Ichiro Suzuki may soon make history by becoming the first Japanese player inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Along with him, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, and Carlos Beltrán could also be elected when the results of the writers’ voting are revealed on Tuesday.
Any player who receives 75% of the votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 27. They will join Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were voted in by the classic era committee last month.
Suzuki could become only the second player to be selected unanimously, joining Mariano Rivera. Rivera is the only player in history to have received 100% of the votes, appearing on all 425 ballots in 2019. Other players who came close were Derek Jeter (395 out of 396 votes in 2020) and Ken Griffey Jr. (437 out of 440 votes in 2016).
Suzuki made his MLB debut in 2001 at the age of 27. In that year, he became only the second player in history to win both the American League Rookie of the Year and the AL MVP in the same season, joining Fred Lynn (1975). Suzuki was also a two-time AL batting champion, 10-time All-Star, and a Gold Glove winner as an outfielder.
He hit .311 with 117 home runs, 780 RBIs, and 509 stolen bases during his time with the Seattle Mariners (2001-2012, 2018-2019), New York Yankees (2012-2014), and Miami Marlins (2015-2017).
Considered one of the best contact hitters in baseball history, Suzuki accumulated 1,278 hits in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and 3,089 hits in Major League Baseball, giving him a combined total of 4,367 hits, surpassing Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256. In 2004, he set a record with 262 hits in a single season.
CC Sabathia, another strong contender for the Hall, was a six-time All-Star and won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award. He also helped the New York Yankees win the World Series in 2009.
Sabathia finished his career with a 251-161 record, a 3.74 ERA, and 3,093 strikeouts, ranking third among left-handed pitchers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton. He played for Cleveland (2001-2008), Milwaukee (2008), and the Yankees (2009-2019) during his 19-year career.
Billy Wagner, who received 73.8% of the vote last year, is very close to earning induction. He needs just a few more votes to reach the 75% threshold. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner posted a 47-40 record with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves throughout his career with Houston (1995-2003), Philadelphia (2004-2005), the New York Mets (2006-2009), Boston (2009), and Atlanta (2010). He holds the record for the most strikeouts per nine innings (11.9) among pitchers with at least 900 innings.
Carlos Beltrán, who appeared on the ballot for the first time in 2023, received 46.5% of the vote in his first year and 57.1% last year. A nine-time All-Star, Beltrán finished his career with a .279 batting average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs, and 312 stolen bases. He played for several teams, including Kansas City (1998-2004), Houston (2004, 2017), the Mets (2005-2011), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-2013), the Yankees (2014-2016), and Texas (2016).
However, Beltrán’s career was tainted when he was linked to the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, leading to his firing as the Mets’ manager in 2020, just three months after being hired.
Other players still on the ballot include Andruw Jones, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodríguez, Torii Hunter, and David Wright.
Newcomers to the ballot include pitcher Félix Hernández, outfielder Carlos González, and infielders Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramírez, along with reliever Fernando Rodney, second baseman Ian Kinsler, second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, catchers Russell Martin and Brian McCann, and outfielders Curtis Granderson and Adam Jones.
Looking ahead, players like Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp will join the ballot in 2026.
