The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was unveiled the other day. Future first-ballot Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki is the leading name among the first-year candidates. Many players on this year’s ballot have also been on the ballot in previous years. Longtime White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle falls into that category. While he has never generated much support from voters, Buehrle’s Hall of Fame case is one of the more unique in recent memory.
Buehrle’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He made five All-Star teams, earned four Gold Glove awards, and won over 200 games. He also threw a no-hitter, a perfect game, and is a World Series champion. Despite all that, he has never received much love from Hall of Fame voters. 2025 will be Buehrle’s fifth year on the ballot, but he has never received more than 11% of the vote in any of his four previous tries. Given that 75% or more of the vote is required for induction into Cooperstown, Buehrle has a long way to go to have a fighting chance for a spot with baseball’s all-time greats.
At the same time however, Buehrle has consistently received more than the 5% minimum needed to stay on the ballot over the past several years. The voters do not see him as a player with no business being on the ballot. Many other players fall off the ballot after just one year. Buehrle has not. A specific group of voters continues to vote for him, recognizing his impact on the game. The fact that Buehrle has survived on the ballot this long opens up a much-needed discussion regarding his Hall of Fame case.
When people think of Hall of Fame pitchers, they think of guys with otherworldly stuff or amazing primes. Buehrle does not fall into either of those categories. He never had overwhelming pitches, a crazy prime, or strikeout totals that jumped off the page. Buehrle pitched well over 3,000 innings in his career, yet only has 1,870 career strikeouts. He also allowed a lot of hits, given that he was a pitch-to-contact pitcher. As a result, his WHIP is not all that impressive. If you look solely at his year-to-year stats and overall counting stats, his Hall of Fame candidacy is murky. He also comes up short in metrics like Black Ink, Gray Ink, Hall of Fame Monitor, and Hall of Fame standards. Yet his accomplishments align with Hall of Famers in different ways.
Buehrle pitched 200 innings or more in 14 seasons in a row. Only six other pitchers in the modern era can say the same. Buehrle is in that club with Christy Mathewson, Warren Spahn, Gaylord Perry, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, and Don Sutton. All six of those pitchers are Hall of Famers.
He is also among only seven pitchers to throw a no-hitter and perfect game. He joins Cy Young, Addie Joss, Sandy Koufax, Jim Bunning, Randy Johnson, and Roy Halladay in that club. Again, all six of those pitchers are Hall of Famers. Buehrle is the only exception.
Defense was also one of Buehrle’s calling cards. He won four Gold Glove awards and was one of the best defensive pitchers of his time per defensive runs saved (DRS). He was also exceptional at preventing stolen bases and picking off opposing base runners. Being an excellent defensive pitcher only helps your cause. Mark Buehrle was one of the best in that category.
Buehrle was also ahead of his time regarding how he went about his business. He worked extremely quickly, averaging just shy of 16 seconds between pitches throughout his career, over two seconds faster than the next closest pitcher. He once threw a complete game in just 99 minutes. Buehrle would have thrived in this era where the pitch clock and pace of play are essential. He thrived even before the pitch clock existed. If every pitcher were like Mark Buehrle, the pitch clock would have never had to become a formal rule in MLB.
In an era of never-ending injuries and starting pitchers hardly making it into the sixth inning consistently these days, we will almost assuredly never see another Mark Buehrle. He consistently took the ball and pitched deep into games. He pitched 3,232 innings from 2001 to 2015, 243.1 innings more than second-place CC Sabathia, a future Hall of Famer himself, in that category. Buehrle was one of baseball’s last true workhorses and the type of pitcher he was barely exists anymore.
Buehrle himself said he is not a Hall of Famer. But that humbleness is to be expected from him. He is the same guy who did not want a farewell tour when he retired and was a nervous wreck because he had to make a speech when the White Sox retired his #56 in 2017. Buehrle was never flashy and never wanted to be in the spotlight. He is perfectly content on his Missouri ranch following his playing career. His down-to-earth nature is part of his charm. A lot of professional athletes are egotistical and self-absorbed. Buehrle is not. He is just a regular guy who happened to be good at pitching.
It will be an uphill battle for Mark Buehrle to make it to the Hall of Fame at the rate he is going. He will have to generate significantly more support amongst voters moving forward to have a chance. As baseball continues to evolve into a bullpen-oriented game, Buehrle is someone people will appreciate more as time passes. He was an exceptionally durable workhorse and a historically great defender among pitchers. He also racked up individual stats and accolades thanks to his longevity. Mark Buehrle is a unique case in terms of his Hall of Fame candidacy and is truly a unicorn in baseball’s modern era.
