Raines seeks HOF spot in final year on ballot

NEW YORK — Tim Raines seems to be inching closer to Cooperstown. He is hoping his 10th and final year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame will lead to election.

Raines came close last January. He was named on 69.8 percent of the ballots casted by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“I was about 20 votes short,” Raines said via telephone. “I’m hoping there are 25 or more guys who see it my way. Hopefully, I will get in.”

A player’s name must appear on at least 75 percent of the ballots to be elected, and voters can list up to 10 names. The announcement of the Class of 2017 is slated for Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, and it will be simulcast on MLB Network and MLB.com. The induction ceremony will be held on July 30 behind the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

It’s Raines’ last chance because the Hall of Fame changed the system two years ago. Players will now remain on the ballot for a maximum of 10 years, instead of 15, when their eligibility begins five years after retirement.

Former Expos teammate Andre Dawson predicts Raines will be elected this year. Dawson says he often tells Raines to let the process play itself out.

Dawson should know about that. It took him nine years for the baseball writers to elect him to Cooperstown.

“This is his window. He is a Hall of Famer. There is no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Dawson said. “I’m pretty sure this is the year if I had …

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