A look at the Chicago White Sox Hall of Fame candidates

The Baseball Hall of Fame creates some of the greatest debates in the pro sports world. Major League Baseball has had many elite players for a very long time. As a result, the Hall of Fame voters have interesting decisions to make when it comes to players who are borderline. It is not an easy job by any means. Here in 2021, there are some notable Chicago White Sox names on the list.

The two most memorable players on the ballot for Chicago White Sox fans are A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle. Those are two players who were a force in 2005 when the White Sox won the World Series for the first time in almost a century.

Each of them played their role to perfection to help them take care of business in that season. They were also good for their entire careers in Major League Baseball. However, it is hard to see either of them actually making it to the Hall of Fame. You have heard the phrase “Hall of Very Good” if you are big into sports. That is where these two would belong.

Buehrle had a career WAR of 59.1 as he had a record of 214-160 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.281 WHIP. His career was filled with awesome starts that helped the White Sox win a lot of different games. In his prime, he was as consistent as any pitcher during his time.

As for Pierzynski, he had a career WAR of 23.8. He slashed .280/.319/.420 for an OPS of .739. He hit 188 HRs and had 909 RBIs to go with 807 runs scored. Those are outstanding numbers, especially for a catcher, but they aren’t good enough to get anyone in the Hall of Fame. It is nice to see him on the ballot but don’t expect him to get in.

There is some Chicago White Sox flavor on the current Hall of Fame ballot.

There are a few other players on the ballot that had stints with the White Sox but nothing like Buehrle or Pierzynski. Of course, the big debate on the ballot is the status of the guys who were part of the steroid era.

That debate starts and ends with the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Each of them has the numbers (and then some) to make it to the Hall but there are a lot of people who want them out for obvious reasons. It is a very interesting debate but the simple solution would be to put them in their own portion of the Hall.

It is always fun to see White Sox flavor on the ballot but seeing anybody at all make it this year is tough. Unfortunately, there is nobody who sticks out above the rest as someone that will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame player.