In a world of bad news, Chicago White Sox fans got a little bit of good news Tuesday night. Mark Buehrle was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he received enough votes to remain on the ballot for another year, which is excellent news.
Buehrle received 42 votes. He got 44 his freshman year and 23 last year. Now he will be on the ballot for the fourth time next season, which is well deserved. He was one of the best and most consistent pitchers in the league throughout his career.
Of course, the highlight of Buehrle’s career came in 2005, when he was the ace of a World Series-winning White Sox staff that featured some great pitchers. He even proved that he can come out of the bullpen and be effective when needed in the World Series. He is a legend in the city.
He may or may not ever come, but he deserves consideration. People in Chicago know how effective he was in his prime. Most of the batsmen he faced were also at an advantage for various reasons and he still dominated.
Buehrle didn’t own batters by striking them out every time. He hit for contact as effectively as anyone in league history. It also allowed him to have a long healthy career, which is why he was so good for so long.
Will he continue to increase his numbers with each passing year? It would be nice to see since, as mentioned before, he is one of the best pitchers of his time.
Scott Rolen was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the only person elected. He managed that with 76.3 per cent. The next closest to the required 75 percent was Todd Helton at 72.2 percent.
Obviously, someone like Buehrle has a big mountain to climb to reach the number of votes needed, but at least he has the five percent needed to stay on the ballot.
Next. The White Sox should consider trading for Max Fried. dark
