As a kid, everyone dreams of making it to the Majors and hitting the game-winning home run in game seven of the World Series. Not many get the honor of being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. Cooperstown will be welcoming three new members into baseball immortality in 2025. Nine deserving players were on the ballot this year, but only three surpassed the 75 percent vote requirement to have their names etched into history.
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner will represent the MLB Class of 2025. The trio will join the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee last month. The class will be inducted on July 27.
Ichiro, Sabathia, Wagner Newest MLB HOFs
Ichiro led the way, being one vote away from a unanimous selection! First of all, who the hell didn’t vote for this guy??? Not only did Ichiro have a Hall of Fame career in the U.S. but arguably in Japan as well. The influx of Japanese players we see today can be traced directly back to his popularity and influence on the game. The 10-time Gold Glover was also a 10-time All-Star, a 3-time Silver Slugger, a 2-time AL MVP, a 2-time AL Batting Title winner, and the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year. Along with his 3,000 hits in MLB and over 4,000 professional hits, Ichiro becomes the first Japanese player to enter the Hall of Fame!
CC Sabathia would be the second-highest vote-getter with 86.8 percent. The big lefty served 19 years in the Majors, where, at times, he seemed to be the most dominating pitcher in baseball. The 6-time All-Star added a 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a 2009 ALCS MVP Award, along with a 2009 World Series ring with the New York Yankees. In 2008, Sabathia was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers, where it seemed like he was pitching every other day, carrying the team throughout the playoffs. The Brewers fell short to the Phillies, who would eventually win the World Series, but CC’s performance was unforgettable.
Billy Wagner was also inducted into the Class of 2025, receiving 82.5 percent of the votes. In his 16-year career in the bigs, Wagner was a seven-time All-Star. In 1999, he received the NL Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award. With 422 career saves, he has the eighth-most in MLB history.
MLB 2025 Final Votes
Nine total players were on this year’s ballot for the Hall of Fame. Carlos Beltran was 16 votes away from having his name added to the list. So he and the rest of the former players will get another opportunity on next year’s go-around. Here are the final results:
Ichiro Suzuki 99.7
CC Sabathia 86.6
Billy Wagner 82.5
Carlos Beltran 70.3
Andruw Jones 66.2
Chase Utley 39,8
Alex Rodriguez 37.1
Manny Ramirez 34.3
Andy Pettitte 27.9
*75% is the minimum requirement to be inducted
Final Thoughts
The MLB Hall of Fame Committee must get off their high horses. First of all, it is a damn shame that Ichiro Suzuki did not receive 100% of the votes. The guy led this new generation of Japanese superstars that are currently taking over the U.S. game. Also, they need to start letting the “Steroid Era” guys in. Even if you have to make a special wing in Cooperstown, it was a one-time part of the game. Remember “chicks dig the long ball?”
I mean, it was basically their marketing tool, and to have a guy like Alex Rodriguez struggling to not even get 40% of votes is ridiculous. He is one of the best hitters in the modern era of baseball! Baseball already did the disservice of not allowing Pete Rose in the Hall while he was alive, let’s not make the same mistake with these guys. Is it really strategic cheating when everyone is doing it?
