Is a call to the Hall of Fame in Wright’s future?

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat e-newsletter. To learn the total e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.

For the seventh consecutive yr, no participant with Mets ties was voted into the Hall of Fame as balloting totals have been introduced on Tuesday for the Class of 2023. That didn’t come as a shock, regardless of a number of Mets plotlines of notice. Most prominently, Jeff Kent fell off the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s poll following 10 years of scant help; if he needs to make it to Cooperstown, he’ll must enter by way of the Hall’s Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Other than Kent, which Mets might nonetheless make it? Here’s a have a look at the subsequent names of prominence.

(Note: For this train, we’ll be excluding gamers reminiscent of Gary Sheffield, who briefly performed for the Mets however are much better recognized for his or her associations with different groups.)

Billy Wagner’s Hall of Fame pursuit speaks volumes about how each the voting bloc and the poll have modified during the last decade. When Wagner was first eligible in 2016, he obtained simply 10.5% of the vote. Then, after voters cleared eight gamers off backlogged ballots in 2018-19, Wagner noticed his help leap to 31.7%. His numbers have been growing ever since, as much as 68.1% this yr. Wagner’s voting totals have jumped by a median of almost 13% per yr during the last 4 balloting cycles, placing him on monitor to make the Hall in 2024. If nothing else, he seems to be a near-lock to enter by his remaining yr of eligibility (2025).

The turnaround isn’t solely as a result of voters who couldn’t help him earlier as a result of Hall’s restrict of 10 votes per author. It’s additionally due to a shift in attitudes because the bloc has grow to be youthful and extra progressive. Wagner’s case is an analytical one, relying largely on his stats over a 16-year profession whereas ignoring his relative lack of counting stats (and his full lack of postseason success). Every yr that goes by, that college of thought features further members.

Carlos Beltrán: Does the punishment match the crime?

Were it not for his implication within the Astros’ dishonest scandal of 2017, Carlos Beltrán would have both been a first-ballot Hall of Famer or near it. His numbers are above the same old threshold for Cooperstown, notably when contemplating his defensive contributions in middle subject for the majority of his 20-year profession.

But Beltrán was the one participant named in Major League Baseball’s report. He misplaced his Mets managerial job due to it, and he hasn’t been employed by a workforce since.

It’s doable that problem will stop him from making the Hall, however extra seemingly, it should merely elongate his time on the poll. The undeniable fact that he obtained 46.5% of the vote in his first yr of eligibility speaks volumes; Barry Bonds, by comparability, obtained solely 36.2% of help in his first yr, and that rose to 66.0% by his remaining yr of eligibility. Most voters contemplate Bonds’ hyperlinks to performance-enhancing medication much more severe than Beltrán’s guidelines violations, which occurred on the finish of his profession and certain didn’t have a major influence on the again of his baseball card. That’s to not say the punishment is unwarranted. It’s simply a sign that, finally, Beltrán is prone to attain Cooperstown.

Of higher query is whether or not his rocky ending with the Mets will have an effect on which cap he wears on his plaque.

David Wright: Too quick a profession

Mets followers ought to take pleasure in a dose of nostalgia when subsequent yr’s poll is launched with David Wright’s identify on it. From the ages of 21 to 30, Wright was on a Hall of Fame profession arc, ending within the Top 10 in National League MVP voting yearly from 2006-08. Had he stayed even reasonably wholesome into his 30s, he would have shattered the Mets’ all-time house run report and produced sufficient counting stats to earn important Cooperstown consideration.

Instead, again, neck and shoulder woes restricted Wright to 77 video games after his thirty second birthday. He completed with 1,777 hits and 242 homers — spectacular numbers, however a shadow of what they may have been. (For reference, Don Mattingly hasn’t made it to the Hall regardless of an identical profession arc and résumé.) Wright’s profession 49.2 bWAR is effectively under the typical of 68.3 for third basemen in Cooperstown. (Again, for reference, Scott Rolen wanted six years to get into the Hall with 70.1 profession bWAR, and his election was a matter of spirited debate.) Many others above Wright on the listing, reminiscent of Graig Nettles, Robin Ventura and Ron Cey, by no means got here near incomes the requisite 75% of the vote.

All that may be a great distance of claiming that Wright will seemingly need to accept being a Mets Hall of Famer and having his No. 5 retired at Citi Field. Both of these well-deserved honors are coming.

Jacob deGrom: Questions linger

The energetic participant probably to enter Cooperstown as a Met … is now not a Met. Jacob deGrom’s transfer to Texas gained’t erase his accomplishments in Flushing, however the truth is that he has important work to do if he needs to make the Hall. Like Wright, deGrom shouldn’t be near the typical WAR of Hall of Famers at his place, largely as a result of he broke into the Majors late and didn’t grow to be actually elite till his age-30 season. deGrom’s peak has been as spectacular as that of any pitcher this era, nevertheless it additionally hasn’t been lengthy sufficient to make him a surefire Hall of Famer.

Realistically, deGrom wants a couple of extra wholesome seasons — and ideally some further playoff success — to bolster his résumé.

Among present Mets, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are shoo-ins, however they may all the time be higher recognized for his or her work with different organizations. They’re too outdated to alter that narrative. … Francisco Lindor is the next-closest factor to a Hall of Famer in Flushing, however he’s going to want to stay productive for one more decade or so to warrant real looking consideration. … Younger gamers reminiscent of Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz have the talents, however nonetheless should add important bulk to their our bodies of labor.