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.

Russell Martin added to the growing list of star players to emerge from the Great White North from Canada.

The Catcher debuted for the Dodgers in 2006 and was an All-Star the next two years, collecting a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the process.  Martin joined the Yankees as a Free Agent in 2011, adding a third All-Star, but began to struggle with his Batting Average, though he reclaimed that in Pittsburgh, a team he joined in 2013.

Martin signed with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays in 2015, adding a fourth All-Star, and while his BA and OBP dropped again, he had back-to-back 20 Home Run years for the Jays.  Finishing his career with the Dodgers in 2019, Martin left the game with 191 Home Runs, 1,416 Hits and was a six-time leader in Runners Caught Stealing.