The lead-up to and aftermath from the Hall of Fame voting seems to have occupied its own spot on the baseball calendar, right between the holidays and the resumption of offseason player movement. The Baseball Writers' Association of America has, rightfully in my opinion, taken a lot of heat for its inability or unwillingness to induct deserving players in recent years, and has begun to take some steps to rectify the situation. Did the 2016 vote represent progress, or are we still stuck in the mire?
First let's take a big-picture, bird's-eye view of the work done by the BBWAA since the turn of this century:
There's quite a bit to digest here, but here are the highlights:
First, note the relative scarcity of top new candidates during the first decade of this century. Between 2004 and 2009, specifically, Mark McGwire and Tim Raines were the only heavyweights added to the ballot. The BBWAA had a very easy job in those seasons -- and they elected Jim Rice and Andre Dawson, who arguably weren't even as qualified as 2016 one-and-done Jim Edmonds.