{"id":28747,"date":"2025-01-25T00:43:25","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T00:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=28747"},"modified":"2025-01-25T00:43:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T00:43:25","slug":"looking-ahead-to-2026-baseball-hall-of-fame-why-next-years-ballot-helps-carlos-beltran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=28747","title":{"rendered":"Looking ahead to 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame: Why next year’s ballot helps Carlos Beltran"},"content":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK \u2013 Beyond his incredible baseball skills, Ichiro Suzuki was a source of wonder to his teammates \u2013 from his pregame stretching routine to his in-game quirks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the craziest things was, if he slid and got dirt all over his uniform, he\u2019d come in and change everything, down to his cleats,\u2019\u2019 said\u00a0CC Sabathia, speaking before Tuesday\u2019s Hall of Fame call.<\/p>\n
On the diamond, \u201che had to be clean and pristine,\u2019\u2019 Sabathia said of his teammate on the 2012-14 Yankees, following Ichiro\u2019s prime years with the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so much fun to be around.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Appearing on their first Baseball Writers\u2019 Association ballot, Ichiro missed being a unanimous selection by one vote (394 ballots were submitted) and Sabathia received 86.8 percent.<\/p>\n
On his 10th<\/sup>\u00a0and final BBWAA ballot, Wagner received 82.5 percent, after having missed in 2024 by just five votes (75 percent is required for election).<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
On his third writers\u2019 ballot this year, Carlos Beltran missed election by 19 votes.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Beltran\u2019s candidacy has been dragged by his association with the Houston Astros\u2019 electronic sign stealing scandal, the only player named in MLB\u2019s report.<\/p>\n
One of the game\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Players trending upward toward Baseball Hall of Fame<\/h2>\n
Chase Utley\u2019s Hall of Fame candidacy is trending upward, having received 39.8 percent on his second ballot \u2013 an improvement over last year\u2019s 28.8 percent.<\/p>\n
As a second baseman, the current voting block is finding Utley\u2019s case \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Kent dropped off the writers\u2019 ballot after the 2023 voting.<\/p>\n
In his seventh year on the ballot, Andy Pettitte saw his support jump from 13.5 percent last year to 27.9 percent, while \u201cKing\u2019\u2019 Felix Hernandez debuted at 20.6 percent.<\/p>\n
For a starting pitcher, Hernandez\u2019s first ballot is in line with Mike Mussina, who debuted at 20.3 percent and was eventually elected on his sixth ballot.<\/p>\n
Hall of Fame fates of Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
The electorate is pretty set on Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez never getting in, due to PED suspensions.<\/p>\n
Moving into his final year on the writers\u2019 ballot, Ramirez\u2019s support is at 34.3 percent, while A-Rod \u2013 on his fourth ballot \u2013 is at 37.1 percent.<\/p>\n
At this point, A-Rod \u2013 who was banned by MLB for the 2014 season \u2013 hasn\u2019t approached the support of Barry Bonds, who reached 66 percent before dropping off the writers\u2019 ballot.<\/p>\n
Bonds and Rogers Clemens were also rejected in their first appearance on a veterans\u2019 committee ballot.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
New to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Further aiding the candidacies of Beltran and Jones in 2026 is the lack of any compelling Hall-of-Fame cases on the upcoming ballot.<\/p>\n
According to the Hall of Fame, next year\u2019s first-time eligibles include Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Cole Hamels, Edwin Encarnacion, Daniel Murphy, Howie Kendrick, Hunter Pence and Nick Markakis.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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