The Chicago White Sox star fell off the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame ballot after just one year of being eligible to be voted in.
The Chicago White Sox have had plenty of great players come through the organization over the last century or so. None of them were as important to success during a dominant year as Paul Konerko. He was an outstanding player for this team for a very long time. He was easily the best hitter on the team for a very long time and is near the top of a lot of all-time White Sox categories.
This all makes it a bit sad that the Hall of Fame ballot will not feature him anymore. He only received 2.5 percent of the votes which is just short of the five percent needed to stay on. Other notable players to be booted off are Alfonso Soriano and Adam Dunn. It is a shame that Paul isn’t going to be in because he sure meant a whole lot to the Chicago White Sox for a long time.
So who did get in? Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was one vote shy of being a unanimous vote with 99.7 percent. He is also going in with Larry Walker who received 76.6 percent of the votes. Both of these players were incredible in their own right. Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds all just missed the 75 percent needed.
It is not fun to see Paulie go off the ballot after one year but it is what it is. Fans who watch the White Sox on a daily basis know how important he was to this team. They made one of the most incredible runs to the World Series in 2005 ending a very long drought. He had all of the dramatic moments throughout those playoffs including his Grand Slam in the World Series. It was an incredible year for Paul and he deserves nothing but respect. He is a Hall of Famer in the minds of all White Sox fans.