Oct 31, 2009; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (13) is forced out by Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley during the second inning of game three of the 2009 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of their election for the 2025 class on Jan. 21.
Those on the 2025 ballot will be looking to join Phillies icon Dick Allen, who will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame after being elected by the Classic Era Baseball Committee.
The ballot whose results will be announced on Jan. 21 is voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. However, the vote isn't open to all members. You need to have been in the BBWAA for 10 years to vote on the Hall of Fame ballot, and I remain quite a ways away from that. Hopefully some day, I'll have that honor. In the meantime, this is as good as it gets.
Courtesy of Ryan Thibodaux, here's a look at the 2025 ballot that writers have to fill out:
Everything you need to follow the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker:
The team: @tonycal.bsky.social and @shutthedore.bsky.social (and me!)
The full Ballot Tracker: tracker.fyi
Tracker summary/leaderboard: bit.ly/hof25
Starter Pack of HOF voters on Bluesky: go.bsky.app/SxjyF22
The ballot:
— Ryan Thibodaux (@notmrtibbs.com) November 19, 2024 at 11:58 AM
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Before I reveal how I would vote, here's a few general notes:
1. The maximum number of players that voters can select is 10. I think that rule should be changed, and you should be able to vote for as many people as you think are worthy in a given year. With that said, I don't believe in most years that there are 10+ deserving candidates.
2. Players need to get votes on 75% of ballots to be elected.
3. As a child of The Steroid Era, I was long opposed to any players credibly connected to performance-enhancing drugs getting into the Hall of Fame. However, I've changed my mind on that. It's a museum. There are already players in the Hall believed to have cheated in various ways, some of whom likely used PEDs. I also think it gets silly trying to determine exactly what level of cheating gets you disqualified. So Barry Bonds shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame because he allegedly (saying that for legal purposes) used PEDs, but pitchers of this era who allegedly doctored baseballs like Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander will likely all get in? At a certain point, I just think put in the players who are worthy statistically, and fans can decide what they think of it.
4. I don't believe in making a differentiation between those who were suspended by the league for PEDs once they began testing and those who were credibly connected to them before the league officially banned them. Either you're letting in players who probably did something wrong or you're not.
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With all that acknowledged, this is what my 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame vote would look like if I had one.
Perhaps the most universally loved player in modern MLB history, Ichiro didn't come to the majors until his age-27 season, but he quickly made up for lost time. He not only won AL Rookie of the Year in 2001, but also AL MVP. He was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and racked up 3,089 hits just in his MLB career. Anyone who doesn't vote for him is looking for attention.
I'm well aware of Rodriguez admitting he used PEDs as a member of the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003, and then later serving a one-year suspension in 2014 as part of the Biogenisis scandal. I'm not disputing that he cheated or suggesting he was a particularly moral person during his playing career. But he is one of the 10 most accomplished position players in MLB history with 696 home runs, three AL MVPs and 10 Silver Slugger Awards. I believe that most of the general public kind of views the Hall of Fame as having lost legitimacy for not putting in Bonds, and continuing to not put in players with obvious HOF resumes because they used PEDs isn't what is wanted.
Along those same lines, Ramírez was suspended multiple times for testing positive for PEDs. Each person that visits the museum can decide on their own whether they believe that tarnishes his legacy or not. What's clear is that he's one of the greatest right-handed hitters in MLB history, and if you have a museum that talks about the history of baseball, he needs to be recognized. Ramírez hit .312 with 555 home runs and a .996 OPS over a 19-year MLB career. He's also the all-time leader in playoff home runs at 29.
Wagner is one of the most dominant closers in MLB history. He's now eighth all time with 422 saves, though he was in the top six when he first appeared on the ballot. He's got a 19.8 WAR 7 — total of your top seven single-season WAR totals — which is higher than Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman and Rollie Fingers. Particularly as more teams go closer-by-committee, the standard for a Hall of Fame reliever cannot just be that you have to have 500+ saves. Wagner was dominant and racked up a ton of saves, the perfect mix. He got 73.8% of the vote last year, and I think in his 10th and final year on the ballot, he'll get over the hump.
Obviously, if I'm voting for PED players, I'm not going to hold the Houston Astros' 2017 sign-stealing scandal against Beltrán. One of the greatest switch hitters in MLB history, Beltrán won the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year as a member of the Kansas City Royals. He went on to make nine All-Star Game appearances, win three Gold Glove Awards and hit 435 home runs. He's only a tiny bit short of the WAR, WAR 7 and JAWS — a stat created by Jay Jaffe to compare candidates to those already in the Hall of Fame at their position — of the average center fielder in Cooperstown. If not for the sign-stealing scandal, he probably would be in already.
Flashback: Andruw Jones makes an insane diving catch in 2002 at Veterans Stadium to rob Marlon Anderson of a bases-clearing hit. Harry Kalas couldn't help but tip his cap. #Phillies #Braves
(Credit: MLB)
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) November 29, 2024 at 12:18 PM
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Jones is the greatest defensive player of my lifetime, and he fittingly won a Gold Glove Award every year from 1998-2007. He hit a wall in his early-30s, largely because he didn't take good enough care of his body. But Jones debuted at 19, so he already had a long body of work by that point. With 434 home runs and an .823 career OPS, he's a pretty clear Hall of Famer in my opinion.
Plácido Polanco blocked Utley from being a full-time second basemen until his age-26 season, and knee injuries in his early-30s cut into the back half of his prime. If you think that there weren't quite enough peak years from Utley — who finished with 1,885 hits — I can understand that argument.
But at the height of his powers, Utley was one of the greatest second basemen in MLB history. Between 2005 and 2014, Utley's 57.7 WAR was only topped by Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera — two of the greatest players in MLB history — among position players. He never won a Gold Glove Award, but over that same 10-year stretch, Utley's 129 defensive runs saved are second among all position players to only Yadier Molina.
To me, the peak was strong enough to put Utley into Cooperstown.
1. CC Sabathia — He was an incredible horse at his peak, and what he did in the second half of the 2008 season with the Milwaukee Brewers remains one of the greatest pitching stretches I've ever seen. But his body started to break down in his early 30s, and Sabathia finished with a 3.61 career ERA. He finished his career with a 62.3 career WAR and 39.4 WAR 7, as opposed to a 73 WAR and 49.9 WAR 7 being the average marks of Hall of Fame starters. I struggled with this one, and I think he will get in, perhaps on the first ballot. He's a bit short for me, although he was a joy to watch.
2. Bobby Abreu — Considering he hit .291 with 2,470 hits and 400 stolen bases, it probably shouldn't be a surprise that Abreu has generated a grassroots HOF campaign. I think he was vastly under-appreciated during his career, both because much of his peak came during the Steroid Era and because he was on some bad teams. Walks weren't as valued at that time as they are now either. Still, Abreu wasn't a particularly effective fielder, and I do think there's something to be said for how you were perceived during your career. Abreu was seen as an excellent player, but probably not quite Cooperstown worthy.
3. Francisco Rodríguez — "K-Rod" had the most prolific season a closer has ever put together in 2008 when he recorded an MLB-record 62 saves for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He's sixth in MLB history with 437 saves. Are a 2.86 ERA and 3.31 FIP good enough to be a Hall of Famer as a closer? I could be persuaded, but I'm not quite there right now.
4. Jimmy Rollins — I think Jimmy Rollins is an all-time great Phillie, and they should retire his number regardless of whether he gets into the Hall of Fame. He just falls short of being Hall of Fame worthy in my mind.
People often compare him to Barry Larkin because they are NL shortstops who won an MVP. Rollins actually does have 115 more hits in his career than Larkin. But Larkin hit .295 for his career. Rollins' MVP season in 2007 when he hit .296 was the only time he topped .295 in a single season. He hit .264 for his career. Larkin had an .815 career OPS, as opposed to Rollins' .743. Larkin had a 67.0 career WAR, while Rollins had a 49.7 WAR.
Rollins was a tremendous fielder and great basestealer. There just weren't enough superstar-level offensive seasons to be Hall of Fame worthy. That's not meant as a dis, he still is a legendary Phillie.
5. David Wright, Troy Tulowitzki and Dustin Pedroia — All three of these guys probably would have been slam dunk Hall of Famers if not for injuries. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.
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