MLB Network lays out the case for CC Sabathia

Based on the early anonymous voting results, CC Sabathia will almost certainly represent the New York Yankees as a first-ballot member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The former left-handed starting pitcher is shattering expectations and receiving the utmost respect from the writers. Nevertheless, one can never have enough support.

MLB Network is doing its part to help Sabathia secure the eternal honor. “MLB Tonight” host Greg Amsinger and two-time All-Star second baseman Harold Reynolds make a HOF case for the 2009 World Series champion and 2007 American League Cy Young.

“I think if you’re one of the top-five pitchers of your era, you’re a Hall of Famer,” Amsinger said. “First in innings (3,577.1), third in wins (251), first in starts (560) {and} fourth in strikeouts (3,093) in the Wild Card era. Reynolds specifically used a magic number to argue Sabathia’s enshrinement in Cooperstown. “When he got his 3,000th strikeout in Arizona, that was a booked, locked first-ballot Hall of Fame for him,” he said.

Sabathia currently has the third-most strikeouts among southpaws, ranking only behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton (Clayton Kershaw will likely pass him in 2025). He also boasts six All-Star selections, an AL Championship Series MVP award and a 62.3 WAR across 19 MLB seasons.

A lifetime 3.74 ERA is not what voters typically deem acceptable for a first-ballot starter, and his 4.28 playoffs ERA is quite lackluster, but Amsinger and Reynolds highlight the two signature CC Sabathia feats that separate him from pitchers with comparable or even superior numbers– his magnificent run with the Milwaukee Brewers in the second half of the 2008 campaign (1.65 ERA and three shutouts) and an elite showing in the 2009 postseason for the Yankees (1.98 ERA and 32 Ks in five starts).

"If you're one of the top 5 pitchers of your era, you're a Hall of Famer."

Greg and Harold make the case for CC Sabathia.

Find out who will be a part of this year's @baseballhall class on Tuesday, January 21st on MLB Network. pic.twitter.com/xkOEd7EEjy

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 16, 2025

The CC Sabathia boom raises questions about other HOF voting trends

Curt Schilling, Mark Buehrle and Kevin Brown all have strong gripes to make regarding Sabathia’s projected vote count, given that none of them came remotely close to reaching the necessary 75 percent mark. Brown got wiped off the ballot after his first year, despite amassing a higher WAR and arguably a better peak than Sabathia. But perhaps thriving in the most high-pressure sports market in the country carries more weight than people even think.

Additionally, validating the faith of an organization and fan base is one of the most difficult objectives a player can meet, and Sabathia did so on three different franchises.

Nine years after the then-Cleveland Indians drafted him with the No. 20 overall pick, the California native was crowned the AL’s best pitcher. The Brewers gave up a haul of prospects that included future All-Star Michael Brantley to acquire Sabathia and were subsequently rewarded with one of the most sensational and gutsiest stretches in MLB history. The Yankees signed the 6-foot-6 hurler to a record-breaking contract for the position at the time and then won their 27th championship less than 11 months later.

The man came through. And now the baseball community is returning the favor. The official Hall of Fame results will be revealed on Jan. 21.