The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the 2025 Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen
Here's the best chance for a Hall of Famer from this group. The four-time All-Star won the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in 2008, when the Phillies won their first World Series since 1980 and second overall.
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected to the Hall on Tuesday, and all three overcame notable physical obstacles en route to Cooperstown.
The bad news is that Andruw Jones will have to wait at least one more year. The good news is that he is on a path similar to the one traveled by former Braves closer Billy Wagner, one of the baseball’s new Hall of Famers.
The leading 2025 vote-getters who will return to the 2026 ballot are Carlos Beltran (70.3%), Andruw Jones (66.2%) and Chase Utley (39.8%), along a handful of other holdovers. In addition to Hamels and Braun, 2026 first-timers will include Edwin Encarnacion, Howie Kendrick, Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Gordon.
The no-doubters appear to be a few years away as next winter's ballot doesn't include any slam-dunk first-ballot inductees.
Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Sabathia was on 342 ballots and Wagner on 325, which was 29 more than the 296 needed for the required 75%.
Ichiro Suzuki has become the first Japanese player chosen for baseball’s Hall of Fame, voted in along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Seattle Mariners star Felix Hernandez didn't make the Baseball Hall of Fame this week, but he did enough to stay on the ballot for another year.
The Cooperstown candidacies of Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones might benefit by the lack of slam-dunk newcomers to the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot.
After coming in second on some high-profile free agents in the last two offseasons, the Blue Jays have signed switch-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander for five years and $92.5 million. His 44 home runs last year with the Orioles were third-most in the sport.
Ichiro Suzuki has made history as the first Japanese player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, leading the 2024 class alongside CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.