Dustin Pedroia talks Hall of Fame
Dustin Pedroia is still a ways away from induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but Tuesday night he took a sizable step toward eventually landing in Cooperstown.
The former Red Sox second baseman went from receiving 11.9 percent of the votes last year (his first on the ballot) to getting 20.7 percent this time around.
Pedroia's improvement marked one of the biggest jumps of the Hall of Fame candidates, with Felix Hernandez making the biggest stride, going from 20.6 percent in 2025 to 56 percent this year. Also significantly improving their Hall of Fame chances were Andy Pettitte (from 27.9 percent to 57 percent) and Chase Utley (39.8 percent to 59.1 percent).
Two players earned induction by meeting the minimum 75 percent requirement: Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran got 84.2 percent of the votes, with Jones landing at 78.4 percent. The next-closest to gain induction was Utley, who is in his third year of eligibility.
Manny Ramirez's eligibility has run out, garnering 38.8 percent in his 10th and final year on the ballot. It was only 4.5 percent up from his total last year.
Only one of the first-year candidates, Cole Hamels, got the needed minimum of five percent of the votes to remain on the ballot, with the lefty pitcher earning 23.8 percent in his first year.
The average ballot contained 5.77 names, down from 6.77 last year. Voters may vote for up to 10 candidates. The 11 blank ballots submitted were the most since the record 14 in 2021.