It’s Hall of Fame Season

Craig Biggio and Jose Altuve (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

Currently, we are in the midst of the winter doldrums without baseball. While we do have the Hot Stove League, so far it has proven to be both quiet and boring for Houston Astros’ fans.

But what will prove to be anything but boring, is Hall of Fame Season. With the announcement of the 2014 ballot, election results will be revealed January 8th, the next month will be filled with conversation and debate. Former Astros Moises Alou and Jeff Kent are making their first appearances on the ballot, but that is not where the drama lies.

Last year’s election process did not yield any inductees. This was a point of contention for Astros fans, especially in the case of Craig Biggio. Biggio, who is a member of the 3,000 hit club, received the most votes (68.2%) of all eligible candidates. In my opinion, he should get in this season, as the issue for him last season was a belief that he was not deserving of being a first ballot selection. After watching him for 20 years, Astros fans really do not need a refresher course in his credentials.

The road for Jeff Bagwell has, and will prove to be, harder than that of his partner in crime. This will be the fourth year that Bagwell is appearing on the ballot, and his vote total has risen from 41.7% to 59.6%. However, the issue this year for Bagwell, is that there are so many new candidates appearing for the first time that are quite deserving.

In the next month, we will have you covered here at Climbing Tal’s Hill as each candidate is dissected and discussed.