The Baseball Writers Association of America has voted David Ortiz into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ortiz was a 3x World Series Champion, 10x All-Star, and the 2013 World Series MVP, and received 77.9% of the writers’ votes. Ortiz played in the majors for twenty seasons, fourteen of which he played for the Red Sox. During his career, Ortiz hit 541 home runs, recorded 2,472 hits, and 1,768 RBIs. Ortiz joins six members voted in by the Today’s Game Committee, Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, and Buck O’Neil, in the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame class.

However, the big story this year was not about who got in, but about who didn’t. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling all fell short on their final year eligible. Their fate will now be decided by the Today’s Game Committee from now on.

Last year, the BWAA voted no eligible players into the Hall of Fame. Many called for the writers to finally give the Hall of Fame nod to Bonds, Clemens, and Schilling. Last year, they had 61.8%, 61.6%, and 71.1% of the vote respectively, each falling short of the 75% requirement. It was the 9th year on the ballot for each of them, meaning they had one year left. Come 2022, and once again, all three fell short. Bonds finished with 66%, Clemens finished with 65.2%, and Schilling finished with 58.6%.
Steroids have been a big debate when it comes to determining who belongs in the Hall of Fame. Bonds and Clemens have been the poster children for this, despite neither of them ever testing positive. However, they got a lot more of the vote than players who did test positive. Gary Sheffield was named in the Mitchell Report, a 2007 report that named many supposed steroid users in the MLB. He received 40.6% of the vote in his 8th year on the ballot. Alex Rodriguez, who was suspended multiple times for PEDs, received 34.6% of votes in his first year on the ballot. Manny Ramirez received 28.9% of the vote in his 6th year on the ballot, and Sammy Sosa received 18.5% of votes in his 10th and final year on the ballot.

There are a few players who seem to be on their way up and gaining traction. Scott Rolen received 63.2% of the vote in his 5th year on the ballot, up 10.3% from last year. Todd Helton received 52% of votes in his 4th year on the ballot, up 7.1% from last year. Finally, Billy Wagner received 51% of votes his 7th year on the ballot, up 4.6% from last year. Because it was his 7th year on the ballot, it is unlikely that he gets the required 75% by his final year, considering he needs 24% in three years, which seems almost impossible.