For about 10 years now I’ve filled out a mythical ballot for electing players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s a fun exercise to rationalize why a player belongs or not. In some years there are more Hall-worthy players than the ballot can hold. This year there aren’t enough worthy players to fill all ten spots on my ballot. So, there’s a temptation to lower the standards for election, just so I can write in candidates for all ten.
The Veterans Committee (also known as the Classic Baseball Era Committee) did a disservice to the baseball community earlier this month by electing Dave Parker for 2025 induction. I’m happy for Parker that he got in, but the committee lowered the bar for election. Parker ‘s stats indicate he was a “very good, but not a great” player. He never garnered more than 25% in the 15 years he was eligible for election by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). This year was his fourth year for consideration by the Veterans. Perhaps Parker was a sentimental pick by the voters because he currently has Parkinson’s disease.
Last year I cast nine votes for Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel, and Adrian Beltre.
Of that group, Helton and Beltre were inducted by the BBWAA. I totally missed on Joe Mauer, who surprised me as a first-ballot electee. Sheffield fell off the ballot after not receiving the minimum required 75% of votes in his 10th and final year.
I’m sticking with Wagner, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Jones and Beltran, who are still eligible this year, but I’ve changed my mind about Vizquel.
Yeah, I know I’m still one of the holdouts that Rodriguez and Ramirez belong in the Hall, despite their admitted association with PEDs. Only a third of the BBWAA writers agreed with me in 2024. I just think you can’t overlook their offensive prowess over their entire careers. (I felt the same way about Barry Bonds who fell off the ballot in 2022 after falling short of receiving the required 75%.)
Wagner came within 1.2% of reaching the magic number last year. He’ll get over the hump this year (his last for eligibility). He didn’t accumulate the number of career saves as previous Hall of Fame relief pitchers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, but his career 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, and 187 ERA+ are Hall-worthy. And by the way, his 422 career saves ranked him in eighth place on the all-time saves list, ahead of HOF relievers Rich Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, and Rollie Fingers.
Two outfielders I voted for last year and am including again in this year’s selection are Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999 and went to collect nine All-Star appearances with the Mets, Cardinals, and Yankees. His WAR is 70.1, and he received MVP votes in seven seasons. He was a valuable post-season contributor, with a slash line of .307/.412/.609, 16 HRs and 42 RBI. My selection of Andrew Jones is primarily influenced by his defensive excellence. Jones was a Gold Glove centerfielder for 10 straight seasons with the Braves. But he wasn’t a liability for his teams on the offensive side, as he hit 434 career HRs and 1,289 RBIs.
With regard to Vizquel, I’ve come to accept he was more of a one-dimensional player with 11 Gold Gloves at shortstop. It’s true he collected over 2,800 career hits, but it took him 24 seasons to do it. His career OPS+ was a meagre 80. That’s 20% below the average player. He’s comparable to existing Hall of Fame defensive wizard, light-hitting second baseman Bill Mazeroski, whom I believe doesn’t really belong either.
From the new class of candidates, there are only two players who have Hall of Fame credentials. I’m casting my vote for Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia.
Suzuki became an iconic player at the turn of the century. He accomplished the rare feat of being named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 2001. For ten consecutive seasons, he collected 200 or more hits per season. Neither Pete Rose nor Ty Cobb accomplished that. Combined with his hits as a Japanese professional, he amassed 4,367 total hits during his 28-year career. He was a perennial Gold Glover during his first ten seasons, and he was in the Top 5 in stolen bases during that same period.
Suzuki stayed in the majors too long, as his last seven years (age 39 to 45) diminished his career stats. He finished with a 107 OPS+, which is not particularly indicative of a Hall of Famer. In any case, he’ll likely be a first-ballot selection. He’ll be the first Japanese player elected to the Hall. What other major leaguer has worn his first name (and not his last name) on the back of his jersey!
I was initially on the fence regarding Sabathia’s belonging in the Hall. I debated whether he is in the category of “very good, but not great” pitchers. He’s comparable to Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Mike Mussina, and Jack Morris. He’s the best starting pitcher among this year’s eligible class.
From 2007 to 2011 Sabathia was a Top 5 vote-getter for the Cy Young Award for five seasons, capturing the honors in 2007. He struggled with alcoholism during the last few years of his career, which affected his performance. But with 251 career wins, he still ranks among the best.
The other players I considered were Chase Utley (a carryover from last year) and Dustion Pedroia and Troy Tulowitzki (newcomers to this year’s class).
Utley (Phillies) and Pedroia (Red Sox) were players of similar capability and impact. Both were gritty second basemen, who were key players in their respective teams’ rise to prominence. If I were starting a new team, I’d want either one of these players in my starting lineup. Yet their years of excellence were too few to warrant election to the Hall.
From 2007 through 2014, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s performance put him on track to become a Hall of Famer, based on his bat and his glove, but he flamed out too early, due to injuries, to warrant election.
That makes only seven players on my ballot this year. There’s an impulse to keep Vizquel on my ballot or to add outfielder Bobby Abreu, closer Francisco Rodriguez, and long-time Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. But I wouldn’t be able to defend them in future years when other “true” Hall of Famers come up for eligibility. Plus, the Hall of Fame needs to avoid another Dave Parker.