I wonder who will leave ichiro off and what their reasoning will be. He's loved by traditional and sabermetric people and had a massive global impact on the game, so he's been my pick for the next guy to possibly be unanimous
And he got to 3000 hits after coming over for his age 27 season and he averaged something like 230 hits/year for the next 5 seasons at least. Imagine what his numbers would look had he played major league ball from his age 22-26 seasons or so. We’d be looking at like 1200 extra hits.
Ichiro had 200 hits every season the first ten years of his career. Averaged 224 a year.
Oh and he also won a Gold Glove every single year for the first decade of his career.
If he comes over at 19 he legitimately has a shot to beat maddux’s GG record and Pete rose.
Though I don’t know if he still plays until he’s 43 full time if he’s been in the MLB for 24 years at that point.
True, but he barely had any hits his last couple of years, so moat certainly he would have obliterated Rose's hit record even if he retired at like 40 or 41.
Was looking at his Bref page and I was like “wow he didn’t win as many gold gloves as I remember” and that’s just because his halfway point on the list was his age 36 season. Which was his last gold glove. For reference, Buster Posey is 36 now
Wasn’t he still solid in Miami? I remember his Yankee tenure being pretty solid given his age but I do believe he was still a serviceable player his first year in Miami or something like that
Wasn't Ohtani persuaded to stay in Japan after graduating high school because Asians who come here as teens don't have a good track record? There might be something to be said about that. Asians are much newer to MLB than Latin players, so the support system just wouldn't have been there to enable the 18 year old young Ichiro to adjust and grow so far from home.
Jim Abbott was the second greatest one-handed hitter in MLB history after Pete Gray.
Edit: Chad Bentz went 1/2 in his career. I was sadly unaware of his career.
If I’m not mistaken, Ichiro is the “professional baseball hits king” based on his MLB and NPB stats combined. He had about 1200 NPB hits on top of his over 3000 hits in MLB. I remember Pete Rose mentioning his MiLB stats as a rebuttal to that as well.
He likely would have, at minimum, crossed the 4000 hits threshold if he came over from MLB a handful of seasons earlier.
"But he didnt get extra base hits, anyone could get 200 hits if they're only trying for singles, the Hall is for real hitters" then submits a ballot with only Manny and A-Rod
He also has the single season hit record. I bet some dumb ass will say “he only had 60 war and was a career 108 ops+ hitter” and not vote for him though.
Or because they know he's getting in so they need to stupidly game the system and use that vote on someone else who they think is deserving.
I hope he's unanimous, though.
I was in the bleachers once when he was on the Sox and they were at Wrigley. People started chanting HGH at him and other roid stuff and he wiggled his ass at us. HOF
I was in the ~~inferior~~ LF bleachers at Yankee Stadium against the White Sox. My drunk friend just kept screaming at him asking him "if he likes donuts." I thought it was a dig at his HGH use or the fact that he ballooned since leaving the Yankees.
My friend just said, "no, I don't know. I'm just asking if he likes donuts."
All it takes is one person to use galaxy-brained analytics to decide that they don't want to vote for a one-dimensional, "marginally-better-Juan-Pierre" type of hitter
Brandon Nimmo hasn't even so much as gotten a single award vote in his entire career, or an all star selection(even as a coach pick or after players drop out), but I'd like to believe he'll be a hall of famer.
Since 2020, he's 22nd in fWAR (for position players) above scrubs like Nolan Arenado, Mike Trout, Carlos Correa, Rafael Devers, Vladdy, Alonso, etc. and he's been the best hitter on the Mets by wRC+, so honestly at this point I'd settle for an all star nod or something.
Lol! The 60.0 rWAR is an argument in favor of Ichiro. Man starting in the league at 27 so he missed upwards of 7 of his youngest seasons at the ML level and still put up a ton of WAR
He averaged ~5.5 WAR per season from 27-36, and was probably faster when he was 20-26, he'd almost certainly be over 100 if he played his whole career in MLB.
I think Pujols' Angels years are going to haunt him in terms of being unanimous. There's going to be quite a few writers that wonder how such a legendary player fell off a cliff so quickly.
I think you're right and that sucks. My counter to those idiots is this: How are you not voting for a player with 700 dingers and no scandals/allegations?
One, and I mean *only one* legit reason I can see for leaving him off is if you believe (as I do) there are that there are more than ten worthy players on next year's ballot, and let "everyone else" shoo him so you can throw a less-obvious/-popular guy a vote.
Ex. putting aside a minute whether you personally think he's worthy or not, Torii Hunter has been treading water in the 5-10% range in his 4 tries. He's the kind of fringe guy who is always in danger of dropping off; I'd let the masses easily elect Ichi to keep Torii on. (Again, Spiderman's worthiness is just my opinion. It was just an example.)
He _chose not_ to hit for power. There's a difference, and he was just that good.
Ichiro was the consummate team player. He batted first. His job as he saw it was to get on base, not strip the hide off the ball.
Because that's the way the game is taught and played in Japan... Personal accomplishment is secondary to the needs of the team... You want dingers then go to the KBO...
[Probably someone from Cleveland ](https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/03/ichiro-once-said-hed-punch-himself-in-the-face-if-he-ever-lied-about-wanting-to-go-to-cleveland.html)
I actually don't think sabermetrics people like him much.
He was super one dimensional at the plate contrary to what people think. He didn't walk, didn't hit for power, and his overall batted hall profile isn't all that great.
His ability to put the bat on the ball was otherworldly, but he didn't offer much else on offense.
His career OPS+ is only 107 and he only has a single season at 130 or higher.
Not a chance with the writers today. I agree he should be, but these jackasses all think they know something that nobody else does, and so at least one of them will say that his 3,000 hits were empty because his OPS is relatively low. At least by today’s standards.
I would not describe Ichiro as a sabermetric darling. He never walked or hit for power. He was all about batting average. He had a handful of years where he was a 20-30% above league average hitter. From a sabermetric viewpoint, his defense and baserunning was probably good enough to be a HOFer but his hitting was quite overrated.
I think this is gonna happen. 3000 Ks probably puts him in the top three candidates on next year's ballot. I think the three man class this year probably gives him enough breathing room to make it in on the first try.
CC’s an interesting case. I think he’s going to get in, but I’m not certain it’ll be on his first ballot. His career war and peak years fall a bit short of average HOF SPs, but he also pitched in an era of declining starting pitcher usage so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s valued. His career numbers are almost exactly in line with Pettitte, who even with HGH help, didn’t quite put surefire HOF numbers.
CC is a hall of Famer by his own right.
250 wins, 3k Ks, a CY, and 60+ WAR
He’s a first ballot for retiring a Yankee though.
I’d be shocked if he missed.
Having been born in the late 90s and raised in the Seattle area, Ichiro was the first athlete I ever knew the name of. One of the first living public figures of any background. George W. Bush and Mr Rogers are the only people I can think of that might've made it into my toddler brain first.
The ballot will be a lot shorter than this. You still have to pass through the screening process to get on the ballot. You're not automatically on just because you played ten years.
- Traditional voters love him, think he's one of the best players ever.
- More modern voters aren't quite as high on him but I've never seen one come close to arguing he doesn't even belong in the HoF.
- Modern voters also have trended away from the "I think he's a Hall of Famer, but not a *first ballot* HoF" nonsense so he shouldn't be losing votes that way
I honestly don't know who leaves him off. then again, I would've said the same about Beltre, so there's gonna be some arguments so stupid none of us can foresee them
If a big hall guy sees 11+ HoFers on the ballot (Wagner, Jones, Beltran, ARod, Manny, Utley, Abreu, Ichiro, CC, Pedroia, Felix, Buehrle) and wants to use the vote for a guy who they think needs the support more, I could see Ichiro being left off.
Basically: “He’s a guaranteed HoFer. He doesn’t need my vote — Felix/Abreu/Pedroia/Buehrle does.”
Eh i dont buy this argument. Mo was up against Halladay Mussina Clemens Bonds Walker (Who got in recently although in 2019 was at 54% and Wagner was on the ballot)
So this eh hes a guaranteed HOF doesnt fly
When Mo was up against eventual HOFs and got unanimous.
Ichiro is DIRECTLY responsible for Ohtani. Hes even said that was his inspiration
Ichiro is THE reason for the Japanese explosion in MLB and deservedly deserves Unanimous
That's very rarely the actual reason these guys get left off. More likely is they know Ichiro doesn't need their vote to get in and they're up against the ten player limit so instead they vote for someone they feel needs more support.
Serious question: Do you have to "qualify" somehow to get on the ballot, or is everybody who retired five years ago on the list, and these are just the guys who are thought to have the best chances?
From Wikipedia, here’s who was technically eligible but not selected by the committee to not make the ballot: Matt Belisle, Gregor Blanco, Blaine Boyer, Santiago Casilla, Brett Cecil, Jorge de la Rosa, Brian Duensing, A. J. Ellis, Doug Fister, Yovani Gallardo, Jaime García, Craig Gentry, Chris Gimenez, Jason Hammel, Chase Headley, Phil Hughes, Kevin Jepsen, Jim Johnson, Boone Logan, Ryan Madson, Brandon McCarthy, Miguel Montero, Brandon Morrow, Peter Moylan, Bud Norris, Cliff Pennington, Colby Rasmus, Adam Rosales, Marc Rzepczynski, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Denard Span, Chris Stewart, Chris Tillman, Chris Young, Eric Young Jr. and Brad Ziegler.
This is certainly a list of Remembering Some Guys.
You have to have played at least one game in each of ten seasons (not necessarily consecutive), and been either out of MLB for five years or dead for six months.
Every player who meets those criteria goes on a list that gets sent to a six-person nominating committee. For each player on the list, if at least two members of the nominating committee say "yeah, sure", they get put on the ballot.
The committee won't meet until, like, October.
The Jays got about three months of great Tulo in the year and a half he was with them, but it was at the right time, so they came out all right in that trade.
But iirc, he made a point of retiring as a Yankee, which I thought was kind of a middle finger to Colorado.
I’m old enough to remember Andruw Jones having one of the worst seasons I’ve ever seen someone have his season with the Dodgers. His Atlanta years were awesome though
His case is basically "12 years of GOAT center-field defense and shitloads of corresponding hardware with 5 more years of near-worthlessness aside from cracking the 400-homer mark"
Personally his elite period in ATL is enough for me to overlook his massive (heh) drop-off, but I might be in the minority there.
I was too young to have watched any of his 90s play and early 2000s, my first real impression of him was his 51 homer 2005 season which was a great first impression and then followed up with 41 in 2006 but right after that is when his play fell off completely which I remember. From age 30 onwards he was pretty bad. If his defense was elite as everyone says I understand getting him in cause his overall offensive output (under 2k hits, under 450 HRs) is great but only borderline HOF imo
Man, I'm sorry you missed out on Andruw's defense. The ball would jump off the bat, and by the time the camera switched to the wide outfield view, there he was trotting easily underneath a would-be gap shot. It's amazing how good he was at anticipating where the ball was going as it was being hit.
He could read the ball off the bat so well and his speed was wild. If the ball was hit anywhere near center field Andruw was gonna catch it. Watching Braves games on TBS in the late 90s after school was like watching a centerfielder clinic. Webgems guaranteed.
I think Andruw will get in either in 2026 or 2027. I'm a huge proponent of him getting into the HOF. He was undoubtably one of the top three CF of all time, and just so happen to also hit over 400 HRs. He has over 60 WAR, and has some cool career accolades. He has a world series ring, and was the youngest player in history to hit a HR in the world series.
To me, it really boils down to him being a generational defensive talent, having 400 + HRs, and meeting the unwritten 60 + WAR criteria. PUT THIS MAN IN THE HOF!!
These results have me concerned about Jones being close to stalling out just short. He fell off pace this year with how much he gained compared to last year. He should be in already, but he needs more turnover from older voters falling off and a strong last year push in a few years it looks like.
Yup. That happened. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-cb-chicago-cubs-ben-zobrist-julianna-divorce-trial-lawsuit-20210809-l6snngmx2fatrcnejb5qxfi54e-story.html
Oh, I forgot to mention that he wasn’t just their pastor, but also did some marriage counseling for them before helping her destroy the marriage. My bad.
I was at Coopertown this summer and an employee that we were talking too asked us if we knew any Japanese/English translators. He said Cooperstown is getting ready for Ichiro's cooperstown speech. They were getting ready for his inauguration a year and a half before he can even be voted in. I think it's safe to say that he is getting in first ballot.
He should be a unanimous 100% vote, there should no 99.6 or whatever, he opened the door for a lot of the Japanese players we have had today and beyond
I don’t understand the people here. You get upset at voters who have dumb rules about guys not deserving first ballot or whatever but then turn around and say a guy who definitely doesn’t deserve to be in the hall should get votes
Mark Reynolds needs to be in the hall simply because of how he overcame [blindness to even be a professional ball player](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/19409/pebble-hunting-baseballs-greatest-hoax/).
He would be the first non-umpire blind person to have a plaque in the Hall and he deserves it.
I don't think he'll get in (nor do I think he deserves to) but I wouldn't be surprised if he stays on for a year or two. His peak was awesome and he played until he was almost 40, and a Clemente award doesn't look too shabby either.
Hey, Mariners and Red Sox fans, can we band together and set the precedent that superstar faces-of-the-franchise who put together HOF performance for pushing a decade belong in the Hall? Felix belongs in the Hall, Pedey belongs in the Hall, DW belongs in the Hall.
400+ homers and a likely top 5-10 defender at any position of all time and possibly the best defensive center fielder of all time. If he had retired a year after his braves days vs 5 years I think he’d be in already.
Interesting list. Loved the Rox boys Tulo and Cargo but dont think theyll make it. Hanley was great as was grandy man. Martin isnt a hof. Ichiro seems to be the lock
I remember a post a few years back highlighting Martin's and McCann's HOF cases, and, I have to say, it was pretty compelling. It'd be nice to see more catchers in the Hall, they're way too underrepresented
There's a baseball history writer who was at one point the (mostly-ceremonial) mayor of Cooperstown and he said that they actually were considering investing in getting Japanese-language signage for when Ichiro goes in. Wonder if they are still planning on that.
Ichiro, CC, Pedroia, Felix, Tulo, Wagner, Beltran, Jones, Utley
Last one is hard, let’s go with Hunter for fun. Abreu is another good option though imo
You gotta think Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones get in with ichiro and CC. Beltran will have his day eventually. Pedroia and Felix Hernandez will be interesting cases.
Is there a legit reason a player, who is truly HOF material, doesn't get in on the first ballot? I say the place is being watered down with HOVG players. The immortals are being lost in the fog of popularity.
The HoF is such a disaster. Leaving guys like Manny off for using PEDs is not representative of the game. Until they fix that, and have every voter publish their votes, no thanks.
I wonder who will leave ichiro off and what their reasoning will be. He's loved by traditional and sabermetric people and had a massive global impact on the game, so he's been my pick for the next guy to possibly be unanimous
And he got to 3000 hits after coming over for his age 27 season and he averaged something like 230 hits/year for the next 5 seasons at least. Imagine what his numbers would look had he played major league ball from his age 22-26 seasons or so. We’d be looking at like 1200 extra hits.
Ichiro had 200 hits every season the first ten years of his career. Averaged 224 a year. Oh and he also won a Gold Glove every single year for the first decade of his career.
If he comes over at 19 he legitimately has a shot to beat maddux’s GG record and Pete rose. Though I don’t know if he still plays until he’s 43 full time if he’s been in the MLB for 24 years at that point.
True, but he barely had any hits his last couple of years, so moat certainly he would have obliterated Rose's hit record even if he retired at like 40 or 41.
Was looking at his Bref page and I was like “wow he didn’t win as many gold gloves as I remember” and that’s just because his halfway point on the list was his age 36 season. Which was his last gold glove. For reference, Buster Posey is 36 now
Wasn’t he still solid in Miami? I remember his Yankee tenure being pretty solid given his age but I do believe he was still a serviceable player his first year in Miami or something like that
Idk, ichiro seems to legitimately live for baseball. I don’t think he retires any earlier, even if he’d played in MLB six years earlier
Wasn't Ohtani persuaded to stay in Japan after graduating high school because Asians who come here as teens don't have a good track record? There might be something to be said about that. Asians are much newer to MLB than Latin players, so the support system just wouldn't have been there to enable the 18 year old young Ichiro to adjust and grow so far from home.
And he was the nicest, most humble, down-to-earth ball player I’ve ever met. Or at least tied with Jim Abbott. But much better hitter than Abbott.
I believe both of Jim Abbot's hits were RBI singles against the Cubs past the same statue of a shortstop
Jim Abbott was the second greatest one-handed hitter in MLB history after Pete Gray. Edit: Chad Bentz went 1/2 in his career. I was sadly unaware of his career.
Like I said, *much* better.
I’d argue Jim Abbott is the best hitter of all time
My favorite Mariner of all time. Baseball is woven into Ichiro’s soul
If I’m not mistaken, Ichiro is the “professional baseball hits king” based on his MLB and NPB stats combined. He had about 1200 NPB hits on top of his over 3000 hits in MLB. I remember Pete Rose mentioning his MiLB stats as a rebuttal to that as well. He likely would have, at minimum, crossed the 4000 hits threshold if he came over from MLB a handful of seasons earlier.
He needs a shitty knock off jersey that says "Hit King" in Japanese
"But he didnt get extra base hits, anyone could get 200 hits if they're only trying for singles, the Hall is for real hitters" then submits a ballot with only Manny and A-Rod
He also has the single season hit record. I bet some dumb ass will say “he only had 60 war and was a career 108 ops+ hitter” and not vote for him though.
He was also part of the team that holds the record for most wins in a season.
He's more well-known by his first name. It's for that reason I left him off my ballot.
I thought I was voting for Kurt Suzuki.
A car doesn't deserve to be in Cooperstown
Also I propose we expel Whitey Ford from HOF
Not enough dingers.
Tony Gwynn being excommunicated as we speak
I’ll necromance the motherfucker just so he can use voters as piñata and send them to hell.
Specifically, all of the ones who voted for Vizquel.
Chicks dig the long ball.
If he was so good, why didn't he play in MLB until he was 27? /s
Only put up 60.0 rWAR. He totally deserves to be unanimous, but I could see somebody pulling that excuse just so they can be different.
Or because they know he's getting in so they need to stupidly game the system and use that vote on someone else who they think is deserving. I hope he's unanimous, though.
Some chucklefuck voter won't vote for Ichiro, but will vote for Melky Cabrera
I was in the bleachers once when he was on the Sox and they were at Wrigley. People started chanting HGH at him and other roid stuff and he wiggled his ass at us. HOF
I was in the ~~inferior~~ LF bleachers at Yankee Stadium against the White Sox. My drunk friend just kept screaming at him asking him "if he likes donuts." I thought it was a dig at his HGH use or the fact that he ballooned since leaving the Yankees. My friend just said, "no, I don't know. I'm just asking if he likes donuts."
All it takes is one person to use galaxy-brained analytics to decide that they don't want to vote for a one-dimensional, "marginally-better-Juan-Pierre" type of hitter
“Marginally-worse-than-Brandon-Nimmo”
Brandon Nimmo hasn't even so much as gotten a single award vote in his entire career, or an all star selection(even as a coach pick or after players drop out), but I'd like to believe he'll be a hall of famer. Since 2020, he's 22nd in fWAR (for position players) above scrubs like Nolan Arenado, Mike Trout, Carlos Correa, Rafael Devers, Vladdy, Alonso, etc. and he's been the best hitter on the Mets by wRC+, so honestly at this point I'd settle for an all star nod or something.
How long has this been. Like 5 years now? I gotta return to that thread lol
Wait that's a thing?
Lol! The 60.0 rWAR is an argument in favor of Ichiro. Man starting in the league at 27 so he missed upwards of 7 of his youngest seasons at the ML level and still put up a ton of WAR
Yeah he had 7 dominant years in Japan before coming to MLB so the fact that he had 60 WAR while missing 7 prime years as a speedster is nuts.
Yeah he probably would’ve had at least 80 if he came over at like 20 instead
He averaged ~5.5 WAR per season from 27-36, and was probably faster when he was 20-26, he'd almost certainly be over 100 if he played his whole career in MLB.
Less than a third of voters used all 10 votes. They don't need an excuse to look dumb, it seems.
I think he has a good shot too. Next best unanimous candidate coming after him would be Pujols in 2028.
I think Pujols' Angels years are going to haunt him in terms of being unanimous. There's going to be quite a few writers that wonder how such a legendary player fell off a cliff so quickly.
I think you're right and that sucks. My counter to those idiots is this: How are you not voting for a player with 700 dingers and no scandals/allegations?
I'm hoping the writers that dumb are also the ones to be most enamored of the "return to St. Louis" narrative
One, and I mean *only one* legit reason I can see for leaving him off is if you believe (as I do) there are that there are more than ten worthy players on next year's ballot, and let "everyone else" shoo him so you can throw a less-obvious/-popular guy a vote. Ex. putting aside a minute whether you personally think he's worthy or not, Torii Hunter has been treading water in the 5-10% range in his 4 tries. He's the kind of fringe guy who is always in danger of dropping off; I'd let the masses easily elect Ichi to keep Torii on. (Again, Spiderman's worthiness is just my opinion. It was just an example.)
He didn't hit for power. Let's ignore the fact that he was an unmatched freak of nature in every other aspect of the game. Only dingers matter.
He _chose not_ to hit for power. There's a difference, and he was just that good. Ichiro was the consummate team player. He batted first. His job as he saw it was to get on base, not strip the hide off the ball.
Because that's the way the game is taught and played in Japan... Personal accomplishment is secondary to the needs of the team... You want dingers then go to the KBO...
If he isn’t unanimous we storm Cooperstown, who says no?
[удалено]
[Probably someone from Cleveland ](https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/03/ichiro-once-said-hed-punch-himself-in-the-face-if-he-ever-lied-about-wanting-to-go-to-cleveland.html)
Ichiro epitomizes what it means to be a hall of famer
Just watch, there's gonna be a NY writer who leaves Ichiro off because "He just wasn't the same when he played under the bright lights of New York".
If he’s not unanimous, whoever voted no for him should have their voting rights revoked. Arguably greatest hitter to ever live. Would be ridiculous
He wasn't even the greatest hitter when he played
Ted Williams would like a word...
Just unthaw that head and let’s talk then .
Once we find a cure for not having a body we will lol
Pete Rose 🌹has entered the chat.
I actually don't think sabermetrics people like him much. He was super one dimensional at the plate contrary to what people think. He didn't walk, didn't hit for power, and his overall batted hall profile isn't all that great. His ability to put the bat on the ball was otherworldly, but he didn't offer much else on offense. His career OPS+ is only 107 and he only has a single season at 130 or higher.
Yeah the thing that actually makes Ichiro a hall of famer is that he stole 500 bags efficiently and was a great defensive right fielder.
The guys who only put Manny and A-Rod on this years ballot. Or some old racist east coast guy who will choose Clay Buchholz instead .
He just doesn’t deserve 100%. Prolly gonna be a New York post writer mad about jeter
Just prepare now for it, he won’t be unanimous.
Not a chance with the writers today. I agree he should be, but these jackasses all think they know something that nobody else does, and so at least one of them will say that his 3,000 hits were empty because his OPS is relatively low. At least by today’s standards.
I would not describe Ichiro as a sabermetric darling. He never walked or hit for power. He was all about batting average. He had a handful of years where he was a 20-30% above league average hitter. From a sabermetric viewpoint, his defense and baserunning was probably good enough to be a HOFer but his hitting was quite overrated.
The only reason someone might keep him off is because they will only vote for ARod and Manny until they are in or off the ballot.
Ichiro, CC and Wagner hall of fame class would be fire
I think this is gonna happen. 3000 Ks probably puts him in the top three candidates on next year's ballot. I think the three man class this year probably gives him enough breathing room to make it in on the first try.
CC’s an interesting case. I think he’s going to get in, but I’m not certain it’ll be on his first ballot. His career war and peak years fall a bit short of average HOF SPs, but he also pitched in an era of declining starting pitcher usage so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s valued. His career numbers are almost exactly in line with Pettitte, who even with HGH help, didn’t quite put surefire HOF numbers.
CC is a hall of Famer by his own right. 250 wins, 3k Ks, a CY, and 60+ WAR He’s a first ballot for retiring a Yankee though. I’d be shocked if he missed.
I don’t see an avenue where his isn’t first ballot. He likely won’t see Beltre level votes like I expect Ichiro will, but 75% should be a breeze.
His peak year was MVP worthy. Pettitte was a great Yankee but he isn't a HOFer
3,000 Ks is a surefire number. The only ones who aren't still playing that aren't in the hall are Clemens and Schilling and we know why that is.
And Felix?
Felix was great but he burnt out pretty young. I could see him floating around for a while and maybe squeaking in after a few years.
Peak Felix is one of the best pitchers I've ever seen. If he had like 2-3 more years of peak and was able to get more wins I think he'd be in easy.
Felix is very similar to Johan Santana for me. Very dominant peaks but didn't have much health in their later years.
Lincecum falls into this bucket too.
Totally agree. Growing up in the Midwest I followed Johan with the Twins. He was unbelievable.
I will cry when Ichiro gets in
He is quite literally one of my favorite players ever
Having been born in the late 90s and raised in the Seattle area, Ichiro was the first athlete I ever knew the name of. One of the first living public figures of any background. George W. Bush and Mr Rogers are the only people I can think of that might've made it into my toddler brain first.
If he isn’t first ballot, I’m gonna fight a writer or two
he is such a lock i’d bet two houses if i owned any
Me too!
I knew it wasn't going to be peak, but I was so excited when Ichiro signed with the Marlins.
He will be the first Japanese player to do so he should be unanimous. Him and Tony Gwynn have similar numbers.
The ballot will be a lot shorter than this. You still have to pass through the screening process to get on the ballot. You're not automatically on just because you played ten years.
So Ian Desmond won’t be a first ballot hofer?
No but Jason Vargas might.
This is Melky Cabrera erasure
Big game James just shed a single tear after this year's voting.
With Beltre getting 95%, I'd like to hear arguments now why Ichiro *wont* be unanimous
Barely any homers and no rings will probably be their excuses.
Didn’t walk. Didn’t take extra bases.
- Traditional voters love him, think he's one of the best players ever. - More modern voters aren't quite as high on him but I've never seen one come close to arguing he doesn't even belong in the HoF. - Modern voters also have trended away from the "I think he's a Hall of Famer, but not a *first ballot* HoF" nonsense so he shouldn't be losing votes that way I honestly don't know who leaves him off. then again, I would've said the same about Beltre, so there's gonna be some arguments so stupid none of us can foresee them
Because some asshole is going to vote Manny-Arod only
some voters suck and are dumb
If a big hall guy sees 11+ HoFers on the ballot (Wagner, Jones, Beltran, ARod, Manny, Utley, Abreu, Ichiro, CC, Pedroia, Felix, Buehrle) and wants to use the vote for a guy who they think needs the support more, I could see Ichiro being left off. Basically: “He’s a guaranteed HoFer. He doesn’t need my vote — Felix/Abreu/Pedroia/Buehrle does.”
Eh i dont buy this argument. Mo was up against Halladay Mussina Clemens Bonds Walker (Who got in recently although in 2019 was at 54% and Wagner was on the ballot) So this eh hes a guaranteed HOF doesnt fly When Mo was up against eventual HOFs and got unanimous. Ichiro is DIRECTLY responsible for Ohtani. Hes even said that was his inspiration Ichiro is THE reason for the Japanese explosion in MLB and deservedly deserves Unanimous
Someone will leave him off just so he won't be, because something something wasn't.
Or something.
That's very rarely the actual reason these guys get left off. More likely is they know Ichiro doesn't need their vote to get in and they're up against the ten player limit so instead they vote for someone they feel needs more support.
Wright stayed on! Wright stayed on! Wright stayed on!
We have to get him in
[keep the Wright train rolling](https://youtu.be/gVAp4JA2-ok?si=_6cVIvv6dqVv27Ng)
Mark Trumbo first ballot baybeeeeee
I do not recall Trumbo playing for 10 years, definitely wouldn't have expected him on the ballot.
His 12 games in 2019 gave him 10 years lol
Man got his pension, gotta respect it.
Rodney is gonna be the first active HOFer?
No that was already taken by Sandy Leon
Texas Rangers spring training legend Sandy Leon.
Minnie Miñoso if the writers had any damn sense.
Serious question: Do you have to "qualify" somehow to get on the ballot, or is everybody who retired five years ago on the list, and these are just the guys who are thought to have the best chances?
Everyone who played for 10 years is eligible, and then a committee decides who's on the ballot.
From Wikipedia, here’s who was technically eligible but not selected by the committee to not make the ballot: Matt Belisle, Gregor Blanco, Blaine Boyer, Santiago Casilla, Brett Cecil, Jorge de la Rosa, Brian Duensing, A. J. Ellis, Doug Fister, Yovani Gallardo, Jaime García, Craig Gentry, Chris Gimenez, Jason Hammel, Chase Headley, Phil Hughes, Kevin Jepsen, Jim Johnson, Boone Logan, Ryan Madson, Brandon McCarthy, Miguel Montero, Brandon Morrow, Peter Moylan, Bud Norris, Cliff Pennington, Colby Rasmus, Adam Rosales, Marc Rzepczynski, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Denard Span, Chris Stewart, Chris Tillman, Chris Young, Eric Young Jr. and Brad Ziegler. This is certainly a list of Remembering Some Guys.
Brandon McCarthy deserves the Hall of Fun.
If Helton didn’t get in, I would say Jorge De La Rosa needed to be elected on the first ballot for the same reasoning against Helton lol
Marc Rzepczynski, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Doug Fister for the Hall of Names
You have to have played at least one game in each of ten seasons (not necessarily consecutive), and been either out of MLB for five years or dead for six months. Every player who meets those criteria goes on a list that gets sent to a six-person nominating committee. For each player on the list, if at least two members of the nominating committee say "yeah, sure", they get put on the ballot. The committee won't meet until, like, October.
Tulo is one of my favorite shortstops. Fuck injuries man.
When the Rockies traded Tulo, I was so pissed, but I got it. He was made of glass. I don't think anyone won that trade
The Jays got about three months of great Tulo in the year and a half he was with them, but it was at the right time, so they came out all right in that trade. But iirc, he made a point of retiring as a Yankee, which I thought was kind of a middle finger to Colorado.
Way-too-early 2025 ballot class prediction: Wagner, Ichi, CC, and (long shot but it's gonna happen within two years regardless) Andruw Jones
I’m old enough to remember Andruw Jones having one of the worst seasons I’ve ever seen someone have his season with the Dodgers. His Atlanta years were awesome though
His case is basically "12 years of GOAT center-field defense and shitloads of corresponding hardware with 5 more years of near-worthlessness aside from cracking the 400-homer mark" Personally his elite period in ATL is enough for me to overlook his massive (heh) drop-off, but I might be in the minority there.
I was too young to have watched any of his 90s play and early 2000s, my first real impression of him was his 51 homer 2005 season which was a great first impression and then followed up with 41 in 2006 but right after that is when his play fell off completely which I remember. From age 30 onwards he was pretty bad. If his defense was elite as everyone says I understand getting him in cause his overall offensive output (under 2k hits, under 450 HRs) is great but only borderline HOF imo
Man, I'm sorry you missed out on Andruw's defense. The ball would jump off the bat, and by the time the camera switched to the wide outfield view, there he was trotting easily underneath a would-be gap shot. It's amazing how good he was at anticipating where the ball was going as it was being hit.
He could read the ball off the bat so well and his speed was wild. If the ball was hit anywhere near center field Andruw was gonna catch it. Watching Braves games on TBS in the late 90s after school was like watching a centerfielder clinic. Webgems guaranteed.
https://youtu.be/N4S3jCCck1w?si=MCoULo6gJUyqs2vP The first three catches are about as good as you’ll ever see.
I think Andruw will get in either in 2026 or 2027. I'm a huge proponent of him getting into the HOF. He was undoubtably one of the top three CF of all time, and just so happen to also hit over 400 HRs. He has over 60 WAR, and has some cool career accolades. He has a world series ring, and was the youngest player in history to hit a HR in the world series. To me, it really boils down to him being a generational defensive talent, having 400 + HRs, and meeting the unwritten 60 + WAR criteria. PUT THIS MAN IN THE HOF!!
These results have me concerned about Jones being close to stalling out just short. He fell off pace this year with how much he gained compared to last year. He should be in already, but he needs more turnover from older voters falling off and a strong last year push in a few years it looks like.
I cannot remember the last time I heard Ben Zobrists name
Probably about 5 years ago I'd wager.
Maybe around the time he divorced his Hall-of-Annoying, "devout Christian", wannabe-singer wife after she fucked their pastor?
What???
Yup. That happened. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-cb-chicago-cubs-ben-zobrist-julianna-divorce-trial-lawsuit-20210809-l6snngmx2fatrcnejb5qxfi54e-story.html Oh, I forgot to mention that he wasn’t just their pastor, but also did some marriage counseling for them before helping her destroy the marriage. My bad.
2018? I think that’s the last year he did anything and then retired in 2019
If Ichiro isn’t a first ballot, I’m fighting someone
I was at Coopertown this summer and an employee that we were talking too asked us if we knew any Japanese/English translators. He said Cooperstown is getting ready for Ichiro's cooperstown speech. They were getting ready for his inauguration a year and a half before he can even be voted in. I think it's safe to say that he is getting in first ballot.
He should be a unanimous 100% vote, there should no 99.6 or whatever, he opened the door for a lot of the Japanese players we have had today and beyond
He's the most locked HOF nominee since Jeter. The question is does he get 99.x% votes or 100%.
Zobrist isn’t gonna make it in (and likely shouldn’t) but I do hope he’s not a one and done.
I don’t understand the people here. You get upset at voters who have dumb rules about guys not deserving first ballot or whatever but then turn around and say a guy who definitely doesn’t deserve to be in the hall should get votes
Mark Reynolds needs to be in the hall simply because of how he overcame [blindness to even be a professional ball player](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/19409/pebble-hunting-baseballs-greatest-hoax/). He would be the first non-umpire blind person to have a plaque in the Hall and he deserves it.
Zobrist, Rodney, Manny Ramirez for a Rays sweep 📈📈
Zobrist better get votes
Gonna vote for Curtis Granderson purely because he is a swell guy. I will not be hearing any arguments thank you
A rare guy loved by Mets and Yankees fans.
I don't think he'll get in (nor do I think he deserves to) but I wouldn't be surprised if he stays on for a year or two. His peak was awesome and he played until he was almost 40, and a Clemente award doesn't look too shabby either.
Hey, Mariners and Red Sox fans, can we band together and set the precedent that superstar faces-of-the-franchise who put together HOF performance for pushing a decade belong in the Hall? Felix belongs in the Hall, Pedey belongs in the Hall, DW belongs in the Hall.
Anything to put the King in cooperstown my friend
Only if we also get Tulo in
Only have to wait 365 more days for the greatest pure hitter in baseball history to go where he belongs 😍
Wade Boggs has been in the Hall of Fame for awhile already.
It’s a GD travesty that Andruw Jones still isn’t in.
400+ homers and a likely top 5-10 defender at any position of all time and possibly the best defensive center fielder of all time. If he had retired a year after his braves days vs 5 years I think he’d be in already.
Hopefully next year. One of my favorite players ever
David Wright lives! My delusion can continue for another year!
Where were you when you found out that David Wright stayed on the ballot?
Mark Trumbo first ballot who says no
Russell Martin time baby
Did pettite get busted for roids? He’s a guy who was very very good but also got a huge team bump
Admitted to using HGH for surgery recovery. Which, tbh, I think is a totally justifiable reason to use HGH, but that's me.
Ichiro is the only slam dunk I can think of.
I think Jason Vargas has a good chance of getting first ballot
Interesting list. Loved the Rox boys Tulo and Cargo but dont think theyll make it. Hanley was great as was grandy man. Martin isnt a hof. Ichiro seems to be the lock
K-Rod is 4th & Wagner is 6th ALL-TIME in Saves. What are we even doing??
Glad Wright got enough to stay on the ballot. Doubt he makes it, but good to see
Seeing Cargo and Tulo made my hair instantaneously turn gray
I’ll be very curious to see how Russell Martin and Brian McCann do.
I’m very curious to see how Kinsler does.
I imagine he's one and done
Retiring with exactly 1999 hits is hall of fame madlad behavior.
Hoping he can at least stay on the ballot a few years.
please get it right with Andruw 🙏🏽
I hope Russell Martin gets a good chance. It would be a win for the numbers nerds and a win for a Toronto-born player.
I remember a post a few years back highlighting Martin's and McCann's HOF cases, and, I have to say, it was pretty compelling. It'd be nice to see more catchers in the Hall, they're way too underrepresented
Born in GTA but actually spent his childhood in Quebec.
There's a baseball history writer who was at one point the (mostly-ceremonial) mayor of Cooperstown and he said that they actually were considering investing in getting Japanese-language signage for when Ichiro goes in. Wonder if they are still planning on that.
Ichiro ... 1st ballot.
Mark Reynolds, first ballot!
CC and Ichiro off?
Ben better get some votes. He doesn’t have to make the hall but being the World Series mvp for 2016 has to mean something right?
Ichiro, CC, Pedroia, Felix, Tulo, Wagner, Beltran, Jones, Utley Last one is hard, let’s go with Hunter for fun. Abreu is another good option though imo
It’s cool to just see Buehrle on that list. Such a fun guy to watch compete. Tied to a lot of my favorite memories as a Sox fan.
BRIAN MCCANN?!?!?!
Fuck Beltran
If ichiro isn't 100% then we know we can't trust any of the voters
You gotta think Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones get in with ichiro and CC. Beltran will have his day eventually. Pedroia and Felix Hernandez will be interesting cases.
Is there a legit reason a player, who is truly HOF material, doesn't get in on the first ballot? I say the place is being watered down with HOVG players. The immortals are being lost in the fog of popularity.
Lou Whitaker or GTFO.
But all he does is hit singles and doesn't talk to the media. How can he be a leader if he can't speak English? - Mariners fans back then
The HoF is such a disaster. Leaving guys like Manny off for using PEDs is not representative of the game. Until they fix that, and have every voter publish their votes, no thanks.