Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Hello, class. We're discussing pitchers and the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'm going to toss out a lot of numbers, but let's start with zero.
That's how many pitchers were enshrined this year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America despite the presence of worthy hurlers on the ballot. Unless BBWAA changes its unwritten criteria, that could become a disturbingly common occurrence.
We'll get into the possible new criteria shortly, but let's begin with a nigh-unassailable premise: The modern big league pitcher is a different animal than his forebears.