The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced today the Hall of Fame Class of 2018: third baseman Chipper Jones, outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman, and first baseman/designated hitter Jim Thome will be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Jones was elected in his first year on the ballot with 97.2% of the ballot (410 total votes), as was Thome (89.8%, 379 votes). Hoffman was in his third year on the ballot and received 79.9% of the vote (337 votes). Guerrero, in just his second year, was elected with 92.9% (392 votes total).
The former players will be inducted during Hall of Fame festivities, which will take place on the weekend of July 27-30, 2018.
Jones and Thome becomes the 54th and 55th first ballot Hall of Famers, and this is the fifth year in a row with at least one such player.
After electing zero players in 2013, the BBWAA has voted in 16 players in the last five classes, the most in a five year period since 16 were elected between 1951 and 1956. These four make the biggest Hall of Fame class since 2015 and just the fourth time ever that four players were inducted in the same class.
Despite our best efforts, former Rockies outfielder Larry Walker remains far from induction. In this, his eighth year on the ballot, he was named on just 34.1% of ballots, or 144 votes total. Last year he received a bump from 15.5% to 21.9%, so he is definitely trending in the right direction. But with just two more years of eligibility after the Hall of Fame decided to reduce eligibility from 15 to 10 years, it will take something significant for him to gain induction via the writer’s ballot.
Another former Rockie, Jamie Moyer, received just 10 votes (2.4%) and won’t appear on future ballots.
Full results can be found on the BBWAA website.