“If Barry Bonds isn’t in the HOF, A-Rod and Manny shouldn’t be either,” said another. “Gotta be consistent.”
Manny Ramirez
Despite being in the same boat, Ramirez was not treated with the same grace as Rodriguez. Manny ended up with 54.2% of the Just Baseball vote — more than the 40% support he’s gotten from the BBWAA — but several votes behind A-Rod. With a weaker overall career and even more off-the-field issues, the tune is very different on one of the game’s greatest hitters.
“I have no problem forgiving a single steroid suspension, or anyone who was caught up in PEDs before Major League Baseball fully cracked down,” a writer said. “However, Manny was caught three times, with his latest coming as late as 2011. His numbers are more than good enough, but it’s a pass for me on character.”
“Manny Ramirez and Andruw Jones do not get my vote due to domestic violence arrests,” another noted.
Félix Hernández
The rise of King Félix has been the biggest storyline of this election cycle. After settling for 20.6% in his debut year in 2025, Félix currently sits at 56.7% of the current BBWAA vote and is on track to record the largest year-to-year jump for any candidate in history. The Just Baseball staff took it one step further and gave him 70.8% of the vote.
While Hernandez flamed out in his 30s and had a rather abrupt ending to his career, what he did in the years leading up to that was enough to convince much of our staff.