Health & Fitness
The Baseball Hall of fame voting process needs tweeking
The process to vote players into the hall of Famed is slightly flawed.
There seems to be a lot of discrepancies when it comes to voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some voters don’t want to vote and some have extremely high standards that would not let anyone in. I believe one step in “fixing” the voter discrepancy would be to add voters. There are over 500 voters; we know this because according to the BBWAA in 2010 there were 581 voters and it increases every yea...r. But I don’t propose adding more writers to the equation; I suggest adding a fan vote. Now, I know some would argue that the writers are the pulse of the fans; unfortunately that does not hold a lot of water. Before I get into detail of my voting plan I want to identify one thing: adding a fan vote would be good for the hall, bringing a different perspective of heart and desire. The key aspect of this is different perspective. There is no doubt in my mind that the current voters are involved in their craft with heart and desire; the fans have another mind set when judging players.
The process:
First we need to put a cap on the writers that vote maybe 600 or 750. Put the limit on the writers to have a percentage cap. If a writer doesn’t vote for 3 years, any 3 years of their voting experience, they lose their ability to vote. They are chosen to vote not to abstain. One vote counts, there is going to be at least one person to vote for. This will not ensure there is a class every year but it will help with the voters with their “research.”
Second, get the people involved with the Society of American Baseball Researchers (SABR) involved. They do exactly what their name says research baseball. These are people that love the game. Give SABR two ballots and have it stand with the percentages. To ensure that writers do not get two votes, anyone who is in SBAR and has a BBWAA vote will not submit their vote with SBAR.
Third, get the fans involved. There is a process that can involve votes two be calculated to enter two or maybe one person into the Hall of Fame based on a national vote. Let the fans have a say if someone gets in. The Hall of Fame was considered a shrine by all in the past; untouchable, it was the ultimate Hall of Fame. Not that the Hall has diminished, but fans now days are informed and more involved. They pay the ticket prices and keep the owners pockets filled. But I digress, that does not play a factor into voting.
Whether this system works or not, something needs to be done. Players are getting shafted because they have to take the brunt for some other player’s actions, which is unbelievable, when considering that some players get in based on their statistics only. Do some of the writers believe that they are better than the fans?