Ian Kinsler falls short of Hall of Fame induction after receiving only 2.5% of the votes.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Former Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler will not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after he received just 2.5% of the votes (9) in his first year of eligibility Tuesday.
Kinsler, a key figure in the Rangers’ back-to-back American League pennants in 2010 and 2011, was considered a borderline candidate for the prestigious honor. However, despite four All-Star selections and two Gold Glove Awards, Kinsler fell short of the 5% threshold required to remain on the ballot for another year.
The former Ranger was among nine other retired players who fell short of the threshold as well, including Russell Martin, Brian McCann and Curtis Granderson.
On the other side of the ballot, legends Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner are joining baseball’s most exclusive club after receiving at least 75% of the votes. Ichiro earned 99.7%, Sabathia received 86.8%, and Wagner garnered 82.5%.
The nine total votes that Kinsler received significantly doused his chances of reaching the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility as players who are removed from the ballot after receiving less than 5% of the vote can still be considered for the Hall of Fame by the Era Committees, formerly the Veterans Committee. This committee reviews players who have been retired for at least 15 years and makes its own decisions on who should be inducted.