Five Overlooked players on the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot Who Deserve the Call to Cooperstown

The National Baseball Hall of Fame, a shrine to baseball history, is home to the complete story of America’s Pastime. A home to the game’s greats, being enshrined in the Hall of Fame is the greatest honor that could be bestowed upon any former player. Throughout the entirety of MLB’s history, less than 2% of players have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Its selective nature makes election a prestigious honor. Over time however, many deserving players have been robbed of the opportunity to have their very own plaque in the hall, with their strong cases ultimately overlooked. This years ballot features some players who will likely join that group.

Here are five overlooked players on the 2025 ballot, who deserve the call to Cooperstown:

Mark Buehrle

(Photo credit: Dan Eidsmoe via flickr)

On July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, just the 18th in Major League history at the time. Buehrle, however, should not only be remembered for this achievement but for his amazing career. Over the course of his 16-year career, Buehrle accumulated 59.1 bWAR, placing him 14th all-time among LHP. Of the players ahead of him who are not in the Hall of Fame, Tommy John is the only one who is not currently active, or on the ballot (and yes, he too should be in the Hall of Fame).

During his Major League tenure, Buehrle owned a 3.81 career ERA, remaining remarkably consistent, while winning 214 games and surpassing the 200-win milestone. Buehrle additionally earned five All-Star nods and four Gold Glove Awards, and was a World Series champion in 2005 with the White Sox. While his case suffers from his minimal strikeout numbers (5.1 SO/9), he still managed to reach 1,870 in his career, placing him 36th all-time. His strikeout numbers aren't uber impressive, but Buehrle was not a strikeout pitcher. He made his money getting the ball on the ground, with a 45.3% career ground ball rate. On top of his perfect game, Buehrle also threw a no-hitter on April 18, 2007. He is one of seven players to ever do so. The other six are in the Hall of Fame.

Francisco Rodriguez

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Best known for his time with the Angels, Francisco Rodriguez was a six-time All-Star and 2002 World Series Champion. The man known as "K-Rod" is one of the greatest CP Major League baseball has ever seen. Rodriguez owned a career ERA of 2.86 over 16 seasons, while ranking 6th on MLB’s all-time save list (437) and owning the single season save record with 62 (2008 season). Of the five players ahead of Rodriguez on the save leaderboard, only three are retired, and all three are Hall of Famers (Rivera, Hoffman, Smith). With his career bWAR of 24.2, Rodriguez’s profile is very similar to that of Trevor Hoffman (28.0) and Lee Smith (28.9).

Rodriguez additionally struck out 1,142 batters in 976 IP, good for a 10.5 SO/9, and 12th all-time in strikeouts among relief pitchers. He finished in the top five of Cy-Young voting as a reliever a whopping three times. Ultimately, entering the Hall of Fame as a Relief pitcher is difficult, with only eight relievers having ever been elected.

Ben Zobrist

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The most obscure player on this list, Zobrist deserves consideration for other reasons than just his stats. The Hall of Fame is not only a shrine for MLB’s greats but tells the story of the game. Zobrist, one of the best utility players in MLB history, deserves Hall of Fame consideration for his unique role. His ability to produce from almost any position necessary made him ultra-valuable to any team and has since re-invented the role of a utility man. Zobrist excelled during his career, while playing over 200 games each at four different positions (2B - 911, RF - 466, SS - 236, LF - 223). In modern day MLB, players like Marwin González, Brock Holt, and Kiké Hernández have been able to make waves on World Series winning teams by being a "Zobrist like" player.

Zobrist was the original "modern day super-utility" man, with his versatility helping to contribute to the Royals' 2015 World Series victory, and the Cub's 2016 World Series victory just a year later while winning WS MVP. His ability to excel at any position made him a necessity for playoff contending teams. He wasn't just a guy you would stick at different positions and slot in the back of the lineup though. Over the course of his career, Zobrist earned two All-Star nods, while being an above-average hitter in almost every season he played. Throughout his 14 year career Zobrist posted a career bWAR of 44.5 and OPS+ of 113, while reaching the 1,500 hit (1,566) and 150 home-run (167) milestones. Ultimately Zobrist's case is an interesting one, but baseball fans everywhere can admire what he was able to accomplish during his career.

Russell Martin

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Catcher’s cases are unique, in that defensive value takes priority over offense. Russell Martin was exactly that: an elite fielder with an mediocre bat, but one that was well above average for a catcher. While being selected to four All-Star teams, Martin earned a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award. He also finished his career with just under 1,500 hits (1,416) and 200 homers (191), placing him top 20 among catchers all-time in both stat categories, while having a significantly greater career fWAR than every non Hall of Fame catcher ahead of him on these lists.

Over the course of his 14-year career, Martin accumulated 54.5 fWAR (11th all-time among catchers) as well as a 104 wRC+. Thanks to an advanced skillset, Martin accumulated an fWAR greater that of 2023 Hall of Fame elect Joe Mauer (53.5), while owning over 165.8 framing runs in his career (which measures a catcher’s ability to receive pitches and influence umpire calls). His Fangraphs defensive value (fielding runs above average and positional runs added together) of 304.7 places him second among catchers since the stat began tracking (approximately 2013). Additionally, his career fWAR places him slightly above the current Hall of Fame average (52.9).

**Catchers are a unique case when it comes to analyzing their career, and should be held to different standards accordingly. fWAR is far more useful in evaluating a catcher than bWAR, due to the differences in nature. fWAR takes into account a catcher's framing ability and thus values defense at a higher level than bWAR. The average fWAR of an MLB Hall of Fame catcher is 52.9 (Negro Leagues not included).

Brian McCann

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Just like Martin, Brian McCann’s Hall of Fame argument is benefitted from his defensive value, while he was also a significantly better hitter. Throughout the course of his career, McCann accumulated 1,590 hits and just under 300 homers (282), marking him 14th all-time in hits by a catcher, and eighth all-time on the catcher home-run leaderboard. Six of the Seven catchers above McCann on the homer leaderboard are Hall of Famers (Only Lance Parrish isn't). McCann was also a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, while being a World Series champion with the Astros in 2017. 

While he had an above average bat, posting a 110 wRC+ through his career, McCann's 52.1 fWAR (15th all-time among catchers) was greatly bolstered by his defensive prowess. He was an even better framing catcher than Martin, with over 165.6 framing runs during his 15-year career (McCann played in one more season than Martin where framing runs were not tracked). His Fangraphs defensive value of 274.5 places him just behind Martin at third on the leaderboards since the stat began tracking. McCann's case is extremely strong having been one of the best hitting catchers in MLB history, with elite defense to back the bat up.

** Martin’s and McCann’s cases could shape how future catchers, such as Buster Posey and Yadier Molina, are evaluated.

(Statistics found in: baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, fangraphs.com, baseball-almanac.com, statmuse.com)

Cover photo credit: Emory Minnick via flickr