Ichiro and Who Else?

There are two pressing questions heading into this year's Baseball Hall of Fame announcement.  Whether Ichiro will get in isn't one of them.  He'll obviously get in overwhelmingly.  The question is whether he'll become the second player elected unanimously.  The other is who else, if anyone, will join him on the stage in Cooperstown.  (I guess you could add a third...whether his speech will be in English or Japanese.)

I'll get into that later.  First, it's one of my favorite annual posts--my Hall of Fame ballot.  Of the 10 players on my list last year, three were elected and another (Gary Sheffield) fell off the ballot after reaching the 10-year threshold.  There are only two no-brainers among the first-timers, so the question becomes who gets my last two spots?  Let's start with the easy ones.

1. Ichiro Suzuki, Outfielder (2001-12 Mariners, 2012-14 Yankees, 2015-17 Marlins, 2018-19 Mariners): We've known this one was coming from the moment Ichiro retired after playing the first two games of the 2019 season, when the Mariners started in Tokyo.  This is as easy a "yes" as there's been in quite a while.  He was the first Japanese position player to come over, and all he did in his first season with the Mariners was win both Rookie of the Year AND MVP!  He had 3,000 hits in a brilliant 19-year career (and over 4,000 when you include his time with Orix in Nippon Professional Baseball).  Ichiro was one of the best pure hitters of his generation, as well as a 10-time Gold Glove-winning right fielder.  I could go on, but there's no need.  Sometimes you just know a Hall of Famer when you see one and Ichiro is one of those players.

2. CC Sabathia, Pitcher (2001-08 Indians, 2008 Brewers, 2009-19 Yankees): Carsten Charles Sabathia finished second to Ichiro in the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting.  Will they go into the Hall of Fame side-by-side?  Because, make no mistake, CC is getting in.  If not this year, then soon.  The guy was the definition of an "ace."  Who can forget what he did after getting traded to the Brewers in 2008?  Starting every three days and basically willing them to the playoffs.  Then he signed with the Yankees as a free agent, won the World Series in his first year and was, arguably, the best free agent signing in Yankees history.  The craziest CC Sabathia stat is perhaps this one: he's one of just three lefties with 3,000 strikeouts (Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton are the other two).

3. Andy Pettitte, Pitcher (1995-2003 Yankees, 2004-06 Astros, 2007-10 Yankees, 2012-13 Yankees): In 2009, CC Sabathia started Game 1 in all three playoff series for the Yankees.  Andy Pettitte started all three clinchers.  That was one of five rings he won with New York, and they don't win those World Series without him.  While the postseason success is enough to put him over the top for me, Pettitte is also the Yankees' all-time leader in strikeouts and the winningest pitcher of the 2000s, so the regular season resume is there, too.

4. Carlos Beltran, Outfielder (1998-2004 Royals, 2004 Astros, 2005-11 Mets, 2011 Giants, 2012-13 Cardinals, 2014-16 Yankees, 2016 Rangers, 2017 Astros): Beltran got around 50 percent in his first year on the ballot and a little higher than that last year, so he's trending in the right direction.  That, presumably, was a punishment for his role in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during their 2017 World Series run.  Beltran deserves to be in, though.  His postseason prowess was the best this side of David Ortiz.  But he was also a nine-time All*Star who hit 435 career home runs.

5. Andruw Jones, Outfielder (1996-2007 Braves, 2008 Dodgers, 2009 Rangers, 2010 White Sox, 2011-12 Yankees): It was completely unintentional that the top five names on my list all played for the Yankees!  I swear!  And, believe me, Andruw Jones' Yankee career was nothing to write home about.  His Hall of Fame credentials were burnished in Atlanta.  He won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves and hit 434 career home runs while the Braves were winning division titles every year.  And, to think, he was only the second-best Jones on those Atlanta teams!

6. Billy Wagner, Pitcher (1995-2003 Astros, 2004-05 Phillies, 2006-09 Mets, 2009 Red Sox, 2010 Braves): Wagner came painfully close to induction last year, and this is his final time on the writers' ballot.  Which bodes well for him getting over the top.  And, the longer he's spent on the ballot, my appreciation for his career has grown.  He's not Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman, but he was still a pretty damn good closer for quite a while!  Wagner's eighth all-time in saves, had a career WHIP under 1.00 and had nearly 1,200 strikeouts in only 903 innings!

7. Omar Vizquel, Shortstop (1989-93 Mariners, 1994-2004 Indians, 2005-08 Giants, 2009 Rangers, 2010-11 White Sox, 2012 Blue Jays): Ozzie Smith is the greatest defensive shortstop of all-time.  Very few people would argue that contention.  Omar Vizquel may be second on that list.  This vote is predicated almost entirely on what he did defensively during a 24-year career for six teams.  And, make no mistake, he was just as valuable to those Cleveland teams in the 90s as the big hitters.

8. Dustin Pedroia, Second Baseman (2006-19 Red Sox): While I couldn't stand Dustin Pedroia as a player, I do acknowledge how important a role he played on two Red Sox championship teams.  As a result, he's the third and final first-year candidate who gets a "Yes" from me.  He won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, then was the MVP in 2008.  Injuries limited Pedroia to just nine games combined over his final two seasons (and led to his retirement).  Otherwise, his numbers would be a lot higher.

9. Mark Buehrle, Pitcher (2000-11 White Sox, 2012 Marlins, 2013-15 Blue Jays): For a while, when he was doing his thing for the White Sox, Mark Buerhle looked like a sure-fire Hall of Famer.  And, if his career was just those 12 years in Chicago, I'm convinced he would be.  The guy threw 200 innings every year, won four Gold Gloves, pitched two no-hitters (including a perfect game), and earned a World Series ring in 2005.  And, let's not forget Baseball Tonight's "Buehrle Meter," the Web Gem of all Web Gems, from Opening Day 2010.  That play is just so freakin' cool!

10. David Wright, Third Baseman (2004-16, 2018 Mets): David Wright or Chase Utley?  That was the internal debate for the final spot.  I ultimately decided to go with Wright, who was the heart and soul of the Mets throughout his 14-year career.  When he was healthy and in his prime, he was such an outstanding hitter, too!  Like Pedroia, his career numbers would be a lot more impressive if he hadn't been so hampered by injuries at the end.  A healthy David Wright, though, was right up there among the best third basemen in baseball during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

As usual, there were more names I would've included if there were more than 10 spots.  Utley's one.  So is his teammate Jimmy Rollins.  Ian Kinsler's another, if only to hope he gets the required 5 percent to stay on the ballot.  No Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez since they actually failed tests and served PED suspensions, which is the distinction I make between them and Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who, as you know, I enthusiastically supported all 10 years they were eligible.

Ichiro's getting in.  Let's not pretend he isn't.  CC's also looking pretty good on the Hall of Fame tracker, so, even though I wasn't sure he'd be a first-ballot guy, it's looking like he will be.  I also think Billy Wagner will get that final year push to give us three new Hall of Famers who'll be inducted alongside Dick Allen and Dave Parker this summer.