MLB: Mariano Rivera won't get into the Hall of Fame with 100%

The 2019 Hall of Fame ballot was released a few weeks ago. There are several first-timers on the ballot. Some of them include Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, and several others. When you look at the first timer players, there’s one name that jumps out. The feeling is that the Hall of Fame will be the home to former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. In 19 seasons, he became one of the games best closers. He would end up getting 652 saves with a lifetime era of 2.21. In addition, he was a 13-time all-star player.

When Joe Torre or Joe Girardi would bring him into the game, you knew there was very little shot for the other team. He had a cutter that became untouchable for many batters. The stats he has alone would make him a first ballot hall of famer. I know there has been talk about Mariano being the first unanimous player to get into the Hall of Fame. Since the Hall of Fame opened in 1936, there has never been a player to get 100% of the vote. The closest we have ever gotten to the 100% was in 2016 when Ken Griffey Jr.had 99.32% of the votes. Griffey is worthy of being in the Hall of Fame as Mariano Rivera is.

The reason for why guys like Ken Griffey have not gotten 100% of the vote is because of the era they played in. Several baseball hall of fame voters are still punishing the players who played during the Steroid Era. Even though they may never have taken the drug. It’s sad because you have guys eligible soon who were great but won’t get a lot of votes cause they played in that era. It almost seems that the writers are using guilt by association. I am not condoning what those guys did who took steroids. All I am saying is you need to move on and acknowledge the importance of that era.

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