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David Schoenfield
Editor’s be aware: This story initially ran on Jan. 22, 2025. The Class of 2025 is being inducted into the Baseball Corridor of Fame on July 27, 2025.
Welcome to the Corridor of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. It is a outstanding achievement to outlive the gauntlet of baseball writers to get elected to Cooperstown: In spite of everything, the Baseball Corridor of Fame stays the hardest to realize entry to, particularly by way of the BBWAA path of election.
This trio stands out for his or her disparate backgrounds. Suzuki — let’s simply name him Ichiro — grew up in Japan, in fact, and was a star within the Japan Pacific League at 20 years previous earlier than changing into the primary Japanese place participant to play within the majors when he signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 at 27. A California native, Sabathia was a highschool baseball and basketball star within the Bay Space, rising to a towering 6-foot-6 and throwing 95 mph. Cleveland drafted him within the first spherical, and he was within the majors at 20 years previous. Wagner grew up in rural Virginia and performed at Division III Ferrum School. He wasn’t massive, however his fastball was. The Houston Astros drafted Wagner within the first spherical, and he debuted at age 24 earlier than turning into one of the crucial dominant aid pitchers of all time.
All three at the moment are Corridor of Famers. Let us take a look at three causes every participant received there.
Why Ichiro Suzuki is a Corridor of Famer
Ichiro was only one vote shy of changing into the second unanimous choice (Mariano Rivera did it in 2019). In a single sense, perhaps it is a bit of shocking he had that many votes — you could possibly argue Ichiro is probably a bit of overrated. In spite of everything, he had 60.0 profession WAR within the majors; Bobby Abreu, by comparability, was on this poll with 60.2 profession WAR and acquired simply 26% of the vote. Ichiro’s profession 107 OPS+ is now the third lowest for any Corridor of Fame outfielder, forward of solely Lloyd Waner and Nineteenth-century speedster Tommy McCarthy. So why Ichiro?
1. 3,000 profession hits
OK, Ichiro was principally a singles hitter, not hitting for a lot energy with a profession excessive of 15 dwelling runs in a season, however he turned beating out infield singles and grounding base hits up the center into an artwork kind. He reached 200 hits his first 10 seasons with the Mariners, main the league in seven of these years. Over the previous 10 seasons, all main leaguers have mixed for simply 17 200-hit seasons — and the perfect of these was Ronald Acuna Jr.’s 217 hits in 2023, a complete Ichiro exceeded 5 instances, together with a document 262 in 2004, a season he hit .372 (no person has hit for as excessive a mean since).
Contemplating he did not debut with the Mariners till his age-27 season, it stays outstanding that Ichiro is certainly one of simply 33 gamers with 3,000 hits. The opposite 32 averaged 994 hits by way of their age-26 season, with Wade Boggs’ 531 hits the bottom within the group. Of these to debut after 1930, all who’re eligible for the Corridor of Fame and never tainted by a betting or PED scandal had been voted in on the primary poll besides Craig Biggio (who took three tries to get elected). Getting to three,000 hits made Ichiro an automated choice.
Two keys to Ichiro’s hit whole: his outstanding sturdiness and the truth that he did not stroll a lot (which is why he had a .400 OBP simply as soon as in his profession). He averaged a outstanding 159 video games performed by way of his first 12 seasons, struggling only one minor stint on the injured record over that span. The sight of Ichiro consistently stretching between pitches and within the outfield is as a lot part of his lasting picture as him sprinting down the first-base line or racing into the nook to make one other spectacular catch.
2. He was an inner-circle Corridor of Fame expertise
The sooner comparability to Abreu would possibly counsel that Ichiro is a borderline Corridor of Fame participant. That perception, nevertheless, underestimates how transcendent Ichiro was at his peak — and that seven of his peak seasons got here in Japan earlier than he signed with the Mariners. Whereas voters are voting on Ichiro’s accomplishments in solely the main leagues, it appears truthful to no less than acknowledge that we witnessed solely a portion of his greatness.
Take into account this: In his first 4 seasons within the majors, from 2001 to 2004, Ichiro hit .339 and averaged 6.5 WAR per season. In Japan, Ichiro was a sensation immediately, hitting .385 in his first full season, nearly as good at age 20 as his closing season in Japan, when he hit .387. We are able to thus assume he would have produced comparable leads to MLB from ages 20 to 26 as he did from 27 to 30. That provides as much as an extra 45 WAR — on high of the 60 that Baseball-Reference credit him throughout his time within the majors.
How spectacular would 105 profession WAR be? Because the growth period in 1961, solely six place gamers have reached 100 profession WAR: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Rickey Henderson, Mike Schmidt, Albert Pujols and Joe Morgan. This means Ichiro belongs on that stage of inner-circle appreciation.
A lot of his worth got here from his all-around brilliance on the bases and with no consideration fielder (he received 10 Gold Gloves). Baseball-Reference credit him with plus-62 runs as a baserunner (18th all time) and plus-121 runs on protection (18th amongst outfielders). He had two of probably the most environment friendly base-stealing seasons of all time, going 45-for-47 in 2006 and 43-for-47 in 2008, plus he led the league with 56 steals in his MVP/Rookie of the 12 months season of 2001. Without any consideration fielder, Ichiro mixed impeccable instincts with a powerful and correct arm. He excelled at charging the ball shortly and stopping runners from advancing, and he by no means appeared to make a mistake within the discipline — certainly, he was charged with solely 38 errors in 19 seasons.
So, sure, Ichiro was overrated as a hitter. However his all-around expertise and peak efficiency appropriately put him in a category among the many elite of the elite.
3. Come on, he was Ichiro — an icon
In the long run, typically “Corridor of Famer” does not want an argument; it is only a description to clarify the plain: Ichiro is a Corridor of Famer, it doesn’t matter what the numbers do or do not say. Who was cooler than Ichiro sporting his shades, pointing his bat on the pitcher in his pre-pitch ritual after which tugging at his proper sleeve. Early in his first month within the majors, Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus made an prompt legend of Ichiro along with his description of his well-known throw to nail Terrence Lengthy at third base: “I am right here to let you know that Ichiro threw one thing out of Star Wars down there at third base!” Ichiro was a throwback to a special period of hitting. He was a trailblazer. An absolute certainly one of a sort. Unanimous? He actually ought to have been.
Why CC Sabathia is a Corridor of Famer
Sabathia completed 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA, 61.8 WAR and a Cy Younger Award with Cleveland in 2007. None of these numbers essentially scream first-ballot Corridor of Famer and, certainly, solely Sandy Koufax has a decrease profession WAR amongst beginning pitchers elected on their first poll. This is how Sabathia made it.
1. A excessive peak stage of efficiency
Sabathia had a five-year run from 2007 by way of 2011 through which he went 95-40 with a 3.09 ERA and 30.4 WAR whereas averaging 240 innings per season, which now looks as if a Herculean workload. He received the one Cy Younger Award and completed within the high 5 of the voting within the different 4 seasons. Throughout these seasons, solely Roy Halladay had the next WAR amongst pitchers — and there was an enormous hole from Sabathia to Cliff Lee, the No. 3 man who had 25.0 WAR — and no person received extra video games.
Alongside the way in which, Sabathia famously carried the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs in 2008 — their first playoff look on the time since 1982 — beginning on three days’ relaxation for his closing three begins, together with tossing a playoff-clinching full sport on the ultimate day of the season. The following 12 months, he signed with the New York Yankees and led them to a World Collection title, going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA within the postseason.
Sabathia matches into extra of an old-school definition of a Corridor of Famer: Was he the perfect at his place for an prolonged time period? His 251 wins are the identical as Bob Gibson and greater than high quality Corridor of Famers corresponding to Juan Marichal, Whitey Ford, Pedro Martinez or Don Drysdale. These guys all felt like Corridor of Famers, as did Sabathia. And he did sufficient round that peak — six different seasons with no less than 3 WAR and showing in 10 completely different postseasons — to advantage choice.
2. One of the best of a era
Certainly, Sabathia stands out together with Halladay (who was elected posthumously in 2019) because the bridge between the Martinez/Randy Johnson/Greg Maddux/Tom Glavine/John Smoltz group to the still-active trio of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, who got here alongside a couple of years after Sabathia. Verlander has 262 wins, however Scherzer has 216 and is really fizzling out. Kershaw has 212 and is coming off a two-win 2024 season. Zack Greinke completed with 225 wins. Even Halladay completed with simply 203 wins.
Aside from Andy Pettitte, who debuted six years earlier than Sabathia and received 256 video games, and Sabathia’s former teammate Bartolo Colon, who received 247, different pitchers from Sabathia’s era did not final lengthy sufficient for Corridor consideration: Johan Santana had a tremendous peak however received simply 139 video games; Felix Hernandez was on the poll for the primary time and acquired sufficient votes to remain on, however his final good season got here at age 29; and Cliff Lee received 143 video games and received injured. There are another 200-game winners — Tim Hudson (off the poll) and Mark Buehrle (nonetheless on) — however Sabathia was the rarity of his era, combining each peak worth and longevity.
3. Timing is all the pieces
Sabathia’s vote whole was, little question, helped by the final weak point of this poll, the place solely Ichiro was a slam-dunk candidate. Voters need to vote gamers in, so in a way, candidates are in contrast as a lot to the opposite gamers on the poll as to Corridor of Fame requirements. If Sabathia was on the poll in 2015 — a poll that included Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina — he does not get in. However his “competitors” on this poll was the aforementioned Pettitte, Buehrle and Hernandez (the one different beginning pitchers even on the poll). This is not to knock Sabathia’s accomplishments, but it surely’s a fact of Corridor of Fame voting outcomes: The poll itself issues. It took Mussina, with 270 wins and 82.8 profession WAR, six instances to get elected as a result of he confronted numerous crowded ballots. This poll was not crowded.
Why Billy Wagner is a Corridor of Famer
On his tenth and closing look on the BBWAA poll, Wagner lastly made it in after falling 5 votes brief final 12 months. He debuted with simply 10.5% of the vote in 2016, so why now?
1. As soon as once more … timing is all the pieces
As with Sabathia, numerous it got here all the way down to timing. Wagner’s first poll in 2016 included 11 different gamers who at the moment are Corridor of Famers — plus Clemens, Schilling, Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and Gary Sheffield. Voters can vote for a most of 10 gamers, so in lots of circumstances, there merely wasn’t sufficient room to vote for Wagner. He was lucky to obtain greater than the 5% of the vote wanted simply to stay on the poll.
Because the poll logjam slowly thinned out by way of the years, Wagner’s vote totals elevated. Rivera was elected in 2019, so it is no shock Wagner noticed his proportion improve from 16.7% in 2019 to 31.7% in 2020, which began his momentum towards eventual election. As Wagner received nearer in 2023 after which final 12 months, the final-ballot push that gamers usually obtain — see Tim Raines and Edgar Martinez as two others who received elected on their tenth poll — pushed him over the 75% threshold.
2. He was one of the crucial dominant closers of all time
Look, Rivera is on his personal mountain amongst relievers, however Wagner has a powerful case for No. 2. Sure, Wagner is now simply eighth in profession saves — Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel have handed him, and non-Corridor of Famers Francisco Rodriguez and John Franco even have extra — however solely Rivera can match Wagner’s dominance.
Examine Wagner to Trevor Hoffman, who’s second with 601 profession saves to Wagner’s 422:
Hoffman: 2.87 ERA, 141 ERA+, 9.4 SO/9, .609 OPS allowed
Wagner: 2.31 ERA, 187 ERA+, 11.9 SO/9, .558 OPS allowed
No, Wagner did not rack up as many saves, however he additionally retired on the high of his sport: In his closing season, he had a 1.43 ERA, 37 saves and 104 strikeouts in 69 innings. He nonetheless had loads of zip left in that fastball.
To place Wagner’s profession numbers in perspective, amongst pitchers with no less than 900 innings for the reason that live-ball period started in 1920, he ranks:
• Second in ERA behind solely Rivera’s 2.21
• First in strikeouts per 9 innings
• First in lowest batting common allowed (.187)
• Second in lowest OPS allowed to Rivera’s .555
That is Wagner: arguably the toughest pitcher to hit in MLB historical past.
3. Voters have been variety to closers
It did not harm Wagner that closers have grow to be the best place through which to get elected to the Corridor of Fame. Beginning with the primary fashionable Corridor of Fame relievers from the Seventies, Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage, there at the moment are eight closers within the Corridor of Fame (counting Dennis Eckersley as a reliever, though he break up his profession between beginning and relieving).
Amongst gamers who produced most of their worth within the Seventies or later, the positional breakdown goes like this (leaving apart beginning pitchers):
Reliever: 8 (Fingers, Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Gossage, Hoffman, Lee Smith, Rivera, Wagner)
Catcher: 7 (Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Ted Simmons, Joe Mauer)
Proper discipline: 7 (Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Vladimir Guerrero, Larry Walker, Dave Parker, Ichiro Suzuki)
First base: 6 (Tony Perez, Eddie Murray, Jeff Bagwell, Jim Thome, Fred McGriff, Todd Helton)
Third base: 6 (Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen, Adrian Beltre)
Shortstop: 6 (Robin Yount, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Barry Larkin, Alan Trammell, Derek Jeter)
Second base: 5 (Joe Morgan, Rod Carew, Ryne Sandberg, Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio)
DH: 5 (Paul Molitor, Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez, Harold Baines, David Ortiz)
Left discipline: 4 (Willie Stargell, Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines)
Middle discipline: 3 (Kirby Puckett, Andre Dawson, Ken Griffey Jr.)
Hmm. There does appear to be a lesson right here you could interpret both approach: There are maybe too many relievers — or not sufficient gamers on the different positions.