Phillies: Examining Hall of Fame cases for the next four years

Who are the next great Phillies who have a shot at the Hall of Fame?

For just the first time since the 2017 Hall of Fame class and for the third time in six years there will not be a Phillies alumnus inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.

Curt Schilling fell short of the 2020 class by five percent, failing to join Larry Walker and Derek Jeter as the baseball writer’s choice alongside Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller from the Veteran’s Committee vote last December.

Looking towards the future ballots there will be a number of Phillies eligible for the Hall of Fame. Here are some returning names to watch for when the next ballots are printed for the writers.

Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu barely stuck on the ballot by receiving 5.5 percent on his first turn, just half a percent over the minimum to remain eligible.

The only players with 2,000 hits, 550 doubles and 400 stolen bases in major league history: Tris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Craig Biggio, Honus Wagner, Paul Molitor, Barry Bonds, Bobby Abreu.

Scott Rolen

Scott Rolen got a ton of help thanks to the ballot becoming unclogged at the top, jumping 18.1% from last year, the most of any player returning for next year’s ballot.

The eight-time Gold Glove winner still has a ways to go, but with seven years of eligibility remaining, he has a good shot.

Bill Wagner

Billy Wagner also saw a nice bump of 15 percent this year, the fourth-most among next year’s returning players. Quietly, he’s one of the greatest relievers of all-time as the all-time leader in the following categories among all relievers with at-least 900 innings:

0.998 WHIP – Best in Live Ball Era
5.99 Hits/9 – Lowest in Live Ball Era
11.92 K/9 – Highest All-Time
2.31 ERA – Lowest by a LHP in Live Ball Era

What about Phillies on the future Hall of Fame ballots? Here’s a look at who’s coming up next.