Which Players Will Be First-Year Eligible For 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

From Carlos Beltrán and Francisco Rodríguez to Jacoby Ellsbury and John Lackey, here are 10 players that will be eligible for Hall of Fame votes for the first time in 2023.

Max Goodman | Jan 26, 2022

In this story:

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens won't be on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2023, but plenty of new faces are eligible to receive votes for the first time.

The results of this year's election were certainly controversial. David Ortiz ended up being the lone player elected on Tuesday night.

Bonds and Clemens, along with Sammy Sosa and Curt Schilling, all failed to reach the 75% threshold necessary to be inducted. Since it was their 10th and final year on the ballot, those all-time greats won't be headed to Cooperstown, unless they're voted in by the Today's Game Era Committee.

While those four players fell short in their final year of eligibility, other household names carry over into next year. Alex Rodriguez, Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Gary Sheffield and Billy Wagner are among the stars that will be up for induction again next year.

That said, what about the players making their first appearance on the ballot in 2023? Let's run through 10 of the studs that have been out of the league for five years and could earn some votes during the election process next year...

10 First-Year Eligible Players For 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

Carlos Beltrán

Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran runs off the field — Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Over 20 seasons, Beltrán racked up a 70.1 WAR, tied for the second-most among all Hall of Fame eligible players in 2023. The nine-time All-Star won three Gold Glove Awards, was Rookie of the Year with the Royals in 1999 and whacked 435 career home runs.

Beltrán also won a World Series with the Astros in 2017, a ring that casts a shadow over his decorated career due to his involvement in Houston's sign-stealing scandal.

READ: Carlos Beltrán Could Return to Baseball Via Yankees Broadcasts

John Lackey

Lackey won 188 games over his 15-year career, posting a 3.92 ERA across 2,840.1 innings. The three-time World Series champion had his best years in an Angels uniform, pitching to the tune of a 3.81 ERA with 1,201 strikeouts over 234 starts in red and white.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was dominant with the Red Sox early in his career. Finishing second in the race for the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player Award, the outfielder slashed .321/.376/.552 with 32 homers and 105 RBI. He stole 50-plus bases in three seasons with Boston as well.

After signing a seven-year, $153 million deal with the Yankees in 2013, his career took a turn. Injuries kept the speedster off the field as he struggled mightily to live up to expectations in pinstripes.

Jacoby Ellsbury is eligible to be on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2023.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) January 26, 2022

Jered Weaver

Weaver spent 11 of his 12 big-league seasons with the Angels, finishing his career with a 150-93 record and a 3.55 career ERA. The right-hander finished top-five in the AL Cy Young Award race in three consecutive years (from 2010 to 2012), winning 20 games in the final campaign of that stretch.

Matt Cain

Tim Lincecum didn't receive enough votes this year to stay on the ballot. Now, another Giants right-hander will get a shot.

Cain is a three-time All-Star and was a staple in San Francisco's rotation across his 13-year career. The hurler also threw the first perfect game in Giants franchise history on June 13, 2012, part of the best season of his career.

Seven years ago today, Matt Cain tossed the 22nd perfect game in @MLB history.

He also tied the record for most Ks (14) in a perfect game (Koufax, Rucker). pic.twitter.com/DneeUagkF0
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 13, 2019

Francisco Rodríguez

Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez pitching — Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

K-Rod recorded 437 saves in his 16-year career, fourth-most in baseball history. Rodríguez, a six-time All-Star, also holds the record for the most saves in a single season (62 saves in 2008 with the Angels).

Jayson Werth

Werth's career started slow, but he did plenty of damage with the Phillies and Nationals beginning in his age-28 season. The outfielder slugged 229 career home runs, had 1,465 hits and earned MVP votes in four different seasons while winning a World Series in Philadelphia in 2008.

Yesterday's #WERTHQUAKE was Jayson Werth's 15th career #Postseason HR, tying Babe Ruth for 11th all-time. pic.twitter.com/2Phqln2zZb
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 11, 2016

R.A. Dickey

Can you believe it's been 10 years since R.A. Dickey won his NL Cy Young Award with the Mets? The knuckleballer finished his inspiring career with a 4.04 ERA over 2,073.2 innings, starting 29-plus games in each of his final seven seasons.

Mike Napoli

Over 12 big-league seasons, Napoli crushed 267 home runs with eight 20-plus homer campaigns. The slugger won a World Series with Boston in 2013, spending the majority of his career in the AL West (five years with the Angels and four with the Rangers).

Jhonny Peralta

The hard-hitting shortstop racked up 1,761 hits, 202 home runs and 30.4 WAR over 15 big-league seasons with Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis. Peralta is also a three-time All-Star.

Each of those 10 players had tremendous careers, but other than Beltrán and Rodríguez, it's tough to envision them earning too many votes. After all, 10 of the 13 first-year eligible players on this year's ballot didn't earn the 5% necessary to stick around on the ballot for an additional cycle.

For more first-year eligible players (in 2023 and beyond), head over to the Hall of Fame's official website by clicking here.

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published Jan 26, 2022

MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.