All quibbling aside, HOF voters got this one right
Go ahead and wonder why 15 voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America left five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson off their Hall of Fame ballots.
Feel free to question the logic of the 49 voters who took a pass on Pedro Martinez, who led the major leagues in ERA five times. And definitely point your finger at the nearly 100 voters who neglected John Smoltz, the only pitcher in baseball history with 200 wins and 150 saves.
Bashing BBWAA Hall of Fame voters has become increasingly fashionable as social media continues to expand, and this year is no different.
But Tuesday a very flawed system that relies on many voters who no longer even cover major-league baseball showed it still works to a point.
Johnson is going to Cooperstown after receiving 97.3 percent of the vote, the eighth-highest success rate in history.
Martinez is going to Cooperstown after receiving 91.1 percent of the vote. And Smoltz, also on the HOF ballot for the first time, is going to Cooperstown after receiving 82.9 percent of the vote.
Craig Biggio was 2 votes shy of gaining induction last year, but the former Houston Astros star also is going to Cooperstown after receiving 82.7 percent of the vote on his third try.
Say what you want about Hall of Fame voters being too picky - or too clueless - but the four Hall of Fame inductees is the biggest class in 60 years.
"It's a great honor, and I dedicate it to every fan out there and every teammate I played with," said Martinez, who had a career 219-100 record along with a 2.93 record and 3,154 strikeouts in 2,827⅓ innings. "I'm very thankful I'm going in with this group."
It is quite a group of first-time pitchers.
Johnson is one of the best left-handers the game has ever seen. Not only did the "Big Unit" rack up five Cy Youngs, he won 303 games and has the best strikeout rate (10.6 per 9 innings) in history.
"The Hall of Fame was never something that I surely ever thought about," Johnson said. "I don't think people quite understand how difficult it is to be 6-foot-10 and be throwing a ball 60 feet, 6 inches away.
"In order to do that, you have to consistent with your release point and where you're landing and your arm slot and all that. For someone 6-1, 6-2, there's less body to keep under control, so it's a lot easier."
Like Johnson and Martinez, Smoltz made it look pretty easy while excelling as a starter and a reliever. The right-hander was a lifetime 213-155 with 154 saves and a 3.33 ERA.
Biggio missed out his first two years on the ballot, but a player with 3,060 career hits deserves to be in Cooperstown. Biggio said he cried after getting the good news Tuesday.
"I'm very excited and honored and humbled to be able to be first Astro to be in the Hall of Fame," he said.
Mike Piazza finished fourth in HOF balloting, the former catcher falling 28 votes shy of the 412 needed for induction.
Jeff Bagwell (55.7 percent) and Tim Raines (55) were the only other players to appear on more than half of the ballots. Players can remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years if they receive at least 5 percent of the vote on an annual basis.
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