Following the announcement of the 2024 ballot on Nov. 20, discussions regarding who deserves to be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame will recommence.
Twelve new candidates, fourteen returning players, and one player—Gary Sheffield—who is in his final year of eligibility are all on the ballot. It takes at least 75% of the vote for a player to be admitted into the Hall of Fame.
Billy Wagner, a former reliever for the Houston Astros, came close in 2023, finishing with 68.1%.
Now, the Astros are publicly advocating for Wagner to receive the necessary number of votes. In a social media post, they laid out the case for the left-handed closer to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Amongst Hall of Famers, his opponents’ batting average of .187 would be the lowest, his 11.92 K/9 and 5.99 H/9 ratios would be the best. He also would have the second-lowest ERA of 2.31, third-highest save percentage with 85.9% and fourth-most saves with 422.
Houston selected Wagner in the first round of the 1993 MLB Draft. He made is debut in 1995 when appearing in one game. He became a full-time Major Leaguer the following season and immediately started showing dominance.
Wagner spent nine seasons with the Astros from 1995-2003, becoming a three-time All-Star.
He also had his career best year in 1999, winning the Relief Man of the Year Award. He recorded 39 saves and struck out 124 batters across 74 2/3 innings pitched, and posted an ERA of 1.57. His total saves that season were more than the 35 hits that he allowed as he finished fourth in Cy Young voting.
The closer played for seven more Major League Baseball seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves after leaving Houston.
He is the eighth pitcher in history to have 400 or more saves, and he concluded his career as a seven-time All-Star.
Although it’s unclear if Wagner will be inducted wearing an Astros cap, the franchise is still actively pushing for his induction.
