Of the 30 finalists eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, only one earned enough votes to become the newest member in the Hall…and he did it on his first try.
Known to his fans as Big Papi, David Ortiz is the sole entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown for 2022. The Baseball Writer’s Association of America (BBWAA) elected Ortiz into the Hall with 307 of the 394 votes or 77.9 percent of the vote. The Dominican Republic native joins fellow countrymen Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero in the Hall
A player must receive at least 75 percent of the vote in order to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Players must appear on at least five percent of the ballots in order to secure a spot on next year’s ballot.
Steroid era plays did not fair well again this year including Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and Roger Clements who were on the ballto for the final time.
The former Boston Red Sox player will join Golden Days nad Early Baseball era inductees Jim Kaat, Tony Olivia, Bud Fowler, GillHodges, Minnie Minoso, and Buck O’Neil.
The new inductees will be enshrined on July 24 in a ceremony at the Hall of Fame.
Complete list of HOF finalists including voting percentages:
David Ortiz – 77.9%
Barry Bonds – 66%
Roger Clements – 65.2%
Scott Roeln – 63.2%
Curt Schilling – 58.6%
Todd Helton – 52%
Billy Wagner – 51%
Andruw Jones – 41.1%
Gary Sheffield – 40.6%
Alex Rodriguez – 34.3%
Jeff Kent – 32.7%
Manny Ramirez – 28.9%
Omar Vizquel – 23.9%
Sammy Sosa – 18.5%
Andy Pettitte 10.7%
Jimmy Rollins – 9.4%
Bobby Abteu – 8.6%
Mark Buehrle – 5.8%
Torii Hunter – 5.3%
Joe Nathan – 4.3%
Tim Hudson – 3%
Tim Lincecum – 2.3%
Ryan Howard – 2%
Mark Teixeria – 1.5%
Justin Morneau – 1.3%
Jonathan Papelbon – 1.3%
Prince Fielder – 0.5%
A.J. Pierzynski – 0.5%
Car Crawford and Jake Peavy failed to earn any votes.