Tim Hudson barely remains on Hall of Fame ballot
By David Hill
It was touch and go with Tim Hudson and the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Players need to receive 5% of the vote to remain on for the following year, and Hudson was close. He had hovered around that threshold as ballots became public, making a second year an uncertainty.
As it turned out, only three first year players will remain on the ballot. Mark Buehrle received 11% of the vote, Torii Hunter came in at 9.5%, and Hudson barely reached that threshold at 5.2%, receiving a total of 21 votes.
How much longer will Tim Hudson stay on the ballot?
The good news is that Hudson will get a second year on the ballot. Each year that he gets to remain gives the A’s former star a chance to be inducted.
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But it is fair to wonder whether or not Hudson will last beyond that second year. He barely got through this election cycle on a relatively weak ballot. Next year will see Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz joining the ballot amongst the first year players. While both will be dogged by PEDs, they will still receive their share of the vote.
That does not exactly bode well for Hudson. He was seemingly the last player selected on most of the ballots he was named on, someone selected either to fill out the tenth option or as an honor for his solid career. However, this does not mean that his vote total will increase in the coming years.
Hudson definitely deserved better. He posted a 222-133 record with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.239 WHiP over his 3126.2 innings, striking out 2080 batters with 917 walks. His overall numbers are not dissimilar from Beuhrle’s, but he received approximately half the number of votes.
dark. Next. It's now or never for Dustin Fowler
Fortunately for Tim Hudson, there is always next year. Hopefully, it will not be his last.