The Hall of Fame vote has Billy Wagner sweating bullets

Billy Wagner's chances of being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame are looking pretty good. Ryan Thibodeaux's ballot tracker has the longtime closer tracking at more than 84 percent of the vote, with 75 percent needed for election. This is Wagner's 10th and final year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot.

A hard-throwing lefty who racked up 422 saves for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves from 1995-2010, Wagner missed out on being inducted by a mere five votes last year.

On Jan. 21, Wagner will learn whether or not he made the Hall. In the meantime, please don't talk to him about it.

"I try really hard not to pay attention," he said in a new interview with The Phillies Show podcast. Missing by five votes last year, Wagner said, was "the most miserable thing I've ever gone through."

Wagner said he's immersed himself in coaching youth baseball. He loves it, to be clear, but it's also a nice distraction from the news he will make this month whether he's inducted or not.

#Happy New Years! As a High School Baseball Coach some phrases that have been thrown around more often are , “ I would take a 2 ⭐️ player with work ethic over a 5⭐️ player with talent” Oh how I wish that was a true statement in todays world!
— Billy Wagner (@BillyWagner1313) January 1, 2025

As of this writing, Wagner is one of four players on pace for induction, along with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Carlos Beltran. Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer were voted in last year.

Wagner would become part of an elite group of closers in Cooperstown if elected, along with Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage, Lee Smith, Rollie Fingers and Bruce Sutter.

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