Yesterday, as was widely expected, longtime New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada retired after 17 seasons. During his long tenure with the Yankees, he hit .273, had a OBP of .374, slugged 275 homeruns, drove in 1065 runs, was named to five AL All-Star Teams and earned five World Series rings. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were his teammates from start to finish.
The question doesn’t seem to be so much if he will make the Hall of Fame but when. Peter Gammons argues that he should be inducted his first time on the ballot in 2018:
It would be nice if Posada made that speech before Jeter and Rivera are elected to the Hall, because when they touch the plaque handed to them by Jane Forbes Clark, Jorge Posada should be in the background, applauding from the stage of fellow Hall of Famers.
Yet somehow I don’t think Posada will be elected on his first try. Consider Bernie Williams. This year was his first year of eligibility and he captured less than 10% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). A player needs 75% of the vote from the BBWAA to get inducted into Cooperstown.
Now one could make the case that there are far fewer outstanding catchers than there are centerfielders and that Posada might get more consideration on his first ballot than did Williams. Of course, it will also depend who is on the ballot with him. When Rivera or Jeter are eligible to get on the Halll of Fame ballot they are certain to be voted in on their first try barring a major scandal. In which case, Posada and Williams are most very likely to be inducted with one, the other or possibly both.
Let’s say Rivera and Jeter retire at the same time. You could potentially have an induction ceremony which could include Rivera, Jeter, Posada, Williams, Andy Pettitte and, for good measure, Joe Torre. It would be too much for a Red Sox fan to bear.