How did the Braves fare in Baseball’s Hall of Fame voting?
The results for MLB’s Hall of Fame voting are in! How did past members of the Atlanta Braves do?
The Hall of Fame is the crowning achievement for an excellent career. Earning the honor to have your legacy enshrined in Cooperstown is something every player dreams of.
This year, only one man comprises the 2022 HOF class. That would be “Big Papi” David Ortiz.
Ortiz had a wonderful career, hitting .286/.380/.552 541 HR, 1419 R, 1768 RBI, .392 wOBA, 140 wRC+, 141 OPS+, 51.0 fWAR, & 55.3 bWAR. Despite rarely playing defense, Ortiz is one of the most iconic names to ever play the game.
Some topic of conversation from this year’s voting will be the omission of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling. All three were on their last year on the ballot.
While there is plenty to discuss there, let us move ono what we are really here for. How former Atlanta Braves members did in this year’s voting.
Most importantly, how close was Andruw Jones?
Andruw Jones– 41.1%
In his 5th year on the ballot, Andruw Jones received 163 votes (41.1%), which was a substantial improvement from the previous year where he received 136 (33.9%).
For his career, Jones hit .254/.337/.486 434 HR, 1204 R, 1289 RBI, 152 SB, .352 wOBA, 111 wRC+, 111 OPS+, 67.0 fWAR, & 62.7 bWAR. He was also worth 24.4 dWAR (defensive WAR) for his career, which is the highest of all time among Center Fielders.
Second on that list is Paul Blair who amassed 18.8 dWAR for his career.
Entering his 6th year on the ballot, Jones has continued to rise each year and is trending in a positive direction to one day be enshrined in Cooperstown. Remember, Larry Walker rose from 34.1% in 2018 in his 8th year on the ballot to 76.6% in 2020 to reach the Hall of Fame.
Andruw Jones should already be in the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, he reaches the pinnacle soon.
Billy Wagner– 51.0%
Billy Wagner spent only one season with the Braves before retiring. In that season, he pitched 69.1 innings, with a 1.43 ERA, 2.10 FIP, 2.22 xFIP, 275 ERA+, and totaling 37 saves.
For his career, he pitched 903.0 innings, with a 2.31 ERA, 2.73 FIP, 2.76 xFIP, & 187 ERA+. He is sixth all time with 422 saves.
He jumps up from 46.4% in 2020 and will be entering his 8th year on the ballot. It is tougher for relievers to get in, and Wagner appears to be a fringe Hall of Famer. It might come down to his final year on the ballot.
Gary Sheffield– 40.6%
Gary Sheffield spent two seasons in Atlanta, hitting .319/.412/.562 64 HR, 208 R, 216 RBI, 30 SB, and a 151 OPS+.
For his career, he hit .292/.393/.514 509 HR, 1636 R, 1676 RBI, 253 SB, .391 wOBA, 141 wRC+, 140 OPS+, 62.1 fWAR, & 60.5 bWAR. One of the best hitters to ever play the game.
Sheffield will be entering year 9 on the ballot, so the odds are against him at this moment. There have been players make up the difference in their last year. It will be a close one for Sheff.
Tim Hudson– 3.0%
Tim Hudson falls off the Hall of Fame ballot after two seasons. He received 5.2% of the vote in 2022.
In 9 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Huddy pitched in 244 games, started 243, threw 1573 innings, with a pitching record of 113-72, 3.56 ERA, 3.88 FIP, & 115 ERA+.
He finished his career 222-133 with a 3.49 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 3.78 xFIP, 120 ERA+, 48.9 fWAR, and 57.9 bWAR. A very respectable career.
Huddy may not make the Hall of Fame, but he will always hold a special place Braves Country.
Mark Teixeira– 1.5%
Mark Teixeira will always be talked about in the history of the Atlanta Braves due to the trade that brought him to Atlanta. He falls off after one year on the ballot.
He spent parts of two seasons with the Braves, playing in 157 games hitting .295/.395/.548 37 HR, 101 R, 134 RBI, and a 146 OPS+.
Tex had a career line of .268/.360/.509 409 HR, 1099 R, 1298 RBI, 26 SB, .371 wOBA, 127 wRC+, 126 OPS+, 44.8 fWAR, & 50.6 bWAR.
A.J. Pierzynski– 0.5%
A.J. Pierzynski also falls off the ballot after one year. Pierzynski came to Atlanta in 2015 and played for two seasons during the rebuild.
He hit .269/.304/.382 11 HR, 53 R, 72 RBI, and an 87 OPS+. He was at the end of his career, and more or less served as a player coach for some of the younger players at the time.
He finished his career hitting .280/.319/.420 188 HR, 807 R, 909 RBI, .319 wOBA, 92 wRC+, 94 OPS+, 20.7 fWAR, & 23.8 bWAR. He was regarded as a solid defensive catcher for his career, totaling an 8.4 dWAR.