The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot – aka ‘the traditional vote’ – was released Monday, and includes newcomers such as Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, as well as former players returning to the ballot such as Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltrán and more. The BBWAA ballot is being mailed to 400 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America this week, and includes 14 candidates appearing for the very first time.
Any player who has been retired for five seasons is eligible for the ballot, with players who receive at least 75% of the vote allowed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony the following summer. Those who get at least 5% of the vote can return to the ballot for future eligibility for up to 10 years.
The Hall of Fame announced the names of the new candidates, as follows:
- OF Carlos Gonzalez
- OF Curtis Granderson
- SP Felix Hernandez
- OF Adam Jones
- 2B Ian Kinsler
- C Russell Martin
- C Brian McCann
- 2B Dustin Pedroia
- SS Hanley Ramirez
- RP Fernando Rodney
- SP CC Sabathia
- OF Ichiro Suzuki
- SS Troy Tulowitzki
- IF/OF Ben Zobrist
Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is expected to be elected on his very first ballot. The 2001 MVP came from Japan to MLB at age 27 after having already played 951 professional major-level games in his home country. Ichiro achieved 3,089 hits in 19 MLB seasons along with 1,420 runs and 509 stolen bases, and earned the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year award, 10 All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. After spending 14 seasons with the Mariners, three seasons with the Miami Marlins and three seasons with the New York Yankees, Ichiro retired with a .311/.355/.402 average.
The newcomers join a ballot with 14 holdovers: Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Francisco Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner and David Wright. Of those 14, reliever Wagner is in his 10th and final year of eligibility.
Votes are due by the end of the year (postmarked by Dec. 31) and the results will be revealed on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. ET.
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