The 9 Baseball Hall Of Famers Who’ve Received The Highest Percentage Of The Vote

There are now more than 350 people immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame in the wake of the announcement of the latest round of inductees that included Ichiro Suzuki, who came up one vote shy of being enshrined in Cooperstown via a unanimous vote.

The members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America are responsible for picking the players who end up in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and their votes are shrouded under a veil of secrecy due to the organization’s decision to not release individual ballots after the final numbers are tallied.

As a result, there tends to be some controversy whenever a player who obviously deserves to end up in Cooperstown doesn’t receive every possible vote.

There’s currently only one Hall of Famer who managed to achieve that feat, but plenty of other notable names have come pretty close.

Mariano Rivera: 100%

Mariano Rivera is the only Hall of Famer to be inducted unanimously, as all 425 voters who submitted a ballot in 2019 listed the Yankees legend who cemented himself as the most dominant closer of all time.

Rivera harnessed his deadly cutter to rack up an MLB-record 652 saves during the 19 seasons he spent as a member of the Bronx Bombers, and the man who had a 2.21 ERA in the regular season and absurd one of 0.70 in the playoffs was a key reason they won five World Series during his time with the team.

It’s safe to say he earned every single one of those votes.

Derek Jeter: 99.7%

There was zero doubt Derek Jeter was headed to Cooperstown after spending the entirety of his 20-year career with the Yankees, but one of the 397 people who voted for the 2020 Hall of Fame class left him off their ballot (Nick Canepa of The San Diego Union-Tribune is widely believed to be the culprit).

Both Jeter and Rivera made their MLB debut with the Yankees in 1995, and the shortstop known as “The Captain” became the face of the franchise that built a dynasty during his tenure.

He holds the record for the most postseason hits in MLB history with 200 and ended up at six on the all-time list as far as the regular season is concerned with  3,465.

Ichiro Suzuki: 99.7%

393 of the 394 voters who submitted a ballot for the Hall of Fame class that will be officially inducted in 2025 included Ichiro Suzuki, and while we may never learn who snubbed him, it’s very hard to justify the decision to leave him off the ballot.

He wasn’t the first Japanese player to take his talents to the MLB, but he was easily the most notable member of the wave that began to arrive around the turn of the millennium.

Ichiro was a hit machine who racked up 3,089 of them after he’d already recorded 1,278 in his home country. He retired with a .311 batting average and a .355 on-base percentage and also knew a thing or two about stealing; he set an American League record by swiping 45 consecutive bases without getting caught.

Ken Griffey Jr.: 99.3%

Ken Griffey Jr. emerged as a superstar during MLB’s Steroid Era, but unlike many sluggers who made a name for themself during that period, his career was untainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

“The Kid” used his buttery smooth swing to clock 630 home runs (the seventh-most of all-time) and also racked up 10 Golden Gloves thanks to his prowess in the outfield during the 22 seasons he spent between the Mariners and the Reds.

It’s hard to justify the decision to leave him off the ballot in 2016, but three voters did exactly that while 437 others made the correct call.

Tom Seaver: 98.8%

430 people voted for the Hall of Famers who were inducted in 1992, and all but five of them rightfully gave the nod to Tom Seaver.

The three-time Cy Young winner played for four different teams but is best known for what he achieved during the 12 seasons he spent with the Mets—including the “Amazin’ Mets” crew that won the World Series in 1969.

Seaver finished his career with 311 win, a 2.86 ERA, and the 3,640 strikeouts that put him sixth on the all-time list.

Nolan Ryan: 98.8%

It’s hard to imagine anyone would leave Nolan Ryan off of their Hall of Fame ballot, but he somehow only received 491 of the 497 votes that were cast when he was inducted in 1999.

After all, we’re talking about a guy who holds the MLB record for strikeouts with 5,714—he has close to 1,600 more than Steve Carlton, who was in second place when Ryan retired, and still leads current runner-up Randy Johnson by 839—and had seven no-hitters (Sandy Koufax has the silver medal with four).

However, that somehow wasn’t enough to sway the six people who didn’t vote for him.

Cal Ripken Jr.: 98.5%

Cal Ripken Jr. is probably best known for his “Iron Man” streak that saw him snap Lou Gehrig’s supposedly unbreakable record of  2,130 consecutive games played in 1995 before he capped off his own with 2,632 after opting to take a well-earned day off in 1998.

The fact that he made the All-Star Game in 19 of the 21 seasons he spent with the Orioles really tells you all you need to know about his career, but it’s worth noting he’s one of the 33 players who’ve joined the 3,000 Hits Club (he’s 15th all-time with 3,184) and sits in 29th place in the RBI category with 1,695.

However, there were eight people who neglected to list him on the ballot when 427 other members of the BBWA voted for him in 2007.

George Brett: 98.2%

George Brett spent the entirety of his 21-year career with the Royals and received 488 of 497 possible votes when he got the Hall of Fame nod in 1999.

The third baseman finished his career with 3,154 hits (the 18th-most of all time), 1,596 RBI (38th), and 317 home runs along with a .305 batting average that’s boosted a little bit by the. 390 he boasted during the 1980 season where he rightfully won American League MVP honors.

Ty Cobb: 98.2%

The Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed its first class of players in 1936 with a quintet of legends: Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Ty Cobb.

You might think The Great Bambino received more votes than anyone else, but the honor actually went to Cobb, who was listed on 222 of the 226 ballots that were submitted (he set a record that stood until Seaver surpassed it; if you’re curious, Ruth and Wagner each received 215).

The Tigers great retired with scores of MLB records under his belt, but his greatest feat may be his stellar batting average of .367.

He’s second of all-time behind Josh Gibson (who posted one of .372 in 628 games compared to Cobb’s 3,034) and once won the batting title on 12 occasions (including nine years in a row) en route to finishing above the .3o0 mark in 23 of the 24 seasons he played.