With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Vinny Castilla

Vinny Castilla
Castilla spent most of his 16 year career manning third base. Though he debuted in 1991 with the Atlanta Braves, Castilla was most known for his time with the Colorado Rockies, the team he would eventually end his career with in 2006. This will be the first time he appears on the Hall Of Fame ballot.

Why He Should Get In
Castilla made two appearances at the All Star Game, garnered three Silver Slugger awards, and was in the top 25 in the Most Valuable Player award four times in his career. In the early days of the franchise, Castilla was one of the most recognizable Rockies and gave the team a legitimate threat in Colorado and elsewhere.

Why He Should Not Get In
While Castilla’s numbers are just outside of Hall Of Fame credentials, they will be further discounted due to his extended playing time and great years while playing at Coors Field. Even if the voters could take away the high altitude inflated numbers, his 320 home runs, 1105 runs batted in and 1884 hits will leave him to go to Cooperstown as a spectator.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
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