The National Baseball Hall of Fame officially released its 2025 BBWAA ballot on Monday, and an impressive list of new candidates such as Ichiro Suzuki, Felix Hernández, Dustin Pedroia, CC Sabathia, Hanley Ramírez and Carlos González will have their Hall of Fame cases considered alongside 14 returning names from last year's ballot. With voting trends likely to emerge over the next couple of weeks, it's not long before we should have a pretty good idea of who'll represent the class of 2025.
The Philadelphia Phillies are once again well represented on this year's ballot, with closer Billy Wagner, outfielder Bobby Abreu, second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins all up for consideration again this winter. It was previously announced that Phillies great Dick Allen is one of eight former players and managers being considered when the Classic Baseball Era Committee meets at the MLB Winter Meetings next month in Dallas, Texas.
This year's ballot is an especially important one for Wagner, who, after 10 years of eligibility, will have to be voted in or be removed from future ballots. The hard-throwing left-handed stopper is currently ranked eighth all-time in saves, amassing an impressive 422 over the course of a 16-year MLB career. Wagner was very close to induction last winter, ultimately falling just short by receiving 73.8 percent of the 75 percent needed to gain induction in the halls of Cooperstown.
Where do former Phillies Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins stand in Hall of Fame voting?
Also of considerable interest to Phillies fans will be the Hall of Fame results of 2008 World Champions Utley and Rollins. The pair are best remembered as being part of the homegrown core that also included Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Carlos Ruiz who helped win the team's second World Series that season.
Both are certain to be added to the Phillies Wall of Fame at some point in the future. Will the National Baseball Hall of Fame be calling Utley and Rollins when the final results of the BBWAA vote are announced in January?
So where exactly do Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins currently stand in the eyes of Hall of Fame voters?
While both have valid cases for induction, neither amassed the kind of career numbers that would make being inducted into Cooperstown a no-brainer for BBWAA voters. That being said, Utley and Rollins have performed well enough on previous ballots to remain eligible heading into this year's vote.
To remain eligible on the Hall of Fame ballot, a candidate must receive five percent of the vote or higher. Heading into his fourth year of eligibility, Rollins has done well enough on his previous three ballot appearances to keep his Hall of Fame chances alive. The 2005 NL MVP finished with 14.8 percent of the vote last year, and that number will obviously have to improve dramatically for Rollins to have a legitimate shot at being elected at some point in the future.
Utley had a solid showing on his first ballot in 2024, with the six-time All-Star second baseman earning 28.8 percent of the vote last year. Those are strong numbers for a debut on the ballot, and it wouldn't be shocking if Utley were to be elected at some point during his 10-year eligibility period.
While this year features one no-doubt Hall of Fame selection with Ichiro Suzuki making his first appearance, Utley faces additional competition from a number of players like Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Beltrán, who all had strong vote totals last year and may remain tempting choices again on the just released 2025 ballot.
According to Bill James' Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) on Baseball Reference, a rating system that's looked at as a measure of a Hall of Fame career, Rollins and Utley are both borderline candidates for induction. To explain James' model in a little more detail, a score of 100 and above is typical for players selected to the Hall of Fame. Using this model, only Rollins is above the minimum with a score of 121. On the other hand, Utley falls short of the minimum 100 benchmark with a score of 94.
James also created a second measure to determine a player's likelihood for induction, called the Hall of Fame Career Standards (HOFs). Using this second measure, a numerical value based on career statistics is assigned to a player on a scale of 0-100, with a score of 50-100 being viewed as Hall of Fame level. James' method of evaluation is less kind to Rollins and Utley's Hall of Fame chances this time around, with Rollins assigned a career total of 42 out of 100, with Utley sitting just six points back with a total of 36.
While Rollins and Utley's chances of being enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame are borderline at this point, anything could happen over a 10-year period of eligibility. With both Phillies legends far exceeding the five percent minimum on previous ballots, all it could take is a year with a weak first-year class in the future for the pair to make it to the necessary 75 percent threshold.
Will Rollins and Utley receive a plaque in Cooperstown this time around? We'll find out the answer on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, when vote totals are announced.