Will baseball pitch a shutout with its 2021 Hall of Fame ballot?

The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released last week, and it was underwhelming.

Since 2013 — the most recent year to see no players voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America — there have been 22 new Hall of Famers, including slam-dunk inductees Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter. There is no one of that caliber on this year’s ballot.

So will we see a shutout on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot? Let’s take a look at the players who have the strongest cases for induction.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling was named on 70% of ballots in 2020, just five points short of the threshold for enshrinement. As recently as 2017, Schilling was named on 45% of the ballots submitted.

If not for his controversial opinions, Schilling might already be in Cooperstown. Per Bill James’ Hall of Fame Monitor, Schilling’s figure is 171, with the bar for “likely Hall of Famer” set at 100.

Schilling never won a Cy Young Award but finished second in the voting three times in a four-year span (2001-2004). He was a six-time All-Star, a three-time World Series winner, a World Series MVP, and an NLCS MVP.

This is Schilling’s ninth and penultimate year on the ballot.

Omar Vizquel

A defensive whiz at shortstop, Omar Vizquel went from 37% of the vote in his first year on the ballot, to 42.8% in his second, to 52.6% in his third.

The 11-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star could make an even bigger gain this time around, especially on this weak ballot.

Barry Bonds

MLB’s all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds, is on the outside looking in for his ninth year on the ballot. Bonds was on 60.7% of ballots in 2020 and has climbed less than 7% from four years ago.

Many voters have their minds made up on the controversial slugger, so it seems unlikely Bonds will be voted in.

Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner, is in the same boat as Bonds. He was named in the Mitchell Report in 2007 as a user of anabolic steroids, which forever tarnished his reputation.

Clemens appeared on 61% of ballots in 2020, up less than 6% from 2017.

Torii Hunter

Part of a weak class of newcomers — which includes Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle, Aramis Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Dan Haren, and Barry Zito — Torii Hunter may have the best chance, however minute it may be.

Hunter was known best for his defense in center field, where he captured nine Gold Gloves. The longtime Minnesota Twin was a five-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger winner.

Despite these accolades, Hunter’s Hall of Fame Monitor figure is a modest 58, well below the “likely Hall of Fame” barrier of 100.