Looking ahead to MLB's 2018 Hall of Fame ballot

With the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2017 now set, it's time to look ahead to next January, when next year's ballot will be revealed. In addition to the big-name holdovers, some very well-known names - at least one of them a near lock for election - will be debuting on the ballot in a year's time.

Here's a look at who might be on the 2018 Hall of Fame ballot:

Notable Holdovers

Hoffman and Guerrero narrowly missed election Wednesday, but they're still big winners by finishing above 70 percent and are now set to march into Cooperstown in 2018. Martinez's chances got a huge boost with a 15 percent jump from his 2016 showing and is picking up some much-needed steam with just two years left, while Bonds, Clemens, and Mussina can expect to move toward induction in the next few years.

Perhaps the biggest loser among holdovers was the controversial Schilling, who dropped back below 50 percent. Larry Walker and Fred McGriff both remain stuck in the low 20's as their time on the ballot runs shorter.

First-ballot Locks

One of the greatest third basemen of all time, Jones - who owns the sixth-highest JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score System) score at his position - can start writing his induction speech tomorrow. The only question is whether he'll come close to becoming the first unanimous inductee.

Thome, the gentle giant of a first baseman who ranks seventh all time in home runs with 612, should similarly cruise into Cooperstown on his first try, though it's possible the rising support for holdovers could end up forcing him to wait another year.

Notable first-timers

Rolen might be the most interesting first-time candidate to watch. He's one of the best fielding third basemen ever - only Mike Schmidt (10) and Brooks Robinson (16) won more Gold Gloves at the position - and his offensive game was better than you might remember. The only third basemen with a higher JAWS score than Rolen's (10th all time) who aren't already in Cooperstown are Jones (see above) and the still active Adrian Beltre. But Rolen will likely be hurt by two factors: He's debuting alongside Jones, his superior contemporary (at least offensively), and his defense-first case that could make it easier for writers to pass by him.

Two other fascinating defense-first cases join next year's ballot in Andruw Jones and Omar Vizquel. Jones was one of the greatest defensive center fielders ever and has 10 Gold Gloves to show for it, but outside of a 51-homer season in 2009, he wasn't close to a Hall of Fame-caliber hitter; his rapid decline at age 31 will also pose a problem. Vizquel compiled 2,877 hits over his career - a total ballooned thanks to hanging on as a bench player through age 45 - and his offensive numbers even pale to his most notable contemporary in Ozzie Smith. Still, as a Venezuelan legend with 11 Gold Gloves, Vizquel's defensive brilliance might boost his first-time numbers a little bit.

Santana's career was shortened by injuries, and his final numbers reflect that - but at his peak he was Sandy Koufax in the steroid era. On that peak alone he has a case comparable to that of injury-shortened mound legends Koufax, Dizzy Dean, and Addie Joss - all of them Hall of Famers. But writers don't often go for peak over longevity and numbers, so Santana needs a hot start to have hope of staying on the ballot and building his case a la Tim Raines.

Damon had an excellent career and presents a fascinating argument, but is a prime candidate to get stuck in the McGriff- and Jeff Kent-like purgatory of high teens and low 20s totals for five to 10 years. Moyer pitched for 25 years and compiled a good-looking 269 wins with a not-as-good-looking 4.25 ERA; expect a token vote or two for him.

One-and-done

They played the minimum 10 years, had excellent careers, and in some cases even won a major award or two. If they show up on the ballot they'll be lucky to get a single vote - but by no means should that diminish what they accomplished. Here are some of the potential one-and-done candidates for 2018:

PITCHERS: Chris Carpenter, Francisco Cordero, Livan Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Brad Lidge, Carl Pavano, Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano

POSITION PLAYERS: Orlando Hudson, Aubrey Huff, Adam Kennedy, Carlos Lee, Hideki Matsui, Scott Podsednik, Jack Wilson