2025 Hall of Fame ballot breakdown

Now let’s look ahead to next year’s ballot.

The 2025 Hall of Fame election cycle will bring two powerhouse newcomers to the ballot, the last chance for a dominant closer, longtime superstar outfielders continuing their push toward Cooperstown and more. (Note that the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot is not yet official.)

Here are seven Hall of Fame storylines to watch for on the 2025 ballot.

1) Will Ichiro be the next unanimous Hall of Famer?

Ichiro will be on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2025, and the only question isn’t whether he’s a Hall of Famer … It’s not even whether he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer … It’s whether he’ll be the next unanimous Hall of Famer.

Mariano Rivera is the one and only unanimous Hall of Famer. But if anyone has a chance to join him, it’s Ichiro. The Mariners icon is one of the greatest pure hitters the game has ever seen — a 3,000-hit club member despite not arriving in MLB until he was 27 years old, a .311 lifetime hitter and MLB’s single-season hits record holder.

Plus, Ichiro’s impact on baseball transcends his MLB career. He’s beloved in America, but an even bigger legend in Japan, where he amassed 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball before coming to the Major Leagues, bringing his career professional hit total to an incredible 4,367.

2) CC can break the starting pitcher drought

CC Sabathia’s arrival on the ballot in 2025 will mark the first likely Hall of Fame starting pitcher to become eligible on the BBWAA ballot in a while — he’s the biggest starting pitching name to enter the voting since Roy Halladay, who won first-ballot election in 2019.

The fan-favorite left-hander had 251 career wins and 3,093 strikeouts in his 19-year career with the Indians, Brewers and Yankees, winning a Cy Young Award in Cleveland and a World Series championship in New York. Sabathia’s 3,000-strikeout club membership and ace status for two decades across three franchises should make him an eventual choice for the Hall of Fame. But can he make it on the first ballot like Halladay?

After CC gets in, we also might be looking at another starting pitcher drought in Hall of Fame voting. There might not be another Hall of Fame starter until the likes of Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw eventually retire and become eligible five years later.

3) Last chance for Wagner

Billy Wagner just barely missed election to the Hall this year, receiving 73.8% of the vote and falling just five votes short of Cooperstown. Next year will be his 10th and final year of eligibility. Can he make it?

He seems like he’ll have a good chance. Wagner continues to increase his share of the vote every year — over just the last three election cycles, he’s gone from 51% to 68.1% to 73.8%, and once a player reaches this point, he tends to get in.

With Beltré, Helton and Mauer all cleared off the ballot, Wagner will be one of the Big Three on the 2025 ballot, alongside Ichiro and Sabathia. The dominant closer amassed…