Mazz’s Hall of Fame ballot: 5 picks for Cooperstown in 2022

So here we are again, awaiting baseball’s annual Hall of Fame voting results, and many want to know: whom did you vote for? And why?

And if you’ve read or listened over the years, you know a few things already. I don’t make steroids a moral judgment. I try to vote best players. And I believe the Hall of Fame should be the elite of the elite, a select few.

One thing about this year’s ballot, at least in my case: they all come with at least some steroid stain. I really don’t care. The following five were the very best of the best from the end of the last millennium until the early part of this one, players who were arguably the best pitcher, right-handed hitter, designated hitter, or positional player of all time.

So here you go – and, as always, you are encouraged to agree or disagree:

• Barry Bonds

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  Let’s get the steroid issue out of the way. Lots of guys used. Some got caught. Many did not. I’m not here to make a moral judgment. Bonds was not merely one of the greatest players of his era – he was one of the greatest players in history, maybe even in the top five or top 10. Can we stop with the charade of moral outrage? Let’s not keep him out solely because we can.

• Alex Rodriguez

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  Love him or hate him, he was one of the most uniquely gifted players in history who could hit for power and average, run, field and throw. In his first 13 full seasons, A-Rod batted .308 while averaging 42 home runs, 122 and 21 stolen bases. Was he clutch? No. But again, let’s not be stupid or stubborn. Like the others in this class, accept the reality that he was a great.

• Roger Clemens

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  Simply put, he was everything Bonds was – but on the mound. And as is the case with Bonds, one can easily make the argument that Clemens is the greatest pitcher in baseball history. To be clear, you don’t have to like either one of these players, and each has given you plenty of reasons to dislike him. But to dispute their abilities and achievements is just silly.
• Manny Ramirez

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  For the lazy folks, the easy comparison here is Sammy Sosa, who actually has something that Ramirez does not: an MVP. Manny failed steroid tests. Manny played bad defense. Manny often ran the bases like he was either asleep or trying to catch a flight. But he was a career .312 batter – from the right side – who won a batting title, home run title and RBI title. Not many in history like that.

• David Ortiz

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  The 2022 season will mark the 50th in which baseball has allowed the designated hitter, a sad fact for those who continue to discriminate against it. It’s a position, folks. It has been for decades. Yet, incredibly, some will argue that someone like Kyle Schwarber could have more value that someone like Ortiz just because he played first base – albeit badly. That’s just stupid. Big-time hitter. Big-time player. Big-time numbers.

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You can hear Tony Massarotti weekdays from 2-6 p.m. EST on the Felger & Massarotti program. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti.