2019 MLB Hall of Fame Class

Moose and Mo (Photo: NorthJersey.com)

The 2019 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Class was announced earlier this week.

The class consists of Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay.

I think it's a great class. The voters did a really good job (yes, I might be bias as a Yankees fan).

No surprise to me the Mariano got 100% of the votes. He is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) as a closer and relief pitcher overall. He was very good as a setup man and a phenomenal closer with only minor hiccups.

People are going to question Martinez being in for a couple of reasons. One being the fact that he was a DH and didn't play the field. He still had really good numbers. He had a career .312 batting average with 309 home runs and 1261 runs batted in. David Ortiz will likely get in when he's eligible and he was a DH for 95% of his career.

People are also going to question whether he did steroids/PEDS. It's not proven, plus, there could already be a steroid user in and there might be more in the future.

Mussina is an interesting case. I love Moose. His numbers are good, but not great. He had a career record of 270-153.  He only won 20 games once, in 2008, his final season. He felt like a bulldog/big game pitcher though. When I think of Moose, I don't think of him as a HOF pitcher based on the majority of the guys who are in the HOF. He wasn't an overpowering pitcher who hitters feared (i.e.Pedro Martinez), and didn't have anything that special about him. He was a consistent pitcher who could be counted on to take the ball every fifth day. He made at least 24 appearances every year from 1992-2008. Selfishly, I want him to have a Yankees logo on his HOF cap, but he played more years with the Orioles. It will be interesting to see which one he picks.

Roy Halliday had a great career with the Blue Jays and then went to the Phillies, where he had much postseason success, including a playoff no-hitter. He also has a regular season perfect game to his credit as well as being a eight-time all-star and two-time Cy Young Award winner. I think he is deserving, but wonder if he got in sooner than he would have if he hadn't died in a plane crash. The same can be said for Thurman Munson having his number retired by the Yankees. It's not a knock on the player, I just wondering if it's an emotionally driven recognition (at least this soon) rather than a number decision. I think it's great that his family has made the decision to have him go in with a blank cap, as he did a lot for both franchises he played with.

Also, Lee Smith and Harold Baines will be entering the Hall with these four, as part of the Veterans Committee's choices. Smith is a Hall of Famer. Baines should not be in, in my opinion. He had average numbers at best.