Johan Santana – 1st Year on Ballot
Johan Santana had a short, but incredible prime. Based on his results in the MLB Hall of Fame vote, we will see how much longevity matters.
Santana had problems with injuries before his final season with the Mets, but had come back strong. However, in throwing the first, and thus far only, no hitter in team history, Santana battled a myriad of injuries. After he tore his shoulder capsule again during Spring Training in 2013, his career essentially came to an end.
Although it was brief, Santana had an excellent career. A four time All Star, Santana won the pitching Triple Crown in 2006. He was a two time Cy Young winner, leading the league in ERA and strikeouts three times each. Santana posted a lifetime 139-78 record, along with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.132 WHiP. In his 2025.2 innings, Santana struck out 1988 batters, issuing only 567 walks.
The biggest strike against Santana’s candidacy is how short of a career he had. He had only twelve seasons in the majors, with a five year run of dominance. While a short run of domination helped Sandy Koufax into the Hall, Santana was not on that same level.
There is no questioning how well Johan Santana performed when healthy. But is that short run of dominance enough to merit induction?