Ichiro, Billy Wagner anchor Ortiz’s Hall of Fame ballot

It’s time for Billy Wagner to take his place among baseball’s immortals in Cooperstown, N.Y. I still remember my first conversation with Wagner about the Baseball Hall of Fame in late 2015. He made his debut on the ballot that winter with eventual Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Trevor Hoffman for the 2016 Hall of Fame class.

Of the 15 newcomers on the ballot that year, only Griffey was elected on the first ballot. Hoffman, the one-time all-time saves leader, received 296 votes. That was a strong debut for Hoffman, but it wasn’t enough to meet the necessary threshold of 75 percent for election into the Hall.

Hoffman was named on 67.3 percent of the ballots and had to wait until his third year on the ballot. The key for Wagner, I told him at the time, was to get votes from at least 5 percent of the veteran members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Players need to be named on at least 5 percent of the ballots each year to remain on the ballot for up to 10 years before falling off the ballot.

Griffey, Hoffman and Wagner were the only newcomers to the ballot for the 2016 class to pass the 5 percent threshold. Jim Edmonds (11 votes, 2.5 percent) was the only other newcomer to receive more than three votes from the BBWAA that year.

Edmonds may not have had a Hall of Fame career, but he deserved more support. Like Wagner, though, Edmonds and many other players suffered from crowded ballots with steroids era players.

Steady progress

Nine players from that 2016 ballot were eventually elected to the Hall by the BBWAA or special committees. That 2016 ballot included Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Gary Sheffield. Those players would likely have been elected to the Hall if they had not been linked to performance-enhancement drugs. Curt Schilling, who surely cost himself votes with controversial comments, was also on that ballot.

With so many Hall of Famers on that crowded ballot, support for Wagner suffered. You can vote for up to 10 players or turn in an empty ballot. The seven-time All-Star received 46 votes for 10.5 percent. A year later, he received 45 for 10.2 percent in the election when his Astros teammate Jeff Bagwell was finally elected in his seventh year of eligibility.

Wagner got 47 votes (11.1 percent) in his third year. He jumped to 71 votes (16.6 percent) and then 126 (31.7 percent) in his fifth year. Wagner’s support grew steadily until he fell just five votes shy of election for the 2024 class.

Unfortunately for Wagner, history shows that relievers aren’t appreciated much by Hall of Fame voters. Yet legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the only player elected to the Hall unanimously by the BBWAA.

More from Our Esquina

Billy Wagner belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Baseball world mourns Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda

Adrian Beltre elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Wagner’s stats compare favorably to Rivera’s. Rivera is the only Hall of Fame reliever with better WHIP, ERA+, ERA, FIP and opponents’ OPS than Wagner. Wagner is fourth on baseball’s all-time saves list with 422 saves. He could have climbed higher up that list if he hadn’t retired while still in All-Star form.

Wagner was 7-2 with a 1.42 ERA and 37 saves with the Braves in 2010, his last season in the majors. At only 38 and coming off his seventh and final All-Star nod in 2010, Wagner preferred to retire to help his wife Sarah raise their four children, though.

“He’s a guy that left the game with like a high 1, low 2 ERA with a bunch of saves,” Bagwell said. “He could have played a lot longer. When he played he was dominant. There’s no question in my mind he’s a Hall of Famer.”

Of the 46 voters who voted for Wagner in his first year on the ballot, fewer than 20 are still voting. I’m one of the few who can say I voted for Wagner in each year he has been on the ballot.

Ichiro makes it easy

With Wagner taking one spot, let’s reveal the other nine men on my 2025 ballot. I’ve traditionally used all 10 votes. It doesn’t hurt to give a person a vote if there is room. The only question about Ichiro Suzuki’s Hall of Fame candidacy is whether he’ll be the second unanimous BBWAA selection.

Ichiro was one of the greatest leadoff hitters of his era. He collected 3,089 hits over 19 seasons in the majors after debuting at 27 years old. Ichiro also had 1,278 hits over nine seasons in Japan’s Pacific League.

Felix Hernandez was an easy pick, as I explained in a column earlier. The six-time All-Star won two ERA titles and the 2010 American League Cy Young Award. For nine of his 15 years in the majors, Hernandez was one of the top aces in baseball.

Using that same logic, I’m adding New York Mets great David Wright. The seven-time All-Star was one of the best third basemen until back problems cut his career short.

I know my late, sweet friend Shannon Daulton Ford would tell me to vote for Wright. There are few public relations folks in baseball I respect more than Ethan Wilson and Jay Horwitz. If they say Wright is a Hall of Famer, I agree.

Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia

Former Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia is another ace who will get my vote in his first year on the ballot. The 6-foot-6 lefty was 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA. One could argue that the six-time All-Star’s ERA was too high to merit a place in Cooperstown.

I disagree. Sabathia’s body of work is proof that he was one of the best of his era. Speaking of great lefthanders, I’ve added Andy Pettitte to my ballot this year.

Pettitte is one of the greatest postseason pitchers in history. The five-time World Series champion was a three-time All-Star. He was 256-153 with a 3.85 ERA over 18 seasons. If not for crowded ballots, he would have likely received votes from me earlier.

I have great respect for Pettitte. I appreciate how he finally admitted to his PED use. He was always classy, accessible and respectful when I covered him during his three-year stint with the Astros.

Back on the ballot

Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Bobby Abreu are on my ballot again. I’ve explained why they’re Hall of Famers in the past.

Beltran and Jones were the best two center fielders of their era. When Hall of Famer Tom Glavine tells you that Jones belongs in the Hall, you listen. Glavine and I were among the 16-member Hall of Fame committee that elected Jim Leyland to the Hall of Fame.

I asked Chipper Jones and Glavine if they thought Billy Wagner belonged in the Hall. They were adamant that Wagner and Jones belonged. I agree.

In these links, you’ll find columns explaining my votes for Abreu, Beltran and Jones. Former National League MVP Jimmy Rollin rounds out my ballot for the second year in a row. The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner checks many boxes.

Off the field, he was a Roberto Clemente Award winner. On the field, he led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series. Beltran is trending toward a possible induction in the 2026 Hall of Fame class if not 2025.