Three New Inductees Join Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner are headed to the Hall of Fame this summer, while Carlos Beltrán fell just short of induction.
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner are going into the Hall of Fame.
The three inductees from this year’s BBWAA ballot join Dick Allen and Dave Parker, elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, to make up the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2025.
Let’s talk about how the voting shook out.
The Newest Inductees to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Ichiro Suzuki Falls Short of Unanimity – 99.7% of the Vote
There was never any doubt that Ichiro would be elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. The only question was if any voters would be foolish enough to leave the box beside his name unchecked.
Unfortunately, one voter made the inexplicable and indefensible choice to leave one of the greatest players in recent memory off their ballot.
How can I say with such certainty that the choice was inexplicable and indefensible? Because I know they won’t try to explain or defend it, preferring instead to hide in the shadows of their secret ballots. Regardless, Ichiro is a Hall of Famer, and that’s something to celebrate.
Over 19 MLB seasons – he played until he was 45 – the star outfielder won 10 Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, two batting titles, one Rookie of the Year Award, and one MVP. He led the majors in hits seven times and finished with more than 3,000 in his MLB career. In 2004, he set the single-season record with 262 hits.
Ichiro also stole 509 bases, making him just the seventh player to swipe more than 500 bags and collect more than 3,000 hits. The other six are already in the Hall.
On top of all those achievements stateside, he was a seven-time NPB All-Star and three-time Pacific League MVP. He is often considered the worldwide professional baseball hits leader due to his 4,367 combined hits between MLB and NPB.
As if his on-field performance weren’t enough to make him an icon around the sport, Ichiro was one of the most beloved personalities of his generation, endearing himself to coaches, teammates, and fans alike.
CC Sabathia Is a First-Ballot Selection – 86.8% of the Vote
It was a pleasant surprise to see how well Sabathia did on the ballot, earning far more than the 75% of the vote he needed to gain entry.
Sabathia was never the slam-dunk Hall of Famer that Ichiro was. He didn’t set as many records, win as many awards, or precede his MLB tenure with a superstar showing in Japan. Yet, Sabathia actually retired with more FanGraphs and Baseball Reference WAR.
He compiled those lofty WAR totals with a rare combination of durability and dominance.
For one thing, he was a remarkable workhorse, the type we just don’t see anymore. No pitcher threw more innings or started more games over the last 30 years.
Sabathia qualified for the ERA title in 13 straight seasons from 2001-13 and topped the 200-inning mark eight times. He finished his career with 38 complete games and 12 shutouts.
What’s more, Sabathia was a dominant ace at his peak. He won the AL Cy Young in 2007. He might have won again in 2008 if he hadn’t been traded from the AL to the NL mid-season. In 2009, he led the Yankees to a World Series title, earning ALCS MVP honors in the process.
The southpaw hung up his hat at 39 years old after 19 MLB seasons. He finished with 251 wins, 3,093 strikeouts, and a 3.74 ERA.
A Cy Young winner, a World Series champion, a consistent ace, and one of the last true workhorse starting pitchers, Sabathia is highly deserving of this honor.
Billy Wagner Is Finally in the Hall of Fame – 82.5% of the Vote
It’s about damn time. This was Wagner’s last chance to be elected by the BBWAA, and perhaps that’s what finally convinced enough holdouts to give him their votes.
There’s a reason Hall of Fame voters are tough on relief arms. Generally speaking, relievers don’t throw nearly as many innings as starters, so they don’t contribute as much to winning games. Thus, even a top-end closer might not be any more valuable than a mid-rotation starter.
It’s not a bad argument. Just look at the four-year, $72 million deal All-Star closer Tanner Scott signed with the Dodgers this offseason. Those are the same terms as the contract Taijuan Walker signed with the Phillies two winters back.
Still, Wagner clears even the highest of bars you could set.
His 24.0 career fWAR ranks seventh among all relievers in MLB history. Of the six names above him, five are in the Hall of Fame. The other is Kenley Jansen.
Wagner also ranks fifth all-time among relievers in Win Probability Added (WPA) and third in context-neutral wins (WPA/LI). Only seven relievers finished their careers with more saves and only eight with more strikeouts.
One could make a compelling case that Wagner is the third-greatest closer of all time, behind only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
It should also be said that Wagner went out at the top of his game. In his final season, he pitched 69.1 innings with a 1.43 ERA, striking out 104 batters and earning 37 saves.
If he’d stuck around just a little longer, he likely would have moved into the top three in every statistical category I just cited. He only would have needed 69 strikeouts, 56 saves, 1.9 fWAR, and 3.29 WPA.
I’m not saying Wagner deserves credit for games he didn’t pitch and stats he didn’t accumulate. My point is that he isn’t eighth on the all-time saves list because that was the best he could do. Rather, it was the best he wanted to do – and the best he needed to do to retire as a deserving Hall of Famer.
Those Who Came Up Short
Carlos Beltrán Takes a Leap – 70.3% of the Vote
Carlos Beltrán was destined for the Hall of Fame until the baseball world discovered his role in the Astros sign stealing scandal.
Many BBWAA voters seemed to decide that Beltrán losing his managerial gig with the Mets wasn’t punishment enough, and more than half of the electorate left him off of their HOF ballots.
Despite his 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases, three Gold Gloves, and nine All-Star appearances, Beltrán earned just 46.5% of the vote in his first year of eligibility. However, he jumped up to 57.1% in his second year and came within shouting distance of 75% in year number three.
Apparently, all those voters who initially left him off their ballots didn’t want to keep him out forever – they just wanted to send a message.
It now seems highly likely that Beltrán will be a Hall of Famer in 2026. Only a few more voters need to be convinced, and the ballot will be less crowded next year with no surefire Hall of Famers among the newly eligible players.
Statistically speaking, it will be a well-deserved honor.
Over 20 seasons with seven different teams, Beltrán made his mark as a five-tool talent. He enjoyed seven 20-20 seasons and joined the exclusive 30-30 club in 2004; he was two home runs shy of a 40-40 campaign.
Since Beltrán debuted in 1998, only two outfielders have compiled more FanGraphs WAR: Mike Trout and Barry Bonds. Meanwhile, his 57.2 JAWS is right in line with that of the average Hall of Fame center fielder (58.1).
There is room for debate about how cheating should impact a player’s Hall of Fame candidacy, but when it comes to his performance, it’s hard to argue that Beltrán wasn’t an all-time great.
Andruw Jones Is Getting Close (But Running Out of Time) – 66.2% of the Vote
Andruw Jones earned a few more votes in his eighth year on the ballot, bringing him well within striking distance of 75%. However, he only has two years left to earn enshrinement, so this one will come down to the wire.
The case for Jones is clear: He’s one of the greatest defensive outfielders in MLB history. However, there is also a robust case to be made against him. For one thing, his bat was good but rarely great. What’s more, his performance dropped off a cliff after his age-30 season. He was an elite player for a decade but accomplished little outside of that period.
Finally, and most importantly, Jones has been arrested – and pled guilty – for domestic violence. Any voter who considers the character clause has a legitimate reason to keep him off their ballot.
The Rest of the Pack
After Beltrán and Jones, Chase Utley and perhaps Félix Hernández are the only other holdovers who seem to have any shot of reaching 75% on a future ballot.
Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, and Alex Rodriguez continue to be held back by PED connections, while Mark Buehrle, David Wright, Bobby Abreu, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, Francisco Rodríguez, Omar Vizquel, and Torii Hunter did not earn enough votes to suggest they could someday earn enshrinement.
That said, Todd Helton’s historic rise from 16.5% in 2019 to 79.7% in 2024 should offer hope to any candidate who can earn enough support to stick around on the ballot for another year.
One and Done: 10 Players Eliminated from HOF Ballot
The following players failed to reach the necessary 5% of the vote to remain on the ballot in 2026:
Written by
Leo Morgenstern is an editor for Just Baseball and a writer for FanGraphs and MLB Trade Rumors. His work has also appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Pitcher…