By Kyle Kreiger, Streampunk Contributor and Photographer
With the MLB Hall of Fame induction come and gone, and having three new members going to Cooperstown, what better way to have some fun but taking some votes from the Stream Punk Entertainment staff to see which candidates would make the Streampunk MLB Hall of Fame.
The rules are similar to the ones found with the BBWAA Hall of Fame, as each ballot allows for 10 votes per voter, and to make the hall, each player requires 75% of the votes cast. One additional rule will be that in addition to the ones we vote in, those voted in by the writers will get in as well, as our Hall of Fame will contain everyone who has made it into Cooperstown, and it saves us the headache of having to add entries in each year that do make it in. However it will be designated as such. If players make it in through us, but not through the writers, they will not be included in our future ballots as they are already in our SPE Hall.
Now, without further ado, here are the tallies for all the players who received votes, and the percentage they all got:
First up, we have four UNANIMOUS entries into this prestigious Hall, most likely located somewhere in New Jersey.
- Ichiro Suzuki
- Alex Rodriguez
- Felix Hernandez
- Andruw Jones
Unlike the official BBWAA voters, it looks like we here at Streampunk have no issue with voting unanimously for candidates, and rightfully so, as we can plainly see they are all deserving of votes one way or another. They were absolute superstars during their playing days, and we acknowledge them as such.
Ichiro Suzuki essentially put up first ballot hall of fame numbers in what amounts to half of a career, and not only that, it was the latter half of his career when most players either get injured or just see their overall production drop. Now while in the last couple years his numbers certainly started to decline, but he was a player that was willing to put himself out onto that field regardless of condition.
Alex Rodriguez is probably the most controversial on this list as he was tainted by the use of steroids even after the peak of steroid use in baseball. Coming out and admitting it was admirable, but for the BBWAA, he will probably never reach the echelon of Cooperstown through them, and it will eventually be up to the Veterans Committee. However, with us here, we can accept the fact that even without the enhancers, he still would have most likely been a first ballot hall of famer, and the stats he put up are worthy of recognition. Like it or not, he was a star figure in baseball, and he snagged a unanimous entry into our Hall of Fame.
Felix Hernandez, aka King Felix, was an absolute phenom within the Mariners organization. Playing his entire career for Seattle, King Felix was a force to be reckoned with whenever he went to the mound. With a career average of 3.42, 25 complete games, a Cy Young award, and a perfect game under his belt, sadly he was a victim of the Mariners playoff drought of the 2000s and 2010s. However, we at Streampunk recognize his career as a lock for the Hall here, and he ended up getting in with a unanimous selection.
Finally, our last unanimous entry is Andruw Jones. While under the radar for many, he put together an incredible career. With multiple gold glove awards and all star appearances to his name, he tended to get overshadowed by his peers in most baseball stats, though what he was best known for was his impeccable defense and lineup presence. While sadly never winning a World Series, Jones put together a career worthy of note, and as such, we here at SPE induct him into our Hall of Fame.
Up next, we have two more who made it into the SPE MLB Hall of Fame with at least 75% of the vote.
- Torii Hunter
- Manny Ramirez
Congrats to Hunter and Manny, as they too are inducted into our Hall of Fame here! Both put up fantastic careers with Hunter being a defensive monster
Surprisingly, the other two who officially made it into the Hall in Cooperstown did not make it to the Streampunk Hall via our votes, as both Sabathia and Wagner both fell short by a single vote. However, as the rules state, they will get entry as well under the BBWAA banner. Also getting at least one vote were Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, David Wright, and Ben Zobrist.
Do you agree with our choices, dear readers? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts and give us your ballot! We aim to continue this tradition come next year, so lets celebrate those who made it Cooperstown!