The 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame class has finally been revealed. Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner will join Veterans Committee selections Dick Allen and Dave Parker to be immortalized in Cooperstown in July. All inductees are more than deserving of their selections, but the bittersweet moment of it all is the number of quality players that fell off the ballot. In total, 10 players failed to reach the 5% threshold needed to return to the ballot for 2026, including the two Colorado Rockies representatives Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos González.

It was never expected that either player would earn enough votes to make it into the Hall of Fame, and even appearing on the ballot itself is quite the honor nonetheless. Both were key figures in Colorado during their tenure but extenuating circumstances prevented them from reaching the heights that the league deems Hall of Fame worthy. Between the two, they gained just six votes (four for Tulo, two for CarGo) causing them to fall off the ballot. González seemed like a foregone conclusion because, despite his excellent career in Colorado, he was out of the league by the time he was in his early 30s. He had one of the sweetest swings in baseball and was known for electric power to go along with his incredible defensive abilities in the outfield. He ranks in the upper echelon of players in Rockies history and will always be held in high regard by those who watched him play over a decade in purple.

Tulowitzki, on the other hand, feels as if he could have and should have at least gathered more support in the voting process, even if he still fell off the ballot. During his 13-year career, Tulowitzki collected 44.5 WAR with 37.8 WAR coming during his 20s. Among primary shortstops who debuted in the Wild Card Era (since 1995), only Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter had more WAR before their age-30 season. Only A-Rod, Correa and Garciaparra had a better OPS+ than Tulowitzki during that span (125).

Drafted seventh overall by the Rockies in 2005 out of California State University, Long Beach, Tulo had a rapid ascension to the big leagues, making his debut late in 2006 after making the jump from Double-A. In 2007 he beat out Clint Barmes for the starting shortstop position and never looked back during his Rockies career. Tulo’s finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting that season after slashing .291/.359/.479 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI as an integral part of the National League Champion Rockies that season. Despite putting up 6.8 WAR, the voters chose Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun who played in over 30 fewer games and put up a 2.0 WAR, but clubbed 34 home runs and slashed .324/.370/.634. Still, Tulo was immediately one the game’s best at his position.

Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, Tulo helped revolutionize the position for the modern era. Gone were the days of the speedy glove-first shortstop as they were replaced with the offensive powerhouse that can also play slick defense. The keystone position became a premier spot across the league as teams began to look for players who could combine both aspects of being a shortstop.

He finished six seasons with at least 5.0 WAR, putting him in a group with Ernie Banks, Alan Trammell, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Francisco Lindor. His 5.6 WAR average certainly sits higher than the average Hall of Fame shortstop (4.9) and while his 42.2 JAWS places him 28th among all-time shortstops and below the 55.5 average of 23 Hall of Fame shortstops, it is still better than six other Hall of Famers.

Additionally, his 40.7 WAR during his seven best seasons is nearly on par with the average for a Hall of Fame shortstop (43.2), placing him 21st overall. The only non-Hall of Fame shortstops ahead of him on the list on are Jim Fregosi (41.0), Jack Glasscock (41.0), Francisco Lindor (41.3), Nomar Garciaparra (43.1), and Alex Rodriguez (64.3). His 119 wRC+ is in line with Derek Jeter on the all-time list while his 224 career home runs place 14th among all shortstops in baseball history.

He spent 10 years in Colorado, batting .299/.371/.513 slash line with 188 homers in 1,048 games while receiving five All-Star selections, two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He received MVP votes in six seasons while in Colorado, including fifth-place finishes in 2009 and 2010.

His career .985 fielding percentage is tied with Omar Visquel for the best in baseball history at shortstop (minimum 10,000 innings) while his 94 defensive runs saved are the second-most by a shortstop. His 41.4 ultimate zone rating places him fifth all-time behind speedy shortstops like Jimmy Rollins and Andrelton Simmons. In Rockies history alone, his 13.9 defensive WAR ranks second behind Nolan Arenado’s 15.6 defensive WAR.

During his prime, it’s hard to deny that Tulo was on a Hall of Fame track and could have gone down as one of the greatest shortstops in history. That distinction of being one the greats could still apply, specifically thanks to his prime years, but the caveat of injuries will always leave fans and voters with the question of: “What if?”

In his 13 seasons, Tulo played at least 150 games just twice in 2007 and 2009. From 2010 to 2019 Tulo played more than 100 games in a season just three times. Injuries to the lower half, particularly his legs, feet and groin, plagued him constantly as he missed at least 30 games in 10 of his 13 seasons. When healthy he was a menace on the field, but the reality is that the injuries limited him to just 1,291 games. It was an injury that forced him to call it quits in 2019 after just a few games of realizing his dream of playing for the New York Yankees.

Still, why should he have gained more support?

First, take a look at this graphic:

These three middle infielders all played from 2006-2019. There are quite a few similarities between the three with all of them being Gold Glove defensive players, productive bats, and instrumental pieces of their respective teams during their primes. However, only one of them received enough support to stay on the ballot; Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia dealt with injuries throughout his career, particularly at the end where he was limited to just nine games in his final two seasons. He always hit for a high average and was a good on-base guy, but he was never the power threat that the other two were. There are plenty of arguments that say he shouldn’t be a Hall of Famer, despite being an excellent player, but voters have constantly pointed to his MVP award, his Rookie of the Year award, and the fact that he was instrumental in winning two World Series titles. Pedroia was more than deserving in my humble opinion and earned 11.9% of the vote, but both Kinsler and Tulo fell off the ballot in their first year.

The voting process for the Hall of Fame is always arbitrary and the voters all have different criteria and expectations of what makes a Hall of Famer. Pedroia was one of the best second baseman in baseball history and the same can be said for Tulo at shortstop. During the voting cycle, the media seemed to focus mainly on the big and notable names, and rightfully so, but it would have been nice to see more of the players get the recognition they deserve for their careers and why they were placed on the ballot in the first place. Did Tulo deserve more than four votes? Absolutely, but even more so he deserves the celebration of his incredible career.