2020 MLB Hall of Fame

Newly enshrined:
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker
There was some speculation that Jeter would join his teammate Mariano Rivera as a unanimous selection and while he was close (99.7%), I was dubious. They were both badasses and both had great careers but Jeter inspired jealousy while Rivera was universally beloved. Hell I was surprised Rivera was unanimous but it didn't seem possible to me that Jeter would be. Jeter was a great player, a fan favorite, hit all the milestones you're looking for in a Hall of Famer and played on a ton of good teams (played only 1 game when the Yankees had been eliminated from the playoffs--holy fuck, that is mind boggling!). Great player, great Yankee (the reason he wasn't unanimous), perhaps the last great celebrity baseball player (is that Mike Trout over there? ...No, I don't...wait...no, that's not him), easily a Hall of Famer and I would've had him in even on the first ballot.
Walker is a borderline case for me, I'm okay with him going in but with so many badasses still languishing (Bonds, Clemens, Manny, Sosa, etc), I would not have voted for him. But he was the kind of no-nonsense old-school tough guy ball player that baseball writers always imagined themselves to be. Good player for a long time but never really struck me as one of the all-time greats. Congrats to Walker, but I can't help thinking the steroids era is pumping up his actual career (hmmm, so steroids did help his career...?).

Maybe next year:
Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Omar Vizquel, Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield, Todd Helton, Manny Ramirez, Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettite, Bobby Abreu

(ought to be in) Schilling, Clemens, Bonds, Sheffield, Ramirez, Sosa, Pettite
*sigh* Hey, baseball writers: what the hell is wrong with you? Why have you not put these guys in yet? What are you waiting for? Are you working under the assumption that ball players from your youth were all better human beings and now it is your job to decide who is good enough to get their proper reward in this life? You guys suck. Just do your damn jobs and quit being a bunch of fools.

(I don't think so) Vizquel, Rolen, Wagner, Kent, Jones
Vizquel was one of the best defensive shortstops I ever saw but not enough of a hitter or playmaker to put him in the Hall.  I've said before that I think the Vet Committee will get Vizquel eventually and I still think that.
I like Scott Rolen, he was a hell of a player, but I never thought of him as a Hall of Famer and I still don't.
Wagner just doesn't seem high enough on the list of the great closers of his era to merit going into the Hall. If he hangs around and the writers continue to spite the noses on their faces (Bonds, Clemens, et al), than perhaps Wagner could sneak in, he's still got five more years.
I don't get the cult of Jeff Kent. He was a fine player but I don't think of him as vastly better than Eric Chavez or Alfonso Soriano, both of whom failed to get past the first ballot. Jeff Kent will be on his 8th ballot next year...why?
Jones was exciting as a youngster but got steadily less exciting throughout his career. I can understand him getting enough votes to survive past the first ballot but I don't see why he keeps hanging around.

(I'm undecided) Helton, Abreu
Helton was a great hitter but he had that Coors Field cloud hanging over him. That said, man, his numbers are really impressive: 2500 hits, .316 life time batting average, over .400 on-base, over 1400 runs and RBI's. Yipes! I didn't even realize how nasty his totals got. I can see Helton hanging around and getting in--especially if the Writers are properly convinced he wasn't on the juice.
Dude, Abreu had some monster years--monster!--where he was one of the most feared hitters in the game. My gut is that his career didn't quite last long enough but I'm glad he'll be back next year, I think he deserves a longer hearing.

10th and final ballot
Only Larry Walker was in his final ballot and he got in. Hurrah! And there was no one on the 9th ballot this year, so they'll be no last chance guys next year either.

One and done
Paul Konerko, Jason Giambi, Alfonso Soriano, Eric Chavez, Cliff Lee, Raul Ibanez, JJ Putz, Brad Penny, Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Heath Bell, Rafael Furcal, Brian Roberts, Jose Valverde, Chone Figgins, Josh Beckett
I think Soriano is really one of the most under appreciated players of his era. He came into the league with a lot of (Yankee-size) hype and ruffled feathers but not wanting to change position, which he did anyway, and basically was just a target for Yankee haters and star haters. Not to say that he was great, I would not have voted for him, but I thought he'd get the 20 votes needed to come back next year. Oh well.
Konerko and Dunn both hit a lot of home runs. And Konerko did win a World Series, thought he might last a little longer.
Cliff Lee had a few years where he was dominant, I mean untouchable. That really only lasted a coupla years, but he did win a Cy Young and a World Series, thought that might give him a little more consideration.
Dang, Josh Beckett didn't get a single vote? Was he not instrumental for two different World Series winning teams? That's not worth a vote? Brad Penny from the same squad got a vote, but not Josh Beckett? Tough crowd.

Veterans Committee
Ted Simmons
Uh, okay, I'm cool with this. Back in the day Simmons was kinda the poor man's Johnny Bench, which isn't a bad thing to be. He was a sturdy defensive catcher, good hitter, played on many good teams and just seemed like an all around good guy. This is a good Vet Committee selection, I'd say.

My eight votes
Derek Jeter, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettite (hmmm....pretty much all the same dudes I would've voted last year--all the same dudes that should've got in years ago! Do your jobs, baseball writers!)