4 Former Brewers Who Will Be First-Year Eligible for the MLB Hall of Fame Next Year

Another year of MLB Hall of Fame voting has come and gone. And with it, three very deserving candidates joined a long list of legendary names.

Infielders Todd Helton and Adrian Beltre as well as catcher Joe Mauer received the necessary amount of votes to become members of the 2024 MLB hall of Fame class. The latter two of that trio made it in on their first year of eligibility.

It marked the fourth straight year that a former Brewers player wasn't part of an MLB Hall of Fame class, the last being Ted Simmons who was elected in 2020. Gary Sheffield got somewhat close this year, ultimately falling short in garnering 63.9% of votes (75% is needed for election).

Next year, a new crop of first-year eligible players (10 seasons played and retired for five full seasons) will be up for election to the MLB Hall of Fame including a trio of former Brewers. There's a good chance, this time, that one of them ends up getting the call.

Here are four former Brewers who will be first-year eligible for the MLB Hall of Fame next year.

1. LHP CC Sabathia

Pitcher CC Sabathia may not have even pitched for a full season in Milwaukee, but boy was it a memorable one. He dominated as a member of the Brewers after his midseason trade in 2008, carrying the team all the way to their first playoff appearance in 26 years.

Sabathia ended up playing for 19 seasons, first with Cleveland, then Milwaukee, and finally the New York Yankees, winning 251 games and putting up a 3.74 ERA and 1.259 WHIP with 3,093 strikeouts. He was a six-time All-Star, won the 2007 AL Cy Young, was an ALCS MVP, and is a World Series champion.

Sabathia finished with a pitcher bWAR of 61.8 which is tied for 55th all time. Only 12 players with a higher bWAR are not in the Hall of Fame and four of them are still active. His 3,093 strikeouts are also 18th most in MLB history. He may not be a lock to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he'll have a shot and has a great chance to make it at some point regardless.

2. OF Curtis Granderson

Another player brought in for a Brewers playoff run, outfielder Curtis Granderson played in just one more game (18) for the Crew than Sabathia did (17). While he batted just .220 in that time, he had a number of big hits and still managed to put up an OPS of .846 for the 2018 playoff squad.

In his 16-year career, Granderson made three All-Star games and won a Silver Slugger award while hitting .249 with a .803 OPS in 2,057 games. He had a 47.2 bWAR for his MLB career, which is very impressive, though not Hall of Fame worthy.

3. OF Carlos Gomez

Outfielder Carlos Gomez was a member of the Brewers for much longer, playing for five and a half seasons in Milwaukee. While there, he earned the only two All-Star appearances of his career (2013, 2014) as well as the only Gold Glove win of his career (2013).

In his 13-year career, Gomez compiled a bWAR of 24.3 and put up a slash line of .252/.313/.411 while slugging 236 doubles and145 homers, stealing 268 bases, and scoring 675 runs while playing for six different teams. It was a solid career, but not one that will put him in the Hall of Fame.

4. 1B/3B Mark Reynolds

Playing in Milwaukee barely more than Sabathia, infielder Mark Reynolds was a member of the Brewers for just one season, playing for the Crew with Gomez during the 2014 season. It was not one of the more memorable seasons of his career as he slashed just .196/.287/.394 with 22 homers and 45 RBIs in 130 games.

Reynolds had better averages for his 13-year MLB career, slashing .236/.328/.453 and falling just shy of the 300-homer club with 298 long bombs for his career. He put up just a 6.8 bWAR for his career and his stay on the Hall of Fame ballot will be short lived.