Edmonds among 4 Angels on HOF ballot
Anderson, Glaus, Eckstein also being considered for Class of 2016
ANAHEIM -- Former Angels standouts Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus, David Eckstein and Jim Edmonds debuted on the Hall of Fame ballot released on Monday.
The foursome helps make up 15 new candidates for the 2016 class, as voted on by 475 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Ken Griffey Jr. and Trevor Hoffman headline the class. Ballots are due by Dec. 21 and inductees will be announced Jan. 6 on MLB Network.
Anderson, Glaus and Eckstein were critical parts of the Angels' World Series championship team in 2002.
Edmonds, however, has the best chance of enshrinement.
An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field, Edmonds spent his first seven years with the Angels and his next seven and a half with the Cardinals. He finished his 17-year career with a .284/.376/.527 slash line, 393 home runs, 1,949 hits, four trips to the All-Star Game, a Silver Slugger Award and a World Series championship, with the Cardinals in 2006.
Anderson spent 15 of his 17 seasons with the Angels and holds franchise records for games played (2,013), hits (2,368), doubles (489), RBIs (1,292) and runs (1,024). A three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner among left fielders, Anderson finished his career with a .293/.324/.461 slash line and 287 home runs.
Eckstein was teammates with Anderson on the World Series champion Angels in '02 and joined Edmonds on the title-winning Cardinals in '06, winning the Most Valuable Player Award for the latter Fall Classic. A hard-nosed, undersized shortstop who became a fan favorite in St. Louis and Southern California, Eckstein played in nine postseason series in his 10-year career and spent his first four seasons with the Angels, batting .278/.347/.353 from 2001-04.
Glaus was the World Series MVP in '02, capping a postseason in which he batted .344 with seven homers and 13 RBIs in 16 games. A converted shortstop, Glaus was one of the most menacing third basemen of his time. He made four All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards and averaged 30 home runs from 1999 to 2008 (including 47 in 2000 and 41 in '01).
Others on the ballot include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Mike Mussina, Gary Sheffield, Curt Schilling, Tim Raines, Jeff Kent, Lee Smith, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Nomar Garciaparra, Brad Ausmus, Luis Castillo, Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Hampton, Jason Kendall, Mike Lowell, Mike Sweeney, Alan Trammell, Billy Wagner and Randy Winn.
Smith, who converted 37 of his career 478 saves with the Angels from 1995-96, is in his penultimate year on the ballot.
Candidates must be named on 75 percent of ballots cast by BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of Major League Baseball coverage to gain election. Players may remain on the ballot provided they receive at least five percent of the vote for up to 10 years (it was recently 15 years).