The results of this year’s round of Hall of Fame voting will be announced at 5PM CT this evening. Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, and Billy Wagner appear to stand the best chance among this year’s crop of players to join the immortal ranks of Cooperstown alongside Dick Allen and Dave Parker this summer. That doesn’t mean they’re the only players worth considering, however. 28 names in total are on this year’s ballot, and while we won’t go over every single name, plenty of players have solid cases to be elected.
Suzuki has a chance to go into the Hall as its second-ever unanimously elected player, and it’s easy to see why. The ten-time All-Star won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the AL back in 2001, his age-27 season, after a nine-season stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He went on to play parts of 19 seasons in the majors, collect 3,089 hits and steal 509 bases and win ten Gold Glove awards, three Silver Slugger awards, and two AL batting titles. Combined with his years playing overseas, Suzuki has 4,367 hits over a 28-year career in professional baseball.
Sabathia, meanwhile, won’t get in unanimously but stands a good chance of making it in during his first year of eligibility. The southpaw played 19 seasons in the majors, with a solid career 3.74 ERA (116 ERA+) to go along with 3,093 strikeouts and 251 wins at the big league level. The six-time All-Star won the AL Cy Young award with Cleveland back in 2007 and went on to finish in the top 5 of Cy Young award voting four more times throughout his career. He eventually won the 2009 World Series with the Yankees, earning ALCS MVP honors along the way as he pitched to a 1.98 ERA while striking out 32 batters in 36 1/3 innings of work across five starts during that postseason run.
As for Wagner, the lefty enters his final year of eligibility after missing election last year by just a few votes. The reliever pitched just 903 innings over his 16 years in the majors, but the seven-time All-Star was undeniably dominant when on the mound with a career 2.31 ERA (187 ERA+). He also collected 422 saves throughout his career, making him one of just eight players to record 400 saves in MLB history, while his career 33.2% strikeout rate would not only be by far the best among Hall of Fame relievers but trails only active closers Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Craig Kimbrel among all 265 relievers in MLB history with at least 600 innings pitched in their careers.
Aside from the top three names, the only players with a realistic shot at election this year are Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones. A nine-time All-Star and the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year, Beltrán played 20 years in the majors and during that time racked up 2,725 hits, slugged 435 homers, and stole 312 bases. During his peak seasons with the Royals and Mets from 2001 to 2008, Beltrán was worth 47 bWAR and 46.6 fWAR as he slashed .282/.363/.513 while collecting five All-Star appearances, three Gold Glove awards, and two Silver Slugger awards. However, his case may be complicated by his involvement in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
Meanwhile, Jones is a 10-time Gold Glove award winner and is generally considered to be one of the best defensive center fielders of all time if not the very best. From 1997 to 2007, Jones combined that generational defense with strong offensive numbers, hitting .263/.343/.498 with 363 homers during that time en route to 60.9 bWAR and 64.2 fWAR.
While other players on the ballot don’t have a clear shot towards election this year, that hardly means they lack legitimate cases for the Hall of their own. Chase Utley struggled to stay on the field throughout the later years of his 16-year career, but his peak seasons from 2005 to 2011 are impossible to argue with as he slashed .293/.383/.513 with five All-Star appearances, four Silver Slugger awards, and three top-ten MVP finishes en route to 49.3 bWAR and 47.7 fWAR over that seven-year period.
Álex Rodríguez, Manny Ramírez, and Andy Pettitte all have impeccable arguments for the Hall in terms of stats but have had their candidacies bogged down by their PED usage. Félix Hernández has an unbelievable peak with a 2.90 ERA (134 ERA+), six All-Star appearances, an AL Cy Young award and five other top-ten finishes in Cy Young balloting during an eight-year stretch from 2008 to 2015 but pitched his final MLB game at the age of 33. Bobby Abreu lacks the awards and accolades of his peers on the ballot but was a career .291/.395/.475 hitter across 18 years in the majors. That .395 on-base percentage would be tied for 41st among 171 Hall of Fame hitters.
Meanwhile, a number of players are currently fighting to stay on the ballot for next year. Francisco Rodríguez, Brian McCann, Russell Martin, Ian Kinsler, and Torii Hunter have all received votes this cycle but have less than 10% of the vote among publicly revealed ballots. Anyone who finishes below 5% in the final results is kicked off the ballot, and of that quintet only Rodríguez is above that benchmark on publicly revealed ballots.
If you had a Hall of Fame ballot, who would you vote for? Have your say in the poll below, which allows you to vote for multiple players. As a reminder, Hall of Fame voters may only select a maximum of ten names on their ballots.
Did people not have the ability to pick more than one at first? How is the highest at 15%?
How Omar Vizquel, andruw jones, & billy wagner werent alredy elected yrs ago is crazy
Ben Zobrist is one of those guys you wanted on your team. He is a winner. But I do feel like he falls into the hall of very good. If any “writers” don’t vote Ichiro they should lose their vote.
Ichiro should be guaranteed, he would have been the hit king if he had started his MLB career sooner.
*COULD have been. He was great, but 1200 more hits is not a given, even for someone like Ichiro.
Acoss – I totally agree, but you know what’s interesting about Ichiro?
Because of his .331 BA during his first 10 MLB seasons, everyone remembers him as a great hitter …. including me.
But then you see his MLB OPS+ was only 107 and his OPS was only .757 and then you realize he wasn’t that great a hitter … he just was very very good at using his speed to reach base, moving toward first base even as he was still completing his swing.
He was a great hitter. Then he turned 37 and became mortal/below average.
Dm – Agreed! He was a great hitter for a decade, but when his speed slowed with age it really dragged down his numbers.
I’m of the opinion that Zobrist’s impact on the game (how we view super-utility players now) + the unprecedented manner he contributed in his time (utility player that could play at least passable defense anywhere while providing clear offensive value) should be enough to warrant him inclusion. I don’t think he’ll actually come close to getting in, but I would vote for him.
That sounds more like Zobrist is worthy if mentioning in an exhibit. Not eternally enshrined with a plaque.
Well, nothing is eternal.
I find absolutely nothing unique about Ben Zobrist. He played the game like many players before him, such as Tony Phillips (whom I’d rank higher), Bert Campaneris (over 2,200 hits!), and a few more. Zobrist was solid, but not even close to the HOF.
Well I suppose the book is closed on that now pretty decisively. The one guy who didn’t vote for ichiro should’ve tossed Zobrist a vote.
I think you could make a narrative case for Zobrist. It’s the Hall of Fame not the hall of greatness. Some players are famous because they were great. But some players were great by the numbers but forgettable. Some players were merely good but are remembered. Zobrist was the poster boy for versatility. He maybe changed the way teams go about managing rosters. How often do you still hear “a Ben Zobrist type” on broadcasts today? Enough that he enters the collective consciousness I think. I define that as famous.
From that list, it would be quite a few guys actually. Some of the names on there should already be in…
How are we only giving Ichiro 16%. I think people misunderstood that they could pick more than 1 player. That’s the only explanation.
Andy Pettitte used PEDs?
Yes, he admitted it way back when the allegations against him and Roger Clemens surfaced, if I remember correctly.
He actually admitted to taking HGH to come back from an injury. He’s still my favorite pitcher ever but to me it DQs him from the HOF.
Joe – I always liked Andy, he’s a standup guy.
Bernie was one of my favorites too.
Don’t ask me about Posada though ;O)
The thing about that though is all these beat writers with BWAA ballots helped cover up the steroid use until it came out anyway then they act all high and mighty when it comes to HOF voting. I find that ironic. I do agree though that steroid users should not be in the Hall.
Abreu, Torii, Andruw Jones, K-Rod, Ichiro, Wagner
I would just pick Ichiro. He is Hall of Fame worthy. Everyone else is Hall of Very Good.
It’s the freakin’ Hall of Fame folks. Not an all star team. This is not meant for mortals. Think of guys that are far better than anyone else.
CC had a nice long career. He never led in ERA. He never led in K’s. He was on some very good teams and he got a lot of wins. One Cy Young. He was a great pitcher… but not Hall of Fame.
Andruw Jones was an excellent CF. He had power and some speed. But he hit .254. OPS+ of 111 for his career. His best was 137. That’s like saying his best OPS year was similar to Kyle Schwarber from last year. He was great, but not Hall of Fame
Billy Wagner was an excellent closer for about 10 years. That is amazing. I just have difficulty putting someone in who has thrown less than 1,000 innings. That’s like 3 great seasons for a starter. Mariano and Trevor Hoffman pitched much more and lasted much longer than Wagner. He’s close, but I have to say no.
CC has the third most K’s, 7th most wins and IP, and the 6th most bWAR among lefty starters since the integration era. Jones is one of only 5 players all-time who spent at least 75% of their playing time in CF with 400+ home runs. The rest are in the Hall of Fame. The comparrison to Scwharber leaves out a huge part of Jones’ game that Schwarber couldn’t even dream of. Jones has the 22nd most defensive WAR of all-time, and has 235 fielding runs. There are only 8 relievers all-time with at least 400 saves. Billy Wagner has the 2nd best ERA+ among those eight at 187. Only Mariano has a higher ERA+, with the third highest, Craig Kimbrel, currently sitting at 158.
CC should go in just for plunking the poor slob on the Ray’s after their guy tried to drill Austin Romine in the melon. And it cost him $500K. He just didn’t GAF. Legend.
CC has pitched a long time. For the Hall of Fame you shouldn’t have to make these subsets to prove your point. CC is not one of the best starting pitchers ever. He was a 6 time all star. He appeared in 4. Didn’t start any of them.
For Jones, OPS doesn’t measure defense, just offense. Jones’s offense was just as good as Schwarbers this year. Schwarber has a much higher lifetime OPS+. Defense, sure, Jones was one of the best defensive CFers in the game.
Wagner, I think is very very close. He had a 10 year stretch where he was extremely good. Guys like Mariano and Hoffman were over 15 years. We are talking about a guy who is slightly better than Fernando Rodney and Papelbon and on par with KRod and John Franco. Not quite
When I think of Hall of Fame, I think of guys like Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, Pedro, Greg Maddux and Bob Gibson. I don’t think of CC Sabathia, Mike Mussina and Jack Morris. There is a distinct gap between those groups.
Whats starter is getting 1000 innings in 4 years let alone the 3 you said in this millennium?
Tyler Glasnow, that’s who!
“Whats starter is getting 1000 innings in 4 years let alone the 3 you said in this millennium?”
A Hall of Famer would.
5 yrs./1000 IP is a stretch today.
I agree. 200 innings a season is the norm now.
Back then, Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson were topping 300.
Carlton, Niekro, Palmer, Jenkins… they topped 300 innings a season.
Andrew Jones wasn’t simply an “excellent” centerfielder. He was the greatest defensive outfielder of all time.
Willie Mays says, “Hey”
So does Ken Griffey Jr.
Zobrist only player who deserves a vote.
Ichiro is deserving. That is it for me. Meanwhile… I can think of 15 or so guys who are in but shouldn.t be.
I think that they need to repost the poll so that people understand that they can vote for up to 10 players, which is what I did.
I think there must be something wrong with the poll itself. It must be only counting one or only accepting those who only picked one. The percentages add to 1oo and we know lots of people picked more than one.
I feel like Bobby Abreu might be the most underrated player on this year’s ballot. He doesn’t have HOF vibes, but you look at some of his numbers, and they were really, really good, maybe even HOF worthy:
2470 hits
288 home runs
400 stolen bases
.870 OPS/128 OPS+
60.2 bWAR/59.7 fWAR
Arbitrary numbers, but there are only 21 players in baseball history with at least 2000 hits, 400 stolen bases, and a 60 bWAR. Only 5 are not in the Hall. One is Ichrio, another is Barry Bonds, with the other three being Bobby Abreu, Kenny Lofton, and Bill Dahlen. Lofton should also probably be in the Hall, and Dahlen retired about 30 years before WWII started. I definitley would include him on my ballot if I had one.
Abreu should definitely be in. And it’s crazy how Lofton didn’t even get the 5 percent needed to stay on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.
I can’t wait for the day where Lofton and Abreu both get in via the Veteran’s Committee. Because they 100% should be in the Hall.
Not arguing against you. Abreu also had a cannon arm. It’s for these personal biases that fans shouldn’t be surprised that slam-dunk candidates aren’t voted in unanimously by writers. There will always be someone who makes a last-ditch effort and punts their ballot to help get players like Abreu in.
Who are the 1000 knuckleheads who believe PED users like arod & manny should be hof’ers? Thankfully none of ya’ll have actual say in it. If ANY of these guys, bonds clemens etc, ever got in it would the final nail in the coffin of the absolute disgrace mlb has become in recent yrs
You play the sax angry too?
They should be in. There are already PED users in the Hall, so why keep these great players out?
Nothing great about cheaters
They ruined the game
Shoutout to the entire Colorado Rockies fan base for turning out to vote for Cargo.
*Runs away giggling*
It’s not quite the whole fan base, Tulo got a few votes.
Whoever voted for Carlos Gonzalez punted their right to complain about the writer’s. Good gosh.
If you let Baines in I say let’em ALL in, the HOF is a joke only no one is laughing….except me. Ahahahahahaha!
The only way this poll could show any accuracy is if the votes are weighted. Vote for up to so many players with 1st place votes carrying the most points etc..
Yes, it should be redone but maybe MLBTR doesn’t have the tech to do weighted polls.
But the actual Hall of Fame votes are not weighted, so these shouldn’t be either. It’s not like MVP and other voting where you put them in order.
ichiro, cc, tulo, pedroia, wagner, abreu, felix, andruw jones, k-rod, ben zobrist
I heard the Blue Jays are interested in all of them.
Too late, dodgers already signed them
Until Curt gets Nod…Don’t really care… I get he’s a horse’s rear with some of his comments but that shouldn’t keep him out, but it is…
When his comments include using a cancer diagnosis the victim wants to keep private as a way to get attention on a podcast, then yes, his comments should keep him out.
As a Royals fan loved Beltran but lost all respect for him after the Astros scandal. No one on that Astros team should ever make it in!
Then take down Willie Mays’ plaque since he was on the sign-stealing ’51 Giants.
The GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT team did not win the World Series.
Luis Tiant has a higher WAR and half a run better ERA, but Sabathia’s a lock? Whatever.
Tiant should already be in. I think they both belong.
Until Barry Bonds is in it’s not the Hall of Fame.
If guys start peaking at 36-39 y/o, then sure. He didn’t use and should be in. Some mature later than others.
Sad thing is Bonds was already a guaranteed Hall of Famer before his ego (and his head) swelled…
The all-time home run and hit kings are on the outside looking in. How crazy is that?
I voted Wagner, Andruw Jones, and Ichiro. I’m on the fence about CC, but gun to my head, I’d probably say not quite.
It looks like it’s tallying every vote as its own ballot.
Hall of Fame is not the Hall of Very Good. My Vote is for Ichiro Suzuki. There are two or three more that I would have voted for but the Performance enhancers used prevent that.
60 career bWAR equals a pretty much automatic vote for me. PED performance boosts during the steroid era equals strong drawback. PED suspension during testing era is something I don’t care about much. They were caught by a testing program and punished.
Suzuki, Sabathia, Wagner, Andruw Jones, Beltran, A. Rodriguez, F. Hernandez, Pettitte, Utley, B. Abreu.
Somewhere along the lines 60 career WAR as an automatic became 60 career WAR for minimum consideration. That’s nuts. You’re talking about less than 0.1% of baseball players in history considered at that point.
Not nearly enough pitchers chosen these days. It’s ridiculous.
I picked 10.
Utley
Buehrle
Sabathia
Petitte
Wagner
Jones
Ramirez
Rodriguez
Suzuki
Beltran
Tiant belongs more than many of them.
Honestly, I don’t think any of them belong in the HOF but if I have to pick one, it would be Ichiro Suzuki. The rest of them are either cheaters or just not good enough.
If Beltran gets in, MLB and the writers each have to make public apologies to Joe Jackson and immediately induct him.
Come to think of it, that should happen regardless, but especially if Beltran gets in.
Shoeless Joe was paid to lose.
In spite of initially being a member of the Black Sox, Jackson never accepted the money and was one of the leading hitters in that World Series……
He backed out the only way he knew how to do it. However…. He was in on the initial planning stages.
Now Sports Betting is being legalized!!
Does that let Jackson and Rose off of the Hook??? Maybe?????
No. Players or managers shouldn’t bet on games they’re involved in.
And if Jackson gets in, then Pete Rose and Curt Schilling need to be inducted. Which they should be, anyways.
Mark Buerhle made at least 30 starts in every single year of his career. 220 career wins, all-time MLB leader in pickoffs, multiple gold gloves and WS champion. I’m not even a White Sox fan, he should get more HOF love.
Don’t forget a Perfect Game.
I like Buehrle but feel like because he was steady, but not dominant at anything in any given year he won’t garner the attention
Brian McCann and k-rod should get more attention
McCann has 7 all star appearances which is 3 more than Adrian beltre and k-rod was the best closer in the league when the angels were good
Granted I admit I did cherry pick and did not talk about WAR and totals, which is why I said attention and not should get into HOF
Do people who picked Alex Rodriguez know his stats are juiced with PEDs?
Yes, they do. If it was the last year of his eligibility and he was near 75%, I’d probably vote for him, but otherwise no.
Guarantee that in less than ten years, Bonds, A-Rod, Clemens, etc. will all be in. The HOF is pretty much a joke now, anyways.
They’ve already run Bonds and Clemens through the Veterans Committee and they weren’t even close. Maybe if Big Papi, Bagwell, Piazza, and IRod are on the panel.
Let it be. The McGwire Sosa and Palmeiro should all be in as well as Pete Rose.
What? No, that’s an estimation of how people are voting if they are voting for as many as they want
Ichiro
Jones
Wagner
CC
Jones 434 HRs with 10 GGs should be automatic.
Wagner-Only two RPs in the modern era were better, and given that Hoffman’s ERA+ was 141, and Wagner had an insane 187, I’d argue that Wagner was even better than Hoffman.
Ichiro, Utley, Sabathia, Wagner, Andruw Jones, Krod, Rollins, Hunter
if it didn’t happen on the field, it’s just subjective BS. Vote for the best players who did the most for their teams.
Sad I am a Braves fan and didn’t pick McCann. I did pick andruw jones though.
Foolish Baseball makes an interesting case for Zobrist, actually.
youtu.be/jutBrr_1fn4
PED players —— Nope!
Very Obvious with Bonds!!!! It’s a shame too.
He probably would have made it anyway if he’d just stayed clean!!
Same with Clemens.
For all the tens of thousands of MLB players, only 84 pitchers, 20 catchers, 28 first basemen, 20 second basemen, 19 third basemen, 26 shortstops, 23 left fielders, 24 center fielders, 28 right fielders, 3 designated hitters. have made the HOF. Sure some are questionable but GTFO with these Hall of Very Good players on the ballot.
Ichiro is the only one. If Billy Wagner gets in (or any reliever with that few innings for that matter), then why not Tim Lincecum (or any other starter that was dominant for a relatively shorter period)?
Because not everyone has the testicular fortitude to be a closer. Just ask any middle reliever.
So you’re comparing middle relievers to starters who had dominant stretches?
– Carlos Beltran
– Mark Buehrle
– Andruw Jones
– Andy Pettitte
– CC Sabathia
– Ichiro Suzuki
– Billy Wagner
Ichiro, to me, should be unanimous. I voted Sabathia in the poll as well as 250 Wins will likely be the new 300. Plus a career ERA under 4.00, playing his whole career (minus 17 starts) in the American League. His other numbers stack up well with recent inductees like Jack Morris
and those 17 national league starts are legendary
They might be his defining moment for enshrinement, truly legendary stuff.
Yes they were. The Brewers do not make the postseason without him
I’m a Small Hall guy. Just Suzuki.
1. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Manny Ramirez
4. CC Sabathia
5. Andruw Jones
6. Felix Hernandez
The top 3 are no brainers. Sabathia should get in. Jones and Hernandez I’d vote for but wouldn’t lose my mind if they’re held out.
No one else is worthy.
Who the heck are the Fernando Rodney fan boys?
The ones who want to witness the first slanted cap in the hall.
Lou Whitaker
check joe nathan’s stats from 2004-2008
7th highest career ERA+ in history
if wagner deserves to be in (and he does) nathan has a strong argument
Joe Nathan…please give me a break Joe Nathan stunk
The percentage for each candidate should be based upon the number of individual ballots on which they appear rather than total votes which, in this context, is meaningless.
David Wright will never be. HOFer.
Just like the real voters, people can vote for 1-10 players. So not everyone used all ten votes like me. It’s interesting to see that every single person listed got at least 300 votes.
I meant over 30 votes…. Everyone has some fans
Carlos Beltran should not be in the Hall of Fame simply because he lost that right when he became the Mastermind behind the Houston Astro’s Cheating in 2017.
Explain to us how it is so much worse to steal a few signs for one year than it is
to get all roided up over at least a decade, pad your offensive numbers and pitching stats and use it to win multiple World Series Titles?!
It has been documented that many teams were sign stealers.
I am not an Astros fan, but the hypocrisy of laying all the sign stealing blame on the Astros for decades and decades of sign stealing by other ballclubs and players is just too much.
A lot of “big market” teams in the MLB Steroids and Doping Era looked like cartoon characters and weightlifters at your local gym with muscles blown up like hot air balloons.
Wasn’t the cheating and doping rampant for a significant period of time in MLB?!.
Did Ownership and the Commissioner know it and look the other way?!
Oh,. but let’s constantly change the subject and talk about 1 team, the Astros, who cheated for 1 year and got caught, but give all the other cheating MLB teams a free pass?!
The Definition of hypocrisy?!
I wouldn’t vote for anyone connected to Steroids or P E D’S. NOW does that answer your question
Ichiro is a true hall of famer
Andrew Friedman
Lou Whitaker (Sweet Lou) belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Whitaker should have been in the Hall of Fame long ago 2X
1) As an individual player
and
2) As part of the longest running double play combination in MLB history.
If Lou Whitaker had played in New York or Los Angeles, then he would have been in the Hall of Fame long ago.
Some of the smaller MLB market cities’ players’ have long been shortchanged in the Hall of Fame voting.
One of the greatest 2B of all time, Lou Whitaker, has been long deserving of recognition and will have to be voted in by the Veterans committee since he did not play in a large enough TV and sports market to get the publicity needed to get in to the Hall of Fame.
It was also still in the Era before big TV deals.
Teams playing outside the NY time zone who played late games with the results not in and those markets sleeping when the middle of the country and west coast games concluded did not get the media exposure and recognition required. Sportswriters and Hall of Fame voters did not get to see many great players play because they were “sawing logs” when those games were on. And, the TV, Cable, streaming and 24 hour sports shows were not widely available yet and/not widely watched… to get the recognition from Hall of Fame Voters and the votes needed for the Hall of Fame at that time…
With your thinking then the Longest Intact Infield in MLB History should be in the Hall of Fame & those 4 Players are Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey & Bill Russell
Theyre using lefthanded math.
Carlos Beltran getting almost, almost enough votes for induction seems like such an odd hill to die on for the supposed “moral high ground” MLB writers. I’m not saying using PED’s is ok but cheating is cheating whether its juicing or banging a trash can, so why is it ok to vote for Beltran but not Bonds/McGwire/Sosa/Clemens/Ramirez/etc?
“Meanwhile” has to start the sentence; it can’t come in the middle, between commas. How do you mess this up and then get it correct two times after in this article?