This year is the second year that I've been able to really put the "Importance Score" to use here in Around The Horn...as a reminder, the "Importance Score" is calculated by using the WAR/year that a player accrued and adding bonus points for World Series Rings, MVPs, Cy Young Awards and seasons with 4+ WAR. The biggest change in the process this year, though, is that I am going to calculate an Importance Score for players that I have at least 5 seasons of park adjusted WAR data on rather than waiting until I have all of their seasons calculated. For reference, the six members of the ATH Hall of Fame before voting begins this season have an average Importance Score of 16.9 but I generally consider anything in double digits as being HOF-worthy. Here is how this year's ballot stacks up:
Hitters
Graham Brock: Only three years of park adjusted WAR data calculated so far
Taylor Butler: 5.8 Importance Score with five years worth of data
Einar Castillo: Only three years of park adjusted WAR data calculated so far
Darrell Charles: Only three years of park adjusted WAR data calculated so far
Lance Fitzgerald: 2.1 Importance Score with five years worth of data
Tom Glavine: 12.6 Importance Score with nine years worth of data
Neifi Ortiz: 1.3 Importance Score with five years worth of data
Mark Robinson: 1.3 Importance Score with five years of data
Luis Salas: Only four years of park adjusted WAR data calculated so far
Tim Suppan: 3.9 Importance Score
Pitchers
Lee Buchanan: 9.7 Importance Score with seven years worth of data
Tony Butler: No park adjusted WAR data calculated yet
Vicente DaSilva: 18.9 Importance Score (fully calculated)
Gioskar Golub: 3.7 Importance Score (fully calculated)
Geraldo Mendez: 8.4 Importance Score with thirteen years of data
Marc Murphy: No park adjusted WAR data calculated yet
Carter Pickford: 5.4 Importance Score (fully calculated)
Based on the above information, Tom Glavine and Vicente DaSilva will be getting votes from me for sure, and there are a handful of others who will probably get votes from me once there's enough data.