3 former Cleveland Guardians are eligible for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024

The Cleveland Guardians may see three of their own go into the Hall of Fame soon.

The Cleveland Guardians have had many great baseball players come through their doors. Some have been All-Stars, others Cy Young winners. Some have become icons of the games and others have established themselves as franchise legends. Even fewer, however, have gone to the Hall of Fame.

The last former Guardians player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was Jim Thome, who was inducted in 2018 with 89.8% of the vote on his first attempt. The last player to go in before Thome was Larry Doby, who was inducted in 1998.

Now, three former players have the shot to go in as well, as Bartolo Colon, Victory Martinez, and Brandon Phillips are now all eligible to go into the Hall but who of the three is most likely?

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Which of the three former Cleveland Guardians has the best shot to go to the Hall of Fame?

Well, let’s start with the obvious name that is least likely to go in, and that’s Brandon Phillips. He had a very good run while a member of the Cincinnati Reds, but during his time with the club, he was never the best second basemen, and wasn’t so dominant offensively that he stands out historically. He had three All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves, and that’s a good start. But Scott Rolen had seven All-Star selections, eight Gold Gloves, better career splits, more home runs, more RBIs and a World Series to his name and a vocal minority of fans still didn’t think he deserved to go in.

So it’s unlikely Phillips goes in.

Then there’s Bartolo Colon. He was a four-time All-Star and an AL CY Young winner. He was good for a long time, and his longevity gives him a lot of hope to go into the Hall. There aren’t many 43-year-old All-Stars. The only problem is that Colon has a history of PED use, and while David Ortiz was able to get into the Hall despite his usage, it’s unlikely Colon will be given the same benefit.

The guy who has the best shot of going in, in my opinion, is Victor Martinez. He was a switch-hitting catcher who hit .295 for his career. As the offensive output among catchers has declined in recent years, a guy like Martinez may carry more weight with how productive he was behind the plate. He’s close to Rolen in career RBIs and nearly won the MVP at 35 years old. So he has the productivity and the longevity needed to be considered.

I don’t think Martinez is going in, but I would say he’s got the best chance of all three, and a legitimate chance at that. If he does go in, it’ll be earned, just a bit surprising.