Former Mets closer Billy Wagner misses out on Hall of Fame by 5 votes

24/01/2024

Billy Wagner of the New York Mets pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 24, 2008, at Shea Stadium in New York.

NEW YORK — Billy Wagner‘s ninth try for the Baseball Hall of Fame fell just short.

The former Mets closer, who also played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves received 73.8% of the vote this season, missing the 75% threshold needed by a slim margin. Candidates needed 289 votes for entry out of 385 total ballots. Wagner received 284 votes.

Wagner will be on the ballot one more year, leaving 2025 as his last chance for entrance into Cooperstown. Joe Mauer, Todd Helton and Adrían Beltré were the only three candidates elected this year. No Mets will be inducted in 2025, despite having 11 players who played for the team eligible for consideration.

Hall of Fame voters have been reluctant to vote in relief pitchers given their relative lack of innings pitched compared to starters. Fewer innings pitched decreases a pitcher’s WAR. Wagner pitched 903 innings over 16 years in the league, posting a 2.31 ERA, a 2.73 FIP and saved 422 games, the sixth-most all time and the second-most all time for a lefty behind John Franco, another former Mets reliever. Wagner is one of only eight pitchers to have ever saved 400 or more games and he still holds the record for the most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever (1,196).

Wagner finished with a career WAR of 27.7, which is similar to another Hall of Fame reliever, Trevor Hoffman (28).

Wagner, who grew up between two rural Virginia towns and pitched for Division III Ferrum College, was undersized at only 5-foot-10 but had a big enough arm to make up for it. His ferocious fastball was his calling card as he regularly touched 100 mph with relative ease. He became the prototype for the modern day back-end relief pitcher. Now, nearly every team has a flamethrower like Wagner throwing in high-leverage innings and saving games.

In his second year on the ballot, Carlos Beltran, a former Mets center fielder and current front office executive, received 220 votes for 51.7%. David Wright received 6.2% of votes, good enough to keep him on the ballot again next year. Bartolo Colon received only five votes (1.3%) and will drop off the ballot next year, along with Jose Reyes, who did not receive any votes.

Wagner will likely get into the Hall next year, though there is no guarantee. It’s a gut-punch for a seven-time All-Star, but he’ll still get one more shot next year.

OTHER NEWS