2012 Baseball Hall Of Fame: Pedro Astacio, Vinny Castilla Join Larry Walker On Ballot

In 2010, former Colorado Rockies Pedro Astacio, Vinny Castilla and Eric Young make their first appearances on the ballot, joining Larry Walker, who appeared on 20.3 percent of ballots in 2010. The 2012 list of first-time candidates has no player who stands out as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Astacio, Castilla and Young have nowhere near Hall of Fame statistics and will likely not even meet the five percent minimum to make the 2013 ballot. There would be no injustice done there if that happens.

But 2012 could prove to be a better year for Walker. While Walker won't receive the 75 percent of ballots necessary for induction, the Baseball Writers' Association of America could start to change their minds on him. Could he get into the 30 percent range? That's possible, given the diminished pool of candidates for induction.

Barry Larkin (62.1 percent) could gain enough support in 2010 to attain a plaque in Cooperstown, but no one else immediately jumps out as gaining that much ground next year. Jeff Bagwell and Larry Walker appear to be the best candidates to gain a significant uplift in 2012 because they will stand out compared to those who enter the ballot.

But 2013 will be the important year for those players. In 2013, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, all players connected to steroids and PEDs, become eligible. The voters could punish them as they have Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro because of that. However, Craig Biggio, Curt Schilling and Mike Piazza also become eligible. It will be a very interesting vote in two years.

2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting Results: Rockies' Larry Walker Has Good Showing

Former Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker appeared on 20.3 percent of ballots in 2011 voting. Walker will remain on the ballot, well surpassing the five percent threshold needed to stay eligible for the Hall of Fame. This is a good first showing for Walker on his first ballot and should gain momentum over the coming years.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin finished third in the voting (62.1 percent) and could be the inducted in 2012. The Houston Astros' Jeff Bagwell was, like Walker, eligible for the first time and received 41.7 percent of the vote. He will definitely dominate the conversation for the next couple of years among those already eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Mark McGwire's admission of steroid and PED use did not help him gain any votes. In fact, he fell from 23.7 to 19.8 percent this year. Fred McGriff, who fell seven home runs short of 500 in his career, finished right behind McGwire.

Rafael Palmeiro, who told Congress he never used steroid but later tested positive for a banned substance, received only 11.0 percent of the vote.

Sixteen players failed to appear on five percent of the ballots and will be placed off the eligible candidates roll.

The complete results from the BBWAA:

2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame: Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven Elected To Cooperstown

The voting results are in and the Baseball Hall of Fame has two new members: 2B Roberto Alomar and P Bert Blyeven.

Roberto Alomar (90 percent) is a 12-time All-Star second baseman who hit .300/.371/.443 over a 17 year career that spanned 1988-2004. The son of Sandy Alomar, Sr., Roberto began his career as a Padre but gained notoriety with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. He was a 12-time All-Star who finished in the top-six of AL MVP voting five times. He also won 10 Gold Gloves at second base, a major league record.. He is also noted for a spitting incident in a September 26, 1996 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Arguing with umpire John Hirschbeck over a third strike call, Alomar spit in his face supposedly over a racial slur. Alomar made the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot

Bert Blyleven (79.7 percent) won 287 career games over a 22-year career, playing for five team between 1970 and 1992. Those 287 wins puts him 27th all-time on the career win list, and his 3,701 strikeouts are fifth best all-time. Blyleven also had 60 career shutouts, ninth best all-time. What weighed against him early on was his 250 career losses, 10th most all-time, but he had a 3.31 career ERA. Blyleven was a pitcher who, while never the most dominant pitcher during his playing years, still put up good number across the board. Blyleven also needed that longevity to make it into Cooperstown (as a Minnesota Twin). Blyleven was voted in on his 14th ballot.

581 ballots were cast, a record vote.

They will be inducted, along with Pat Gillick, July 24, 2011 in Cooperstown, NY.

2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame: Predictions On Cooperstown Inductions

Baseball players make the Hall of Fame ballot five years after retire from the game and then remain on the ballot for 15 years or until the receive under five percent of the vote. For guys who stick around for almost the entire term of eligibility, one would figure that as long as they keep a high percentage of votes throughout the process that they will eventually break through the 75 percent barrier.

For instance, we have Bert Blyleven, Dale Murphy and Dave Parker in their 14th, 13th and 15th years of eligibility, respectively. Blyleven received 74.2 percent in 2010, up from 62.7 in 2009. He should be a lock for induction this season. But the other two will likely be nowhere close to making the Hall of Fame this year, or in Murphy's case, this season and the next two. Murphy received 11.5 percent and 11.7 percent over the last two season, making it unlikely for him to gain that much in the voting this year. Parker received 15.0 percent and 15.2 percent

The Hardball Times is predicting that Blyleven and second-year eligible Roberto Alomar will receive 80 percent and 87 percent of the vote, respectively. Murphy and Parker receive slightly better results this year, but still far away from induction. Barry Larkin remains on the cusp of the Hall of Fame and will eventually garner enough votes to be in Cooperstown.

The Rockies' Larry Walker appears on 14 percent of the ballot, keeping him alive for another year. It could be a long wait for Walker to make it to the Hall of Fame.

2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame: Candidates Include Rockies' Larry Walker

When the 2011 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results are announced on Wednesday, Colorado Rockies fans will find out how much support Larry Walker has among the Baseball Writers' Association of American to be inducted into Cooperstown. This is Walker's first year of eligibility, having retired after the 2005 season as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Under Hall of Fame voting rules, a player must be on 75 percent of the ballots to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, while 5 percent is needed to stay on the ballot for the following year. No one expects Walker to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which makes his first vote a gauge of how voters will take into account the effects of Coors Field. While former Rockies Dante Bichette and Andres Galarraga have both appeared on the ballot (2007 for the former, 2010 for the latter), neither received the 5 percent minimum of ballots to make it past their first time on the ballot.

In addition to Walker, the complete ballot includes: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Lenny Harris, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Kirk Rueter, Benito Santiago, Lee Smith, B.J. Surhoff and Alan Trammell.

Roberto Alomar (73.7 percent) and Bert Blyleven (74.2 percent) are at least two players expected to reach the 75 percent threshold to receive induction into the Hall of Fame. For complete bios on all the players, visit the Baseball Hall of Fame website.