experience, serving as the interim manager in Houston in 2012.

 Hensley Meulens

This is my choice for Mets manager.  Meulens was Beltrán's choice for bench coach.  He spent a decade working on Bruce Bochy's coaching staff in San Francisco, where he had a first-hand look at one of the most successful managers in recent baseball history.  Mets officials were excited about the hire of Meulens, who speaks five languages and was a runner-up for the Yankees job that went to Aaron Boone in 2018.  Meulens may also be a candidate for the Red Sox's managerial vacancy.

Eduardo Perez

Perez was the runner-up to Beltrán the first time around (I'm sure the Mets wished they had hired him now instead of Beltrán).  He's charismatic, popular and would almost certainly handle the media responsibilities of the job with ease, which is no small task in the pressure cooker of New York.  Perez offers a complete resume, with experience as a player, a manager in Puerto Rico, a Major League coach and a front-office employee.  But, like several others on this list, he doesn't have any Major League managing experience.

Tim Bogar

Another finalist for the job that went to Beltrán, Bogar just won a World Series ring with the Nationals.  he has past ties to the Red Sox, making him a potential candidate there as well.  Like DeFrancesco, he also has experience as an interim manager, serving in that role in Texas.  The Nationals recently promoted Bogar to bench coach, however, perhaps incentivizing him to stay.

Joe McEwing

A finalist in 2017 for the job that went to Mickey Callaway, McEwing has always been hugely popular amongst Mets fans since playing for the team from 2000-04.  He's extremely close with David Wright, who is now an advisor in the Mets front office, and he has ties to the Northeast after playing high school ball in Eastern Pennsylvania and college ball in New Jersey.  He has loads of experience, both as a Minor League manager and as a coach for the Chicago White Sox.  The Mets didn't appear to give McEwing a long look back in November, but if they pursue anyone who wasn't a prime candidate at that time, McEwing may make the most sense.

The Mets never really pursued veteran managers like Buck Showalter, Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker back in November.  Brody Van Wagnen said, "I don't think the values that we're looking for have changed."  Those comments seemed to indicate nothing has changed in that regard, so it appears unlikely the Mets will suddenly have interest in Showalter, Bochy, Baker or anyone else in the "decades of experience" category.  Still, for as long as they are unemployed, they will have backers.

The clock is ticking in Queens.  Let's see what happens when it strikes midnight.

Something is Buzzing in Houston

The week started with Houston Astros owner Jim Crane firing general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch.  The week is ending with more controversy in Houston.  This time the focus is on the players and not the staff.  Did the sign stealing evolve from banging on trash cans and yelling in 2017, to buzzers on the players in 2019 to signal when a certain pitch was coming?

The controversy has picked up steam on social media and sports talk radio in the past 24 hours.  After looking at the most damning piece of evidence, I think there was a buzzer of some kind on Jose Altuve, when he hit the walk off home run to end the 2019 ALCS.  You can look on YouTube and watch the video yourself.  As he is rounding third base and heading towards home plate, you can clearly see him tell his teammates, who are at home plate, "Don't rip my jersey."

While he is saying, "Don't rip my jersey," he tugs on it.  As he extends his arm, with his jersey in his grip, you can clearly see underneath the jersey, a white square attached to his skin.  It looks like the lead you would have attached to you for a tens machine.

If Altuve wasn't wearing anything, then why did he go into the tunnel or locker room, while his teammates were on the field celebrating.  Altuve then comes back out to do an interview with Fox Sports reporter, Ken Rosenthal, wearing the ALCS Championship t-shirt and hat, but he does not have a jersey on underneath it.  I have never seen anything like that.  To me, that suggests he had something to hide.

Ken Rosenthal even asked Altuve during the interview after the ALCS, why he told his teammates not to rip off his jersey.  Altuve responded with, "Last time they did that, I got in trouble with my wife."  While funny at the time, with everything that has come out about the Astros organization since the end of the 2019 World Series, I think everyone has a legitimate right to question if he was really hiding something.

A Google search for "Jose Altuve walk off home run" uncovers a picture that makes you think that there is more to Altuve hiding something, than making his wife mad.

In this picture you can clearly see something in mid-air as Altuve's teammates are tearing the jersey off of him.  While Robinson Chirinos and Alex Bregman are celebrating with Jose Altuve, it appears that George Springer is clearly starting to freak out.  Is that a button in mid-air, or is it the buzzer that was attached to Altuve?

Joel Sherman with MLB Network reached out to Altuve's agent, Scott Boras and asked about the buzzer controversy.  Boras responded with, "“When this came up today, Jose Altuve immediately contacted me and this is his statement: ‘I have never worn an electronic device in my performance as a major league player.’”

The evidence is circumstantial, but there are photos and images of Altuve acting in a way that could indicate he was hiding something under his jersey during some of his most iconic postseason home runs.

But at this point, his word alone may not be enough to salvage his reputation.

Both he and the rest of the Astros have a lot of work to do moving forward to help their reputations, though.

Mets Split With Beltrán

The Astros sign stealing scandal has claimed yet another victim.  The New York Mets announced today that they have parted ways with new manager, Carlos Beltrán.

Beltrán was named manager in Queens on November 1, replacing Mickey Callaway.  He had never managed in the majors before the Mets gave him a shot.  He was a member of the 2017 Houston Astros that won the World Series.  He came to the Mets with a strong reputation as a leader with a keen mind for the game.

Sadly, it was the latter that led to his dismissal.  The report from Commissioner Rob Manfred revealed Beltran as a key player in devising the sign stealing system:

This doesn't say that Beltrán originated the plan, it makes him sound more like a co-conspirator and not a ringleader.  If he was still a player, I don't think he would have been named in the report.  Commisioner Manfred didn't shy from saying the operation was "player-driven".  However given the power of the baseball players union, it would be almost impossible to penalize any players in the scandal.

Nevertheless, some heads needed to roll as a result of the investigation.  Beltran and Alex Cora were essentially marked for death by Commisioner Manfred when they were singled out in his report.  Cora was let go on Tuesday by Boston.

Beltrán did issue a statement after it was announced he was out as the Mets manager:

"Over my 20 years in the game, I've always taken pride in being a leader and doing things the right way, and in this situation, I failed.  As a veteran player on the team, I should've recognized the severity of the issue and truly regret the actions that were taken.  I am a man of faith and integrity and what took place did not demonstrate those characteristics that are so very important to me and my family.  I'm very sorry.  It's not who I am as a father, a husband, a teammate and as an educator.  The Mets organization and I mutually agreed to part ways, moving forward for the greater good with no further distractions.  I hope that at some point in time, I'll have the opportunity to return to this game that I love so much."

The only characteristic Beltrán displayed in 2017 was that of greed.  He wanted that World Series ring.  He knew that the 2017 Houston Astros were his last chance at getting the elusive ring.  What once was a guaranteed Hall of Fame career, has now been forever tarnished.  It now ranks up there with the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as a cheater.

Where Does Boston Turn?

The Red Sox scheduled organziational meetings for this week, never expecting that (now former) manager Alex Cora would become a central figure in baseball's largest cheating scandal since the 1919 Chicago White Sox were paid off by gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series.

I'm sure when Chaim Bloom took over in Boston as head of baseball operations on October 25, he never expected to have to deal with finding a new manager, just weeks before spring training is to begin.  In light of the news MLB was investigating Alex Cora and the organization for cheating, I'm sure the 36-year-old wiz kid already has a list of potential candidates ready.

With no names being mentioned yet, here is a list of candidates I'm sure will be mentioned in the days to come:

IN HOUSE CANDIDATES

Ron Roenicke

Has previous managerial experience, when he managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-15, while posting a 342-331 record.  Roenicke was Alex Cora's trusted bench coach for the past two season.  He already has good relationships with the players and would provide the most seamless transition during this time for the organization.  However, he was Cora's right hand man.  Will the MLB investigation reveal he was a part of it?  If I am the Red Sox, I would not name him.

Carlos Febles

Has served as Boston's third-base coach and infield instructor the last two seasons, and has been in the organization for the past 13 years.  Febles has paid his dues in the minors where he managed 904 games.  He has an easygoing personality and would make him a popular choice with the players.

Billy McMillon

A rising name.  McMillon managed Boston's AAA affiliate, Pawtucket last season, after serving as manager for Portland (2014-15), Greenville (2010-11) and Salem (2012-13).  From 2016-18, McMillon spent as  roving minor league outfield and base running coordinator in the Red Sox Farm system.

Jason Varitek

Boston's former catcher, captain and two-time World Series champion.  Varitek has been billed as a future manager since his playing days, and perhaps that time has finally come.  Varitek has worked in the organization since he retired in 2012 and is well-versed in all areas of the game.  Even though his title was as special assistant to the president of baseball operations, Varitek has done most of his work for the Red Sox on the field.  He is an expert on game plans for a pitching staff.  To me, this is the most obvious choice and would be a popular choice with the fan base.

Dustin Pedroia

I know this sounds like an off the wall candidate, but hear me out.  Pedey is 36-years-old, he has only played nine games in the past two seasons due to a bad left knee.  He is still under contract until 2022 and could conceivably be a player-manager.  He has an old-school approach to baseball and is a leader in the clubhouse.  However, Pedroia has demonstrated little interest in managing or coaching.

Now it is time to look at the candidates outside of the Red Sox organization:

Mark Kotsay

He is the quality control coach for the Oakland Athletics.  Kotsay was a finalist for the San Francisco Giants' managerial job that went to Gabe Kapler.  He has a brief run with the Red Sox from 2008-09 and was respected throughout the clubhouse at that time for his intangibles and work ethic.

Matt Quatraro

A name to keep any eye on.  He is the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays and Bloom is extremely familiar with his ability as a coach.  Quatraro was a finalist for the Pittsburgh Pirates job and also interviewed with the Giants.  He is known for having strong communication skills with players and has the smarts to handle the analytics-driven approach the Rays deploy.

Joe McEwing

Bench coach for the Chicago White Sox.  He is no stranger to getting interviewed for managerial jobs, having done so four times before.  He has a scrappy attitude that served him well as a player and would play well in Boston.  He finished his playing career for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2007.

Hensley Meulens

He is the current bench coach for the New York Mets.  Granted he just got the job, but I'm sure he would jump at the chance to realizing his dream of being a manager.  He was the runner-up for the Yankees job that went to Aaron Boone.  Meulens speaks five languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, Papiamento and Japanese), which would be a huge asset to have in a Major League manager.

Eduardo Pérez

Pérez has many of the same qualities that made Alex Cora an attractive candidate.  He currently works for ESPN and MLB Network Radio.  There are few former players in the game who are more universally liked among peers than Pérez.  He has a natural way of relating to people, which would certainly help him as a manager.  While he has never managed at the highest level, he has experience as a coach and a manager in the winter league.  Pérez has a deep knowledge and appreciation for analytics and speaks Spanish.  He is the son of Hall of Famer, Tony Pérez, who played in Boston from 1980-82.

Sam Fuld

The current major league player information coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies.  A veteran of 8 seasons in Major League Baseball, he would be an intriguing candidate.  He interviewed in 2018 for the Toronto Blue Jays job, before withdrawing his name from consideration.  His name was mentioned this offseason in the managerial searches for the Cubs, Giants, Mets, Phillies and Pirates.  Fuld has a connection to Bloom.  He played for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2011-13, while Bloom was the team's director of baseball operations.

Mike Lowell

A long-shot candidate for the job.  A 13-year MLB veteran, Lowell is even-keeled, smart and erudite.  He has worked with MLB Network since 2011, and is a former two-time World Series champion, including the 2007 World Series with Boston, where he was named the World Series MVP.  He would be a great choice if he wanted the job

LONG SHOT CANDIDATES

There are three names that I'm sure will come up during this search, but I don't think they will be considered since their traditional methods won't fit well with Chaim Bloom's data-driven approach:  Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia and Buck Showalter.  Bochy and Scioscia would be great choices with their proven track records as World Series winners, but I doubt they will take the job or even be interviewed.

One name I am sure will be mentioned but I seriously doubt he will even get looked at, and that is Brad Ausmus.  A Connecticut native, who graduated from Dartmouth, Ausmus' style would seem to mesh well with what Bloom wants to do in Boston.  However, he has been fired twice in the last three seasons.

No matter what candidate is selected by the Red Sox, they have considerable work to do.

Cora Out In Boston

According to the press release, the Boston Red Sox and Alex Cora mutually agreed to part ways.  After what the Houston Astros did 24 hours earlier, it came as no surprise to Red Sox fans when the news broke Tuesday evening that Cora was out.

"Today we met to discuss the Commissioner's report related to the Houston Astros investigation." the statement read. "Given the findings and the Commissioner's ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways."

"This is a sad day for us." the statement went on to say, "Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox.  We are grateful for his impact on our franchise.  We will miss his passion, his energy and his significant contributions to the communities of New England and Puerto Rico."

Alex Cora added to the statment, "We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization.  I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward.  My two years as manager were the best years of my life.  It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series championship back to Boston.  I will forever be indebted to the organization and the fans who supported me as a player, a manager and in my efforts to help Puerto Rico.  This is a special place.  There is nothing like it in all of baseball, and I will miss it dearly."

I normally try to be objective when I talk about baseball topics.  So please forgive me, but this is my team that is in the spotlight right now, and I am going to speak from the fan viewpoint.

I was exctatic that you delivered a World Series championship to my beloved franchise in 2018, in your first year on the job.  After learning what you did in Houston, and then come to find out you did it while you were manager of the Red Sox, turns my stomach.  You cheated.

Instead of being excited for the start of the new season, Red Sox fans are having to defend their team from baseball fans who think that the only way they can win is by cheating.

Let's be honest.  There was no mutual agreement to part ways with Alex Cora.  He was fired.  The Red Sox are doing everything they can to prevent Commissioner Rob Manfred from dropping a severe punishment on them.

While I think the punishment for Alex Cora will be worse than the Red Sox, I think the team will feel the sting of a punishment that will be more severe than what the Astros were delivered on Monday.

If Pete Rose was given a lifetime ban for what he did, then I say Alex Cora should get the same.  He was caught cheating while coaching for two different teams.

Alex Cora, you disgust me.  Boston is a special place.  Fenway Park is one of the last cathedrals in baseball, that is filled on a nightly basis with loyal and passionate fans.  What you did is unforgiveable. 

Houston (and Boston)....You Have A Problem

Major League Baseball handed down their penalty on Monday to the Houston Astros for the sign stealing scandal.

- Astros fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB's constitution.

- GM Jeff Luhnow suspended for one year.

- Manager A.J. Hinch suspended for one year.

- Former assistant GM Brandon Taubman suspended for one year.

- Astros forfeit their first and second round draft picks for the next two years.

I applaud Major League Baseball for the way they handled the scandal and the punishment of the Astros organization.  It took one hour, for Astros owner, Jim Crane to say, "hold my beer."

Jim Crane called a press conference to address the punishment given to his organization by MLB.

In the press conference he said, "I have higher standards for the city and the franchise and I'm going above and beyond MLB's penalty.  Today, I have made the decision to dismiss A.J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow.  We need to move forward with a clean slate, and the Astros will become stronger; a stronger organization because of this today.  You can be confident that we will always do the right thing and will not have this happen again on my watch."

"I felt that what came out in the report, they both had responsibilites.  Jeff, running the baseball operation and overseeing AJ and all of those people associated with that and AJ on the bench and was aware.  If you read the report, it's pretty clear AJ didn't endorse it and neither did Jeff.  Neither one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it and that's how we came to the conclusion."

I applaud Jim Crane for dropping the hammer.  If I had been in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.  His organization's name has been embarassed and drug through the mud.  I don't think Mr. Crane is done cleaning house yet.  I'm sure there are others still with his organization that had a hand in all of this.

We know MLB is not done with the sign stealing scandal.  The attention of the baseball world now turns to Boston to see what MLB does with Alex Cora (a member of the 2017 Astros staff) and the Red Sox organization, after it was discovered Cora took the sign stealing from Houston to Boston for their 2018 World Series run.

As a Red Sox fan, I am disgusted that Cora took this route to win the World Series.  It makes me question if they could have won the title without the sign stealing.  The Red Sox have already fired Dave Dombrowski, who was the GM in 2018 and hired Alex Cora.  Which means that if owner John Henry wanted to clean house like Jim Crane did, he wouldn't have to hire another GM.

Like the Astros , it makes me wonder how far into the Red Sox the cheating went.