A First Ballot Hall of Famer is a player who is elected to the Hall of Fame on his first appearance on the BBWAA ballot. The term has become known as a way to symbolize certain Hall of Famers and active players as above the rest. As for voting patterns, the movement for first ballot Hall of Famers did not really begin until the late 1980s. From 1989 to 1995 there was at least one first ballot Hall of Famer elected every year. Many of the highest voting percentages have come to first ballot players.

Just as noticeable are the players who are not on the list. Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie, Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, Roy Campanella and Harmon Killebrew all had to wait until at least their second ballot to be elected.

Further Reading [ edit ]

David Adler: "Wait, what? 10 Hall of Famers not in on 1st ballot", mlb.com , January 22, 2020. [1]

, January 22, 2020. [1] Daniel Kramer, Chad Thornburg and Do-Hyoung Park: "Every first-ballot Hall of Famer in MLB history", mlb.com, November 19, 2018. [2]



