After a decade of "ballot logjam," has voting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame finally returned to normal? We will know when results from the ballots cast by the qualified members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA, or "the writers") are announced on January 21, 2025, although based on voting trends over the last decade, the bulk of the results are predictable and, by now, unsurprising.

What does a "return to normal" mean? Of the 14 first-time candidates on the BBWAA 2025 ballot, only two, CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki, stand out as likely Hall of Famers, and neither are a lock for first-ballot induction. Of the 14 returning candidates, none of the "normal" candidates are automatic Hall of Famers, else they would have been elected already. Thus, there is no "ballot logjam," meaning that there are not more than ten sure-fire Hall of Famers who exceed the maximum of ten votes allowed per ballot.

Carlos Gonzalez played ten of his twelve seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2009-18), where the Outfielder was a three-time All-Star.

Gonzalez had his best year in 2010, when he led the National League in Hits (197) and won the Batting Title (.336), and would have five other seasons where he eclipsed the 20 Home Run mark.  Gonzalez was also a three-time Gold Glove winner and won one Silver Slugger.

The Venezuelan also had brief stops in Oakland, Cleveland, and Chicago (NL) and retired with 1,432 Hits and 234 Home Runs.

Perhaps one of the better trades in the history of the Colorado Rockies organization is the one that brought Venezuelan dynamo, Carlos Gonzalez to the team.  Gonzalez, who as of this writing is still with Colorado, had a breakout season in 2010, where he won his first Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and won the Batting Title with a .336 tally.  The Outfielder has not had a season like that since, but has been very good going to multiple All-Star Games, winning more Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award (2012) and he would reach the 1,000 Hit Mark with the Rockies.