Former Blue Jays DH Frank Thomas Goes To Hall of Fame, Morris Denied

Oct 17, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers former pitcher Jack Morris throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to game five of the American League Championship Series baseball game at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

In results that were both shocking and shockingly not, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced their 2014 class. Unlike last season, when there were no living inductees to Cooperstown, three members were voted in the by BBWAA this year; Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas.

The official results, as released by Major League Baseball:

All three of the winning inductees were almost a shoe-in to receive induction, all scoring over 80% and Maddux even challenging the record percentage set by Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. However, the biggest shock was that Craig Biggio, who the Jays Journal staff thought would win election, fell short by two votes, finishing with just 74.8% of the vote. That’s an improvement over his vote total a year ago, when he finished with 68.2% of the vote, but it still was not enough to earn enshrinement in Cooperstown.

That said, the days does cast some light on a pair of former Toronto Blue Jays.

Frank Thomas became the third and final inductee on the day, garnering 83.7% of the vote. As we detailed earlier today, Thomas’ triple-slash of .301/.419/.555 coupled with his 521 home runs and 1704 RBI put him on a pedestal all on his own. Thomas spent just a year and a half north of the border, hitting .266 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI over 171 games with the Jays from 2007-2008. However, he won’t be wearing a Blue Jays cap in the Hall, as his Chicago White Sox days are where he made his headway against the league.

While it was good news for Thomas, Jack Morris unfortunately did not fair so well. On his 16th and final ballot, Morris became a victim of a stacked class that featured candidates who were arguable much more worth than he. Instead of climbing up and taking the extra 8% he needed a year ago (67.7%), Morris’ vote total declined to 61.5%, his lowest total since 2011. Like Thomas, Morris spent the latter days of his career in Toronto, playing a big role in winning World Series Championships with the team in 1992 and 1993. He finished his career in 1994 with the Indians, closing out with an overall record of 254-186 with a 3.90 ERA and 175 complete games to his credit.

Morris will now wait until 2016, when his name will first appear on the veterans committee ballot.