Experts tab Raines, Bagwell for ’17 HOF Class in poll

As soon as the announcement was made that Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame early this year, the guessing game as to who would make the cut in 2017 began. The majority of insiders and voters agreed that there would again be two voted in: Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell. An informal poll of MLB.com reporters, columnists and insiders suggests the same.

In our poll, Raines and Bagwell were the only two candidates to exceed the 75 percent mark required to gain election to the Hall. Raines is an overwhelming favorite to be elected in 2017, whereas Bagwell received a much more modest vote total.

Making the cut (75 percent or more of vote)

Tim Raines (90.2 percent)

2016 Hall of Fame Inductions • Hall-time greats: Piazza, Griffey join elite • Complete Hall of Fame coverageHall of Fame video • Shop for Hall of Fame gear The case for Raines has gained momentum during his nine years on the ballot, and it looks like he’ll get in just in time, as 2017 will be his last on the ballot. Raines’ career hasn’t changed since he retired, of course. But a more forward-thinking, metric-minded voting body realizes penalizing a player for drawing more walks at the expense of a handful of base hits is pure silliness. A case could be made that Raines is the second-best leadoff hitter of all-time, and he also ranks fifth all-time in steals. Should he be punished just because Rickey Henderson was better? Verdict: Raines is in.

Jeff Bagwell …

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