2025 Hall Of Fame Ballot

The following players are on the BBWAA ballot for 2025. After I tell you who they are, I will tell you who I'd vote for if given the chance. Let's start with the new names and then go over the holdovers from last year's ballot. They are - 

Carlos Gonzalez 

Curtis Granderson 

Felix Hernandez 

Adam Jones 

Ian Kinsler 

Russell Martin 

Brian McCann 

Dustin Pedroia 

Hanley Ramirez 

Fernando Rodney 

CC Sabathia 

Ichiro Suzuki 

Troy Tulowitzki 

Ben Zobrist 

Billy Wagner (10th year on the ballot) 

Manny Ramirez (9th) 

Andruw Jones (8th) 

Omar Vizquel (8th) 

Andy Pettitte (7th) 

Bobby Abreu (6th) 

Mark Buehrle (5th) 

Torii Hunter (5th) 

Alex Rodriguez (4th) 

Jimmy Rollins (4th) 

Carlos Beltran (3rd) 

Francisco Rodriguez (3rd) 

Chase Utley (2nd) 

David Wright (2nd) 

     Each voter can vote for up to ten players for the Hall of Fame. If I were a voter, I'd cast my ballots for Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Bobby Abreu, Chase Utley, Ichiro Suzuki, and CC Sabathia. 

Wagner enters his tenth and final ballot with some pretty impressive numbers among closers, ranking eighth in career saves (422) and sixth in games finished (703). The owner of a 2.31 ERA and 33.2% strikeout rate, Wagner finished his career in 2010 with arguably his best season, posting a 1.43 ERA in 69 1/3 innings with 104 strikeouts and converting 38 saves at age 38. After finishing five votes short last ballot, I really hope he gets in this time. 

Andruw Jones was a standout defensive centerfielder (10 consecutive Gold Gloves) and a feared slugger (434 home runs). He was the runner-up for the NL MVP Award in 2005 when he led the league with 51 homers and 128 RBI's. However, a brutal end to his career leaves him with a .254 career batting average and a lack of certain counting stats, and so far the voters haven't been able to look past that. 

Bobby Abreu was one of the most underrated players of his day. A modern day Bob Johnson, Abreu quietly collected 2,470 hits, 400 stolen bases, and eight seasons with over 100 RBI's while rarely leading his league in offensive categories. His career slash line was .291 / .395 / .470, and he captured a Gold Glove in 2005. 

Chase Utley was an outstanding defensive second baseman who also provided considerable power, belting 259 career homers and over 30 in three individual seasons. A key player on the Phillies' run of five consecutive playoff appearances from 2007 through 2011, Utley tied Reggie Jackson's record with five home runs in the 2009 World Series. 

Ichiro Suzuki is pro baseball's all time hit king with 4,367, with 1,278 coming in Japan and 3,089 coming in MLB. A two time AL batting champ and ten time Gold Glover in rightfield, Ichiro set the MLB record for the most hits in a season with 262 in 2004. 

CC Sabathia pitched 19 seasons in the Majors, totaling 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. A six time all-star and AL Cy Young winner in 2007, Sabathia led both leagues in shutouts in 2008 and won a World Series ring with the Yankees in 2009. 

This year I only selected six players on my make believe ballot, but there are more guys with a chance to get in. Carlos Beltran will probably get in before long and both Kinsler and Pedroia may get in eventually, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for any of them after their participation in the sign stealing scandals a few years ago. Although he languished at 13.5% of the vote last year, Andy Pettitte is an intriguing candidate, given his counting stats and impressive postseason resume. Still, he seems like more of a Hall of Very Good player than a Hall of Famer to me. David Wright is a popular player and was truly great in his prime, but his career was just too short to merit serious consideration.