2025 Hall of Fame

[imref]

Ballot is out:

First timers include Ichiro, CC Sabathia, Dustin Pedroia, Félix Hernández, Carlos González, Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Ian Kinsler, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Zobrist.

Ichiro has got to be a lock, maybe even at 100%? Sabathia is considered a likely first ballot inductee as well (250 wins, 3,000 Ks)

Of the returnees from last year, Billy Wagner should make the cut.  Beltran deserves to get in too IMHO.

Via MLB.com, here are the returning players besides Wagner: Andrew Jones (61.6%, 8th year), Carlos Beltran (57.1%, 3rd year), AROD (34.8%), Manny Ramirez (32.5%, 9th year), Chase Utley (28.8% last year, second ballot in 2025), Omar Vizquel (17.7% last year, eighth ballot), Bobby Abreu (14.8%, sixth ballot), Jimmy Rollins (14.8%, fourth ballot), Andy Pettitte (13.5%, seventh ballot), Mark Buehrle (8.3%, fifth ballot), Francisco Rodríguez (7.8%, third ballot), Torii Hunter (7.3%, fifth ballot) and David Wright (6.2%, second ballot).

[HalfSmokes]

Cool to see that the hall that is supposed to reflect the history of the game is leaving out the greatest hitters from my childhood.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Ichiro, CC, and Wagner. I think Jones misses and Beltran makes progress.  How many years for A-Rod?

I doubt Manny ever makes it. He's not the breakthrough guy for PED players. I think Felix is the highest placed of the newbies after Ichiro and CC.

[HalfSmokes]

None of the guys who tested positive will make it. Everyone knows the 90s and 2000s were defined by defense and slap hitters

[JCA-CrystalCity]

None of the guys who tested positive will make it. Everyone knows the 90s and 2000s were defined by defense and slap hitters

so many pitchers made it from that time. For the studs, it's like they survived the juiced up hitters so they must have been HoF level.

[welch]

Time for some version of the Oldtimers' Committee to vote Cecil Travis into the Hall. That's Washington's own Cecil TRavis, who had a higher average than Joe Dimaggio in 1941, when he had a longer hitting streak than Ted Williams. Led the AL with 218 hits, along with an OPS of .930. Joined the Army at 27, right after Pearl Harbnor was bombed. He had hit less than .300 only once, when hit hit .292 in 1939, a season when he was out injured.

Travis froze his feet during the Battle of the Bulge, and had no balance when he returned to the Nats at the end of the 1945 season. He hit only 250 in 1946 and gave up early in 1947. WW2 took away his 28, 29, and age 30 seasons, and the War took away his skill.

Travis is a Hall of Famer.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/travice01.shtml

[imref]

Ichiro, CC, and Wagner. I think Jones misses and Beltran makes progress.  How many years for A-Rod?

This is his 4th

[Senatorswin]

I've always wished for good things for CC after the 2008 season. He was traded to the Brewers mid-season and was going to be a free agent at the end of the season. The Brewers were trying to get at least a wild card, which they did do. They asked CC to pitch with less days off. Against his agents advice he said he was glad to do it to help the Brewers. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and pitched 130.2 innings for the Brewers. He pitched 253 innings between Cleveland and Milwaukee that year. He should get in.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Time for some version of the Oldtimers' Committee to vote Cecil Travis into the Hall. That's Washington's own Cecil TRavis, who had a higher average than Joe Dimaggio in 1941, when he had a longer hitting streak than Ted Williams. Led the AL with 218 hits, along with an OPS of .930. Joined the Army at 27, right after Pearl Harbnor was bombed. He had hit less than .300 only once, when hit hit .292 in 1939, a season when he was out injured.

Travis froze his feet during the Battle of the Bulge, and had no balance when he returned to the Nats at the end of the 1945 season. He hit only 250 in 1946 and gave up early in 1947. WW2 took away his 28, 29, and age 30 seasons, and the War took away his skill.

Travis is a Hall of Famer.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/travice01.shtml

he had a pretty short peak - 1937-1941 - and only played 12 seasons. The last 3 were after his injury and below par because of it. Goes down as a "what might have been" guy.

I don't know how the Hall recognizes guys like him who were emerging stars or stars who served and had their careers knocked off track. Sounds like something that would be a good exhibit.

As for the stars like Williams, Feller, Greenberg and so many more, it's fun to speculate about their eventual numbers. Williams of course got impacted by both WWII and Korea.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I've always wished for good things for CC after the 2008 season. He was traded to the Brewers mid-season and was going to be a free agent at the end of the season. The Brewers were trying to get at least a wild card, which they did do. They asked CC to pitch with less days off. Against his agents advice he said he was glad to do it to help the Brewers. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and pitched 130.2 innings for the Brewers. He pitched 253 innings between Cleveland and Milwaukee that year. He should get in.

The Chunky Chucker went on to a very good run with the NYY. One of those rare guys to bounce through 3 teams and none were disappointed in what they got out of him.

I remember the Brewers deal because Matt LaPorta was supposed to be the big get for Cleveland and he bombed completely. There were 2 other stiffs and a PTBNL. That turned out to be Michael Brantley, so that ended up the big value.

[Senatorswin]

he had a pretty short peak - 1937-1941 - and only played 12 seasons. The last 3 were after his injury and below par because of it. Goes down as a "what might have been" guy.

I don't know how the Hall recognizes guys like him who were emerging stars or stars who served and had their careers knocked off track. Sounds like something that would be a good exhibit.

As for the stars like Williams, Feller, Greenberg and so many more, it's fun to speculate about their eventual numbers. Williams of course got impacted by both WWII and Korea.

I wonder what Tony Conigliaro's career might have been if he hadn't been smoked in the head. He's different from the guys you mentioned because they had to put their careers on hold to defend the country, but he was great at such a young age. 32 home runs at age 20.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I wonder what Tony Conigliaro's career might have been if he hadn't been smoked in the head. He's different from the guys you mentioned because they had to put their careers on hold to defend the country, but he was great at such a young age. 32 home runs at age 20.

Jose Fernandez is the modern equivalent. J.R. Richard.

[Natsinpwc]

Jose Fernandez is the modern equivalent. J.R. Richard.

I was told that Bobby Wine was a great minor league hitter until he was beaned a couple of times.  Made the big leagues as a slick fielder.  He can be in the Hall of Who Knows, 

[imref]

Dave Parker makes it in! Dick Allen too.

[Natsinpwc]

Dave Parker makes it in! Dick Allen too.

Allen is long overdue. It’s a shame he has passed and cannot be there. F*** some of the voters.

[varoadking]

Allen is long overdue. It’s a shame he has passed and cannot be there. F*** some of the voters.

I know you know that I agree with you...the guy would have been in long ago if he'd have kissed ass...but he did it his way.  Congrat's Dick...well deserved...

[bluestreak]

None of the guys who tested positive will make it. Everyone knows the 90s and 2000s were defined by defense and slap hitters

David Ortiz tested positive, didn’t he?

Bonds is bonds, but maybe even more Ridiculous is A-Rod, a shortstop who has hit 700 home runs, will not be in the Hall of Fame.

[nobleisthyname]

My personal line is getting caught taking steroids after they actually started to crack down on it is a disqualifier, so I'm fine with A-Rod never making it. I think Sosa got the most screwed though. As I understand it the evidence against him is the exact same as what exists against Ortiz so him getting blackballed out of the Hall is a definite double standard.

[HalfSmokes]

My sense is that the only thing that mattes is whether a player is popular with the media or not. Ortiz and Pettit are no big deal, Manny and Clemens are out

[JCA-CrystalCity]

My personal line is getting caught taking steroids after they actually started to crack down on it is a disqualifier, so I'm fine with A-Rod never making it. I think Sosa got the most screwed though. As I understand it the evidence against him is the exact same as what exists against Ortiz so him getting blackballed out of the Hall is a definite double standard.

most of Ortiz's career was under mandatory testing (15 years or so), claimed tainted supplements like a lot of Caribbean ballplayers did under pretty lax rules down there, and he never popped a second positive. While there was no mandatory testing for Sosa's career peak, he showed a lot more intentionality than Ortiz.

[bluestreak]

My sense is that the only thing that mattes is whether a player is popular with the media or not. Ortiz and Pettit are no big deal, Manny and Clemens are out

This is the truth

[nobleisthyname]

most of Ortiz's career was under mandatory testing (15 years or so), claimed tainted supplements like a lot of Caribbean ballplayers did under pretty lax rules down there, and he never popped a second positive. While there was no mandatory testing for Sosa's career peak, he showed a lot more intentionality than Ortiz.

To be clear I'm arguing more for Sosa rather than against Ortiz, but this all makes sense as added context.