The First-Ballot Players on the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot
One of the IBWAA co-directors evaluates the first-time eligible players in this year's HOF vote
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . The Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Era Committee elected Dick Allen and Dave Parker to the Hall of Fame Sunday evening. Allen was a 7-time All-Star, won the 1972 MVP, and was one of the most dangerous hitters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His unabashed views on societal issues led to Allen bouncing around in his career, something used against him during his initial run of voting.
Parker was the quintessential cleanup hitter for much of the 1970s and 1980s, winning an MVP in 1978 with the Pirates. Considered by many to have one of the best right field arms in MLB history, Parker was a five-tool player before injuries slowed his running, but he was still a valuable hitter to the end of his career, making an All-Star roster in 1990 with Milwaukee at age 39.
. . . While we can be excited for Allen and Parker, the voting by the committee was rather surprising, in that there were multiple members who were certainly worthy, but Parker (14 votes) and Allen (13), nearly doubled up any other person on the ballot, with Tommy John finishing third with seven votes. Next winter, we will likely entertain the Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens conversation on a national level again as the Contemporary Era Committee will consider players whose primary contribution came from 1980 to present.
Leading Off
First-Ballot Players on the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot
By Benjamin Chase
On Jan. 21, 2025, the names will be announced, and on July 27, the next class of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame will be inducted.
This year’s class of first-time eligible players may be the last one with a sure-fire first-ballot inductee for a few years, allowing the ballot to likely get cleaned up with a very worthy group of returning players to the ballot this year. We are going to look over the first-time eligible players on the ballot in 2025 today in four different categories. Tomorrow, we will look ahead to those upcoming classes and the players who should eventually garner induction.
Definitely In
Two players stand out above the rest in this year’s “rookie” crop. Ichiro Suzuki should have every opportunity to become the first position player unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame. He was already one of the best baseball players that had ever graced this planet BEFORE he came to MLB, where he simply accumulated more than 3,000 hits while hitting .311 over 2,653 games. He’ll certainly be voted in this season.
While perhaps not this ballot, C.C. Sabathia will eventually make it into the Hall. Sabathia through age 30 had the look of a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He had 176 wins at that point and a long-term contract with the most-storied franchise in MLB history, likely setting him up for the opportunity at 300 wins. However, Sabathia’s challenges with alcohol led to his body breaking down and a public time of recovery. His openness about his struggles and his willingness to step to the mic during racial unrest in the game and in the country will likely push him beyond similar pitchers who seem on the cusp on the current ballot.
Likely Not In, But Interesting
There is a fairly large gap between Sabathia and the rest of the first-ballot group this season, but even then, four guys stand out as likely hanging around the ballot for a little while at least. Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler were elite second basemen whose numbers place them among Hall players at their position, but if they get in, it’s likely going to take multiple ballots.
If it were only about peak, Felix Hernandez would easily be in. Through age-30, he had 154 wins, four top-five Cy Young Award finishes and one win, and he did that for a Mariners team that was mediocre at best for most of his tenure. Unfortunately, he would pitch only 314 more innings total in his career. Curtis Granderson’s raw numbers are short, but he has tremendous recognition in the game off the field as a leader.
Hall of Very Good, At Best
A pair of shortstops and a pair of catchers both would qualify in the Hall of Very Good, players who had excellent careers but fall short of the Hall of Fame. Shortstops Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez were elite two-way shortstops for a short time. Brian McCann and Russell Martin had long careers behind the plate for winning clubs, but their career numbers just don’t match up. These guys will likely be seeking enough votes simply to remain on the ballot a second year.
Thanks for the Memories
Every year, a number of first-year ballot players strive to simply get a single vote, and there are a host of players who were fun while they were in MLB, but simply don’t belong in the Hall. Ben Zobrist, Adam Jones, Carlos Gonzalez, and Fernando Rodney each had big moments in their respective careers, but will not be on next year’s ballot.
Benjamin Chase is a newspaper editor in rural South Dakota by day and writes and podcasts about baseball by night (or weekends or any time, really). His baseball thoughts can be found on his Medium page, Chasing Baseball Greatness, and on the Pallazzo Podcast prospects show. You can find Benjamin on most social media networks under the handle biggentleben.
Extra Innings
While Dick Allen had unfortunately passed before he was elected to the Hall of Fame, Dave Parker was able to respond, excitedly, to his election (direct interview with Parker begins at roughly the five-minute mark in the video):