Phillies: Jim Thome, Curt Schilling Hall of Fame update

Public ballots are flying into Cooperstown as several Phillies legends await their fate

Phillies fans are already planning their trips to Cooperstown with the hopes of at least one of their favorite Phils legends earning induction this year.

With nearly 30% of the ballots made public and recorded by Ryan Thibodaux, baseball fans have a good idea of where the Hall of Fame voters are swaying this year. Those on the ballot need 75% of the votes to earn induction into the most prestigious group of athletes.

Players who receive less than 5% of the vote fall off the ballot for good, which doesn’t bode well for former Phillies Jamie Moyer, Kevin Millwood, and Brad Lidge in their first year of eligibility.

With the early “precincts” reporting, the 2018 Hall of Fame class would be as follows: Vlad Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Edgar Martinez, and Jim Thome. That’s a lot of home runs and saves for one class.

On his first Hall of Fame ballot Thome has received 109 of the 114 public votes, giving him 95.6% of the vote. The former Phillie is a near lock for Cooperstown with 612 career home runs, the eighth-most in baseball history.

Another former Phillie looking for his ticket to Cooperstown is Curt Schilling, who is on his sixth ballot. Because of his political affiliations and outspokenness Schilling has been exiled by many voters despite his impressive resume. The early public ballots have Schilling just outside of Cooperstown with 66.7% of the vote.

Scott Rolen currently has 9.6% of the early votes and Billy Wagner has 10.5% on the public ballots.

Next: What do the Phillies need to do in 2018 to get a wild card?

The official release of the 2018 Hall of Fame class will be on Jan. 24 on the MLB Network and MLB.com.