Who Voted For Aaron Sele? Hall Of Fame Ballot Remains A Mystery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- So who voted for Aaron Sele?
On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America elected no one to the Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996.
But one voter had Sele on his or her ballot. Don't remember him? Sele spent a single season with the Mets, retiring after his 2007 season in Queens. He went 3-2 to cap a 148-112 career.
4.61 ERA. 1,407 strikeouts. Hardly numbers worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown alongside all-time greats Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver. Sele's inclusion on the official results table sparked outrage among baseball fans and analysts who long to see the voting process turned on its head.
The conversation exploded on Twitter, where Sele's name trended nationwide.
"Aaron Sele got one more vote for the Hall of Fame than Pete Rose ever will. There is something so very sad about that," tweeted Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.
Wrote Boston Globe writer Peter Abraham: "Aaron Sele got a vote. That's nice. Makes the rest of us look good."
Not to be overlooked, ex-Met Shawn Green and his 328 home runs received two votes. The forever-young Julio Franco got six votes. Meanwhile, none of baseball's best players from the Steroids Era received the 75 percent necessary for enshrinement.
The BBWAA has published the breakdown of every voter willing to make their ballot public, though the Sele supporter remains unknown. Sports site Deadspin.com is seeking tips on the identity of the voter.
Los Angeles Daily News columnist Jill Painter received plenty of criticism for a ballot which included Green, Craig Biggio, Kenny Lofton, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams.
"Thanks to all of you who can debate the #hof fame vote without attacking based on unprofessional accusations," Painter tweeted. "And yes, i care."
The BBWAA had published 114 of 569 ballots as of Thursday morning.
Does the voting process need a major overhaul? Be heard in the comments!
