On January 21st, the new inductees to be added into the MLB Hall of Fame were announced. This year’s ballot was full of team icons, ace pitchers, record holders, and all time greats. Some players have been on the ballet for years while others have been inducted in a heartbeat. Recent changes in how players are viewed by the league and the Hall of Fame voters have caused both advantages and set backs during this year’s Hall of Fame voting.
Billy Wagner
He totaled 422 saves, made 7 All-Star appearances, and received Cy Young votes twice across his illustrious 15 year career. This year, 82.5% of voters voted Billy Wagner into the Hall of Fame. In order to make it into the Hall of Fame you need at least 75% of the vote. In his first appearance on the ballot, he received 10% of the Baseball Writers Association votes. If a player receives less than 5% on any attempt to make it into the Hall of Fame, they are permanently kicked off the ballot . Over the years, people have begun to appreciate the true value of bullpen pitchers. Wagner’s votes have been gradually increasing every year since 2016.
The only flaw in Wagner’s career is his lack of championship rings. Regardless, people look at players differently today, seeing their careers in a vacuum instead of only focusing on the players around them.
CC Sabathia
CC Sabathia is an absolute legend. He started his career on the once Cleveland Indians and now Guardians (new name adopted in 2022). Throughout his early career in Cleveland, Sabathia struggled to truly be liked by his teammates. Players were intimidated by someone so young already doing well so early in their career. However, he managed to overcome this by being dominant and carrying his team to the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Sabathia failed to fully succeed once he made it into the playoffs. He was then traded halfway through the 2008 season to the Milwaukee Brewers. Rumors of the trade at the start of the 2008 season caused Sabathia to struggle. Yet once he joined the Brew Crew, he did what he does best. He dominated. Sabathia was incredible and pushed the Brewers into a deep playoff run.
He became a New York Yankee the following year. It’s the team most fans associate him with. Sabathia won a world championship with them his first year on the team, but his age was increasing and health decreasing. Nonetheless, he could still survive with his great control and nasty movement.
Age did eventually catch up. One time deep into a playoff run the Yankees were getting demolished and needed Sabathia to finish out the game. As Sabathia tried to get a little more out of his legendary left arm something gave way. His career was over, yet he received a standing ovation from the crowd and retired.
Now he can be seen throughout the league as a podcast host and ambassador to the game. Sabathia is a decorated professional athlete, New York City hero, and a great man. He is a true hero of the game.
Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki was born in Kasugai, Japan on October 22, 1973. He would wake up early every day to go practice intensely with his dad. They trained so hard that it hurt their relationship forever. To this day Ichiro doesn’t talk to his dad because of how tirelessly he worked. For many years, Ichiro played for a Japanese team named the Orix Buffaloes until the Seattle Mariners paid 13 million dollars to acquire the international talent.
In his first year, Ichiro won both the Rookie of the Year award and the American League MVP trophy. His presence reignited a fan base that was upset after the loss of superstar Ken Griffey Jr. Ichiro currently holds the MLB record for most hits in a single season with 262.
Ichiro controlled for the next eighteen years, and that was just in the MLB. If you added his total hits from Japan and the MLB together he would have the most hits in MLB history. He absolutely deserved to be named amongst the greatest in the Hall of Fame.