Yankees: Mariano Rivera should be unanimous choice to make HOF in 2019

On Wednesday, the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class was unveiled. Though former Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina failed to gain entry, next year should be a different story, especially for the man we call Mo.

Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman. Those are the four names that will enter the hallowed halls of Cooperstown this summer. As for the only former Yankees player that had a legit chance of enshrinement, Mike Mussina, he received 63.5 percent of the vote, falling a bit shy of the necessary 75 percent.

In his fifth-year on the ballot, Moose saw a significant uptick in his Hall of Fame stock this time around, as 2017 only produced 51.8 percent. With five years remaining before potentially being erased from the ballot, there is a real chance Mussina joins Edgar Martinez, who fell just 20 votes shy of enshrinement, in the class of 2019.

But what about those now eligible, five years after their retirement?

Notables include two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, 256-game winner Andy Pettitte and four-time All-Star Todd Helton. All will garner votes, but not nearly as many as the greatest closer in MLB history, Mariano Rivera.

The all-time leader in saves (652) and games finished (952), Rivera completed 11 seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA. He’ll easily stroll into Cooperstown in ’19. However, the way Rivera does so should be like never before: unanimously.

No player in the history of the sport has ever received 100 percent of the baseball writers’ vote.

It’s hard to comprehend the likes of Babe Ruth (95.13%), Willie Mays (94.68%), Hank Aaron (97.83) and Ted Williams (93.38%) being denied the honor of unequivocal enshrinement, but that’s the reality of the situation.

And while this points to the notion that no man will ever beat the norm of full appreciation across the board, the time is now for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to change their philosophy.

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I’m well aware that only six “relief pitchers” have a plaque hanging in the HOF (Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage and now Trevor Hoffman). Eckersley was the first elected during the one-inning save era, and Gossage received the highest percentage of the reliever vote at 85.81.

But how can anyone that witnessed Rivera’s greatness with their own two eyes actually make a case against him?

A 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Rivera was even more magical during Postseason play — highlighted by a 0.70 ERA, .0759 WHIP and 42 saves in 96 playoff appearances.

Still need more evidence as to Mo’s unmatched resume?

How about five reliever of the year awards, a World Series, ALCS and All-Star Game MVP — and for the stat geeks, a 57.1 career WAR, which is 17 wins better than the next reliever already in the HOF.

Should you still possess the archaic mindset that closers or relief pitchers are a specialty position and therefore don’t deserve as much consideration as an everyday player or starting pitcher, you are sadly mistaken.

Recent iterations of successful clubs such as the Indians, Cubs and even Yankees, suggest that without core bullpen pieces, deep playoff runs and history-defying seasons (Cubs in 2016) wouldn’t exist.

Even then, there isn’t one current lights out stopper that comes close to the overall effectiveness and sheer brilliance of The Sandman.

Take Rivera out of the equation, and those Yankee teams of the late 90s and early 2000s are much different — likely resulting in fewer championships. Look no further than Nov 4, 2001 — Game 7 of the World Series versus the Diamondbacks.

On a night when Rivera didn’t have his best stuff, it cost the Yankees a title.

The bottom line is that Mo has been a model citizen, both off the field of play and naturally on it. He forever changed the importance of a reliever with one single pitch (the cutter) and set the gold standard of what a closer strives to be.

If you’re unable to justify Rivera eclipsing the highest HOF vote of all-time, Ken Griffey Jr’s 99.32 percent in 2016, then it may be time to step aside.

With suspected PED users like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds beginning to gain steam in their inevitable chances of enshrinement, and guys like Livan Hernandez, Kerry Wood and Carlos Lee still somehow garnering throwaway votes — the time for change is now.

Next: A-Rod and Boone forever linked

This time next year, cast 100 percent for Mariano Rivera, or relinquish your right to vote. The choice is yours.