The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out, and Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia are the big names that immediately catch your eye.
After them, the list includes interesting players like Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia, both second basemen who once shared a team. While each has strengths that could sway voters, their chances seem slim but not impossible.
Pedroia stands out as one of only 31 players in MLB history to snag both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Although he didn’t win both in the same year like Fred Lynn or Ichiro Suzuki, he came close by securing MVP just a year after his rookie award.
Pedroia’s Achievements
Over 14 seasons, Pedroia posted impressive numbers: .299 batting average, .365 on-base percentage, and .439 slugging percentage with 1,805 hits. His peak years (2008-2013) were particularly stellar—he hit .303 with an OPS+ of 119 during this period. His defensive skills shone too; he bagged four Gold Gloves along with a Silver Slugger award.
Fans might feel nostalgic about Pedroia’s clutch performances during crucial games. Remember when he helped his team win two World Series titles between 2007 and 2013? In those nine playoff series where he appeared, they went an impressive 7-2!
The JAWS system ranks him below average for Hall of Fame second basemen but still ahead of some inductees like Bobby Doerr and Nellie Fox.
Kinsler’s Journey
Kinsler holds his own in the JAWS rankings at 21st place—just behind Pedroia at 19th—and even surpasses him in WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Over his career spanning parts of 14 seasons, Kinsler achieved a .269 batting average with nearly two thousand hits! He also made it into four All-Star Games and won two Gold Gloves.
Though lacking an MVP title like Pedroia’s collection of accolades (including Rookie of the Year), Kinsler contributed significantly to postseason success as well—his teams had a solid record in playoff series wins!
Fans often debate who deserves more recognition: Is it about longevity or peak performance?
Head-to-Head Showdown
Comparing these two players can be fun since they were briefly teammates before taking different paths. Kinsler leads in several stats such as runs scored (1,243), home runs hit (257), RBIs collected (909), plus stolen bases tallied up over time—but does quantity outweigh quality here?
Pedroia boasts higher averages across batting metrics while excelling defensively too; however injuries limited his playing time compared to Kinsler’s longer career span which allowed him greater accumulation overall despite slightly lower rates per game played than what we see from Dustin himself!
The Verdict
Neither player seems likely destined for induction via BBWAA ballot anytime soon given Chase Utley received less than thirty percent last year alone despite being better statistically speaking overall…so maybe committee votes down line could change things eventually though doubtful either makes cut initially unless something drastic happens beforehand perhaps?
What do you think? Will either make it into Cooperstown someday?
