Ichiro, Sabathia Lead New MLB Stars on 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

The Baseball Hall of Fame released its 2025 Baseball Writers Association of America ballot Monday, giving baseball fans their first look at who could be immortalized in Cooperstown next summer.

Last year’s writers’ ballot produced a rare three-inductee class, with third baseman Adrian Beltré, first baseman Todd Helton, and catcher Joe Mauer taking their place among baseball’s best. Players must receive 75 percent of the overall vote total in order to be inducted, and have a maximum of 10 years on the ballot before they move to an Eras Committee ballot. They must also achieve five percent of the vote to remain on the writers’ ballot.

The Baseball Hall of Fame provides the following rubric to determine eligibility:

A. A baseball player must have been active as a player in the Major Leagues at some time during a period beginning fifteen (15) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.

B. Player must have played in each of ten (10) Major League championship seasons, some part of which must have been within the period described in 3(A).

C. Player shall have ceased to be an active player in the Major Leagues at least five (5) calendar years preceding the election but may be otherwise connected with baseball.

D. In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.

E. Any player on Baseball’s ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.

This year’s list of newly eligible players features some of the best talent of the 2000s and 2010s.

Newcomers to the Ballot

• OF Carlos Gonzales
• OF Ichiro Suzuki
• OF Curtis Granderson
• OF Adam Jones
• P Felix Hernandez
• P Fernando Rodney
• P CC Sabathia
• 2B Ian Kinsler
• 2B Dustin Pedroia
• 2B/OF Ben Zobrist
• C Russell Martin
• C Brian McCann
• SS Troy Tulowitzki
• SS Hanley Ramirez

The list of returning players is also packed with powerhouse names.

Returning Players

• P Billy Wagner
• OF Carlos Beltrán
• OF Andruw Jones
• 3B/SS Alex Rodriguez
• OF Manny Ramirez
• 2B Chase Utley
• SS Omar Vizquel
• SS Jimmy Rollins
• OF Bobby Abreu
• P Andy Pettitte
• P Mark Buehrle
• P Francisco Rodríguez
• 3B David Wright
• OF Torii Hunter

Who Likely Gets In

While it’s never a guarantee anyone will get the required 75 percent of the vote for induction, this year features at least one slam dunk candidate. Ichiro is on the shortlist of greatest hitters in baseball history, holding the all-time hits record across all leagues with 4,367. The 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP was the most dominant hitter of his era and may have a chance to become the second player in history to be inducted unanimously, following Mariano Rivera in 2019, when he received 100 percent of all votes.

Reliever Billy Wagner also carries a high probability of getting in on this year’s ballot. Wagner is in his 10th and final year of eligibility, and accumulated 73.8 percent of the vote last year, just five votes short of induction. Wagner was a seven-time All-Star who registered 422 career saves and has benefitted in recent years from writers diving deep into his advanced metrics, many of which point to him as one of the most dominant relievers to ever step foot on a mound. Wagner averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his career, and if he falls short, he will almost certainly be an inductee on a future Eras Committee ballot. With many previous candidates picking up support late in their ballot tenure (Tim Raines, for example), expect Wagner to make up the five remaining votes and earn induction in 2025.

None of the other remaining candidates are shoo-in newcomers or close enough returning names.

Who May Get In

Andruw Jones is the most curious case of anyone returning from last year’s ballot. He received 61.6 percent of the vote in 2024 and is in his eighth appearance on the list. Jones was a prolific outfielder in his prime and is one of six outfielders ever to win 10 Gold Gloves. He hit .273 across 18 playoff series and amassed 434 career home runs. The first half of Jones’ playing days saw him consistently find himself among the game’s elite players, but a second half marred by injuries and underperformance have hurt his Hall of Fame credentials.

He has a legitimate chance at future induction, especially if he can get close to 70 percent of the vote on this ballot. But with another outfielder in Ichiro taking up a spot on the ballot for most (if not, all) writers, Jones could take a hit. Still, there is an outside chance at induction in 2025, though more likely in the next two years.

Carlos Beltrán is one of the greatest switch hitters in baseball history, and nearly all of his similarity scores rank similar to other Hall of Famers such as Dave Winfield, Andrew Dawson, and Al Kaline. The nine-time All-Star had an excellent glove in his prime, and put up a jaw-dropping eight home runs across two rounds in the 2004 playoffs.

But Beltrán’s involvement with the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal has cost him support with voters, as it has taken two years for him to get 57.1 percent of the vote. His credentials are almost certainly Hall of Fame-worthy, and it is possible he could even jump ahead of Jones in this year’s voting. He would have to make up quite a bit of ground to earn induction this year, and while it could happen, he’s more likely to receive that support over the next three years or so instead as voters soften their stances.

Outside of Suzuki, only one newcomer really stands a chance at induction for their first time on the ballot. It was an event seeing CC Sabathia pitch during his peak, with his 2008 midseason trade to the Milwaukee Brewers producing a run of dominance that has yet to be matched. He’d leverage that into a mega contract with the New York Yankees the next year and was one of the anchors to a squad that won their first World Series in nine years.

The 2007 Cy Young winner won 251 games across 19 seasons, striking out 3,093 batters, making him one of 15 players ever to surpass 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. Sabathia may come up short in 2025, but his popularity with the media and other players gives him leverage for future appearances.

Who Falls Short

It’s highly unlikely any player returning on the 2025 ballot will receive extended support beyond what they’ve had in the past, as no one past Beltrán, Wagner, and Jones have received any higher than 34.8 percent of the vote. Omar Vizquel once seemed destined for Cooperstown before encountering a myriad of legal issues, and guys like A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, and Andy Pettitte are unlikely to ever receive substantial backing due to their alleged or admitted ties to performance-enhancing drugs.

Chase Utley, meanwhile, received just 28.8 percent of the vote last season but could be a name to watch this year and beyond. His 49.3 seven-year peak WAR (Wins Above Replacement) puts him nearly five wins ahead of the average second baseman Hall of Famer, and he could receive some extended support this year or in years to come.

Of the newcomers to the ballot, former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia could potentially make some noise slowly. The former AL Rookie of the Year and MVP won three World Series titles with Boston and sits just short of the peak WAR for Hall of Fame second basemen. Seven-time All-Star catcher Brian McCann may also receive some support due to his substantial power from his early playing days.

The voting results will be announced on January 21.