Blue Jays: Three New Former Jays on Hall of Fame Ballot

Three new Blue Jays, as well as a few returning candidates, are eligible to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Every year around this time, MLB releases a new handful of players that are eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with players that were on previous ballots that are able to make it into Cooperstown.

In order to be a considered a Hall of Famer, players need 75% of the vote from eligible voters of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Players are eligible to be on the ballot for 10 years, although if one year they get less than 5% of the vote, they get taken off for good.

Among the new players eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021, the Toronto Blue Jays have no shortage of representatives.

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The most notable new player on the ballot that played for the Blue Jays is Mark Buehrle. He pitched 14 consecutive years of at least 200 innings and almost made it 15 in his final season but came 1.1 frames short. With the Blue Jays, he played three seasons going 40-28 with a 3.78 ERA.

In his career, he went 214-160 with a 3.81 ERA while making it to five All-Star games, won four Gold Glove awards, and led the league in innings pitched twice. In his final year in the big leagues in 2015, he led all pitchers in complete games with four.

If he gets inducted at one point, he’ll go as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he spent 12 years of his life.

A.J. Burnett played on the Blue Jays from 2006-2008 going 38-26 with a 3.94 ERA. In his career, he was 164-157 with a 3.99 ERA. He made the All-Star game in his final year in the big leagues, which was in 2015. If he were to ever get inducted, he would likely go with a Florida Marlins cap where he played seven of his 17 seasons.

While he only spent half a season with the Blue Jays, LaTroy Hawkins is making his first appearance on the ballot. In 18 games with the Blue Jays in the 2015 season, he posted a 2.76 ERA. If Hawkins ever gets the call, he’ll go as a member of the Minnesota Twins in which he played nine seasons for them.

While those are the new guys, there are returning players on the ballot that also played for the Blue Jays at some point during their careers.

Roger Clemens who pitched for the Blue Jays for two seasons enters his ninth year on the ballot. Arguably the best pitcher to ever toe the mound, steroid controversy has exempted him from being inducted into Cooperstown. He got 61% of the vote in 2020.

Omar Vizquel played his final season in the big leagues with the Blue Jays and he is entering his fourth year on the ballot. He got 52.6% of the vote last time around. Also in his fourth year is former Blue Jay Scott Rolen who played just a year and-a-half north of the border. He got 35.3% of the vote on the 2020 ballot. Lastly, Jeff Kent, who played in just 65 games in a Blue Jays uniform in his career, is in his eighth year of eligibility and got 27.5% of the vote last time.

The Hall of Fame class of 2021 will be announced on January 26th.