On final day of voting, Raines, Bagwell appear set for HOF induction
The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its 2017 class on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET live on MLB Network, and among the many eligible candidates, two appear to have secured their passes into baseball's most exclusive club.
Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell both currently appear on far above the 75 percent of ballots - voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America - required for election, according to stats accumulated by Ryan Thibodaux. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez is also just above the necessary mark.
| PLAYER | % OF VOTES | YEAR ON BALLOT |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Raines | 88.8& | 10 |
| Jeff Bagwell | 88.0% | 7 |
| Ivan Rodriguez | 78.9% | 1 |
Things could change, however, as the ballots tracked by Thibodaux consist of 235 public entries and seven anonymous entries of an estimated 435 total ballots cast.
Both Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman appear close to making the cut, while Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens - who both started strong - are starting to see their totals nosedive
| PLAYER | % OF VOTES | YEAR ON BALLOT |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Guerrero | 71.5% | 1 |
| Trevor Hoffman | 72.7% | 2 |
| Barry Bonds | 64.0% | 5 |
| Roger Clemens | 63.2% | 5 |
Raines is in his final year of eligibility and has seen a drastic uptick in support after receiving 74 percent of votes in 2016 and 60.1 percent in 2015.
'Rock' played 23 years in the bigs, ending his career with the Florida Marlins in 2002. During his time in the show, Raines slashed .294/.385/.425 with 170 home runs, 980 RBIs, 808 stolen bases, and 2,605 hits. He won a batting title in 1986 with the Montreal Expos after hitting .334 and was a seven-time All-Star.
Bagwell spent his entire 15-year career with the Houston Astros and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and NL MVP in 1994. The four-time All-Star recorded a ridiculous .948 career OPS to go along with 449 home runs, 1,529 RBIs, and 202 stolen bases.