The results are in and your 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class is here!
It’s a modest class of three this year: former lefty ace CC Sabathia, Japanese hitting machine Ichiro Suzuki, and former All-Star closer Billy Wagner. Sabathia and Suzuki were both inducted in their first year’s on the ballot. Wagner, contrastingly, was in his tenth and final year of eligibility.
However, there were some other notable names who just missed out on a plaque. Additionally, some shocking names fell off of the ballot and are now at the mercy of the Veterans and Modern Era Committees.
Is Cooperstown basically a glorified museum? Of course. The statistical criteria grow more and more arbitrary every year, and further complicated by the Steroid Era.
But even so, being inducted into the Hall of Fame still carries some weight in baseball. The fans eat it up even more than the inductees. It’s a celebration of the game’s history in the best way: former players stepping to the podium and sharing stories.
That said, let’s look at this year’s incoming class, the just-missed candidates, and also some of the shocking names who fell off the ballot.
Who’s in?
Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners (2x), New York Yankees, Miami Marlins; 2001-2019, 99.7% vote share). This one was practically a given, down to the one rogue voter who refused to help Suzuki join Mariano Rivera in the 100% club. Arguably the best hitter of his generation, Suzuki debuted with the Mariners in 2001 and immediately won a batting title en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP. Nineteen years and 3,089 career hits later, plus a .311 lifetime batting average, a Hall of Fame legacy was built.
But even that only tells half of the story. Prior to his MLB debut at age 27, Ichiro starred for Japan’s Orix Blue Wave for nine years. He hit .353 over that stretch and even showcased some power, hitting 118 home runs compared to just 117 in MLB. Add his career hits together, and he has 4,367: Move over Pete Rose, baseball has a new hit king.
Such is the Hall of Fame legacy of Ichiro Suzuki, easily one of the best to never play in a World Series. He easily could have had 20-30 home runs each season, but knew his value was in making contact and getting on base. He struck out in just 10.1% of his plate appearances. In a way, Suzuki was the ultimate team player, further locking in a no-doubt Hall of Fame career.
CC Sabathia (Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees; 2001-2019, 86.8%). Compiler or not, Sabathia was making Cooperstown on numbers alone. Be it his 253 wins or 3,093 strikeouts, the big lefty proved durable in his 19 seasons. He won a Cy Young with Cleveland in 2007, but truly became a household name when he won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.
Sabathia went through a lot in New York, both good and bad, but also helped cement his Hall of Fame status. Overcoming chronic knee pain and diminishing velocity, he developed a cutter and extended his career by at least three years. He pitched until he literally could not anymore, retiring as both a future Hall of Famer and no-doubt Black Ace.
Billy Wagner (Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves; 1995-2010, 82.5%). Closers may have become dime-a-dozen, but few remember Wagner was dominant and not too different from his contemporary Mariano Rivera. He was on the smaller side at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds and certainly didn’t look like a dominant arm.
Then, he unleashed a high-90s fastball Rivera could only ever dream of throwing. Wagner was also a rare closer in that he posted 11.9 K/9 for his career, but only 3 BB/9. Rivera had great control and only averaged a pair of walks per nine innings for his career, but struck out far less at 8.2 K/9.
Add Wagner’s 422 saves, and he truly could be the last closer inducted for a long time. Oh, and let’s not forget he threw left despite being a natural righty.
Who just missed?
Carlos Beltran (Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (2x), New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers; 1998-2017, 70.3% vote share). Seven teams in 20 seasons screams journeyman compiler, and there’s certainly that argument to make against Beltran. However, at his best, he was probably the best switch-hitter of his generation. What’s more, people forget Beltran resurrected his career after leaving the Mets. Injuries made his seven-year deal look like an albatross and him near-done at age 34.
Beltran instead played six more years and retired a .279 career hitter with 435 home runs. Blame him all you want for his role in the Astros cheating scandal. The man could play and is almost certainly getting in next year.
Andruw Jones (Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees; 1996-2012, 66.2%). Jones peaked early in Atlanta and suddenly declined hard, but managed to stick around long enough as a platoon DH/4th outfielder to retire with 434 home runs and nearly 1,300 RBI. Some may argue compiler, and that’s valid. Jones was so bad in Los Angeles that he was cut less than a year into a two-year contract.
However, the fact remains that he only trails Ken Griffey Jr. as the best center fielder of his generation. Jones won 10 Gold Gloves in Atlanta and hit nearly 85% of his home runs as a Brave. He probably could have retired at 30 and still made it to Cooperstown, perhaps even on a first ballot. Alas, The Curaçao Kid must wait one more year.
Other notable near-misses: Chase Utley (39.8%), Alex Rodriguez (37.1%), Manny Ramirez (34.3%), Andy Pettitte (27.9%)
Who’s out?
Russell Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers (2x), New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays; 2006-2019, 2.3% vote share). Martin’s Hall of Fame case was a tough one to begin with, but him falling off the ballot this soon feels wrong. He never hit more than 15 home runs a year in the minors (and at High-A, to boot), but hit 20 or more in a season three times in 16 years. He finished with 191 for his career, more than anyone could have expected.
However, Martin’s best strength was always his glove. He doesn’t have the hardware, only one Gold Glove, but numbers don’t lie. Martin posted +131 defensive runs saved (DRS) as a catcher. Fielding run value (FRV) wasn’t measured until 2016, but Martin posted a mark of +15 in his final four seasons. He should, thankfully, eventually get in via a committee vote.
Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves (2x), New York Yankees, Houston Astros; 2005-2019, 1.8% vote share). McCann is an interesting case, posting more home runs and RBI than Martin, but a lower WAR. He was also a much streakier fielder behind the plate, finishing with a -1 FRV. However, McCann still managed a +26 DRS.
Maybe it’s the Astros scandal, though it was reported McCann himself did not participate in the sign-stealing. Regardless, the counting numbers are close enough by modern standards. Like Martin, McCann deserved more than one year on the ballot.
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: MLB Hall of Fame recap: Who’s in, who’s out, and just-missed | Elite Sports NY