Long-time Houston Astros closer and former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Billy Wagner has taken it down to the wire with his chances at being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it looks so far so good for him in his last year on the ballot.
Through nine publicly announced ballots, eight known, and one anonymous voter, the lefty has captured the votes of all eight of the verified voters. His eight-of-nine success rate sits him well above the required 75 percent of votes at 88.9 percent. Wagner trails only two first-time candidates for the Hall of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki and C.C. Sabathia, who have secured a vote on every ballot so far.
Former Phillies closer Billy Wagner is on pace for Cooperstown in early Hall of Fame voting
Not only is the success rate a great sign towards his run at Cooperstown, but the Virginia native is gaining on his previous ballots already.
Both of the two new voters who have had their ballots verified have included Wagner on their ballots. He also gained two new votes from voters who did not check his name on the 2024 ballot, a number that may seem small but missing out on last year's class by just over one percent means that a handful of flips from the committee and he's immortalized as one of the greatest closers ever.
It will be an interesting situation to monitor as often times the percentage of players on ballots decreases as the anonymous ballots begin to roll in with fewer players selected than others. In 2024, almost every single eligible player saw a decrease from the percentage selected on ballots from public to anonymous, including Wagner, who saw a drastic difference in his approval rate, a 22.8-point drop.
I’m honored and humbled to become a Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) December 2, 2024
This is s tremendous privilege I take very seriously. Like most voters, I believe strongly in transparency and will make my ballot public once results are announced.
The first is always special. I’m honored. pic.twitter.com/CTJWjv7nWu
Wagner stands 283 votes away from gaining access to the world's most exclusive baseball club. With 385 total voters and 376 chances left, the Phillies great has started off well in his trek during his last chance on the ballot. If he can continue this success rate among new voters and flip the minds of a few more returnees, he could be standing up at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown come next July.