Looking Ahead To The 2013 Hall Of Fame And Other MLBullets

Another weekend of baseball is in the books ...

• It was Hall of Fame induction day yesterday, and you already know about Ron Santo's long-awaited - too long - inclusion. Barry Larkin was also inducted, he as the the only BBWA-approved entrant of the year. Rob Neyer takes a look at those who didn't get the call this year, together with the large and interesting crop coming up for eligibility next year. The holdovers include Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, and Lee Smith, and the first-timers includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and Sammy Sosa. Oof. If it weren't for the steroid era thing, it would be virtually impossible to sort through that list. Who do you think gets the call? Does Morris finally get enough? Does Biggio's diverse resume (and 3,000 hits) get him in? Does the fact that Curt Schilling, unlike the other new entrants (besides Biggio), hasn't been accused of steroid use give him a bump?

• Ian Desmond is finally having the breakout season that the Nationals have expected of him for so long, but, unfortunately, it's going to be on pause for a bit. An MRI revealed a tear in his oblique, which will keep him out for some time. The injury is not serious, but it's one that can linger for quite some time.
• Mike Trout has now scored in 14 consecutive games, breaking an Angels team record (and an AL rookie record). And, yet, somehow, that's among the least impressive things the 20-year-old star has done this year.
• Break up the Oakland Athletics. After yesterday's win over the Yankees, the A's completed a four-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers, and catapulted themselves into a tie with the Baltimore Orioles for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. After selling off their closer (Andrew Bailey) and top starter (Gio Gonzalez) in the offseason, it was pretty difficult to imagine the A's anywhere near contention this year.
• MLB Daily Dish analyzes the Padres' three-year, $27 million extension for outfielder Carlos Quentin, who gets a full no-trade clause. Given Quentin's injury history, it's a sizable guarantee, but, at the same time, it's not a huge amount of money (even considering the bonus $3 million he gets if he plays 320 games over that stretch) for a guy who's raking this year, and put up very good numbers the last two years in Chicago.
• Snooki will be coming to Citi Field today to film a spot for MLB.com. Because that makes sense for some reason.
• In a move that actually does make some sense, the Mets will also be welcoming Matt Harvey (though not at Citi Field) on Thursday. The 23-year-old pitching prospect, and 2010 first round pick, will debut in the rotation, filling the hole of the recently-departed Miguel Batista.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.