The 2025 HOF ballot: One sure thing and a bunch of questions

Ichiro is certainly going to make the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Will anyone be joining him in 2025?

Mar 21, 2019; Tokyo,JPN; Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) speaks during a press conference after the game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome.
Mar 21, 2019; Tokyo,JPN; Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) speaks during a press conference after the game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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C. C. Sabathi
Sep 11, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher C C Sabathia (52) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-Imagn Images | Andy Marlin-Imagn Images

C.C. Sabathia

This is Sabathia’s debut season on the ballot, and he has a lot going for him.

His durability and big-game mentality were his defining features; Sabathia totaled 251 wins against 161 defeats and 560 starts. Historically, that’s keeping company with Bob Gibson (251 wins), Carl Hubbell (253), and Juan Marichal (243), all Hall members.

Sabathia has a Cy Young Award (with Cleveland in 2007), and he led the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title, being named ALCS MVP that year.

James scores him at 128 — well over the 100 threshold.

That all sounds like Sabathia’s case is a slam dunk. But consider his 3.74 ERA. The last time Hall voters inducted a starter with that high of a career ERA was... never.

In 2019, Mike Mussina got in with a 3.68 ERA, which is the highest to date.

Sabathia’s career 116 ERA+ (a stat normalized for league and ERA standards with 100 being average) is also, by HOF standards, unremarkable. It ranks only sixth among the eight pitchers on this year’s ballot, and it’s seven points lower than Mussina’s.