Fir the first time in 48 years, the Hall of Fame will not have a living person to induct at their ceremonies. The Baseball Writers Association of America failed to vote any of the candidates on the ballot into Cooperstown. This was the first time since 1996 that no player was elected via the BBWAA ballot.
Despite more than 3,000 hits on his ledger, Craig Biggio was not elected in his first year on the ballot. The former Astro fell 39 votes shy of earning election. His former teammate Jeff Bagwell finished third in balloting, moving up 3.6% in his third year on the ballot.
In his next-to-last and 14th time on the ballot, Jack Morris came in second with 385 votes, just 42 short. Morris won 254 games in his career and seven more in the postseason. His biggest moments came when he tossed a no-hitter in the first week of the 1984 season for Detroit, and his historic shutout that went 10 innings in Game Seven for the Twins in the 1991 Fall Classic. He saw his support improve by less than 2 percent.
Bonds, Clemens, Schilling Debut on 2013 Ballot
The anticipated arrival of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens on the BBWAA ballot was met with a tepid response. The two superstars are both suspected of having used performance-enhancing drugs, which will play a large factor in their induction bids. Clemens received eight more votes than Bonds, and the two nestled in at about 36 percent of the vote.
Curt Schilling also debuted on the 2013 BBWAA ballot, and he received slightly more support than Bonds and Clemens, coming in at 38.8%. The former pitcher made his reputation as a big game pitcher, helping the Diamondbacks and Red Sox to iconic defeats of the Yankees and world championships. He won three rings.
The only other first-year candidate to earn enough votes to stick on the ballot was Sammy Sosa, who hit 609 home runs in an 18-year career spent mostly with the Chicago Cubs. Like Bonds and Clemens, Sosa is in the suspected steroid category, and his candidacy is not expected to be a fruitful one.
Murphy and Raines Make Gains
The two biggest increases came for Tim Raines and Dale Murphy, outfielders from the 1980s. Raines saw his support gain by 4.5% in his sixth time on the ballot. For the first time he crossed the 50 percent mark, which gives his chances hope for the future.
Murphy, who won a pair of Most Valuable Player Awards for the Braves in the early 1980s, and was a five-tool center fielder, got just 18.6% of the vote in his 15th and final time on the ballot.
Former Yankee outfielder Bernie Williams fell off the ballot in his second year. Rafael Palmeiro saw his vote support dip to 8.8% and is in danger of disappearing next year in his third time on the ballot.
