"Anyone voting for Russell Martin should have their vote taken away" - Fans baffled as MLB analyst snubs Alex Rodriguez & others in Hall of Fame picks
The 2025 MLB Hall of Fame ballot features some of the most recognizable names who played in the past 30 years. After the eligible players on this year's ballot were announced, fans and experts began talking about the superstars' careers and whether or not they were worthy of being inducted.
The players up for Hall of Fame induction and fans across the globe will need to wait until Jan. 21 to find out who has earned the required number of votes to gain entry. Even though there is still more than a month to go before the names are revealed, some of the writers who will be voting have shared their ballots on social media.
One of the writers is Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. While it is refreshing to see some clarity in the voting process, Montemurro's ballot has sparked criticism from fans for some of the names she excluded, and perhaps more importantly, some of the names she voted for, including former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin.
"Anyone voting for Russell Martin for the Hall of Fame should have their vote taken away," one fan tweeted.
"Could you explain your Martin vote?" another fan said.
"Russell Martin? Really? Maybe I just missed his career milestones..." one fan wrote.
The former catcher enjoyed a strong MLB career; however, his achievements on the field have left many wondering why Montemurro voted for him. They also questioned why she opted to go with Martin as opposed to the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Felix Hernandez and Tori Hunter.
"Russell Martin but no A-Rod, Manny, or Felix? That’s insane tbh," a fan wrote.
"This is abysmal," another fan commented.
"Well you don’t know baseball it would seem," one fan said.
Over his 14-year MLB career, Martin earned four All-Star selections, a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, while also posting a career 38.9 WAR, 191 home runs, and a .248 batting average. Although that is a solid career, it's not exactly a Hall of Fame-worthy career for many fans on social media.
Russell Martin will need to recieve a minimum of 5% of votes to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot
There are specific requirements that players need to achieve to either be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame or be part of the ballot. To be enshrined, players have 10 years to gain at least 75% of votes to be selected. Only former Houston Astros great Billy Wagner is in his 10th year of voting after receiving 73.8% in 2024.
First-timers like Russell Martin, need to receive at least 5% of votes to remain on the ballot next year. Martin's former Blue Jays teammate, Jose Bautista, failed to do so in 2024 and is no longer part of this year's ballot.