With David Ortiz officially being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, it’s time to look ahead to the potential class of 2023.
Several new players are on the list for next year’s potential class.
There are also several players who have been on the ballot for a few years now, such as Scott Rolen.
But the new players on the list include names such as Carlos Beltran, John Lackey, Matt Cain, Andre Ethier, Mike Napoli, Francisco Rodriguez, and several others.
On Twitter, MLB posted a graphic featuring the all the new faces on the ballot next year, providing us an early look at what the class of 2023 might look like.
An early look at some notable names that will be eligible for the 2023 @BaseballHall. 👀 pic.twitter.com/LoKDEh4Lqq
— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2022
Who Will Enter The Hall In 2023?
Only one of these guys really stands out as a surefire Hall-of-Famer, that being Beltran.
Unfortunately, similarly to how PED allegations prevented guys like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds from getting in, at least for now, the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal from 2017 may hurt Beltran’s case a little bit.
Many fans and media members have been very vocal about the sign-stealing scandal and how it affects players’ legacies.
Aside from that, Beltran did put together a Hall of Fame level career.
Over the course of his career, Beltran hit .279 with 435 career homers and 2,725 hits, while posting a stellar WAR of 70.1.
The numbers are there to back up Beltran’s case for being a Hall-of-Famer in 2023.
At this point, it’s just a matter of whether or not those voting will do a deep dive into the sign-stealing incident and consider that a mitigating factor to his Hall of Fame case.
We’ll see what they decide next year.
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