The new BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot is out. New additions to the ballot include Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez. I will leave it to others to pronounce on the worthiness of these candidates. I will say only that Guerrero was the best “bad pitch” hitter that I ever saw. He hit balls that anyone else would have been fined for even offering at.
As for former Cubs, Lee Smith is in his final year on the ballot. After Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter, Smith was the dominant closer in baseball a number of seasons during the 80s and early 90s.