1) Ivan Rodriguez, one of the very best catchers ever.....he could change a game picking off runners at first or second base...........also a .296 career hitter, 1999 AL MVP plus lots of Gold Gloves;
2) Tim Raines, the best leadoff hitter of his generation.....a .294 career hitter, 2,605 hits and 808 stolen bases.......unfortunately, we did not see much of him in the AL but he was awesome on the bases;
3) Mike Mussina, one of the best pitchers of the last 25 years............270 wins, 3.68 ERA and lots of innings; and,
4) Curt Schilling, the definition of a clutch pitcher............216 wins, a 3.46 ERA.........he was 11-2 in the post-season with a 2.23 ERA. Where do you find a better pitcher?
5) Billy Wagner, with 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA.
This is a very substantial ballot and there are some, like Vlad Guerrero and Jeff Kent who may have to wait a bit longer.
Not surprising, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro will have to wait a bit longer.
We discussed my choices on Thursday's show:
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