The Hall of Fame election results were announced today, with Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner, and CC Sabathia all getting more than 75% of votes to earn their spot in Cooperstown.
Ichiro was a historic nomination as the first Asian-born player to be elected, Wagner made it in on his final year eligible for election, and CC joined Ichiro as a first-ballot electee.
There were also two former Rays players on the ballot, but neither got a single vote and will not be eligible for next year's election.
Get fired up, CC Sabathia! Youโre a Hall of Famer ๐ค pic.twitter.com/bbdA0x8CVL
โ MLB (@MLB) January 22, 2025
This is not meant to be an article saying former Rays, Ben Zobrist and Fernando Rodney were wrongfully robbed of their deserved place among the elites of the game.
No, their place in the "Hall of Very Good," as some may call it, or any given Rays fan's personal Hall of Fame is secure.
But their election status for the actual National Baseball Hall of Fame was never going to last, much less reach the point where the 75% of voters needed to get in would mark their ballots accordingly.
For both to receive no votes at all though?
Yikes.
It's understandable; each writer feels obligated to treat the privilege of getting to vote in this matter with great respect, so voting for players that they don't feel truly deserve to get in would be a tough sell.
Although, there was a voter that didn't vote for Ichiro (who got in with 99.7% of the vote), and when Derek Jeter got in, there was a voter that didn't select him either.
Ichiro Suzuki. Hall of Famer.
โ Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) January 21, 2025
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So while it's virtuous and moral just to take the stand point of treating every vote seriously, and making sure that as a member of the BBWAA you can stand by and justify your vote, there are some egregious cases of omission.
There couldn't be a single writer that bothered to include Zobrist or Rodney? None at all?
That just seems silly, but alas, the Rays went through this Hall of Fame cycle with both former members of their team dropping goose eggs in their vote totals.
It's an unfortunate happening, as Zobrist was one of the most fascinating players of the 21st century.
His status as one of the best super utility players in the history of baseball is unquestioned, and his ability to have such a massive impact on winning was felt on not one but two World Series-winning teams, including that magical 2016 Cubs team that broke one of the most famous curses in the history of our sport.
2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist is among 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot Newcomers ๐๐ผ pic.twitter.com/9lAn3ioVUq
โ Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) November 18, 2024
Fernando Rodney is a tougher case, with his status as a closer making his career WAR totals incredibly low due to a low inning count, and he was only truly elite for a few years. That make it very difficult to imagine a world where he should be included in the Hall.
So it's fine that he fell off, and it's even fathomable for him to have not received a single vote.
Zobrist, though.
Sheesh.
The writers' stinginess continues.