Paul Konerko is on the Hall of Fame ballot.
The 2020 ballot includes the White Sox legend for the first time, Konerko landing among baseball’s greats five years after his retirement following the 2014 season.
Konerko is unlikely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, though his Hall-of-Fame candidacy in general warrants a close look. He slashed .279/.354/.486 in his 18-year big league career, smacking 439 home runs and driving in 1,412 runs. His name appears all over the franchise leaderboards, and he was one of the key cogs in the team’s World Series championship in 2005.
As far as further Hall-of-Fame credentials go, Konerko twice finished in the top 10 in the American League MVP vote (2005 and 2010). He hit at least 20 homers in 13 different seasons and hit at least 30 homers in seven different seasons. He twice topped the 40-homer mark. He had six seasons of at least 100 RBIs and batted .300 or better in four different seasons. His 439 homers rank 44th on the all-time major league home run list.
Undoubtedly, Konerko is one of the greatest players in White Sox history, and he’s immortalized on the South Side with a retired number and a statue on the outfield concourse at Guaranteed Rate Field. Whether he is enshrined in Cooperstown is likely a question that won’t be answered for several years, but he can start racking up votes this winter.
He’s not the only former White Sox player on the ballot, joined by one-time teammates Adam Dunn, Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones, J.J. Putz and Manny Ramirez, as well as Sammy Sosa, whose three-year stint on the South Side came long before Konerko joined the team. But fans will rightfully concentrate on the guy who spent 16 seasons in a White Sox uniform and became a fan favorite.
Also on this year's ballot are Bobby Abreu, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Barry Bonds, Eric Chavez, Roger Clemens, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Raul Ibanez, Derek Jeter, Jeff Kent, Cliff Lee, Carlos Pena, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner and Larry Walker.
MLB
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