Ballots for the Baseball Hall of Fame are due by Dec. 31 and Joe Mauer figures to be one of the most intriguing candidates for next year’s class.
But if the former Minnesota Twins star does become just the third catcher to be elected in his first year on the ballot, we already know that it won’t be thanks to Peter Gammons, who took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning to reveal that he woke up in the middle of the night remembering that he had forgotten to include Mauer’s name on his ballot.
“I mailed my ballot yesterday. This morning I awakened at 3 a.m. because I left off Joe Mauer,” Gammons wrote. “Lord, I hope I get another chance, either way I decide next December. I left Fred McGriff and Bert Blyleven off at separate times. [No one] is smart enough to say his ballot is absolute.”
I mailed my ballot yesterday. This morning I awakened at 3 a.m. because I left off Joe Mauer. Lord, I hope I get another chance, either way I decide next December. I left Fred McGriff and Bert Blyleven off at separate times. Noone is smart enough to say his ballot is absolute.
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 28, 2023
While some might take issue with Gammons’ error, the three-time National Sportswriter of the Year deserves credit for being humble enough to not only admit his mistake, but share that it wasn’t the first time he had accidentally omitted a candidate he felt was worthy of Cooperstown from his ballot. To his point, no one writer’s ballot is absolute, that’s why voting exists (although the 78-year-old is setting himself up for quite the controversy should his mistake cost Mauer a first-ballot induction).
As for who was included on Gammons’ ballot, the MLB Network analyst and contributor to The Athletic shared in a subsequent post that he had voted for Adrián Beltré, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Gary Sheffield, Chase Utley, Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Bobby Abreu. All indications appear to be that while Mauer will eventually be inductedinto the Baseball Hall of Fame, he likely won’t be a first-ballot selection — with or without the help of Gammons’ vote.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.