Stairs gets 1st shot on HOF ballot

Soon, members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will cast their ballots for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.

Among their choices will be returners who fell just shy of the 75-percent threshold in last year’s voting, a group that includes Jeff Bagwell (71.6 percent), Tim Raines (69.8) and Trevor Hoffman (67.3). There also are a few high-profile newcomers. Vladimir Guerrero was a feared hitter with 449 homers and a National League MVP Award, Ivan Rodriguez is third all-time among catchers in wins above replacement (WAR), and Manny Ramirez hit 555 homers but also was suspended twice for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Those bigger names can obscure some of the others who are eligible for the first time — those players who have been retired for five years following a career of at least 10 Major League seasons. While it’s likely that none of them will wind up in Cooperstown — and many could fall off the ballot after one year by receiving less than five percent of the vote — they still have accomplishments that are worth celebrating.

In that spirit, here is a look at the first-year candidates other than Guerrero, Rodriguez and Ramirez:

Casey BlakeCareer WAR: 24.9 Blake appeared in just 49 big league games between 1999-2002 before breaking out as a 29-year-old with the Indians in ’03. Over the next eight seasons with the Indians and Dodgers, he averaged 20 home runs, 73 RBIs and 108 OPS+ while playing mostly third base but also first base and right field.

Pat BurrellCareer WAR: 18.8 After finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2000, Burrell became one of nine players to smack at least 20 homers in each of the next eight years, with a high of 37 in ’02. He also played a key role for two World Series-winning clubs: the ’08 Phillies and ’10 Giants.

Orlando CabreraCareer WAR: 21.4 From 2001-09, nobody started more times at shortstop than Cabrera, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who reached at least 153 games played in eight of those seasons. A contact hitter, Cabrera racked up more than 200 career steals and helped Boston win a long-awaited World Series championship in 2004.

Mike CameronCareer WAR: 46.5 His .249 career batting average made him perpetually underrated, with just one career All-Star selection. But Cameron is one of just 13 players in history to have at least 10 seasons of 3.0 WAR or more in center field, thanks to his above-average production on both sides of the ball. He also is one of five primary center fielders to rack up at least 275 homers and 275 steals, joining Willie Mays, Carlos Beltran, Eric Davis and Steve Finley. An 18th-round pick in 1991, Cameron put together an 11-season run from 1999-2009 during which he averaged 22 homers, 22 steals and a 111 OPS+ while winning three Gold Glove Awards.

J.D. DrewCareer WAR: 44.9 Although he battled …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com