The Baseball Hall Of Fame Class of 2025 will be announced on January 21st.
It’s a pretty deep ballot this year.
This is a pretty stacked class with two guys with a real chance at being first ballot HOFers.
Here’s who I would put on my HOF ballot:
Ichiro Suzuki
He’s a no brainer choice.
He has 3,089 career hits…and that’s starting his MLB career at 27.
He’s right there with Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs as the greatest contact hitters I’ve ever seen.
Plus, he played brilliant defense in right field.
Can I say all that and also say I hope he doesn’t get it unanimously?
Derek Jeter was a vote away and Ken Griffey Jr. missed it by three.
@NotMrTibbs (used to be on Twitter and is now on BlueSky.
Sabathia
Look at Sabathia’s career and give a shot to find what he didn’t accomplish.
Sabathia also finished with 3,093 strikeouts with is 18th all-time.
I figured Sabathia would get Cooperstown but I worried it would take a couple tries.
@NotMrTibbs has him tracked at 89.4%.
I could see some private ballots bringing that number down but I doubt it will get under 80%.
But, if you look a little closer, it’s at least understandable.
For a long time now, 2,000 hits was a necessary benchmark for Cooperstown.
Andruw Jones was good enough to make an exception despite only having 1,933 hits.
I’m willing to look past a shorter career because his peak was that special.
He won 10 Gold Gloves playing a very tough defensive position.
His defensive WAR is 22nd All-Time.
He’d have my vote but I don’t think he gets in this year.
But, he’ll have two more years on the ballot after this one.
He only had 7.5% (!!!)
of the ballot in his 2nd year so he’s had a sharp rise in votes.
He’ll get in next year or the year after.
I just don’t think he joins this class unfortunately.
But enshrined in Cooperstown?
Other than an injury-plagued 2000 season, he never had an ERA over 2.85.
His career ERA was 2.31!
It’s easy and I think unfair to judge him too harshly on his post-season failures.
It was not good at all but it was also only 11.2 IP.
I can’t judge a man’s whole career on that.
I can’t even say he’s not clutch.
He had a lifetime ERA in September of 1.70 and that was in 158 IP.
It’s Wagner’s last year on the ballot.
He was only 5 votes short last year.
He’s also tracking at 85.6%.
He’s getting in and I think he should.
Bobby Abreu
Abreu is not getting this year.
I don’t think the writers will ever vote him in.
You may not think he should get in.
Bobby Abreu is a hitter that did everything right.
He had an incredible batting eye (100+ walks 8 years in a row!
I know he never got to a World Series but how much of that is Abreu’s fault?
But the good outweighs the bad for me.
Carlos Beltran
This is my last and toughest pick.
I wouldn’t vote for steroid/PED guys.
I know that some players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds had HOF careersbeforethey started using steroids.
I also believe there are likely already guys in who may have used.
But for me, they wouldn’t get my vote.
If the veteran’s committee does vote them in one day, so be it.
That’s a really fair question.
Is it because he played for the Mets and I rooted for him?
Does all of this make me a hypocrite?
But by all accounts, Beltran was a huge part of this scandal.
This is what makes HOF voting so messy.
Most voters agree with me too as Beltran is tracking at 76.0% and Pettitte at 31.7%.
Neither guy will get in this year but Beltran eventually will.
I really believe there is no right answer with this shit.
Someone wants to vote forAlex RodriguezorManny Ramirezand I may disagree but I’m also supporting Beltran.
We could have those arguments.
Now, the Hall Of Fame is some moral test of which offenses bother you less.
What are you willing to turn a blind eye too?
Ichiro, Sabathia and Wagner will get in this year and all deserve it.
After that, it gets very muddy.
Unless you vote for Fernando Rodney.
That’s just weird.
