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IBWAA Elects Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton to Hall of Fame

The IBWAA announced Tuesday it has elected Adrian Beltre and Todd Helton to the Hall of Fame. Of course, our organization does not have a Hall of Fame so the vote does not amount to very much, but we all still take it pretty seriously.

Beltre received 94% of the vote, while Helton just got in with 75%. Joe Mauer and Billy Wagner each received 73%, Andruw Jones got 68% and Gary Sheffield 65%. Our own David Wright got 14%, but Jose Reyes clocked in at just 1%.

Our group has been more forgiving of PED users than those other guys — Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez received 60% and 58%. respectively. But we don’t condone cheaters, apparently — Carlos Beltran got 52%.

Our vote will differ from the BBWAA vote; I expect Beltre, Helton, Mauer and maybe Wagner to get voted into the real Hall of Fame.

I never wrote my column about my vote. I voted for Beltre, Wagner, Sheffield, Francisco Rodriguez and Wright. Let me explain.

Beltre is obvious. Wagner was one of the most dominating relievers ever. Rodriguez’s stats were oddly similar, so I felt I should vote for him as well. Sheffield was never suspended for PEDs. And the vote for Wright was symbolic — he was a great player and might have been a Hall of Famer if not for injuries.

As far as my non votes, I just don’t think Mauer measures up. If he had been a catcher his entire career, then fine, he’s deserving. But he didn’t catch at all over the second half of his career, so I don’t think he gets the catcher benefit of the doubt.

I’ve checked and unchecked Helton’s name every year. He had a great beginning of his career, then just fell off a cliff. I just keep going back and forth on him, but ultimately, I think he falls short. I won’t be upset if he makes it in, though.

I’m not sure Beltran is a Hall of Famer even without the cheating, so it’s easy for me not to vote for him.

Chase Utley received 37% of our vote and will probably get that or more in the BBWAA vote. I’m not sure what the attraction is with him. Yes, he was a very good player, but a Hall of Famer? He only had a handful of Hall of Fame-caliber seasons. I’ve been reading his WAR was very good, which means nothing to me. His career was much like David Wright’s — a great first half, then injuries took their toll. Why isn’t Wright getting the same push as Utley?

Anyway, that’s it. Let the debate continue…

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