Modern-Day Ballot Elects Two People to MLB Hall of Fame

The Modern-Day Ballot is a ballot that allows past candidates who have fallen off the ballot to have another chance to make the Hall of Fame. It is essentially a modernization of the Hall of Fame voting, having a group of 16 people (mainly former players) go back and redo a vote on a Hall of Fame candidate. The Modern-Day Ballot had a vote recently, electing two people, Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, to the MLB Hall of Fame. 

Simmons played his entire career with the Cardinals and finished his career slashing .285/.348/.437 while compiling 50.3 bWAR, 54.2 fWAR and 34.8 WAR7. The average catcher in the Hall of Fame has a 54.3 bWAR and a 35.1 WAR7, meaning that Simmons was right in line analytically amongst the catchers in the Hall of Fame. In traditional stats, Simmons had 2,478 hits, 248 home runs, and 1,389 RBI. These stats are very solid for a catcher and are good enough for traditionalists to agree that he is worthy of a Hall of Fame selection.

Marvin Miller, on the other hand, did not put up the stats that Simmons did. He got in because he completely revolutionized baseball. Miller was an executive director of the Players’ Association and changed free agency forever. When he began his job, players had very little leverage in their contract. The owners decided what they got paid and essentially controlled their baseball career. A player could not seek a better contract with another team as the reserve clause allowed owners to keep the rights of a player even after their contract expired. This all changed when Miller became MLBPA executive. He helped eliminate the reserve clause, allowing players to go to free agency. This allowed players to pick their team and get a higher salary. This is evident in the rising salaries in baseball. When Miller stepped in, the highest salary was $130,000. By the time Miller left, multiple players were making a million dollars a year. The highest salary was $1,500,000. This impact had a lasting effect too. MLB Players are making $300,000,000+. The minimum salary is over $500,000. This has not been limited to baseball either. It has expanded to every major North American sport. It is a shame that Miller did not make the Hall of Fame earlier, because his impact is so great that it has completely revolutionized sports.