The results of the 74th annual BBWAA Hall of Fame election are in, and four players will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 29 as part of the Class of 2018: Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman.Tune in live to MLB Network's Hall of Fame special, part of a simulcast on MLB.com, for full coverage of the next class of inductees.Needing votes on 75 percent of the 422 total ballots, Jones led the way with 97.2 percent (410 votes), ahead of Guerrero (92.9 percent; 392 votes), Thome (89.8 percent; 379 votes) and Hoffman (79.9 percent; 337 votes).Edgar Martinez was the highest runner-up, receiving 70.4 percent of the vote in his ninth year on the ballot.
The four inductees make it 13 players elected in the past four years, tying the most in a four-year span in Hall of Fame history.Jones, who played all 19 years of his career with the Braves, was named National League Most Valuable Player in 1999. He is the only switch-hitter in MLB history to have a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage for his career (and one of 20 players overall). He won a World Series with Atlanta as a rookie in 1995 and was named to the NL All-Star team eight times. Jones also hit .287/.409/.456 with 13 homers and 47 RBIs in 93 career postseason contests.The 2004 American League Most Valuable Player, Guerrero was a nine-time All-Star and an eight-time Silver Slugger Award winner. His 449 career home runs are tied with fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for 40th in MLB history. As a 27-year-old for the Expos in 2002, Vlad was one home run shy of joining the 40-40 club. He batted .318/.379/.553 over the course of his 16-year career.
Hoffman's 601 career saves are the second most in MLB history behind only Yankees legend Mariano Rivera. A seven-time All-Star, Hoffman recorded a career 2.87 ERA in 1,089 1/3 innings across 18 big league seasons. The right-hander racked up nine 40-save seasons during his 16 years with the Padres, topping out at 53 in 1998, when he finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting.A five-time All-Star over the course of his 22-year career, Thome ranks eighth in MLB history with 612 lifetime home runs. His .554 career slugging percentage ranks among the top 25 in history, as well; he clubbed 40 or more home runs in six seasons. Thome is best remembered for his 13 seasons with the Indians, two of which resulted in a trip to the World Series. He, Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth are the only three players in history to rank in the top 10 all time in home runs and walks.MLB.com
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