We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 281-300 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

This concludes this year’s revision.

Those ranked are:

#281. Ian Kinsler
#282. Jim Sundberg
#283. Darrell Porter
#284. Lindy McDaniel
#285. Edwin Encarnacion
#286. Preacher Roe
#287. Dom DiMaggio
#288. George Gore
#289. Javier Vasquez
#290. Hank Gowdy
#291. Brad Radke
#292. Milt Pappas
#293. Derrek Lee
#294. Bill Hutchinson
#295. Larry Gardner
#296. David Justice
#297. Dan Haren
#298. Placido Polanco
#299. Brian Downing
#300. Curt Simmons

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes. 

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 261-280 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#261. Jose Reyes
#262. Chris Carpenter
#263. Toby Harrah
#264. Lenny Dykstra
#265. Frank White
#266. Willie McGee
#267. Deacon Phillippe
#268. Red Lucas
#269. Mike Tieran
#270. Jim Gilliam
#271. Adrian Gonzalez
#272. Jose Rijo
#273. Fred Tenney
#274. Theodore Breitenstein
#275. Eddie Stanky
#276. Devon White
#277. Roy White
#278. Moises Alou
#279. Andy Messersmith
#280. Hardy Richardson

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 241-260 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#241. Frank Viola
#242. Jim Perry
#243. Chuck Knoblauch
#244. Jack Powell
#245. Charlie Root
#246. Joe Judge
#247. Bill White
#248. Mort Cooper
#249. Ken Williams
#250. Bob Welch
#251. Chet Lemon
#252. Mel Stottlemyre
#253. Larry French
#254. Paul O’Neill
#255. Amos Otis
#256. Ed Morris
#257. George Scott
#258. Ken Singleton
#259. Jon Matlack
#260. Herman Long

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 221-240 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#221. Mark Belanger
#222. Eddie Rommell
#223. Bob Friend
#224. Jimmy Ryan
#225. Harvey Haddix
#226. Babe Herman
#227. Al Orth
#228. Tony Phillips
#229. Magglio Ordonez
#230. Tommy Henrich
#231. Dick Groat
#232. Art Fletcher
#233. Rudy York
#234. Nap Rucker
#235. Guy Hecker
#236. Will White
#237. Harry Breechen
#238. Davey Lopes
#239. Pedro Guerrero
#240. Ed Konetchy 

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes. 

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 201-220 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#201. Lefty O’Doul
#202. Brian Giles
#203. John Franco
#204. Jose Bautista
#205. Claude Passeau
#206. Kenny Rogers
#207. Tony Fernandez
#208. Wally Berger
#209. Bobby Schantz
#210. Jack Fournier
#211. Cy Williams
#212. Jack Stivetts
#213. Ellis Burks
#214. George Mullin
#215. Del Pratt
#216. Steve Rogers
#217. Cecil Cooper
#218. Lave Cross
#219. Roger Peckinpaugh
#220. Gil McDougald 

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon! 

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 161-180 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#161. David Wells
#162. Larry Jackson
#163. Lew Burette
#164. Ted Kluszewski
#165. Matt Williams
#166. Schoolboy Rowe
#167. Smoky Joe Wood
#168. Darryl Strawberry
#169. Brett Butler
#170. Harry Davis
#171. Phil Cavarratta
#172. Bobo Newsom
#173. Mickey Vernon
#174. Jose Canseco
#175. Gavvy Cravath
#176. Frank McCormick
#177. Noodles Hahn
#178. Jim Frogs
#179. Doc White
#180. Charlie Keller 

The current (and under construction) list is here 

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 181-200 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#181. Dutch Leonard
#182. Bob Shawkey
#183. Jim Whitney
#184. Andres Gallaraga
#185. Dixie Walker
#186. Gene Tenace
#187. Willie Wilson
#188. Buddy Myer
#189. Jake Daubert
#190. Lon Warneke
#191. Paul Derringer
#192. Wally Schang
#193. Jesse Tannehill
#194. Robin Ventura
#195. Virgil Trucks
#196. Bill Madlock
#197. Bill Nicholson
#198. Al Rosen
#199. Kevin Appier
#200. Sparky Lyle 

The current (and under construction) list is here 

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes. 

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 141-160 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#141. Jamie Moyer
#142. Al Dark
#143. Mel Harder
#144. Sam McDowell
#145. Camilo Pascual
#146. Silver King
#147. Nomar Garciaparra
#148. Jose Cruz
#149. Dizzy Trout
#150. Jorge Posada
#151. Mark Langston
#152. Wilbur Wood
#153. Hippo Vaughn
#154. Bobby Veach
#155. Jimmy Sheckard
#156. Elston Howard
#157. Mark Grace
#158. Jason Giambi
#159. Jimmy Key
#160. Dolph Camilli 

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 121-140 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#121. Fernando Valenzuela
#122. Bob Elliott
#123. Eddie Cocotte
#124. Dolf Luque
#125. Rocky Colavito
#126. Pete Browning
#127. Luis Gonzalez
#128. Cupid Childs
#129. Roy Oswalt
#130. Ron Cey
#131. Johnny Sain
#132. Firpo Marberry
#133. Vern Stephens
#134. George Uhle
#135. Cliff Lee
#136. Johnny Damon
#137. Willie Davis
#138. Cesar Cedeno
#139. Dennis Martinez
#140. Tommy Bridges

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 81-100 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#81. Norm Cash
#82. Urban Shocker
#83. Jack Glasscock
#84. Carlos Delgado
#85. Bobby Matthews
#86. Mickey Lolich
#87. Babe Adams
#88. Tommy Bond
#89. Fred Lynn
#90. David Wright
#91. Don Newcombe
#92. Dwight Gooden
#93. Torii Hunter
#94. Tommy Leach
#95. John Olerud
#96. Boog Powell
#97. Wilbur Cooper
#98. Bob Johnson
#99. Julio Franco
#100. Dan Quisenberry

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 41-60 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#41. Allie Reynolds
#42. Will Clark
#43. Sherry Magee
#44. Jeff Kent
#45. Al Oliver
#46. Bucky Walters
#47. Dave Concepcion
#48. Ron Guidry
#49. Billy Pierce
#50. Larry Doyle
#51. Omar Vizquel
#52. Reggie Smith
#53. Rusty Staub
#54. Albert Belle
#55. Bret Saberhagen
#56. Bernie Williams
#57. Johan Santana
#58. Felix Hernandez
#59. Marty Marion
#60. Paul Hines

The current (and under construction) list is here. 

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 61-80 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#61. Thurman Munson
#62. Roy Face
#63. Carl Mays
#64. Maury Wills
#65. Barry Bonds
#66. Heinie Groh
#67. George Van Haltren
#68. Mark Buehrle
#69. Harry Stovey
#70. Cole Hamels
#71. Orel Hershiser
#72. Bobby Abreu
#73. Dustin Pedroia
#74. Charlie Buffinton 
#75. Darrell Evans
#76. Vada Pinson
#77. Rick Reuschel
#78. Jerry Koosman
#79. Willie Randolph
#80. Bartolo Colon

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.com.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 21-40 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#21. Gary Sheffield
#22. Andruw Jones
#23. Ross Barnes
#24. Steve Garvey
#25. Ken Boyer
#26. Tony Mullane
#27. Bill Freehan
#28. Dale Murphy
#29. Don Mattingly
#30. Bobby Grich
#31. Chase Utley
#32. Sammy Sosa
#33. Stan Hack
#34. David Cone
#35. Graig Nettles
#36. Kevin Brown
#37. Jim Edmonds
#38. Bob Caruthers
#39. Andy Pettitte
#40. Dave Stieb

The current (and under construction) list is here. 

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.

We are diligently working away at Notinhalloffame on revising our Baseball and Football lists to reflect the winter’s respective classes.

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have revised 1-20 on the NIHOF Baseball list.

Those ranked are:

#1. Barry Bonds
#2. Roger Clemens
#3. Pete Rose
#4. Alex Rodriguez
#5. Shoeless Joe Jackson
#6. Lou Whitaker
#7. Jim McCormick
#8. Bill Dahlen
#9. Dwight Evans
#10. Curt Schilling 
#11. Manny Ramirez
#12. Kenny Lofton
#13. Carlos Beltran
#14. Tommy John
#15. Roger Maris
#16. Wes Ferrell
#17. Mark McGwire
#18. Keith Hernandez
#19. Rafael Palmeiro
#20. Luis Tiant

The current (and under construction) list is here.

Look for more updates soon!

Thank you all for your support of Notinhalloffame.

In 2024, three players were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers of Association of America (BBWAA). They were 3rd baseman Adrian Beltré, 1st baseman Todd Helton, and catcher Joe Mauer. 

The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballots are in, and the new inductees will be announced on January 21st. There were 28 candidates on the ballot this year, with 14 of those on the ballot for the first time. The other 14 had been on the ballot in 2024. For some, this is their final ballot before becoming ineligible for nomination.

Players need to have 75% to meet the threshold for induction into the Hall of Fame. Not every player has the same journey toward making it into the Hall of Fame. For example, on the 2025 ballot, we have Billy Wagner and Ichiro Suzuki. Wagner is on his 10th and final ballot and has crawled his way towards 75%, having only received 10.5% on his first ballot. Suzuki, on the other hand, is likely to be a unanimous vote for the Hall of Fame (only the second in history) on his very first ballot.

The odds on Ichiro Suzuki making it into the Hall of Fame are very good. For many other players, it’s much harder to tell how the voting has gone. Betting on who is making it into the Hall of Fame has become a niche market for baseball fans. Betting on baseball has always been hugely popular and occasionally very controversial.

The easiest way to bet on baseball markets is to use an online sportsbook, and finding sports iGaming apps is now easier than ever. Online sports betting has been steadily gaining ground in the United States since the Supreme Court overruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018. Since then, each state has had the power to determine its own sports betting laws, and most have chosen to legalize sports betting online, in person, or both.

While not everyone thinks people should be able to bet on things outside the games, like drafts, inductions, college games, and signings, most baseball fans are comfortable with betting on the MLB. No matter how you feel about the topic, it is interesting to consider which players have made it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and which ones have been overlooked.

Today, we’re going to talk about some of baseball’s forgotten heroes who deserve a spot in Cooperstown. Some were overlooked from the start and never made it onto the ballots, others made it through the voting process but never seemed to have enough sway to get above that 75% threshold. While it may technically be too late for these players to make it in, there’s always a chance that the Hall of Fame could consider these special circumstances and bend the rules just a little bit.

Alex Rodriguez

Shortstop Alex Rodriguez is a player that many thought would make it into the Hall of Fame in his first eligible year. Instead, he only received 34.8% of the vote. This likely has nothing to do with his record as a player and more to do with his very public transgressions and his use of performance-enhancing drugs during part of his career. 

“A-Rod” spent the first years of his career with the Seattle Mariners (1994–2000), before moving to the Texas Rangers for a brief stint (2001–2003). He is best remembered for his time spent playing for the New York Yankees (2004–2013, 2015–2016). He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and that is shown through the records he has broken and the consistent awards he has won. This includes being named to the All-Star team 14 times, 3x AL MVP, 2x Gold Glove, 10x Silver Slugger, and many more. 

Unfortunately, Rodriquez also used performance-enhancing drugs during his time with the Texas Rangers. While this does cast a shadow on his successes, Rodriguez still deserves to be in the Hall of Fame because of his sheer talent.

Barry Bonds 

Barry Bonds falls into a similar category as Rodriguez. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport but his legacy is tainted by his steroid usage. The left fielder played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1992) and the San Francisco Giants (1993–2007). He was an all-around great player who made his presence felt no matter where he was. 

Bonds still holds many of the MLB’s hitting records. These include most career home runs (762), most single season home runs (73), most walks, and most intentional walks in basically every category. On the other hand, he was one of the central players in the MLB steroid scandal. 

Bonds’ eligibility for the Hall of Fame has passed. He is one player who should be considered under special circumstances in recognition of all that he did for the sport.

Johan Santana

The case of John Santana is a frustrating one. He came to the MLB late after languishing with various minor league teams for years. When he finally made it to the major league with the Minnesota Twins, he showed that he was one of the best starting pitchers in the game. After several seasons with the Twins, he was traded to the New York Mets (2008–2010, 2013) where he continued to display a huge amount of talent. He is one of the only pitchers to have pitched a solo no-hitter.

Unfortunately, he was injury-prone. He was injured for three consecutive seasons of his career. This severely limited the amount of time he could play and ultimately destroyed his chances of making it to the Hall of Fame. 

If it’s any consolation for Santana and his many fans, his talents on the mound have been recognized in his home country of Venezuela. In 2022, he was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame with 81% of the vote.

One of our favorite days here at notinhalloffame.com has come with the Baseball Hall of Fame’s announcement of the Class of 2025.

The Baseball Writers of America have submitted their votes for the Modern Ballot, and this summer Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner have been elected to Cooperstown.

They will join Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Veterans Committee.

To enter the Baseball Hall, a candidate must obtain 75 percent of the vote.

Ichiro Suzuki, Outfield:  SEA 2001-12 & 2018-19, NYY 2012-14 & MIA 2015-17.  99.7% on his 1st ballot.  Already cemented his name in Japan, winning three Pacific League MVPs, seven Batting Titles, seven Golden Gloves, seven Best Nine Award and a Japanese Series Title with the Orix BlueWave.   Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2001, and he became an instant sensation in North America.  In his first season in MLB, he won the American Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first season, and would overall go to ten All-Star Games, won ten Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers and two Batting Titles.  Statistically, he compiled 3,089 Hits with a lifetime .311 Batting Average.  He was also inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.

C.C. Sabathia, Pitcher:  CLE 2001-08, MIL 2008 & NYY 2009-19.  86.8% on his 1st ballot.  Like Suzuki, Sabathia enters on his first ballot.  Winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2007 with Cleveland, Sabathia achieved greater fame with the New York Yankees where he had three consecutive top-five Cy Young finishes (2008-10) and helped the Bronx Bombers win it all in 2009.  Sabathia went to six All-Star Games, had a record of 251-161 and 2,093 Strikeouts.  He is already in the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame.

Billy Wagner, Pitcher:  HOU 1995-2003, PHI 2004-05, NYM 2006-09. BOS 2009 & ATL 2010.  82.5% on his 9th ballot.  Wagner gets in on his ninth ballot, jumping from 73.8% last year.  It is a seismic jump for the reliever, who had less than 20% in his first four years, but the momentum has been there the last three years.  Wagner, who is already in the Houston Astros Hall of Fame, was a seven-time All-Star and had 422 Saves.

Those that did not make the cut were:

Carlos Beltrán, Outfield:  KC 1998-2004, HOU 2004 & 2017, NYM 2005-11, SFG 2011, NYY 2014-16 & TEX 2016.  70.3% on his 3rd ballot.  Beltran, who has the statistical requirements to make the Hall, looks to still be punished by some voters for his role in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal.  Hr did have a considerable improvement from last year’s 57.1%.

Andruw Jones, Outfield:  ATL 1996-2007, LAD 2008, TEX 2009, CHW 2010 & NYY 2011-12.  66.2% on his 8th ballot.  The ten-time All-Star grew his tally from 61.6%, and though he only has two years left, he is trending in the right direction.

Chase Utley, Second Base:  PHI 2003-15 & LAD 2015-18.  39.8% on his 2nd ballot.  Utley’s support grew from 28.9% and looks like he will enter the Hall in a few years time.

Alex Rodriguez, Shortstop and Third Base:  SEA 1994-2000, TEX 2001-03 & NYY 2004-14.  37.1% on his 4th ballot.  Nobody has a better on-field resume than A-Rod, who is a three-time MVP, but he was suspended twice for PEDs.  His vote Toal did rise from last year’s 34.8, but he began the process at 34.3%.  Rodriguez is just treading water at this point.

Manny Ramírez, Outfield:  CLE 1993-2000, BOS 2001-08, LAD 2008-10, CHW 2010 & TBD 2010.  34.3% on his 9th ballot.  Ramirez is in the same boat as Rodriguez as he too was twice suspended for PEDs, and though this is highest tally to date, there is no reason to think that he can the 41.7% needed to enter in 2026.

Andy Pettitte, Pitcher:  NYY 1995-2003, 2007-10 & 2012-13 & HOU 2004-06.  27.9% on his 7th ballot.  Pettitte’s candidacy looked dead in the water, as he dropped to 13.5% last year, and he more than doubled that in 2025. 

Felix Hernandez, Pitcher:  SEA 2005-19.  20.6% on his 1st ballot.  King Felix makes a solid debut, and though he is behind Pettitte, his first tally is much better than Andys.

Bobby Abreu, Outfield:  HOU 1996-97, PHI 1998-2005, NYY 2006-09, LAA 2009-12, LAD 2012 & NYM 2014. 19.5% on his 6th ballot.  Abreu jumped from last year’s 19.5% but needs to average double digit increases to get into the Hall.

Jimmy Rollins, Shortstop:  PHI 2000-14, LAD 2015 & CHW 2016. 18.0% on his 4th ballot.  Rollins continues his growth of support, but has yet to see a 4% jump.

Omar Vizquel, Shortstop:  SEA 1989-93, CLE 1994-2004, SFG 2005-08, TEX 2009, CHW 2010-11 & TOR 2012. 17.8% on his 8th ballot.  Omar might have 17.8% of the vote but has zero chance to get in.  During the 2021 voting process, it was revealed that he was a domestic abuser, and since then he seen his support go from over 50% to less than 20.  Nobody has fallen like this before, and there is no reason to think he can regain that support.

Dustin Pedroia, Second Base:  BOS 2006-19.  11.9% on his 1st ballot.  The former MVP may have barely broke 10 percent, but others have started at the similar spot and entered the Hall.  Look at Billy Wagner!

Mark Buehrle, Pitcher:  CHW 2000-11, MIA 2012 & TOR 2013-15. 11.4% on his 5th ballot.  We have reached the half-way point for Buehrle, and 11.4 is the highest percentage he has received to date, but this is not a number that will cut it.

Francisco Rodríguez, Pitcher:  ANA/LAA 2002-08, NYM 2009-11, MIL 2011-13 & 2014-15, BAL 2013 & DET 2016-17. 10.2% on his third ballot.  K-Rod’s 10.2 is higher than last year’s 7.8, but is lower than his ballot debut of 10.8.

David Wright, Third Base:  NYM 2004-18:  8.1% on his 2nd ballot.  Wright saw a small increase from his 6.2% last year.

Torii Hunter, Outfield:  MIN 1997-2007 & 2015, LAA 2008-12 & DET 2013-14.  5.1% on his 5th ballot.  Hunter is clinging for life as one less vote would have eliminated him permanently.  HIs highest total was 9.5%, which was his first year on the ballot.

Those that failed to receive the 5% needed to stay on the ballot:

Ian Kinsler, Second Base.  TEX 2006-13, DET 2014-17, LAA 2018, BOS 2018 & SDP 2019.  2.5% on his 1st ballot.

Russell Martin, Catcher.  LAD 2006-10 & 2019, NYY 2011-12, PIT 2013-14 & TOR 2016-18.  2.3% on his 1st ballot.

Brian McCann, Catcher.  ATL 2005-12 & 2019.  NYY 2014-16 & HOU 2017-18. 1.8% on his 1st ballot.

Troy Tulowitzki, Second Base.  COL 2006-15, TOR 2015-17 & NYY 2019.  1.0% on his 1st ballot.

Curtis Granderson, Outfield.  DET 2004-09, NYY 2010-13, NYM 2014-17, LAD 2017, TOR 2018, MIL 2018 & MIA 2019.  0.8% on his 1st ballot.

Adam Jones, Outfield.  SEA 2006-07, BAL 2008-18 & ARI 2019.  0.8% on his 1st ballot.

Carlos González, Outfield.  OAK 2008, COL 2009-18, CLE 2019 & CHC 2019.  0.5% on the 1st ballot.

Hanley Ramirez, Shortstop, First Base and Third Base.  BOS 2005 & 2015-18, FLA/MI 2006-12, LAD 2012-14 & CLE 2019.  0.0% on the 1st ballot.

Fernando Rodney, Pitcher.  DET 2002-09, LAA 2010-11, TBR 2012-13, SEA 2014-15, CHC 2015, SDP 2016, ARI 2016, MIN 2018, OAK 2018-19 & WAS 2019.  0.0% on the 1st ballot.

Ben Zobrist, Second Base, Outfield and Shortstop.  TBR 2006-14, OAK 2015, KCR 2015 & CHC 2016-19. 0.0% on his 1st ballot

We will now begin revising the Notinhalloffame Baseball list.

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.

The Hall of Fame Season (as we like to call November to early February) is in full swing with the significant announcement that Dick Allen and Dave Parker has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.  That specific group looked at the period from Baseball’s beginning to 1980.

Parker received 14 votes, and Allen received 13.  Twelve votes were needed (75%) were required to enter Cooperstown.

Dave Parker:  Parker led Pittsburgh to a World Series Championship in 1979 and won a second ring a decade later with Oakland.  A six-time All-Star with three Silver Sluggers, Parker won the 1978 National League MVP.  He had 339 career Home Runs and 1,493 RBIs.  Previously, Parker’s best finish on his previous three Veteran’s Ballots was 43.8% in 2020.  Parker is 73 years old.

Dick Allen:   Allen finally got in on his sixth try on a Veteran’s ballot after falling short by one vote the last two attempts (2015 & 2022).  Allen was the 1972 American League MVP (with Chicago). Over a 15-year career, he hit 351 Home Runs with 1,119 RBIs. He was also a seven-time All-Star, two-time OBP leader, three-time Slugging Champion, and four-time leader in OPS.

Tommy John received seven votes, and the other five nominees (Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, and Luis Tiant) failed to receive at least five votes and their finish was not published.

Parker and Allen will be joined by the former players who will advance on the Baseball Writer’s Modern Ballot.

Created in April 2022, the Classic Baseball Era Committee debuts to deliberate eight candidates for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. All eight candidates' careers began before 1980. Two are associated with the Negro Leagues, assimilated into Major League Baseball in December 2020, while the other six are some very familiar names indeed, and it is highly likely that at least one of them will be announced by the committee on December 8, 2024, for formal induction in July 2025.

The six non-Negro Leagues candidates are practically near-contemporaries whose playing careers span the 1950s through the 1980s: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant. The two Negro Leagues candidates are John Donaldson and Vic Harris, with Donaldson, whose tenure in the officially-recognized Negro Leagues lasted for the first half of the 1920s, also considered a manager and a pioneer of sorts; by contrast, Harris's playing and managing career spanned virtually the entire Negro Leagues period from 1920 to 1948.

The Classic Baseball Era, which consists of the period to 1980 (including the Negro Leagues), has announced its eight Finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

The nominees are:

Dick Allen:  Here is Allen again, and fans and family of the late slugger must be tired of waiting.  Allen was on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, peaking at 18.9% in 1996, his fourteenth year.  As for the Veterans ballot, this is his sixth try, with him falling short by one vote in his last two tries (2015 and 2022). 

Allen was the 1972 American League MVP (with Chicago). Over a 15-year career, he hit 351 Home Runs with 1,119 RBIs. He was also a seven-time All-Star, two-time OBP leader, three-time Slugging Champion, and four-time leader in OPS.

Ken Boyer:  Boyer was also on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, with his apex coming in 1988 (his ninth ballot) with 25.5 percent of the vote.  Like Allen, he has been on six Veterans ballots but has never come close to achieving the 75% required. 

An 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Boyer won the 1964 National League MVP and led his Cardinals to a World Series Championship that year.  He had 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1141 RBIs.

John Donaldson:  Donaldson received 50% of the vote on the 2022 Veterans ballot, boding well for his chances this year.

While Donaldson played in the Negro Leagues in the first half of the 1920s with the Kansas City Monarchs, his best years were in the pre-Negro Leagues era.  Overall, the Pitcher is believed to have a record of 424-169-15, 5,221 Strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.37.

Steve Garvey:  Garvey lasted 15 years on the writer’s ballot, with his peak coming in year three at 42.6 percent.  He appeared on four Veteran’s Ballots, with a 37.5% finish on the 2020 version.

Garvey won the 1974 National League MVP, was a 10-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.  He had 2,599 Hits, 272 Home Runs and 1,308 RBIs.

Vic Harris:  Harris netted 62.5% on his first Veteran’s Ballot in 2022, two votes shy of what he needed for induction.

Harris was a seven-time Negro League All-Star and a long-time Manager who boasted a winning record of 547-278.  He overall won none Negro League Pennants and three Negro League World Series Championships.

Tommy John:  John was on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, with his final year reaching his peak of 31.7%.  He has been on the Veteran’s Ballot four times before but never received enough votes to register.

A four-time All-Star. John had a career record of 288-231 with 2,245 Strikeouts and was a Cy Young runner-up twice.

Dave Parker:  Parker was on 15 Writer’s Ballots and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year.  He has been on three Veteran’s Ballots and had 43.8% on his 2020 attempt.

Parker led Pittsburgh to a World Series Championship in 1979 and won a second ring a decade later with Oakland.  A six-time All-Star with three Silver Sluggers, Parker won the 1978 National League MVP.  He had 339 career Home Runs and 1,493 RBIs.

Luis Tiant:  Tiant was on 15 Writer’s Ballots, peaking with 17.2 in his 14^th attempt.  He has been on six Veterans ballots, but only received 25 percent once, and in his last three attempts, did not get enough votes to register.

The recently deceased Pitcher is an iconic figure in Boston, helping them win the 1975 American League Pennant, though his best year in baseball was in Cleveland (1968: 21-9, 1.60 ERA & 264 SO).  Tiant was a three-time All-Star with a career record of 229-172 and 2,416 Strikeouts.

The results will be announced on December 8 at 7:30 PM.