Commentary: It's past time to elect Fernando Valenzuela to the Hall of Fame

"Better late than never. The Dodgers generally do not retire the numbers of players not selected for the Hall of Fame, but it is never too late to do the right thing. On Sunday, a committee is set to vote on whether Valenzuela should be admitted to the Hall of Fame. To the committee members: We commend Valenzuela to you with that same adage - it is never too late to do the right thing."

""He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," said longtime Dodgers broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, himself a Hall of Famer. "The Hall of Fame is a special, special place, of course. But, what Fernando did for baseball, very few have done." Eight players are on the ballot, given a second chance at Cooperstown after the Baseball Writers Assn. of America passed on them all: Valenzuela, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and Gary Sheffield."

"By the numbers alone, Valenzuela's candidacy is borderline. Sandy Koufax or Clayton Kershaw, he was not. Still, of the 90 pitchers in the Hall, according to Baseball Reference, Valenzuela had a better earned-run average (3.54) than 11 of them. One of them, Jack Morris, had a 3.90 ERA. He was elected by a committee just like the one that will consider Valenzuela."

In 2023 the Dodgers retired number 34, worn by Fernando Valenzuela. A 16-person committee will vote on Valenzuela's Hall of Fame admission, with each member able to vote for up to three players and 12 votes required for election. Valenzuela won a Cy Young Award, made six All-Star teams, and posted a 3.54 career ERA. He had a better ERA than 11 of the 90 pitchers in the Hall according to Baseball Reference. The ballot includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and Gary Sheffield. Jaime Jarrín praised Valenzuela's impact on baseball.

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