In the center of a sun-filled atrium, at the far end of the plaque gallery at the Baseball Hall of Fame, you will meet the first class of inductees from 1936. Only five players made it then: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. Even Cy Young, with his 511 career wins, had to wait.

In the eight decades since, only 46 more players have been elected by the writers on the first try. Those inductees are mixed with all the rest, along the side walls. They are immortals in equal standing because not every Hall of Famer is obvious at first. In a sometimes clunky election process, most candidates need years to build a case.

Jorge Posada’s might be over just as it starts. In his first appearance on the ballot, Posada, the stalwart catcher of the Yankees’ recent glory years, is in danger of falling off without future consideration. Posada has been named on just eight of the 190 ballots made public so far, as compiled by Ryan Thibodaux. That comes to 4.2 percent, just shy of the 5 percent he will need to survive for another year. Results will be announced next Wednesday.

“I hope Jorge hangs in for a while,” said Mark Newman, a former Yankees senior vice president. “Maybe he’ll be an acquired taste.”