Oakland A’s: Tim Hudson deserves better on Hall of Fame ballot

Through 106 ballots, Tim Hudson has just 4.7% of the vote while Mark Buehrle has 12.3%. Why is there such a major difference between the two totals?

Let’s play a game where we compare two pitchers. Pitcher A posted a 222-133 record with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.239 WHiP, striking out 2080 batters with 917 walks in his 3126.2 innings. He was a four time All Star, led the league in wins and finished second in the Cy Young vote, and took home a World Series title.

Pitcher B was very similar. He posted a 214-160record with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.281 WHiP, striking out 1870 batters with 734 walks in his 3283.1 innings. This pitcher was a five time All Star, won four Gold Glove awards, and threw two no hitters, including a perfect game, and was part of a World Series winning team. Both pitchers are on the Hall of Fame ballot this year. Which one would you vote for?

Pitcher A has received 4.7% of the vote with 106 ballots in, while Pitcher B has 12.3%. Pitcher A – Tim Hudson. Pitcher B – Mark Buehrle.

More from White Cleat Beat

• Zach Logue yet another disappointing Oakland A’s trade return
• Luis Barrera heading to familiar foe in Los Angeles Angels
• Looking back at Ruben Sierra with the Oakland A’s
• San Francisco Giants showing Oakland A’s offseason could be worse
• Lucas Luetge what Oakland A’s need in bullpen

Both pitchers were very similar over the course of their careers. Buehrle has an advantage in bWAR, posting a 59.1 mark compared to Hudson’s 57.9, but even that lead is reasonably negligible. The two pitchers were, for intents and purposes, very close in regards to production, with one able to argue that Hudson was the better candidate.

And yet, Buehrle has a much better chance of staying on the ballot than Hudson at this point. The White Sox pitcher needs just seven more votes out of the remaining 290 ballots, while Hudson needs 15 more votes. In fact, Buehrle has the best chance of any of the first year players to remain on the ballot at all.

While one can argue that Buehrle deserves such a high vote total, it is difficult to see why he has so many more votes than Hudson. If Buehrle is getting such a show of support, then Hudson should be in a similar situation.

Tim Hudson had a very similar career to Mark Buehrle, but has not had nearly as much support on the ballot. Hudson deserves much better than he has received.