CLEVELAND — The 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been revealed, and a legendary Cleveland ace is officially seeing his name show up for the first time.
Former Indians pitcher CC Sabathia is among 28 ex-players being considered for induction into Cooperstown. With the big left-hander's final MLB game coming six years ago in 2019, his eligibility for the game's highest individual career honor now begins.
Of Sabathia's 19 total seasons at baseball's top level, 7 1/2 of them came with the Tribe, the team that made him a first-round draft pick in 1998. From 2001-08, CC won 106 games and made three American League All-Star teams, while also placing himself seventh in club history with 1,265 strikeouts. In 2007, he became Cleveland's second Cy Young Award winner with a 19-7 record and 3.21 ERA with 209 Ks across a league-leading 241 innings pitched.
Following a deal at the 2008 trade deadline, Sabathia spend a dominant three months with the Milwaukee Brewers before signing a massive contract with the New York Yankees, the franchise he would represent for the remainder of his big-league run. He notched three more All-Star appearances and earned a World Series ring in 2009, finishing his career with 251 victories and 3,093 strikeouts.
The Guardians organization honored Sabathia for his accomplishments this past summer by enshrining him in the team's Hall of Fame. As far as Cooperstown goes, he is considered one of this year's top candidates for election, notably with his strikeout total placing him 18th in the entire history of the game.
Sabathia is one of five former Cleveland players being pondered for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, with two of them including ex-teammate Omar Vizquel and longtime slugger Manny Ramírez. Vizquel's 11 career Gold Gloves and Ramirez's 555 home runs would've made them virtual locks on the surface, but both have instead languished on the ballot for years, Vizquel due to domestic violence and sexual harassment allegations and Ramirez because of performance-enhancing drug use during his playing days.
Also joining Sabathia for the first time on the ballot are Carlos González and Hanley Ramírez (no relation to Manny). The pair combined for six All-Star nods and more than 500 homers during their respective careers, but those accomplishments mostly came on other squads before both spent time on the 2019 Indians.
To gain induction to the Hall of Fame, players on the ballot must garner at least 75% of the vote from the electorate, which is made up of members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Selectors can choose up to 10 names, and those who achieve less than 75% support but more than 5% will remain on the ballot for a maximum of 10 years (Vizquel is entering his eighth try and Manny Ramírez his ninth). Nominees under 5% will fall off the writers' ballot entirely (González and Hanley Ramírez are unfortunate candidates for this dubious distinction).
The last former Cleveland player to be elected via the BBWAA was iconic Indians slugger Jim Thome, who achieved 89.8% of the vote in 2018 and chose to be inducted with a Cleveland cap on his plaque. More recently, Minnie Miñoso was posthumously chosen by the Hall's Golden Days Era Committee in 2022, though he was enshrined as a member of the Chicago White Sox.
Besides the baseball writers, the Hall of Fame's 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee is also reviewing the cases of eight nominees in a separate process. Among those eight are ex-Tribe pitchers Tommy John and Luis Tiant, the latter of whom spent six seasons with Cleveland and posted a remarkable 1.60 ERA in 1968. The native son of Cuba sadly died last month at the age of 83.
The results of the Classic Baseball balloting will be announced on Dec. 8, while the BBWAA will unveil its selections on Jan. 21 of next year. The induction ceremony will take place this July in Cooperstown.