Who could be the next Diamondbacks representative in the Hall of Fame?

Who might be the next player to represent the Diamondbacks in the Hall of Fame?

The Hall of Fame ceremony is Wednesday, September 8th, 2021. It will encompass the 2020 Hall of Fame class comprised of Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Marvin Miller, and Ted Simmons. It would include the 2021 class as well if anyone had been selected. To the surprise of everyone, not one retired player that is eligible got over the 75% voting threshold to achieve admission to the Hall of Fame. The last, and only, Diamondbacks player to wear the hat of the Dbacks was Randy Johnson back in 2015.

I’m going to cover the ones that played for the Diamondbacks but weren’t with the team long enough to actually consider them a possibility to wearing the Dbacks cap in the Hall of Fame below. Additionally, there will be a brief section on each of them as to why I believe that they will make the Hall of Fame. If you want to just see who I think will actually represent the Diamondbacks in the Hall of Fame, go-ahead to the next slide.

Potential/Probable Future Hall of Fame’rs that played for the Diamondbacks

• Max Scherzer (Probable): Max got drafted by the Diamondbacks in the First Round of the 2006 Amateur Draft. He developed through the Dbacks system and reached the Majors in 2008. He pitched with the Dbacks from 08-09′ in which he put up a stat-line of 9-15, 3.86 ERA, 226.1 innings, 84 walks, 240 K’s, and a 117 ERA+. Sigh, I guarantee the Diamondbacks regret trading Max to the Tigers in the three-team trade that brought Ian Kennedy to the desert. While Ian did lead the team to the playoffs in 2011, Max went on to have 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young, and lead the league in multiple categories during his time with the Tigers before he hit free agency. He signed with the Nationals and continued to put on dominant stats. He’s considered one of the best pitchers of all time and you have to wonder what he could’ve done for the Dbacks had they not traded him. Nonetheless, he is a guaranteed Hall of Famer at this rate.
• Adam Jones (Potential): Adam Jones only played one year with the Dbacks, 2019, but quickly became a fan favorite. He’s not officially retired from the MLB as he is playing in Japan, but it’s highly doubtful he will play in the MLB again. Adam made his mark with the Orioles where he clobbered 263 HR’s, 866 RBI’s, and obtained 5 All-Star awards, 4 Gold Gloves, and 1 Silver Slugger award. He led the O’s to the playoffs multiple years. He’s a fan favorite across the MLB. It’s not likely he makes it to the Hall of Fame, but you can’t outright say no either.
• Madison Bumgarner (Likely to make it): Madison Bumgarner had one of the best pitching peaks ever in terms of the success it brought to his team. The man who willed the Giants to a World Series win is now with a former rival, the Dbacks. From 2009-2019, MadBum had 3 World Series team wins,  4 All-Star awards, 2 Silver Sluggers, and 5 top-10 Cy Young vote years. He was a model of consistency as 7 of those years had him pitching more than 200 innings. Over that time period, he had 119 wins and a 3.13 ERA. This is only his regular-season stats too. His playoff stats over that time were dominant. He went 8-3, 3 shutouts, 1 save, 2.11 ERA, 102.1 innings, 18 walks, and 87 K’s. He’s one of the best postseason pitchers of all time in my eyes. The Hall loves players who can perform in the postseason. He won 2 postseason MVP awards in 2014. Don’t forget his hitting prowess too. He’s hit 19 home runs during his career so far. His WAR total on just his hitting alone is 4.8. Add that to his pitching WAR of 33.0 and you get 37.8. That’s not a huge amount, especially when compared to pitchers of the past. However, he’s only 32, has multiple years left in him, and has showcased himself to be an elite performer in his past. Right now, it’s about counting stats. He needs to keep pitching well and build up his stat-line. If he can have a few more pretty good years and make it to the postseason again, he should get in eventually. He’ll be wearing a Giants’ hat though.
• Fernando Rodney (unlikely but maybe): The former Archer and closer who helped lead the Dbacks to the playoffs in 2017 is retired now. He had a long career though. He pitched in the MLB for 17 years with the same crooked hat-look. Over his 11-team career, he fired off 327 arrows, er, I mean saves. He had 943 K’s in 933 innings along with a 3.80 ERA. He also has the lowest ERA ever for a pitcher with more than 60 innings pitched when he was with the Rays in 2012. In that season, 74.2 innings, 48 saves, and 76 K’s, he had a 0.60 ERA. He made it to the All-Star that year as well as two other years. It’s highly doubtful he ever makes it to the Hall but it’s still nice to remember how good he was.