The Modern Era Veterans Committee has officially elected Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller into the Hall of Fame! Let's talk about the vote, what I think went right, and what I think went wrong.
They got Simmons and Miller right
I predicted Ted Simmons getting into the Hall and he deserves every bit of his induction in July. The eight-time All Star catcher from the 1970s and 1980s didn't seem to be hindered by the possible Thurman Munson comparisons, as the Cardinals and Brewers great ended up with 13 of the 16 possible votes.
I didn't talk about Miller in my Hall of Fame predictions post because he wasn't a player, but that doesn't mean he couldn't relate to the players. Marvin Miller was the first ever Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, turning it into one of the strongest unions in the United States. His influence on player culture was felt heavily as player contracts exploded throughout the 1970s due to free agency. There's a reason why the biggest stars in baseball today are paid so much and that reason is Miller. He received the minimum amount of votes (12 out of 16) required for induction, but that doesn't mean he wasn't as revolutionary to baseball as any other MLB pioneer.
No one else came close
Dwight Evans and Dave Parker were third and fourth, respectively, in terms of most votes on the Modern Era ballot. I thought that Parker had at least a shot, but didn't think Evans had the stats. I'm surprised that these guys were considered by barely half of the voters because they really were both great players. Dale Murphy, however, rightfully deserved little to no Hall of Fame consideration.
Steve Garvey deserved more than six votes
I was SO CONFIDENT in Steve Garvey getting into the Hall of Fame, but he ended up with only six votes in his favor, the same amount as Lou Whitaker! No offense to Sweet Lou, but Steve Garvey deserved at least twice the amount of votes that he got. He's a Southern California baseball treasure, having collected numerous accolades and accomplishments with both the Dodgers and Padres.
The Yankees got no love
Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, and Tommy John all had interesting shots at making the Hall this year, but all three got absolutely destroyed by the voters. I had my faith in John, but was really quite surprised to hear that he didn't get a lot of love from the Committee.
Who do you think should've gotten into the Hall via the Modern Era Committee this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
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