Box-Toppers is voting for four players for 2025 Hall of Fame induction on the internet writers’ ballot—Félix Hernández, Torii Hunter, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
(Late addendum: Monday, December 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m.: Joe Mauer is still on the internet writers’ Hall of Fame ballot for 2025, though he was inducted by official baseball writers in 2024. Box-Toppers voted to induct him last year and will vote for him again this year. So, Box-Toppers is now voting for five, rather than four players.)
Box-Toppers Hall of Fame ballot
Here are Box-Toppers' selections in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) 2025 Hall of Fame ballot. The ballot requires voters to pick as many as 12 candidates—Box-Toppers chose four. (In the "official" vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America—BBWAA—voters can pick as many as 10 candidates.) There are 28 candidates on both the BBWAA and IBWAA ballots.Shown first in alphabetical order by last name are the four players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall induction, along with their career Box-Toppers point total and the number of years each player has been on the ballot. A brief Box-Toppers-focused biographical synopsis is shown beneath each player.
That is followed by the list of players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall induction, also in alphabetical order by last name.
| YES: Players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall of Fame | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Félix Hernández | 175.1 | 1 |
| • 12th in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, 10th among all pitchers. • Top 10 in overall B-T points five times. • Top 10 AL pitcher seven times. | ||
| Torii Hunter | 115.9 | 5 |
| • Ranks 15th among all batters in career BTPs and 5th among all OFs since 1995. • Led AL OFs 2008 (12.4). • Top 10 AL batter four times. • Top 10 AL OF nine times. |
||
| CC Sabathia | 203.4 | 1 |
| • 8th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 7th among all pitchers. • Led all players & NL pitchers in B-T points 2008 (26.7). • Top 10 in overall B-T points twice. • Top 10 AL pitcher seven times. • Top 10 NL pitcher once. | ||
| Billy Wagner | 108.7 | 10 |
| • Ranked 3rd in career BTPs among all closing pitchers since 1995. • Top NL closer three times: 1998 (12.0), 1999 (15.0), 2010 (13.0). • Seven times top 5 NL closer. • Top 10 NL pitcher twice. |
||
| NO: Players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall of Fame | ||
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Bobby Abreu | 95.5 | 6 |
| • Ranks 15th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2008. • Top 10 AL OF 3 times. • Top 10 NL OF twice. |
||
| Carlos Beltrán | 108.6 | 3 |
| • Ranks 7th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2001, 2003. • Top 10 AL OF 3 times, including top AL OF 2001, 2003. • Top 10 NL OF 4 times. |
||
| Mark Buehrle | 116.7 | 5 |
| • Ranks 42nd in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 overall 2005. • Top 10 AL pitcher twice. | ||
| Carlos González | 71.2 | 1 |
| • 39th in career BTPs among outfielders since 1995. • Led NL batters 2015 (11.5). • Top 10 NL batter four times. • Led NL outfielders 2015. • Top 10 NL outfielder six times. |
||
| Curtis Granderson | 79.7 | 1 |
| • 29th in career BTPs among OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batters three times. • Top 10 NL batters once. • Led AL OFs 2011 (12.7). • Top 10 among AL OFs three times. • Top 10 among NL OFs once. |
||
| Adam Jones | 65.0 | 1 |
| • 51st in career BTPs among outfielders since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter once. • Led AL outfielders 2014 (11.5). • Top 10 AL OF three times. |
||
| Andruw Jones | 96.5 | 8 |
| • Ranks 14th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 10 NL OF six times. |
||
| Ian Kinsler | 71.6 | 1 |
| • Ranks 4th in career BTPs among all 2Bs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2009. • Led AL 2Bs twice 2009, 2010. • Top 5 AL 2B nine times. |
||
| Russell Martin | 56.0 | 1 |
| • 9th in career BTPs among catchers since 1995. • Led NL catchers 2007 (8.5). • Top 5 NL catcher three times. • Top 10 AL batter once. • Top 5 AL catcher three times. |
||
| Brian McCann | 65.9 | 1 |
| • 6th in career BTPs among catchers since 1995. • Led AL catchers twice, 2014 (6.5), 2015 (6.5). • Led NL catchers three times, 2009 (8.5), 2011 (6.2), 2012 (6.0). • Top 5 NL catcher seven times, top 5 AL catcher twice. |
||
| Dustin Pedroia | 39.5 | 1 |
| • Ranks 22nd in career BTPs among all 2Bs since 1995. • Top 5 AL 2B three times. | ||
| Andy Pettitte | 138.5 | 7 |
| • 28th in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 AL pitcher 4 times, never higher than 8th. |
||
| Hanley Ramírez | 63.1 | 1 |
| • 8th in career BTPs among shortstops since 1995. • Led NL SSs 2007 (8.5). • Top 5 NL shortstop seven times. |
||
| Manny Ramirez | 166.2* | 9 |
| • Steroids. • 17th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 3rd among all batters. • Top 10 player twice, 1998 & 1999. • Top AL batter 1999 (19.9). • Top 10 AL batter 7 times. • Top 10 NL batter once. • Top AL OF three times 1999 (19.9), 2000 (13.2), 2005 (14.0). • Top AL OF 9 times. • Top 5 AL DH three times. • Top NL OF 2008 (13.9). |
||
| Fernando Rodney | 44.0 | 1 |
| • 34th in career BTPs among closing pitchers since 1995. • Led AL closing pitchers 2012 (8.0). • Top 5 among AL middle relievers once. • Top 5 among NL closing pitchers once. |
||
| Alex Rodriguez | 187.0* | 4 |
| • Steroids. • 10th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 2nd among all batters. • Top 10 players, 2000 & 2007. • Top AL batter 2007 (18.9). • Top 10 AL batter 10 times. • Top AL shortstop 5 times, 1996 (11.2), 1999 (13.7), 2000 (17.0), 2001 (12.5), 2002 (15.2). • Top 5 AL SS 8 times. • Top AL 3B twice, 2005 (11.9), 2007 (18.9). • Top 5 AL 3B 7 times. • Top 5 AH DH 2015 (13.9). |
||
| Francisco Rodriguez | 63.4 | 3 |
| • 11th in career BTPs among all closing pitchers since 1995. • Top 5 AL closing pitcher 2005, 2006, 2008. |
||
| Jimmy Rollins | 50.4 | 4 |
| • 13th in career BTPs among all shortstops since 1995. • Top NL SS 2008 (7.0). • Top 5 NL SS 6 times. |
||
| Ichiro Suzuki | 53.7 | 1 |
| • 67th in career BTPs among all outfielders since 1995. • Top 10 AL OF 2007. • Earned Box-Toppers points in 16 consecutive seasons (2001-16), tied for the 19th-longest streak since 1995. |
||
| Troy Tulowitzki | 59.8 | 1 |
| • 9th in career BTPs among all shortstops since 1995. • Led NL batters in 2014 (11.6). • Top NL shortstop five times (2009-12, 2014). • Top 10 NL batter twice (2011, 2014). • Top 5 NL SS six times. • Top 5 AL SS 2015. |
||
| Chase Utley | 78.6 | 2 |
| • 3rd in career BTPs among 2Bs since 1995. • Led NL 2Bs 5 straight seasons—2005 (9.7), 2006 (12.0), 2007 (11.7), 2008 (8.5), 2009 (9.5). • Top 10 NL batter 3 times (2006, 2007, 2009). |
||
| Omar Vizquel | 42.2* | 8 |
| • 16th in career BTPs among shortstops since 1995. • Top 5 AL SS twice. • Top 5 NL SS once. |
||
| David Wright | 75.1 | 2 |
| • 8th in career BTPs among 3Bs since 1995. • Led NL 3Bs in BTPs 3 times—2006 (15.4), 2009 (8.5), 2011 (10.0). • Top 10 overall player 2006 (15.4, 10th). • Top 10 NL batter 3 times. • Top 5 NL 3B 5 times. |
||
| Ben Zobrist | 37.0 | 1 |
| • 29th in career BTPs among 2Bs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batters 2011. • Led AL 2Bs 2011 (9.5). • Top 10 AL OF once. |
||
Box-Toppers is voting for four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2025 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Box-Toppers is voting for these players, listed alphabetically by last name:
Two of the players are new to the Hall of Fame ballot this year—Hernandez and Sabathia—and two players return to the ballot after not receiving the necessary votes to make the Hall last year—Hunter and Wagner.
There are 28 players on the ballot, including 14 players returning from last year and 14 first-year candidates.
Notably, Box-Toppers is not voting for Ichiro Suzuki, who is on the Hall ballot for the first time for 2025. While Suzuki is expected to be a shoo-in for the Hall and to possibly be only the second player inducted on a unanimous vote, I devoted a previous post to why Box-Toppers doesn’t view him as a Hall of Famer. In addition, this post which will show how unfavorably he compares in Box-Toppers rankings to even this year’s Hall candidates, may even make a more stark case why I don’t see Suzuki as a Hall of Famer.
Jump to explanation: Why Box-Toppers doesn’t see Ichiro Suzki as a Hall of Famer
Among other players on the IBWAA ballot for whom Box-Toppers is not voting for induction are:
This ballot is separate from the “official” ballot conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for actual induction into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., but it includes the same players.
The chart on this page shows a brief Box-Toppers-focused biographical synopsis of each of the 28 players on the official BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot.
Box-Toppers criteria for Hall induction
In general, Box-Toppers favors players for Hall induction who have at least 100 career Box-Toppers points and/or have led their league’s batters or pitchers in points for at least one season. Box-Toppers also considers players whose career Box-Toppers point total puts them among the few best players of their era or players who consistently led their league in Box-Toppers points at their position. There are some instances of players—especially pitchers—who have more than 100 career Box-Toppers points who Box-Toppers didn’t deem worthy of Hall induction. That’s because despite their career accomplishment, they weren’t necessarily ever among the top players in any season or any era.
While Box-Toppers generally tries to stick to its numbers to determine Hall candidacy, we do fold our arms and frown at players who bend or break rules, taking that into consideration when determining Hall of Fame worthiness. For example, Box-Toppers has voted against players who allegedly used or were suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens, who are no longer on the writers’ Hall of Fame ballot.
Here is a look at players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall induction:
Felix Hernandez
The pitcher who played from 2005 to 2019 for the Mariners has 175.1 career Box-Toppers points, 12th among all players since tracking began in 1995, 10th among all pitchers in that span.
Hernandez ranked among the overall top 10 players in Box-Toppers points five times: 2009 (fourth, 19.1 points), 2010 (third, 20.4), 2012 (fifth, 18.7), 2014 (sixth, 20.8) and 2015 (eighth, 19.4). He ranked among the top 10 American League pitchers seven times: 2007 (sixth, 13.0), 2009 (third, 19.1), 2010 (second, 20.4), 2012 (second, 18.7), 2013 (eighth, 14.8), 2014 (third, 20.8) and 2015 (third, 19.4).
Hernandez has the second-most career Box-Toppers points of players who never led their league’s position in Box-Toppers points, behind only Curt Schilling, who earned 194.1 points from 1995 to 2007. (Schilling began his career in 1988 prior to the start of Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career were tracked, he would have an estimated 232 career points. Schilling was not voted to the Hall of Fame in 10 years on the writers’ Hall of Fame ballot ending in 2022, though Box-Toppers supported his candidacy.)
Though Hernandez never led his league’s pitchers in Box-Toppers points in any season, one of Box-Toppers criteria for Hall induction, he came close and racked up huge season totals—exceeding 20 points twice—and ranks among the top 10 pitchers in career Box-Toppers points since 1995.
That’s more than enough for Hall induction in his first year on the ballot.
Torii Hunter
The outfielder who played from 1997 to 2015 for the Twins, Angels and Tigers has 115.9 career Box-Toppers points, 15th among all batters since 1995, fifth among all outfielders in that span.
Hunter led all AL outfielders in 2008 with 12.4 points with the Angels. He was a top 10 AL batter four times—2002 (11.5, ranked seventh) and 2007 (9.5, ranked 10th) with the Twins and 2008 (12.4, ranked second) and 2010 (8.5, ranked 10th) with the Angels. He was among the top 10 AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points nine times.
This is his fifth year on the ballot.
CC Sabathia
The pitcher who played from 2001 to 2019 for the Yankees, Cleveland and the Brewers has 203.4 career Box-Toppers points, eighth among all players since 1995 and seventh among all pitchers in that span.
Sabathia led all players and all National League pitchers in 2008 with the Brewers when he had 26.7 Box-Toppers points. (He began the season with Cleveland in the American League, earning 11.7 points before earning the remaining 15.0 with the Brewers, which by itself would have been sixth among NL pitchers.) That 26.7-point total is tied for the 16th-highest single-season total since 1995.
Sabathia ranked among overall top 10 players in one other season—2009 with the Yankees when his 18.7 points ranked fifth.
He ranked among the top 10 AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in seven seasons: 2005 with Cleveland (fourth, 14.4 points), 2006 with Cleveland (second, 14.7), 2007 with Cleveland (fourth, 13.1), 2009 with the Yankees (fourth, 18.7), 2010 with the Yankees (sixth, 14.4), 2011 with the Yankees (ninth, 14.0) and 2012 with the Yankees (eighth, 15.1).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Billy Wagner
The closing pitcher played from 1995 to 2010 primarily for the Astros, Mets, Phillies and Braves and has 108.7 career Box-Toppers points, third among all closing pitchers since 1995, behind Trevor Hoffman (129.4) and Mariano Rivera (126.4), both Hall of Famers.
He led NL closing pitchers in Box-Toppers points three times, 1998 (12.0) and 1999 (15.0) with the Astros and in 2010 (13.0) with the Braves. He was among the top five NL closers seven times and was among the top 10 overall NL pitchers twice.
Wagner has been passed over for Hall induction for nine years. He fell just short of the 75-percent threshold needed for induction in 2024, receiving 73.8-percent support. This is his 10th and final year on the writers’ Hall of Fame ballot.
Box-Toppers is not supporting these Hall candidates
Here are players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall induction:
Bobby Abreu
The outfielder played from 1996 to 2014 primarily for the Phillies, Angels and Yankees and has 95.5 career Box-Toppers points, 15th among all outfielders since 1995. He was never among his league’s top three outfielders in any season, but ranked among the top 10 NL outfielders twice (1998 and 2003) and among the top 10 AL outfielders three times (2006, 2007 and 2008). He also was among the overall top 10 AL batters in 2008 with the Yankees (ninth, 9.2 points).
This is his sixth year on the ballot.
Carlos Beltran
The outfielder played from 1998 to 2017 for the Royals, Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Astros, Rangers and Giants and has 108.6 career Box-Toppers points, seventh among all outfielders since 1995. He led AL outfielders in 2001 (11.2 points) and 2003 (13.9 points), both with the Royals. He was a top 10 AL batter both of those seasons, was a top 10 AL outfielder three times and a top 10 NL outfielder four times.
With just over 100 career Box-Toppers points and with two seasons leading his league at his position, Beltran would seem to squeak past the line of Hall worthiness. And if it had not been for the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017, I likely would vote for him. Beltran was the only 2017 Astros player named in the commissioners’ report on the scandal, which resulted in sanctions against the club and the Astros firing their manager and general manager. No players were directly punished by baseball in the report, released in 2019 and focusing on the Astros’ 2017 World Series-winning season. However, prior to the report, Beltran had been hired as New York Mets manager for the 2020 season and was fired after the release of the report before he managed any games.
This is his third year on the ballot.
Mark Buehrle
The pitcher played from 2000 to 2015 for the White Sox, Blue Jays and Marlins and has 116.7 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among all pitchers since 1995. In his best season, 2005 with the White Sox, he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, which was fifth among all players and second among AL pitchers, behind Johan Santana of the Twins (24.1). He never led AL pitchers in points and had only one other top 10 finish among AL pitchers—2004 with the White Sox when he had 12.7 points, ranked fourth.
This is his fifth year on the ballot.
Carlos Gonzalez
The outfielder played from 2008 to 2019 for the Rockies, Athletics, Cleveland and the Cubs and has 71.2 career Box-Toppers points, 39th among all outfielders since 1995.
Gonzalez led NL batters and NL outfielders in 2015 with the Rockies when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points. He was a top 10 NL batter four times: 2010 (fifth, 10.0 points), 2012 (eighth, 9.2), 2013 (fourth, 11.0) and 2015 (first, 11.5), all with the Rockies. He was a top 10 NL outfielder six times: 2010-13, 2015 and 2018.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Curtis Granderson
The outfielder played from 2004 to 2019 for the Tigers, Mets, Yankees, Marlins, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Brewers and has 79.7 career Box-Toppers points, 29th among all outfielders since 1995.
Granderson led AL outfielders in 2011 with the Yankees with 12.7 Box-Toppers points. He was among the top 10 AL batters three times: 2007 with the Tigers (sixth, 10.9 points), 2011 with the Yankees (second, 12.7) and 2012 with the Yankees (ninth, 8.7). He was among the top 10 NL batters in 2018 with the Brewers (sixth, 8.2 points). He was among the top 10 AL outfielders three times (2007, 2011 and 2012) and among the top 10 NL outfielders in 2018.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Adam Jones
The outfielder played from 2006 to 2019 for the Orioles, Mariners and Diamondbacks and has 65.0 career Box-Toppers points, 51st among all outfielders since 1995.
Jones led AL outfielders in 2014 with the Orioles when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points. He was also third among AL batters that season. He was a top 10 AL outfielder three times (2013-15).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Andruw Jones
The outfielder played from 1996 to 2012 primarily for the Braves and Yankees and has 96.5 career Box-Toppers points, 14th among all outfielders since 1995.
Jones is an edge case for the Hall. He nearly reached the 100-career Box-Toppers point threshold. He was among the top three NL outfielders twice (2005, third with 11.5 and 2006, first with 12.7), both seasons he was among the NL’s top 10 batters. He was among the top 10 NL outfielders six times. But Jones was not a consistent leader at his position and fell just short of the 100-point career threshold, so I leave him off the ballot again in his eighth year of Hall eligibility.
Ian Kinsler
The second baseman played from 2006 to 2019 for the Rangers, Tigers, Angels and Padres and has 71.6 career Box-Toppers points, fourth among all second basemen since 1995.
He led AL second basemen twice: 2009 (11.2 points) and 2010 (7.0), both with the Rangers. He ranked eighth among AL batters in 2009. He was a top five AL second basemen nine times—2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013 with the Rangers, 2014-16 with the Tigers and 2018 with the Red Sox.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Russell Martin
The catcher played from 2006 to 2019 for the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Yankees and Pirates and has 56.0 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all catchers since 1995.
Martin led NL catchers in 2007 with the Dodgers when he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points. In 2016 with the Blue Jays, he ranked sixth among AL batters with 10.5 points. He was a top five NL catcher three times—2007 and 2008 with the Dodgers and 2014 with the Pirates. He was a top five AL catcher three times—2011 with the Yankees and 2015 and 2016 with the Blue Jays.
Brian McCann
The catcher played from 2005 to 2019 for the Braves, Mets and Astros and has 65.9 career Box-Toppers points, sixth among all catchers since 1995.
McCann led NL catchers three times—2009 (8.5 points), 2011 (6.2) and 2012 (6.0), all with the Braves. He led AL catchers twice—2014 (6.5) and 2015 (6.5), both with the Yankees. He was a top five NL catcher seven times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2019, all with the Braves). He was a top five AL catcher twice (2014 and 2015 with the Yankees).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Dustin Pedroia
The second basemen played from 2006 to 2019 for the Red Sox and has 39.5 career Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all second basemen since 1995.
He never led AL second basemen in Box-Toppers points in a season but was among the top five AL second basemen three times (2011, 2012 and 2014).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Andy Pettitte
The starting pitcher played from 1995 to 2013 for the Yankees and Astros and has 138.5 career Box-Toppers points, 28th among all pitchers since 1995. He was among the top 10 AL pitchers four times, but never ranked higher than eighth place, including 2002, when he had 11.7 points. Despite being a key piece of the Yankees dynasty, helping to win five World Series championships, Pettitte’s regular seasons, while commendable, are not dominant enough for Hall induction. This is his seventh year of Hall eligibility.
Hanley Ramirez
The shortstop who played from 2005 to 2019 for the Marlins, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cleveland earned 63.1 career Box-Toppers points, eighth among all shortstops since 1995.
He led NL shortstops in 2007 with the Marlins when he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points. He was among the top five NL shortstops seven times (2007-11 with the Marlins and 2013 and 2014 with the Dodgers).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Manny Ramirez
I’m disqualifying Ramirez for consideration because of his ties to the steroids era. Other voters are, too, as this is his ninth year of Hall eligibility.
He played from 1993 to 2011 primarily for the Red Sox, Cleveland and the Dodgers and has 166.2 career Box-Toppers points, 17th among all players since 1995 and third among all batters. (He would have an estimated 173 points if his career from 1993 were tracked.)
He was top AL batter in 1999 with Cleveland (19.9), top AL outfielder three times and top NL outfielder once. He ranked among the overall top 10 players twice, his league’s top 10 batters eight times, his league’s top 10 outfielders 10 times and was a top five AL designated hitter three times. Without the steroid cloud, Box-Toppers would vote Ramirez for the Hall.
Fernando Rodney
The closing pitcher played from 2002 to 2019 for the Tigers, Rays, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Nationals, Padres, Cubs, Angels, Twins and Athletics, and has 44.0 career Box-Toppers points, 34th among all closing pitchers since 1995.
Rodney led AL closing pitchers in 2012 with the Rays when he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points. He was among the top five AL middle relievers once (2014 with the Mariners) and among the top five NL closers in 2017 with the Diamondbacks.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Alex Rodriguez
I’m disqualifying Rodriguez for consideration because of his ties to the steroids era, including a yearlong suspension in 2014 for performance-enhancing drug use. Here is Box-Toppers’ career recap on Rodriguez during his final week as a player in August 2016: Bioexodus: Alex Rodriguez leaves field after long career with taint, but as active career Box-Toppers points leader.
The third baseman and shortstop played from 1994 to 2016 for the Yankees, Mariners and Rangers and has 187.0 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players, second among all batters and first among all third basemen since 1995.
When Rodriguez left baseball in 2016, he led all batters in career points since 1995, but now ranks second behind Albert Pujols (207.8).
He led AL batters in 2007 with the Yankees with 18.9 Box-Toppers points. That year, he ranked second among all players, one of only three times a batter has ranked as high as second overall. It was also done in 1996 by Albert Belle of Cleveland (20.4 points) and 2006 by Lance Berkman of the Astros (20.8 points). Rodriguez also ranked seventh among all players in 2000 with the Mariners with 17.0 points.
Rodriguez led AL shortstops five times and led AL third basemen twice. He was among the top 10 AL batters 10 times, top five AL shortstops eight times, top five AL third basemen seven times and top five AL designated hitters five times.
Rodriguez is in his fourth year on the ballot.
Francisco Rodriguez
The closing pitcher played from 2002 to 2017 for the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Tigers and Orioles and has 63.4 career Box-Toppers points, 11th among all closing pitchers since 1995. He was a top five AL closing pitcher three times, all with the Angels—2005 (10.0 points, ranked second), 2006 (8.0 points, ranked fourth) and 2008 (10.0 points, ranked third).
This is his third year on the ballot.
Jimmy Rollins
The shortstop played from 2000 to 2016 for the Phillies, Dodgers and White Sox and has 50.4 career Box-Toppers points, 13th among all shortstops since 1995.
He led NL shortstops in 2008 (7.0 Box-Toppers points) and was among the top five NL shortstops six times, all with the Phillies—2002 (5.0 points, fifth), 2003 (3.7 points, fifth), 2004 (3.5 points, fifth), 2007 (4.7 points, fourth), 2008 (7.0 points, first) and 2012 (4.0 points, fifth).
Rollins is in his fourth year on the ballot.
Ichiro Suzuki
The outfielder played from 2001 to 2019 for the Mariners, Marlins and Yankees and has 53.7 career Box-Toppers points, 67th among outfielders since 1995.
Suzuki never was among the top three outfielders in his league in Box-Toppers points in any season. He ranked among the top 10 AL outfielders just once, in 2007 when his 8.0 points ranked ninth.
While Suzuki is likely a shoo-in Hall of Famer on the strength of his 3,000-plus hits, by Box-Toppers measures, he falls far short. I wrote a post about Suzuki’s Box-Toppers deficiencies, including the fact that he never even led his team’s batters in Box-Toppers points in any season. In short, when his team won, there was almost always some other player who was the key contributor to the win other than Suzuki.
Suzuki looks even more undeserving for the Hall by Box-Toppers measurements when compared to the other 27 players on the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot. There are only five of the 27 players who have fewer career Box-Toppers points since 1995 than Suzuki. Of those five, three of them led their league’s position in Box-Toppers points in at least one season, something Suzuki never came close to doing in any of his 19 seasons. Only Dustin Pedroia (39.5) and Omar Vizquel (42.2) have fewer career Box-Toppers points than Suzuki and also never led their league’s position in Box-Toppers points since 1995. (Vizquel’s career began in 1989 before Box-Toppers tracking began.) But both Pedroia and Vizquel were among the top five at their league position in multiple seasons (Pedroia was a top five league second basemen three times and Vizquel was a top five league shortstops three times), while Suzuki was a top 10 AL outfielder only once. Also, both Pedroia and Vizquel rank higher in career points at their position than Suzuki ranks in his: Pedroia is 22nd among second basemen, Vizquel is 16th among shortstops while Suzuki is 67th among outfielders.
In other words, in Box-Toppers’ quantification, Suzuki ranks last among these 28 Hall of Fame candidates on the 2025 ballot. Granted, some players on the ballot we are excluding from Hall consideration because of misdeeds and/or rulebreaking. However, based on playing qualifications alone, Suzuki ranks 28th out of 28.
Suzuki would be closer to Hall consideration if he played another position, such as shortstop, where career Box-Toppers point totals are generally lower. His 53.7 career points would be 11th among shorstops since 1995, but still far below Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter (76.4), non-Hall-of-Famer Nomar Garciaparra (74.9) and two players on the 2025 Hall ballot who Box-Toppers deems unworthy for induction—Hanley Ramirez (63.1) and Troy Tulowitzki (59.8).
But outfielders generally earn far more career points—there are 11 since 1995 with 100 or more points—and so an outfielder rising to Hall-of-Fame consideration by Box-Toppers would need to have nearly twice as many points as Suzuki. (For comparison, outfielder Torii Hunter, who Box-Toppers is voting for Hall of Fame induction, earned 115.9 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among all outfielders since 1995.)
This is Suzuki’s first year on the ballot.
Troy Tulowitzki
The shortstop played from 2006 to 2019 for the Rockies, Blue Jays and Yankees, and has 59.8 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all shortstops since 1995.
Tulowitzki led NL batters in 2014 with the Rockies when he had 11.6 Box-Toppers points. He led NL shortstops five times, all with the Rockies: 2009 (8.5 points), 2010 (7.7), 2011 (11.5), 2012 (5.0) and 2014 (11.6). He was among the top 10 NL batters twice (2011 and 2014), was among the top five NL shortstops six times and was a top five AL shortstop in 2015 with the Blue Jays.
While a steady season leader at NL shortstop and perhaps one of the best shortstops of his era, his career lacked the longevity (he earned Box-Toppers points in 10 seasons) and total career Box-Toppers points to be considered a Hall of Famer.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Chase Utley
The second baseman played from 2003 to 2018 for the Phillies and Dodgers. He had 78.6 career Box-Toppers points, 67th among all batters and third among all second basemen since 1995, behind Jeff Kent (110.2) and Robinson Cano (85.4).
He led NL second basemen in Box-Toppers points for five straight seasons from 2005 to 2009 with the Phillies (2005—9.7, 2006—12.0, 2007—11.7, 2008—8.5 and 2009—9.5). In three of those seasons, he was among the top 10 NL batters (2006—ninth place, 2007—fifth place and 2009—ninth place).
So while he led his league’s position in multiple seasons, he was far short of the 100-career point threshold. Still he ranks third among all second basemen over the past three decades.
My stumbling block to voting for Utley, in his second year on the ballot, is the fact that second baseman Jeff Kent, who has far more career Box-Toppers points, is not seen as worthy for the Hall of Fame. Kent was on baseball writers’ ballot for 10 seasons ending in 2023 and never received sufficient support for induction. Box-Toppers supported his candidacy each year. If Kent had been inducted, I would support Utley as a borderline Hall of Famer. But if Kent is not seen by others as a Hall of Famer, I’m not sure how Utley, who has less than three-fourths of Kent’s career Box-Toppers point total, can be seen as one either.
Omar Vizquel
The shortstop played from 1989 to 2012 primarily for Cleveland, the Mariners, Giants and White Sox. He had 42.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, 16th among all shortstops since 1995. Vizquel ranked among the top five AL shortstops in Box-Toppers points twice and among the top five NL shortstops once. This is his eighth year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
David Wright
The third baseman played from 2004 to 2018 for the Mets. He had 75.1 career Box-Toppers points, 81st among all batters since 1995 and eighth among all third basemen.
Wright’s career was cut short by injury, spinal stenosis. After the age of 32, he played in only 77 games, retiring at age 35. While he played until 2018, he earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point after 2014, after averaging 7.8 per season from 2004 to 2012, on what would have been a Hall-of-Fame pace with four or five more healthy seasons.
Wright led NL third basemen in three seasons—2006 (15.4), 2009 (8.5) and 2011 (10.0) and was among the top five NL third basemen five times. He was among the top 10 NL batters three times—2006 (15.4, third), 2011 (10.0, eighth) and 2012 (9.5, sixth). Wright also ranked 10th among all players in 2006 with 15.4 points. He was one of five batters to rank in the top 10 that season, a period in which it was more common for batters to earn more points. Since then, however, only eight batters total have ranked among the top 10 overall players in the 18 seasons since and no one has done it since 2013.
This is his second year on the ballot.
Ben Zobrist
The second baseman played from 2006 to 2019 for the Rays, Cubs, Athletics and Royals, and has 37.0 career Box-Toppers points, 29th among all second basemen since 1995. He led AL second basemen in 2011 with 9.5 points when he was with the Rays. In 2011, he also ranked among the top 10 AL batters (sixth) and top 10 AL outfielders (third).
This is his first year on the ballot.
How Hall eligibility and voting works
Players are eligible to be included on the Hall of Fame ballot if they played at least 10 years and have not been playing for five years. They require a 75-percent vote to be inducted in the hall. If they do not reach 75 percent, they remain on the writers’ ballot for 10 seasons. Also, if they don’t receive at least 5 percent of writers’ votes, they are removed from the following year’s ballot.
BBWAA voters are allowed to vote for up to 10 candidates for official Hall induction. IBWAA voters are allowed to vote for up to 12 players. Box-Toppers is voting for four of the 28 listed candidates.
About Box-Toppers
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky or Twitter (X).
Your support via Buy Me a Coffee keeps Box-Toppers percolating. Thanks for your contributions!