Yankees on the 2025 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot - One and Done
We're in the thick of Hall of Fame season and the results of the 2025 BBWAA election will be announced in just a few weeks. This year's ballot is bursting with former Yankees - 11 of them, to be exact - which means we've got some work to do over here at Jimmy Sez.
To start things off, we'll take a look at some of the debutants on the ballot, specifically those that are likely to get less than the 5% of votes needed to stay on the ballot next year. Don't get it twisted, each of these guys were multiple-time All-Stars that had extended runs of high quality play. They just weren't good enough for long enough to truly be considered Hall of Fame material.
For each player, their JAWS (Jaffe Average WAR Score, developed by Jay Jaffe) value is given along with the average Hall of Famer's JAWS at the player's position. JAWS is a Hall of Fame rating system based on WAR that incorporates both career and peak value. If you're interested in learning more about this, click here.
Curtis Granderson - Center Fielder, JAWS: 40.9, HoF JAWS: 58.1
Five-tool players will always be coveted in major league baseball, and Curtis Granderson was no exception to that rule. At times, he flashed elite potential with those tools and remained at least competent with all of them until the end of his career. Had he put the total package together for more than a season or two, we might be talking about eventual election for Granderson. Instead, he morphed into different types of players and settled for being simply a very good player for a decade or so.
A third round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2002, Granderson developed into a top 100 prospect - according to Baseball America - by the 2005 season. In 2006 he became the Tigers' starting center fielder and proved to be a well-rounded big leaguer with no obvious flaws, but also no obvious strengths. In what the Tigers hoped was a harbinger of things to come, he turned everything into a strength in 2007.
During that magical season, Granderson led the majors with 23 triples, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. He hit .302 and scored more than 120 runs. As a fielder, he was 14 runs above average. He also hit 23 home runs, 38 doubles, and stole 26 bases, making him just the fourth member of the exclusive 20-20-20-20 club. His 7.6 WAR ranked second in the AL as he led the Tigers all the way to the World Series, where they would lose to the Cardinals. It seemed that Curtis Granderson could be baseball's next superstar.
However, the Grandy Man would never reach those heights again. Over the next few seasons his ability to hit for average, steal bases, and flash his leather at an elite level deteriorated. Not to the point that he was a liability, but it was clear that superstardom wasn't in the cards for Granderson. In a three-team trade that included a young Max Scherzer and Yankees' top prosect Austin Jackson, he was traded to New York prior to the 2010 season.
A season later, Granderson seemed to make a conscious effort to adapt to his new environment. That is, he would be more patient and focus on hitting pitches that he could pull over Yankee Stadium's shallow right field wall. The Yankees were happy with the results. Suddenly, his walk rate increased while he hit 41 home runs in 2011 while leading the AL with 119 RBI's and the majors with 136 runs scored. He finished fourth in the AL MVP race and was named an All-Star for the second time of his career. It was also his last hurrah as a potentially elite player.
That's not to say that Granderson wasn't still useful. Despite another significant dip in batting average in 2012, he hit 43 home runs. That puts him in the company of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Jason Giambi as the only Yankees in franchise history to post back-to-back 40 home run seasons.
Granderson eventually ended up with the cross-town Mets where a switch to right field helped mask his detriorating range in the field. He also hit with enough power and drew enough walks to remain a productive hitter over his four years there. The highlight being his key contributions to their 2015 World Series run.
Curtis played out the end of his career with brief stints for the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Brewers, and Marlins. At 38 years old, he ended his 16-year career with no regrets. He was a joy to watch when he played and as a studio analyst in his post-playing career, he continues to spread that joy. As one of baseball's good guys, Granderson deserves to be celebrated, just not with a plaque in Cooperstown.
Russell Martin - Catcher, JAWS: 33.0, HoF JAWS: 44.3
When you try to visualize a catcher, it's usually somebody who looks like Russell Martin. Stocky, strong, and durable. That's exactly the type of player that Martin was too. For 14 seasons he was a high quality backstop on some high quality teams. While that's not enough to get him into Cooperstown, he's not a player that will soon be forgotten.
A rare French Canadian baseball player, Martin was drafted by the Dodgers in 2002, but was never a highly touted prospect. Nevertheless, he was named the Dodgers starting catcher upon his major league debut in 2006 and enjoyed immediate success. He handled a veteran pitching staff with ease and got Rookie of the Year consideration for the NL Wild Card winners. Over his first four years in Los Angeles he was extremely productive, hitting for a decent average with decent power, drawing walks at a high rate, and being one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. At the age of 26, he was a two-time All Star and a Gold Glove winner.
In 2010, Martin suffered the only major injury of his career, a torn labrum in his right hip that cut his season short. Concerned about the injury and his ability to regain his previous form, the Dodgers decided to not tender him a contract for the 2011 season. The Yankees then pounced, signing Martin to a one-year prove-it deal. He proved it and then some, earning his third All-Star nod as the starting catcher for the AL East division winners. His best days were certainly not behind him.
After a two-year stint in New York, Martin signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh, where he garnered MVP consideration both years. He turned that success into a payday with the Blue Jays, who paid him $82 million over five years to return to his home country. He remained a metronome of consistency, earning his fourth All-Star appearance with Toronto. During these post-Dodger years, Martin's batting average dropped significantly - he hit better than .250 just once after turning 27 years old - but his high walk rate and double-digit home run power never waned. Paired with his rock solid glovework behind the plate, he was welcomed with open arms wherever he played.
By traditional standards, Russell Martin's Hall of Fame case falls well short by just about every measure, and rightfully so. But in order to do him justice, let's take a slightly different approach to tell Martin's story. Simply put, he was a reliable winner. Up through his age 34 season, or the first 12 seasons of his career, Martin played at least 120 games (but often many more than that) nine times. Over those 12 years he contributed at least two WAR (but often more than that) each season. During that span he played for only two teams with a losing record (the 80-82 Dodgers in 2010, and the 76-86 Blue Jays in 2017), while his teams reached the playoffs in nine of those years. If Russell Martin was your starting catcher, good things were going to happen.
Let's also throw in some newer metrics here to quantify just how good Martin was behind the plate. While catcher framing as a concept is nothing new, the ability to calculate its value has been evolving rapidly over the last few years. On Martin's Savant page we only have framing metrics going back to 2016, which are his age 33 through 36 seasons. In those years, with his overall play declining and playing time decreasing, Martin was still 22 runs better than average when it came to framing. Therefore, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that in his prime he was worth at least 10 framing runs above average or more per season. That would put him in elite company with today's catchers and at least partially explains why pitchers had succsess when throwing to Martin during his career.
Heading into this vote, I wouldn't have expected more than a token vote or two for Martin from the BBWAA electorate. Yet with more than 30% of the vote made public at this point, he has already received six votes. That means he should need just 14 votes on remaining ballots to reach the 5% minimum required to stay on the ballot next year. While there's no realistic path for him to gain election in the future, I see no harm in talking about Russell Martin's excellent career during next year's election cycle as well. Let's hope it happens.
Brian McCann - Catcher, JAWS: 28.3, HoF JAWS: 44.3
Most of what was just said about Russell Martin could also be applied to Brian McCann. McCann is a bit bigger than Martin, was a better hitter, and made more All-Star appearances, but Martin was certainly better behind the plate. At the end of the day, though, they were both sturdy, reliable catchers that produced at a high level for a decade or so.
After growing up in the Atlanta suburbs, McCann was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft - the same draft as Russell Martin - by his hometown Braves. He made quick work of Atlanta's minor league system, and at 22 years old became the starting catcher for the Braves in 2006. That year he hit .333 - a career high - with 24 home runs and 93 RBI's which earned him the first of six career Silver Slugger awards and the first of seven career All-Star nods. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they had a losing record for the first time since 1990 and broke their streak of 11 straight division titles, but they rested assured that they had found their catcher of the future.
McCann remained with Atlanta for the next seven seasons. Save for a lower batting average, he continued to be an offensive force throughout his tenure and was a big reason for the Braves working their way back to respectability. In 2013, the 96-win Braves took home their first division crown in eight years and after the season he decided to test the free agent waters. The Yankees came calling with a five-year, $85 million deal - eerily similar to the contract Russell Martin would sign with the Blue Jays a year later - and with that he was New York bound.
With the Yankees coming off a rare season where they missed the playoffs, McCann put up a representative season in 2014. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to move the needle as the Yankees missed the final Wild Card spot in the AL by four games. The following season, he posted career highs of 26 home runs and 94 RBI's which helped the Yankees sneak back into the playoffs. Alas, it was short-lived as they would be shut out by Houston.
In 2016 at age 32, McCann's bat began to decline slightly while his play behind the plate deteriorated significantly. With the Yankees hovering around .500 they took the opportunity to call up rookie sensation Gary Sanchez to take over as the primary catcher and McCann became the regular DH. There was no clear role for him in the Yankee lineup heading into 2017, so he was traded to the Astros that offseason. A part-time player in Houston, he got revenge on his former team as they beat the Yankees in a seven-game ALCS - you may have heard about this one - on their way to a World Series win, the only one of his career. For the 2019 season he signed a one-year deal to return to his hometown Atlanta Braves, then called it a career.
Similar to Martin, I wouldn't have expected many, if any, votes for McCann heading into this election. Also similar to Martin, he's got a small stable of supporters out there as five writers have already included McCann on their ballots. If just 15 of the remaining ~70% of voters cast a vote for McCann then he'll be a part of the Hall of Fame discussion again next year. I don't think that would be a bad thing.
Troy Tulowitzki - Shortstop, JAWS: 42.4, HoF JAWS: 55.4
Troy Tulowitzki's career is a perfect litmus test for how BBWAA writers think of a Hall of Famer. Do they like players who were pretty good, and occassionally great, over a long period of time? Or is it better to have been the best player in baseball at your position for a handful of years? Tulo firmly fits in the latter category, and the writers have clearly taken a stance on how they feel about him as a Hall of Famer.
A big, strong shortstop in the mold of Cal Ripken, Jr., Tulowitzki was selected by the Colorado Rockies out of Long Beach State with the seventh overall pick of the 2005 draft. He played in less than 150 minor league games before becoming the Rockies' starting shortstop in 2007. That year he put his formidable skills on full display, leading the upstart Rockies to their first World Series berth. Even after adjusting for Colorado's thin air, Tulo proved to be a quality hitter, but it was his glove that was most impressive. With fantastic range, the surest of hands, and a cannon for an arm, no ball hit between second and third base was safe when he was on the field.
The Rockies would never again reach the World Series, but nobody could point to Tulowitzki as the scapegoat. From 2007 through 2014, his average season included a .300/.375/.524 slash line, a 127 OPS+, and more than 20 home runs. He was also rated as more than 10 runs above average per year as a fielder, earned four All-Star appearances, three top-10 finishes in the MVP voting, and two Gold Gloves (although he deserved more). Over this eight year span, he was by far the best shortstop in baseball in terms of WAR as his total was more than six wins above his nearest competition (Hanley Ramirez).
If Tulowitzki was baseball's Superman, his kryptonite was getting injured. In 2008 he tore a quad and lacerated his hand. In 2010 he fractured his wrist. In 2012 he required groin surgery. In 2013 he fractured a rib. In 2014 he needed hip surgery. All of this occured before he turned 30 years old, and by then his days as one of baseball's best players were over.
Mid-way through the 2015 season the Rockies made Tulowitzki the centerpiece of a trade with Toronto that brought Jose Reyes to Colorado. When healthy, he was still a useful player for the Blue Jays, but an ankle injury ended his 2017 season early and ultimately required surgery that kept him sidelined for the entire 2018 season. In 2019 the Yankees took a flier on Tulo and signed him to a minor league deal. Thanks to an injury to Didi Gregorius, he broke camp as the team's starting shortstop, but lasted just five games before a calf strain landed him on the all too familiar disabled list. Rather than rehab yet another injury, he called it a career at 34 years old.
Despite his career fizzling out prematurely, there's a Hall of Fame case to be made for Troy Tulowitzki. As noted previously, we provide each player's JAWS as part of these little career reviews. The two main components of JAWS are career total WAR and seven-year peak WAR, that is, the total of the player's seven best seasons in terms of WAR. The two components are weighted equally to try and eliminate any bias that may come from where people stand on the two questions we asked at the beginning of this section.
Thanks to the injuries that derailed his career and ended it early, Tulowitzki falls more than 20 wins short of the career component standard for a Hall of Fame shortstop. However, his seven-year peak component is just three wins shy of the best of the best. That means that Tulo had a seven-year run in his career that puts him in the company of the best shortstops to ever play baseball. That warrants at least some consideration for election. Yet exactly zero writers have casted a vote for him thus far. BBWAA writers favoring longevity over relatively short-lived greatness isn't eactly a new trend, but Troy Tulowitzki is just another example of why that's probably a misstep by the electorate. I'm not saying he's for sure a Hall of Famer, but he deserves to be in the conversation for longer than one voting cycle.
All numbers used in this article were obtained from Baseball Reference.
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