MLB: Hall of Fame Class 2018: Chipper Jones in first attempt after Cooperstown

Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman will be admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. This was announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday. Jones and Thome even managed to get into the Hall of Fame at the first attempt.

Chipper Jones, who had spent his entire 19-year Major League career with the Atlanta Braves, was voted MVP of the National League in 1999 and also won the World Series that same year. The Third Baseman was eight times All-Star and won the Batting Title in 2008. He received 410 votes and thus 97.2 percent of the votes – it takes 75 percent to get into the Hall of Fame.

Vladimir Guerrero received 92.9 percent of the vote and made it to Cooperstown on the second attempt. In the previous year, it only received 71.7 percent of the votes. Guerrero was active at the MLB from 1996 to 2011 and played for eight years for the Montreal Expos, six for the Los Angeles Angels and in his last two years for the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. He was the MVP of the American League in 2004, was an all-star nine times and won eight Silver Slugger Awards as an outfielder.

Jim Thome spent 22 years at MLB and played for the Cleveland Indians (13 years), Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox (4 each) and Minnesota Twins (2), Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles (one season each). He is one of only nine players to have defeated 600 home runs (612) and thus occupies 8th place on the all-time list. The First Baseman received 89.8 percent of the vote.

Closer Trevor Hoffman, on the other hand, made it into the Hall of Fame at the third attempt and received 79.9 percent of the votes. Hoffman played at the MLB from 1993 to 2010. His career began with the Florida Marlins, but he was traded to the San Diego Padres in his debut season, where he spent a total of 16 years active. Afterwards he played two more years for Milwaukee Brewers. Hoffman came to 601 Saves, the second most in the history of MLB. Only he and Yankee legend Mariano Rivera have achieved more than 600 savings in the history of MLB.

Added to this are Pitcher Jack Morris and Shortstop Alan Trammell, who were already elected by the so-called Modern Baseball Era Committee in December.

In addition to the players, two journalists will also be admitted this year. The legendary TV commentator and presenter Bob Costas gets the Ford C. Frick Award for his achievements in broadcasting and Sheldon Ocker receives the J. G. Taylor Spink Award as author.

The awards will be presented at the Hall-of-Fame weekend from 27. till 30. July in Cooperstown, New York.

This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.