Baltimore Orioles: 2023 Hall of Fame BBWAA Ballot Features J.J. Hardy

The 2023 Hall of Fame ballot features none other than Baltimore Orioles great J.J. Hardy.

The 2023 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released on Monday with 14 newcomers. One of them is an old friend for Baltimore Orioles fans: shortstop J.J. Hardy.

Hardy is one of the new faces on the 2023 ballot. If you started watching MLB in the 2010’s, you saw every player on this ballot in the majors. A sign that we are getting old.

Hardy played in Charm City from 2011 until 2017. He came to Baltimore via trade with Minnesota in December 2010. With a lone All-Star nod for Milwaukee in 2007, he broke out for Birdland in his first year with 30 home runs. That was the best shortstop season by an Oriole since Miguel Tejada in 2004.

From there, Hardy became a key part of the Orioles defense and posted good numbers on offense. His best year was in 2013: All-Star starter, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He won three straight Gold Gloves (2012-14).

From 2015, his power numbers dropped. Despite playing great defense, injuries marked his final seasons in black and orange. He blasted a home run in his final Oriole game at Camden Yards. It was a dignified farewell of a future Orioles’ Hall of Famer.

J.J. Hardy career stats (via Baseball Reference and Fangraphs)

• Batting line .256/.305/.408
• 188 home runs
• 688 RBI
• 1488 hits
• 718 runs
• 2x All-Star
• 3x Gold Glove
• 1x Silver-Slugger
• .983 Fielding Percentage
• 84 DRS
• 8 Outs Above Average*

*Metric started in 2016

From a realistic perspective, it is highly unlikely that Hardy will be elected to Cooperstown, or even if he’ll return for next year.  Candidates need to receive at least 5% of the vote to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot.  Much like the Contemporary Era ballot, we probably won’t see any Baltimore Orioles reaching the Hall.

But don’t worry, James Jerry Hardy. You already got a vote from our crew.

The other former Oriole was Francisco ‘K-Rod’ Rodriguez. The player with the most saves in a single season (62 in 2008) came via trade for the second half of 2013 season and played in 23 relief games. He was the setup for Jim Johnson.

For you: who deserves to enter the Hall of Fame in this ballot? Tell us in the comments section and check out the vote Ryan Thibodaux’s vote tracker as voters release their ballots.