At the beginning of January, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) announced that for the first time since 1996, no-one had been elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame for the year 2013. The current class of eligible players are headlined by two of the greatest to ever play the game – Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. However, these two greats rose to prominence in a time period which will forever be remembered as the “steroid era”. Due to suspicions that both men used performance enhancing drugs throughout their careers, their chances of reaching Cooperstown are slim-to-none, and were subsequently denied entry into the Hall Of Fame. Bonds only managed to garner 36.2% of the vote, with Clemens fairing slightly better at 37.6% – but neither is anywhere near the 75% required for rite of passage.

So, with no focus on this year’s non-existent inductees, baseball fans can begin speculating who, if anyone, will be a named inductee next year and in the years following. One man destined for the Hall Of Fame is a player who hung up his cleats at the conclusion of last season – the one and only Chipper Jones. If you reflected on his career for just a second, maybe even browsed over the top half of his Wikipedia page, you’d have enough evidence ready to shoot down any argument that is against Chipper being enshrined in Cooperstown. But is that enough to convince everyone on the voting panel? Probably not. History would suggest that, as no player in history has ever received 100% of the vote. There has never been a unanimous decision in Hall Of Fame history. Tom Seaver, famed for his career in a Mets uniform, has come the closest out of any player in history to achieve this feat, getting 98.84% of the vote. So your Babe Ruths, Honus Wagners, Ty Cobbs, Hank Aarons and the like have never even reached the ceiling. It appears to be an impossibility. But is it? There may be one man, not too far from the hallowed hall, who could be the first-ever unanimous inductee into the Baseball Hall Of Fame – he certainly fits the criteria.

Enter Sandman.

Mariano Rivera will be retiring at the end of the 2013 season. The Panamanian pitcher has an approximate minimum of six months before he calls time on one of the most storied careers in baseball history. Having played every single one of his Major League seasons, seventeen, with the New York Yankees ‘Mo’ will leave behind a legacy fit for baseball royalty, and he will no doubt be a shoe-in for the Hall Of Fame – first ballot. That is something that is pretty much accepted by the baseball community.

But despite what appears to be ‘the obvious’, can the man who will be the last player ever to don the famous #42 jersey become the first ever man to enter the Hall Of Fame with 100% backing? In my opinion, he should, and his credentials are a testament to that. As I stated before, Mariano Rivera has been with the New York Yankees for the entire duration of his professional career. In that time, he has managed to accomplish many things, the toast of which being five World Series championships – one for which he was the finals MVP (1999). To add to that he is a 12-time All-Star and has more saves than any other closer in history with 610… and counting. Those are accomplishments that one can only dream of; and whilst Rivera has been a phenomenon on the field, he has always kept quiet off it. It is a testament to the professionalism and character of Mariano Rivera. Even in the most rampant media melting pot on planet Earth, he has always kept his personal life out of the spotlight, getting headlines the right way; plying his trade and doing charitable actions.

Wait… there’s more. Not only is Rivera one of the greatest relief pitchers of all time – he is the greatest. He’s is head and shoulders above the competition. There’s no discussion. You could go back and forth with another baseball fan over who is the greatest starting pitcher/second baseman/shortstop ever, but when it comes to relief pitching, Mariano is king of the closers. He is second only to Addie Joss in career WHIP*, with a more than respectable 0.99. On the ERA list*, #42 ranks thirteenth with a 2.22 earned run average. But his career stats are just the tip of the iceberg. When you delve further into the career of Mariano Rivera and look specifically at the Postseason, that’s where his claim for a unanimous vote gets a big boost – as if it needed one. In addition to five World Series rings, Mariano has taken part in 96 Postseason games pitching 141 innings. That’s 1.47 innings per game. In those 141 innings, he has allowed a paltry 13 runs. That’s an amazing 0.83 ERA in the Postseason. His clutch ability is second to none, and there is not much more that needs to be said on that subject. He performs when it matters most.

Despite the amazing stats and accomplishments, many believe that unanimous entry into the hall is a bridge too far. According to MLB analysis Tim Kurkjian, everyday players take president over starting pitchers and starting pitchers take president over those in the bullpen when he was involved with ranking the 100 greatest players of all-time, a list which Mariano Rivera ended up 67th on. That could be a strike against Rivera. Many are convinced that no player will ever receive a unanimous vote for a number of esoteric reasons, such as panellists leaving off a certain player to gain publicity, or to not vote for a player because they take the stance that everyone else will vote for them anyway, so they won’t miss out on one vote. Personal reasons could also play a part. The Yankees are one of the most hated teams not just in baseball, but in sports. This could factor into the decision of one of the voters. Of course it is at others’ discretion, so there is always potential for some votes to go amiss.

I would like to think that Mariano Rivera will be able to add being the first unanimous inductee into the Baseball Hall Of Fame onto his list of accolades. He is a true sportsman and role model, and you won’t find many more befitting than number forty-two.

*The list only includes pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched. Statistics from baseball-reference.com.