On Monday afternoon, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) released its ballot for Hall of Fame (HOF) consideration for 2020. Amazingly, it included 10 former Dodgers. Alphabetically, they are:

• Bobby Abreu
• Josh Beckett
• Chone Figgins
• Rafael Furcal
• Andruw Jones
• Jeff Kent
• Paul Konerko
• Brad Penny
• Manny Ramirez
• Gary Sheffield

Additionally, Steve Garvey and Tommy John were included on the Veterans Committee ballot.

Fans who remember when Abreu, Figgins, Jones, and Konerko played for the team should give themselves a pat on the back, as their time with the Dodgers was short-lived. And, should any of these players defy the extremely long odds of being elected, they will undoubtedly be enshrined into the sacred Halls of Cooperstown wearing a team hat other than the Dodgers.

Considering that this is the first year of eligibility for Abreu, Beckett, Figgins, Furcal, Konerko, and Penny, there is next to zero chance of any coming remotely close to being named on 75% of the ballots, which is the minimum for entry into the HOF. In the 2019 voting, Jones was named on 7.5% of the ballots, barely squeaking by the minimum threshold (5%) to remain on the 2020 ballot.

This will be Sheffield’s sixth time on the ballot, having been named on 13.6% of the 2019 ballots. One of the best all-around hitters to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it seems likely that his reputation as a clubhouse malcontent and voluntary admission to mistakenly using steroids in the early 2000s, has likely barred his entry into MLB’s most exclusive club. Even if he should one day be enshrined, it is more likely that he will do so as a Miami Marlin than a Dodger.

The 2020 ballot will be the seventh for second baseman Jeff Kent, the all-time MLB home run leader at the position. In 2019, Kent was named on 18.1% of the ballots, an uncommonly low number for a player with his offensive stats and no hint of ever using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Why? Perhaps because he was a late bloomer, having his best seasons after reaching age 29, or because of his sour disposition towards everyone, including teammates, baseball writers, and even Vin Scully. But Kent is another player who, if/when enshrined, will not be wearing Dodger blue in Cooperstown but rather the orange and black of the San Francisco Giants.

Then there is Manny Ramirez, who was shockingly named on 22.8% of the 2019 ballots even though he was suspended for 50 games in 2009 (as a Dodger) for using PED’s and abruptly retiring in 2011 to avoid a 100 game PED suspension. A magnificent hitter, Ramirez also came with the baggage of ‘Manny being Manny’ that included fights with teammates, pushing an elderly traveling secretary over a ticket dispute, and innuendo for feigning injury to avoid playing in some games. If by some freakish happenstance Ramirez should ever be enshrined at Cooperstown, please let it be with any organization other than the Dodgers.

Of the two Dodgers on the 2020 Veterans Ballot, pitcher Tommy John seems to have a legitimate chance of making it to Cooperstown. He is the only pitcher on the ballot and he won 288 games, even though he missed the 1975 season after having the famous elbow surgery that bears his name. In all likelihood, if he had been healthy in 1975 he would have finished with 300+ wins and his ticket to Cooperstown already punched. Should John be selected for the HOF, it would probably be as a Dodger.

Steve Garvey is also on the Veterans Committee ballot but has a much tougher road to the Hall with hitters like Dave Parker, Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly, Lou Whitaker, and Thurman Munson also on the ballot. (On a personal note, I think it would be a travesty for Garvey to be in the Hall of Fame before the late great Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges).

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Dodgers trivia question: Without looking it up, who was the last player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum whose primary team was the Dodgers? Leave your answer in the comments section below.

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