Up to this day, 347 people have been selected as members of the Baseball Hall of Fame located in Cooperstown, in the northern part of the state of New York. Surprisingly, Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela is not among them, despite being one of the best pitchers for the Dodgers in the 1980s, having a historic season in 1981, and making a significant impact on the Latino community in the United States.
PUBLICIDAD
To enter the Hall of Fame, a player who has been retired for five years must have at least 75% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).
PUBLICIDAD
How many votes did Fernando Valenzuela get for the Hall of Fame?
In the case of Valenzuela, who retired in 1997, he first appeared on the ballots in 2003 and obtained 6.2% of the votes, and the following year that percentage dropped to 3.8%, so according to the rules, he did not reach the minimum of 5% and was excluded from the following elections.
The reasons that weighed against "El Toro" are cold and purely statistical: although 1981 generated such an impact that "Fernandomania" was born (he received the Rookie of the Year and the best pitcher in the National League awards) and in 1986 he won 21 games, after that season his left arm never pitched the same way because it was poorly taken care of by the Dodgers and the sum of his numbers until 1997 are not outstanding. For the BBWAA journalists, a player's overall career is more important than some standout seasons.
But that controversial perspective overlooks other aspects, such as the social impact Valenzuela had on the Latino community in the United States and especially in California, to the point of turning him into a symbol that endures to this day.
Since the Mexican was cut by the Dodgers in 1991, no one has ever played again with Valenzuela's number "34" and it was officially retired last August by one of the most important and traditional franchises in Major League Baseball.
This Wednesday, a columnist from the Los Angeles Times argued that Valenzuela had a much greater impact on baseball than statistics can quantify and called for his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Although "El Toro" was unable to enter Cooperstown through the traditional route, there is a Veterans Committee that meets every three years to review cases of players who were previously left off the ballots and did not enter the Hall of Fame, as was the case with Fernando Valenzuela. This Committee will meet again in December 2025.
Other great players who were also excluded like Valenzuela
The case of Valenzuela is not unique and other great baseball stars were also unexpectedly left out of the Hall of Fame for reasons similar to the Mexican's.
Roger Maris, for example, in 1961 broke Babe Ruth's legendary record and set a record of 61 home runs in a season, which was surpassed by Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Aaron Judge. But all of them, except Judge who hit 62 home runs in 2022, did it under suspicion of doping and therefore have not entered the Hall of Fame.
Maris also won three World Series and was twice named the MVP of the American League. But all of those accomplishments, plus the historical impact of breaking Babe Ruth's record (it even became a movie), were not enough for the association of journalists, who argue that Roger Maris' career was too short (11 years).
Nor did Valenzuela's teammate, Orel Hershiser of the Dodgers, enter the Hall of Fame. Just like the Mexican pitcher was the star of the Los Angeles team that won the 1981 World Series, the "Bulldog" achieved the same in 1988, where he was also the MVP of the National League Championship Series, the World Series, and the best pitcher of the season. However, journalists argue that even though his performance that season was remarkable, it is not enough.
Perhaps the most talented player to be left out of the Hall of Fame is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who has been portrayed in countless movies. But his issue is different: he was accused along with seven other White Sox players of being bribed to lose the 1919 World Series and were banned for life.