Ichiro, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner Get Call From Cooperstown To Join The Baseball Hall Of Fame

The 2025 Hall Of Fame class has been announced and Cooperstown welcomes Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

The only question for Ichiro was whether or not his election would be unanimous. He missed that even more special version of immortality by one vote. I see both sides of the argument. I don't hold him up to the same greatness that I do for Ken Griffey, Jr., Greg Maddux or the only man to be elected with 100% of the vote: Mariano Rivera. Having said that, how can any voter not check the box for one of the greatest contact hitters in Ichiro? I have to imagine he'll join Griffey and Edgar Martinez as guys wearing a Mariners hat on their plaque.

That hat question is more undecided for the other first ballot HOFer from today in C.C. Sabathia. Should he go in with Cleveland or the Yankees? He won his Cy Young with Cleveland but he did win more games and his World Series in the Bronx. I'm very happy Sabathia was able to get in so easily. Getting 251 wins in a career that started in 2001 is a giant accomplishment. 

Warren Wimmer. Getty Images.

I'm also happy that Billy Wagner got elected in his last year of eligibility. I understand that some "Small Hall" people don't think he measures up or want to hold his post-season track record against him. I think that latter point is unfair. His career September ERA was 1.70 (in 158 IP). To say he wasn't clutch ignores a lot of what he did. The man also had 422 saves and a career 2.31 ERA. I'm not sure what else he could have done. Safe to guess that Wagner will go in as an Astro and join ex-teammates Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

Carlos Beltran just missed. I still think he's getting punished for his role in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal. Tom Verducci is on record saying that's why he didn't vote for him in his first year on the ballot. The good news for Beltran, Andrew Jones and the rest of the ballot is next year's class kinda stinks. The best players entering the ballot will be Ryan Braun (no chance as a steroid guy), Cole Hamels (only 163 wins & didn't pitch long enough) and Nick Markakis. I don't think any of those guys have a shot at getting in at all, much less in their first ballot.

Elsa. Getty Images.

There's a chance no one gets in next year. Beltran still needs to make up 5% of the vote (but he did jump up from 57.1% to 70.3% this year). Jones keeps rising and is at 66.2% but only has two years left on the ballot. Chase Utley went up 12% this year but is barely halfway there (39.8%). My best guess? Only Beltran gets in next year and Andrew Jones just misses.

I always feel bad for the guys that fall off the ballot after only one year by getting less than 5.0% of the vote. Poor Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney and Ben Zobrist didn't even get a single vote. Torii Hunter got lucky and stayed on the ballot for next year by a single vote.

I'm very pleased with who got voted in. I would have liked to have seen Andruw Jones get more support but I still think he gets in next year or the year after. I also think Bobby Abreu deserves more votes but I also understand that's not realistic. The writers are never going to get it perfect but a Hall Of Fame class of Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner is pretty great.