Will Ken Griffey Jr. win unanimous election to the Hall of Fame?

Hall of Fame ballots for the Baseball Writers' Association of America are in, and so the burning question between now and Jan. 6, when the results will be announced, is whether outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will be the first player to be elected unanimously.

Griffey, who played primarily for Seattle and Cincinnati, is in his first year of eligibility. There is no legitimate argument for not voting for Griffey. He's one of the best centerfielders of all-time. He was born in Denora, Pa., same hometown as Stan Musial, and broke in with the Mariners at 19.

Junior had 630 home runs, 1,836 RBIs and an American League MVP. He was a 13-time All-Star, won four home run titles, an RBI title and 10 Gold Gloves. And, in an era of steroids, he was never once associated with taking performance-enhancing drugs.

But will Griffey be a unanimous selection? Jack O'Connell, secretary-treasurer of the BBWAA, says he doesn't expect it only because it is not part of the America fabric to have a unanimous consent on anything. "It's tough enough to get 75 percent," O'Connell says.

Bob Feller was 10 votes short of getting them all. Willie Mays fell 23 votes short, Ted Williams 20, Johnny Bench 24, Henry Aaron nine and Cal Ripken Jr. eight. Who knows why these players were not checked on a ballot?
Part of it might have been their relationship with particular writers, a la Ted Williams. Sometimes players are left off a ballot by mistake. And some players didn't get all the votes because some BBWAA voters think that certain players shouldn't be a first-ballot' Hall of Famer, a ridiculous idea.

Some voters differentiate between a Hall of Famer and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I don't agree.

The closest a player that came closest to a unanimous selection was pitcher Tom Seaver in 1992. He finished five votes short. That was the year commissioner Bart Giamatti ruled Pete Rose banned from baseball for gambling, saying that the BBWAA should determine if Rose belongs in the Hall. The Hall said Rose wasn't going to be on the ballot.

So how did five voters not select Seaver?

Three writers sent in blank ballots, protesting the Hall's decision not to have Rose on the ballot. Another voter, just getting out of surgery, left Seaver off the ballot because he said he was woozy when he voted. And, one voter decided that Seaver wasn't a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

So will Griffey make it?

In age of social media, the writers who don't vote for Griffey will have plenty of explaining to do. They will be second-guessed for years. If some voter doesn't check Griffey's name, that voter is going to be hammered.
That's why one would think that Griffey would have a chance to be a unanimous selection.

Voters can select up to 10 players. Here's a look at my ballot:

Obviously, I voted for Griffey. And I voted for closer Trevor Hoffman, another first-timer on the ballot. It's hard to argue with 600-plus saves.

I voted for Jeff Bagwell and Fred McGriff, even though I had to think long and hard about those guys. Each is a borderline candidate, but they've done enough.

Bagwell was NL MVP and finished with 449 home runs and 1,529. McGriff had 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs.

I voted for former Orioles and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, who has 270 wins. He doesn't have 300 wins, but he had a career 3.68 ERA and was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. He was a winner at a time when the American League East was loaded with big-time hitters.

I voted for shortstop Alan Trammell and outfielder Tim Raines, the two biggest snubs on the ballot. Trammell is the AL version of Barry Larkin, a shortstop who is in the Hall of Fame. Raines is the second-best leadoff hitter of all-time behind Rickey Henderson.

Trammell and Larkin are so similar it's scary. Each played with one team and won a World Series, Larkin with Cincinnati and Trammell with Detroit.

Trammell had 2,365 hits, 185 home runs and won four Gold Gloves. Larkin had 2,340 hits, 198 home runs and three Gold Gloves. Larkin was a better all-around player, considering his 379 steals.

Still, Trammell should be in.

Raines had 808 stolen bases and 2,605 hits. He was an All-Star seven times and won four stolen-base titles. What more does he need to do?

Edgar Martinez gets my vote. He won two batting titles for Seattle and finished with a .312 career average. He defines the role of a DH as well as the Mariners franchise.

And I voted for Mike Piazza, one of the best-hitting catchers in history with 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs. This is the year he makes Cooperstown.

Curt Schilling doesn't get my vote. He had 216 wins and was a big-game pitcher, but did he dominate long enough?

Closers are difficult to judge. I'll vote for Lee Smith, who had 478 saves, one of the all-time best totals, even though Smith, with a career 3.03 ERA, doesn't seem to strike the persona as a Dennis Eckersley or Goose Gossage among closers.

Billy Wagner, a lefty with 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA, and second baseman Jeff Kent were left off my ballot, but deserve strong consideration.

That's what next year will bring.