It was only Beltrán’s third year on the ballot — the maximum is 10 — so the graceful outfielder is in good shape to make it eventually. And next year should work in his favor because there probably won’t be any first-ballot inductees. Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun are expected to headline the newcomers.

After Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, attention turns to the ballot for 2026.

No, Suzuki in 2025 was one vote shy of being a unanimous Baseball Hall of Famer, joining Jeter in terms of percentage (99.7%). Jeter was inducted in 2020. The one voter who snubbed Jeter has not been revealed to this point.

Other bits of intrigue ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. announcement: Will CC Sabathia be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and is this the year Billy Wagner gets in?

Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. It's a remarkable achievement to survive the gauntlet of baseball writers to get elected to Cooperstown: After all, the Baseball Hall of Fame remains the toughest to gain entry to,

Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for baseball's Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous.