Mariners legend Félix Hernández has better chance to state Hall of Fame case in 2026

On Tuesday, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) release its voting results for the 2025 Hall of Fame class. It’s an exciting time for Seattle Mariners fans as both Ichiro Suzuki and Félix Hernández were on the ballot. Ichiro was elected, falling one vote short of being unanimous. So M’s fans had something to celebrate.

Unfortunately, the greatest pitcher in franchise history is not going to Cooperstown this year. Next year, however, will be a better chance for Hernández to improve his odds for Hall of Fame enshrinement. Hernandez received 20.6% of the vote in his first appearance on the ballot.

By the time he threw his last pitch for the Mariners on Sept. 26, 2019, Hernández had established himself as a franchise icon with 49.9 bWAR, the most among Seattle pitchers ever. The right-hander from Venezuela pitched the most innings (2729 2/3), gathered the most strikeouts (2,524), and won the most games (169) in Mariners franchise history.

From 2009-2015, Hernández was one of the best pitchers in the game, appearing in six All-Star games, striking out more than 200 batters in six straight seasons, and winning the 2010 AL Cy Young Award.

On Aug. 15, 2012, Hernández pitched the first and only perfect game in franchise history.

👑#OTD in 2012, Felix threw the only perfect game in Mariners history. #Mariners40 pic.twitter.com/hXtBjkPd2H

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 15, 2017

2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Results for Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, Ichiro Suzuki

Holding multiple franchise records as a starting pitcher should get you into the Hall of Fame, right? Well, that’s not the case. According to Ryan Thibodeaux’s Hall of Fame tracker in the early portion of the voting process, that didn’t seem to matter. However, because he cleared the 5% threshold to remain on the ballot, Hernández has another year to make a strong case for enshrinement.

This year’s Hall of Fame ballot has Ichiro and 19-year veteran CC Sabathia, both of whom were elexted to Cooperstown. Additionally, this was Billy Wagner’s 10th and final season on the ballot, which helped state his case for election (and it happened). After all three ballplayers are off the ballot, there will be more discussion about Hernández’s credentials, especially with an incoming weak 2026 class.

Hernández’s first year on the ballot wasn’t a failure by any means. In his prime, Hernández was the best pitcher in the American League when you factor in his ERA, FIP, strikeouts, and total fWAR during his prime. Maybe that’ll be more heavily considered next year with the path cleared after a few guys had to cut the right-hander in line.