Rivera should be a shoo-in, Martinez gets final shot for Cooperstown

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum figures to get a new pair of bookends for its massive library this year.

There also figures to be an interesting story or two in between.

Mariano Rivera looks to be a shoo-in in his first year of eligibility, and Edgar Martinez appears to be gaining ground in his final year on ballots cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Both Rivera and Martinez were specialists, with Rivera being the premier closer in baseball history and Martinez being one of the game's greatest designated hitters.

Rivera figures to come close to 100 percent in the balloting and Martinez may finally get over the 75 percent hump thanks to former White Sox DH Harold Baines winning election by the Today's Game Era Committee earlier this month. Former Cubs closer Lee Smith also gained election by the same committee.

The late Roy Halladay, who died in a plane crash in November of 2017, also is a first-time candidate doing well in ballot tracking.

Former starting pitcher Mike Mussina is doing well in early ballot tracking done by Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs on Twitter).

Two players linked to the so-called Steroid Era, pitcher Roger Clemens and outfielder Barry Bonds, look to be inching upward but they may not get the necessary 75 percent of the vote this year in each man's seventh year of eligibility. Both will be on the ballot for a maximum of 10 years.

As older voters who no longer write regularly about baseball are purged from the voting rolls and younger voters come aboard, the players whose names have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs seem to be getting a new lifeline.

The Daily Herald has three Hall of Fame voters: columnist Barry Rozner, White Sox writer Scot Gregor and Cubs writer Bruce Miles. Retired Daily Herald columnist Mike Imrem also casts a ballot.

Here is how each voted.

Scot Gregor:

If only they were all as easy as Mariano Rivera.

On the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year, the former Yankees' closer is a lock to be enshrined into Cooperstown.

Not only is Rivera baseball's all-time saves leader (652) and a 13-time all-star, he was one of the best postseason performers in the history of the game.

Rivera is definitely on my ballot, as is another newcomer - the late Roy Halladay.

Who can ever forget Halladay's 2010 season - a perfect game against the Marlins during the regular season and a no-hitter against the Reds in the playoffs?

As for holdovers from last year, I've got Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina and Omar Vizquel.

This is the 10th and final year for Martinez on the BBWAA ballot, and he should make the final push to Cooperstown after getting 70.4 percent of the vote last year.

Harold Baines being inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month by the Today's Game Era committee only helps Martinez's cause when it comes to a primary designated hitter being worthy.

Mussina inched closer to Cooperstown (63.5 percent of the vote) in 2017, and he is deserving after finishing in the Top 5 among ERA leaders seven times while going 270-153 in 18 seasons with the Yankees and Orioles.

Vizquel probably falls short again after getting 37 percent of the vote on his first time on the ballot, but he has 2,877 career hits and was one of the best fielding shortstops in history.

Bruce Miles:

Since former Commissioner Bud Selig was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I went from "no" to "yes" on Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. No one benefited more handsomely from the so-called Steroid Era than did Selig.

I've been a staunch supporter of Edgar Martinez. The DH is a recognized part of the game, and Hall of Famers Frank Thomas and Paul Molitor spent much time as DH after playing primarily in the field.

First-time candidates Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte get my vote.

I've put Curt Schilling back on my ballot, and I also go with Mike Mussina, Scott Rolen and Omar Vizquel.

Barry Rozner:

Holdovers from last year's ballot: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling.

New this time around:

Marian Rivera needs no introduction.

The late Roy Halladay has a great chance to get in on the first ballot. He's 42nd all-time in career WAR for pitchers and was one of the top pitchers of his generation.

Fred McGriff is on the ballot for the last time and he has no chance, a shame since his career numbers, including 493 home runs, were swallowed up by the Steroid Era.

Andy Pettitte is 60th all-time career WAR for pitchers. During his era, he was among the best in wins, starts and innings and his ERA-plus compares favorably to many Hall of Famers, as does his FIP. His postseason career, with MLB records for wins (19), starts (44) and innings (276), puts him over the top for this voter.

Mike Imrem:

Am I still voting for the steroids guys? Yes. Does that include Sammy Sosa? Especially. The Saminator needs me now more than ever. He received 7.8 percent of the vote last year and is in danger of falling below the 5 percent required to stay on the ballot.

OK, so the writers aren't going to vote Sosa into Cooperstown. Nor will one of those cockamamie veterans committees if Tom Ricketts ever is on the panel like Jerry Reinsdorf has been. The Cubs' chairman won't let Sosa into a Cubs Convention rest room, much less the Hall of Fame.

My ballot: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, Andruw Jones, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Omar Vizquel.