How does the rest of the Hall of Fame ballot stack up?

Since mid-December we have profiled twenty of the candidates eligible to be voted on for the Hall of Fame. But there are others that could receive votes from the BBWAA. Here is a brief take on each of the other fourteen candidates.

First, the holdovers from previous ballots:

Craig Biggio (65.1 WAR)

This is Biggio's third go-round on the ballot. He just missed last year with 74.8% of the vote. He reached the magical 3000 hit mark. He won four gold gloves at second base and was a very good defender at catcher, as well as in center field. He is fifth all-time in doubles with 668. He is a definite yes for me. I am perplexed why he is still on the ballot at all.

Don Mattingly (42.2 WAR)

This is his fifteenth and final shot at election. One of the premier defensive first baseman of all time (nine straight Gold Gloves), Mattingly also was the MVP in 1985.  He was a prolific hitter as well from 1984 to 1987. But a bad back sapped him of his power stroke and while he was still a good hitter, he would never be elite again, retiring at the age of 34. Only Yankee fans truly believe he should be in the Hall and the voters have had him below 20% from his third year of eligibility. I'll be shocked if he cracks 10% this year.

Lee Smith (29.6 WAR)

Smith is third in history with 478 saves and led the league four different times in that stat. Personally I think he is better than Bruce Sutter (who is in the Hall with just 300 saves). But I think his case is very borderline. He reached a high of 50.6% of the vote in 2012,, but dropped all the way down to 29.9% last year. I expect he'll get into the Hall, but it will be via the Veteran's vote instead.

And now, the first time nominees:

Carlos Delgado (44.3 WAR)

Delgado made two All Star games and earned a Silver Slugger three times. He finished just shy of the 500/500 mark in doubles/homers at 483/473. He led the AL once each in doubles, RBI, OPS and OPS+. He had a very nice career, but is not Hall worthy. I do expect he'll get enough token votes (>5%) to stay on the ballot next year.

Tom Gordon (35.3 WAR)

Originally a starter for the first half of his career, Gordon became an excellent reliever. He led the league in saves with Boston in 1998, but spent a good portion of his reliever career as a set-up man. He did make three All Star teams as well. A definite no, and I don't expect he'll be back on the ballot next year.

Darin Erstad (32.3 WAR)

Erstad was one of the best defensive center fielders, making highlight catch after highlight catch. He won three Gold Gloves and made three All Star teams as well. He achieved a Silver Slugger in 2000, his best offensive season (137 OPS+). But he finished with a career 93 OPS+ mark. Definitely not Hall worthy.

Jason Schmidt (29.6 WAR)

Schmidt had two excellent years in 2003 and 2004, but was more or less a solid #3 or #4 starter for most of his career. He did make three All Star games and led the league in ERA in 2003. Definitely not Hall worthy.

Cliff Floyd (25.9 WAR)

Floyd was really good from 1999-2002 and did finish with a 119 OPS+. But he made just one All Star team and received a grand total of 6 vote points in MVP voting. He had a few top ten finishes in some offensive categories, but was never a dominant player. A very good guy to have on the team, but by no means Hall of Fame worthy.

Jermaine Dye (20.3 WAR)

Dye was a two time All Star, won a Silver Slugger in 2006 and a gold Glove in 2000. He finished his career with a 111 OPS+. Another one and done.

Rich Aurilia (18.1 WAR)

Aurilia had one career year in 2001 where he led the league in hits, 206, and hit 324/369/572 146 OPS+. That got him his lone All Star nod and Silver Slugger. But that was really about it. His final line was 275/328/433 99 OPS+. One and done.

Troy Percival (17.5 WAR)

Percival was the Angels closer from 1996 to 2004 and averaged 32 saves per season for them. He was in the All Star game four times as well. He was a very good closer, except against the Tribe. He had a 5.90 ERA and just 16 saves in 42 games against the Indians. One and done.

Eddie Guardado (13.7 WAR)

Guardado nabbed two All Star appearances and led the league in saves in 2002 for the Twins. He was only a closer for about five of his 17 seasons. I'll be shocked if he gets a vote.

Aaron Boone (13.5 WAR)

LGFT!? Boone made just one All Star team and has just a career 94 OPS+. He might get a token vote or two for his memorable homer against the Red Sox in game 7 the 2007 ALCS.

Tony Clark (12.5 WAR)

Like Boone, Clark has just one All Star game on his resume. But he has much better offensive numbers, 262/339/485 112 OPS+. But he shouldn't be worthy of any Hall votes either.

Out of all these players, Biggio is a no doubter, and I'd probably vote for Lee Smith as well. Of all of the first timers, I think Delgado is the only one who should receive votes, although I wouldn't choose him.

What say the LGT faithful? The voting options are below. For any others, please discuss in the comments.