Baseball Hall of Fame: Predicting Class of 2018 inductees

The Baseball Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1939. They would elect in five of the best players in baseball for the first class. As of January of 2017, there are 317 people who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, January 24, 2018; the Hall of Fame expects to formally announce who will be next to go into the Hall of Fame. According to MLB.com, there could be a bit of history made. There could be as many as five guys getting into the Hall of Fame. While no one for sure knows who will get in, I figured I would give you who I feel will be next in line.

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I would also like to make it worth mentioning, a player needs 75% of the vote to get into the Hall of Fame. Here is who I have going in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Chipper Jones (Atlanta Braves)

This is the first year that he is eligible for the Hall of Fame and I see him getting in. He played for 19 seasons with the Atlanta Braves and was a vocal piece during their run. For starters, he had a lifetime batting average of .301. There are guys who hit that for only one season. He was able to do that over 19 seasons. He was incredibly constant and was very rarely injured. Excluding the 2010 season in which he played 95 games, he would play an average of 110-120 games a season.

He did hit 468 home runs, but he was more of a contact hitter. If he gets in, this would show how great those Braves teams were in the 1990s. In the last few years, we have seen Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Bobby Cox get inducted.

Trevor Hoffman (San Diego Padres)

This is his third year on the ballot. Like Jones did with Braves, Trevor spent most of his career with the Padres. He had one season with the Marlins and two with the Brewers. While he never really got any postseason exposure, he was one of the more dominant closers in the game. He is one of a few guys who have over 600 saves. Over his 18 year career, he would average 39 saves a season. Whenever opposing teams saw him, you knew the game was over. Also, he had a 2.78 ERA which is great for an eighteen-year career.

Vladimir Guerrero ( Montreal Expos)

This is his second year on the ballot. This one is interesting because, over his career, he was a power hitter. I remember watching him play and seeing how no matter where the ball would end up within the strike zone, he could crush it. He also had a gun for an arm. Hence, you didn’t see many guys advance a base. In recent time, he would become the third Expo to go into the Hall of Fame. Joining Gary Carter and Andre Dawson.

Jim Thome (Cleveland Indians)

This is his first year of eligibility. When you hit over 600 home runs and close to 1,700 RBI, it is pretty much a golden ticket for the Hall of Fame. He also played over 20 seasons and was incredibly constant. In fact, he was even clutch towards the end of his career. Thome was a big part of the Indians teams of the 1990s, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the 2012 Baltimore Orioles squad. He was also able to stay at the top of the list in baseball because he would be the DH most of the time.

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These are the players I see as the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018. However, there are a few who are wild cards. They would include Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez. When you look at guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, I see them getting in as their numbers go up every year.

The Hall has the announcement set for 6 pm EST.

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