The annual MLB Hall of Fame ballot was announced on Monday with 14 newcomers and 14 holdovers earning a spot on the ballot. Ichiro Suzuki headlines the star-studded class of newcomers, while Billy Wagner is the lone player in his tenth and final year on the ballot. Wagner finished just five votes shy of the 75 percent threshold required to be inducted into Cooperstown, finishing with 73.8%. With the steroid era and the Astros cheating scandal still prevalent amongst players on the ballot, voters will have to make a choice in the age-old debate about the Hall of Fame’s “character clause”.
The shoe-in: Ichiro Suzuki
Before the time of Shohei Ohtani, Suzuki was a megastar in his own right and had the play to back it up. Debuting at age 27, the Mariners’ outfielder broke George Sisler’s 87-year-old record of 257 hits in a season with 262 in 2004. The 2001 MVP was the second rookie to win the award, joining Fred Lynn in 1975. From 2001-2010, Suzuki was named to the all-star team each year and won a gold glove for ten straight years behind his cannon of an arm. He also earned three silver-slugger awards over that time span as his career batting average never dropped below .300 after his tenth career at bat in the majors. Suzuki’s 4,367 career hits between Japan and the MLB, where he had 3,089 knocks, would rank first all-time above Pete Rose. Ichiro will waltz into Cooperstown next summer, perhaps even joining Mariano Rivera as the second player to be unanimously elected.
Should get in: Billy Wagner
Being the only player in their last year of Hall of Fame eligibility should give Wagner the push he needs to surpass the 75% threshold. A career filled with injuries did not stop Wagner from putting up a remarkable resume over a 15-year playing career. Playing much of his career in Philadelphia, Houston and for the Mets, the southpaw racked up almost 1,200 strikeouts and a whopping 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Wagner’s final season might have saved Wagner’s Hall of Fame chances as he passed the 400 save mark by closing out 37 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2010. Wagner entering the Hall of Fame will be very helpful for closers like Francisco Rodriguez, who is in his third year on the ballot.
Interesting cases: CC Sabathia and Chase Utley
These two late 2000s and early 2010s greats have an interesting case for Cooperstown this Hall of Fame election season. Chase Utley earned 28.8% of the votes last year, while CC Sabathia is in his first year of eligibility.
Sabathia is one of 19 pitchers in MLB’s 3,000 strikeout club. Every other member of that club is in the Hall of Fame, will be in the HOF when they are eligible, or has a scandal tied to their name preventing them from entering the hall. Spending time in New York with the Yankees, Cleveland and a legendary half season in Milwaukee, Sabathia won the Cy Young Award in 2007. He was also a huge part of the 2009 World Series winning Yankees and their playoff teams in the 2010s. Sabathia’s durability in his early years benefited his statistics, boasting his win total to 251 career wins, which is still very important to many voters. The starters in later years with the Yankees could scare voters as the lefty never had an ERA lower than 3.65 after 2013. Sabathia entering the Hall of Fame on his very first ballot would be surprising, though there should be no doubt that he enters Cooperstown within the next three or four years.
Utley’s all-around play might just sneak him into the Hall of Fame in a few years. The second baseman compiled 64.5 WAR during his 16-year career, with a career high of nine in the Phillies World Series season of 2008. Utley falls short of the 2,000 hits mark, which has become an unwritten requirement for hitters to enter the hall. Since 1960, the voters have not voted in a player with less than 2,000 hits to the hall within the ten years of eligibility. Utley making significant gains on the ballot this year could help the case of Dustin Pedroia.
Various scandalized players
Carlos Beltran would have been enshrined in Cooperstown by now if it hadn’t been for the Astros cheating scandal in 2017. The 1999 rookie of the year clubbed 435 home runs to go along with his WAR of 70.1. The nine-time all-star was named as one of the biggest players in the Astros scandal, causing some voters to shy away in order to maintain the character clause. Beltran earned 57.1% of the votes last year, showing that voters are not as harsh on Houston’s players as they have been on past steroid users. If Beltran gets inducted at some point, it will raise a lot of debate about the character clause.
Andruw Jones’ first 11 years in the MLB put him on pace for a first ballot Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately, injuries caused him to decline and he retired without 2,000 hits in his career. Jones earned 61.6% in 2024 and is entering his eighth year of eligibility. The ten-time gold glove winner was arrested for domestic assault in 2012, possibly making some voters hesitant to induct Jones into the prestigious hall.
Alex Rodriguez’s history with steroids is a convoluted one that could keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Originally denying the use of steroids, Rodriguez back tracked and admitted to his use, getting tagged with a 162-game suspension. A-Rod’s stats speak for themselves with 696 home runs and 3115 hits, earning him three MVP awards during his career. Rodriguez is in his fourth year on the ballot and needs to improve from his 34.8% last year if he wants to get over the hump.
Andy Pettitte and Manny Ramirez are the last of the steroid era bunch remaining on the ballot. Pettitte is regarded as one of the greatest postseason pitchers ever, winning five World Series with the Yankees. The lefty admitted to taking HGH to recover from an elbow injury, tainting his possible Hall of Fame resume. Sitting at 13.5%, Pettitte’s chances are looking dim going into year seven on the ballot.
Ramirez was suspended twice during his career for violations of MLB’s drug policies. The outfielder was one of the most feared hitters during his time in Boston, routinely leading the American League in batting average, on base percentage and slugging. If players like Bonds and Sheffield could not get in during their time on the ballot, Ramirez and his 32.5% of votes will most likely not make a turnaround in his final two years of eligibility.
Other newcomers:
Felix Hernandez and Pedroia should gain enough votes to stay above the minimum 5% threshold needed to return to the ballot in 2026. “King Felix” was dominant during his time in Seattle. However, his lack of support has brought down his incredible numbers. The 2010 Cy Young winner looked poised to have a resurgence with the 2020 Atlanta Braves before the COVID pandemic delayed the season, and Hernandez never played again.
Pedroia’s career had a terrible ending, which might have prevented him from going to Cooperstown. The Laser Show only played nine games combined in 2018 and 2019, cutting him short of 2,000 hits. If he can remain on the ballot, Pedey’s phenomenal defense and his 51.9 career WAR could build an interesting case in years to come.
Rounding out the newcomers are Carlos Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Ian Kinsler, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Zobrist.