New York Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury on 2023 Hall of Fame ballot

Now that the voting for the 2022 MLB Hall of Fame is over, it is time to take a look ahead at next year’s ballot. There is one name that is likely to elicit a strong response from New York Yankees fans when that ballot comes out.

Although he has not retired, and although the Yankees just finished paying his contract, Jacoby Ellsbury is slated to be on the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot. It really has been that long since he has last appeared in a major league game.

New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury eligible for 2023 Hall of Fame ballot

There was a time when the idea of Ellsbury being on the Hall of Fame ballot would not have been laughable. He was a fleet footed outfielder with some pop in the bat, someone who had a chance to run his way into consideration for Cooperstown. It was a matter of whether or not he could stay healthy.

It turned out that he could not. Injuries not only hindered him throughout most of his career, but they also turned his contract with the Yankees into a disaster. Although he had signed a seven year deal with a team option for 2021, Ellsbury only played in four of those years, appearing in a combined 520 games, and has not played in a major league game since 2017.

He was a solid player when he was on the diamond. Ellsbury posted a respectable .282/.342/.417 batting line in his 5375 plate appearances, hitting 104 homers and 241 doubles while stealing 343 bases. Those numbers would be a solid start to anyone’s career.

But Ellsbury could not stay healthy. His various injuries cost him over two and a half seasons of his ten full years in the majors. Those injuries could also lead to his inclusion on the upcoming Hall of Fame ballot as he has not played since 2017.

Jacoby Ellsbury has not played since 2017. That means that the former New York Yankees outfielder could make his debut on the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot.