NEW YORK – Beyond his incredible baseball skills, Ichiro Suzuki was a source of wonder to his teammates – from his pregame stretching routine to his in-game quirks.
“One of the craziest things was, if he slid and got dirt all over his uniform, he’d come in and change everything, down to his cleats,’’ said CC Sabathia, speaking before Tuesday’s Hall of Fame call.
On the diamond, “he had to be clean and pristine,’’ Sabathia said of his teammate on the 2012-14 Yankees, following Ichiro’s prime years with the Seattle Mariners.
“He was so much fun to be around.’’
Sabathia, Ichiro and Billy Wagner are now linked in the Hall of Fame class of 2025, joining Dave Parker and the late Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.
Appearing on their first Baseball Writers’ Association ballot, Ichiro missed being a unanimous selection by one vote (394 ballots were submitted) and Sabathia received 86.8 percent.
On his 10th and final BBWAA ballot, Wagner received 82.5 percent, after having missed in 2024 by just five votes (75 percent is required for election).
Looking ahead to 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote
On his third writers’ ballot this year, Carlos Beltran missed election by 19 votes.
Having jumped from 57.1 percent of support in 2024 to 70.3 percent, Beltran is very likely to get the Cooperstown call next January.
Beltran’s candidacy has been dragged by his association with the Houston Astros’ electronic sign stealing scandal, the only player named in MLB’s report.
One of the game’s best all-around switch-hitters, and an elite center fielder, Beltran became one of five players in MLB history to collect at least 500 doubles, 400 homers and 300 stolen bases.
It could also be the year for fellow center fielder (owner of 10 Gold Glove awards) Andruw Jones, who moved up from 61.6 percent to 66.2 percent in 2025, as he moves to his ninth ballot.
Players trending upward toward Baseball Hall of Fame
Chase Utley’s Hall of Fame candidacy is trending upward, having received 39.8 percent on his second ballot – an improvement over last year’s 28.8 percent.
As a second baseman, the current voting block is finding Utley’s case – despite never reaching 2,000 hits, no Gold Glove Awards or top five MVP finishes – more compelling than that of Jeff Kent, the all-time home run leader at the position who topped out at 46.5 percent.
Kent dropped off the writers’ ballot after the 2023 voting.
In his seventh year on the ballot, Andy Pettitte saw his support jump from 13.5 percent last year to 27.9 percent, while “King’’ Felix Hernandez debuted at 20.6 percent.
For a starting pitcher, Hernandez’s first ballot is in line with Mike Mussina, who debuted at 20.3 percent and was eventually elected on his sixth ballot.
Hall of Fame fates of Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez
The electorate is pretty set on Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez never getting in, due to PED suspensions.
Moving into his final year on the writers’ ballot, Ramirez’s support is at 34.3 percent, while A-Rod – on his fourth ballot – is at 37.1 percent.
At this point, A-Rod – who was banned by MLB for the 2014 season – hasn’t approached the support of Barry Bonds, who reached 66 percent before dropping off the writers’ ballot.
Bonds and Rogers Clemens were also rejected in their first appearance on a veterans’ committee ballot.
Similarly, perennial Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel is going nowhere, essentially stuck at the same level (17.8 percent) since disturbing allegations of abuse surfaced.
New to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
Further aiding the candidacies of Beltran and Jones in 2026 is the lack of any compelling Hall-of-Fame cases on the upcoming ballot.
According to the Hall of Fame, next year’s first-time eligibles include Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Cole Hamels, Edwin Encarnacion, Daniel Murphy, Howie Kendrick, Hunter Pence and Nick Markakis.
That could also provide more support for the current candidacies of Bobby Abreu (19.5 percent), Jimmy Rollins (18 percent), Dustin Pedroia (11.9 percent) and David Wright (8.1 percent).
