Sheffield, Manny miss out on Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES -- Dominican slugger David Ortiz was the lone player to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting results were revealed Tuesday. While no former Dodger was selected by the BBWAA, several former members of the organization received votes.

• Complete 2022 voting results

Gary Sheffield, who was a member of the Dodgers from 1998-2001, was named on 40.6 percent of the ballots, the same percentage as last year. Sheffield will need much more support in order to reach the 75 percent threshold, with just two years remaining on the ballot.

Sheffield played for eight clubs during his 22-year career, which included 509 home runs and a .907 OPS, but three of his best seasons came as a member of the Dodgers. In his four seasons in Los Angeles, Sheffield hit 129 homers -- his highest total with a single team -- with his legendary batting stance. He made two All-Star appearances during his Dodgers tenure and finished ninth in NL MVP voting in 2000.

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Outfielder Andruw Jones and second baseman Jeff Kent continued to trend upwards on the ballot, while Manny Ramirez remained at around 28 percent. Of the group, Jones had the most significant increase, going from 33.9 percent in 2021 to 41.1 percent in 2022. Jones was at 19.4 percent two years ago.

Ramirez, who had one of the best 53-game stretches in franchise history with a 1.232 OPS in 2008, has a lot of ground to make up as he entered his sixth year on the ballot. Despite his lofty career totals, Ramirez is still dogged by suspensions from performance-enhancing drug use. Jones, meanwhile, played just 75 games with the Dodgers in what was a largely forgettable tenure.

Kent, who had the most successful Dodger career out of the small group, went from 32.4 percent to 32.7 percent. Jones is in his fifth year on the ballot, while Kent has one more try to get elected by the BBWAA.

Though Kent did most of his damage as a member of the rival Giants, the second baseman found success with the Dodgers over the last four seasons of his career. He hit 29 home runs with 105 RBIs in 2005, his first season with the club, and he was recognized as the starting second baseman at the All-Star Game that year, becoming the first Dodger player to start an All-Star Game at the position since Steve Sax in 1983. Kent also took home his fourth career Silver Slugger Award as a member of the Dodgers in ‘05 and compiled an .847 OPS over his time with Los Angeles.

Carl Crawford, who played four seasons with the Dodgers, didn’t receive a single vote in his first year of eligibility. He will no longer be on the Hall of Fame ballot. Jimmy Rollins received 37 votes in what was also his first year of eligibility. He will be eligible again in 2023.