The 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame class was a special one from a Philadelphia Phillies perspective, because Wall of Famer Roy Halladay was elected in his first turn on the ballot. Nationally, Mariano Rivera – widely considered to be the greatest closer of all-time – became the first player to ever be unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame. Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Harold Baines and Lee Smith also were part of a rather large Hall of Fame class.
2020 may perhaps be the most interesting Hall of Fame class in recent memory. Derek Jeter is the only likely Hall of Famer to appear on the ballot for the first time next year, which means that 2020 is likely to be the defining year on the ballot for those connected to performance-enhancing durgs, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens specifically.